General Recruiting

November 27, 2017 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

DRESS FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR NEXT JOB INTERVIEW

WANT YOUR LEGAL DREAM JOB? DRESS FOR SUCCESS

How to Dress for Your Job Interview

At Strategic Recruitment Solutions, our legal recruiters work with most of the law firms in the Louisiana Gulf Coast region. Let us be your advocate, coach, and agent and help you land your dream job! Making a great first impression is more important than you think.

Take our advice and when interviewing for employment in the legal field, dress the part and opt for a conservative look. The legal interview is not the place to make a fashion statement! Wear clothes that help you feel confident and comfortable and avoid these fashion blunders:

Clothing that Distracts – When interviewing, you want the hiring manager to focus on you, not what you are wearing. Your outfit should reflect your personality but not be overpowering. To dress for success, instead of loud, bold colors, stick to the standard colors and add accents (such as on a scarf or tie) in brighter hues. Women should wear a solid-colored blouse with a suit, preferably in blue, white or a neutral color with a higher neckline, according to an article in Stylish Sophisticate. For men, a navy blue suit, white shirt, and soft color tie is the dress for success according to LearnLeo, a blog that helps graduates of top law schools excel.
What to do about Tattoos and Body Piercing – Unfortunately, how others view your self-expression is not always positive or fair. Limited research on the subject of tattoos in the workplace reveals that people regard those with tattoos as being less intelligent among other assumptions. To dress for a successful interview you should remove all facial piercings, and cover up tattoos until you are certain of company policies regarding tattoos and piercing.
Pay Attention to the Details – A polished appearance is the key to dressing for success. Make sure your clothes are free of wrinkles and your shoes are shined. Attention to detail indicates a dedication to success and presentation. Caution: If you have pets at home, don’t forget the lint roller!

Additional Dress for Success Tips for Women:

Nails: Stay clear of wild nail polish, it is better to stay in clear or neutral shades.
Jewelry: Keep jewelry to a minimum (two rings per hand and one earring per ear). Instead of dangling earrings, pick classic choices such as stud earrings or fine silver or gold jewelry.
Makeup: Wearing a baseline amount of makeup helps to keep the overall look sleek and professional. A bit of foundation, mascara, and a flush of color (natural blush or lipstick) is a good start.
Accessories: Black tote bags and handbags are safe bets for stowing extra resumes, a spare pair of flats, a spare pair of pantyhose for those wearing the skirt suit, and makeup bag.

Additional Dress for Success Tips for Men:

Shoes: The rule is if your suit is black or grey, wear black shoes and wear brown shoes with a blue or brown suit.
Ties and Socks: Keep the loud or comedy ties and socks at home.
If the Suit Fits Wear it Here is a handy guide to making sure your suit fits right.

Dressing for success is a delicate balance of personal taste and common sense. Whatever you wear, remember that your attention to detail is essential. If you do not pay attention to your appearance, why would anyone think you would pay attention to your work? Listen to our expert advice and guidance and we can help you land that dream job!

September 5, 2017 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

5 COMMON MISTAKES TO AVOID DURING JOB INTERVIEWS

Avoid these 5 Interview Mistakes to land your perfect Job: Have you ever wanted a job but not received an offer? Most of us have been there. In exploring the job market there are absolutely things any candidate should do to increase their odds at getting an offer and being the chosen one.

First impressions at an interview are very important and from the time you walk through the door you are being judged. In order to stand out from the other applicants, make sure you look alert, competent, and confident during the interview and avoid these five mistakes:

Mistake #1: Arriving Too Late or Too Early

This is a big hot button for SRS. A time is set aside for your interview and you need to respect that. Being late is never acceptable but showing up too early is equally disrespectful and can potentially set a job seeker up for low ball offers. For most occupations, we suggest announcing yourself no more than 5 -7 minutes prior to your interview although there are exceptions to the rule for some professions such as sales. Being too late or too early for an interview suggests that you have poor time management skills as well as a lack of respect for your interviewer

Don’t misunderstand; we don’t recommend that any candidate arrives with their hair on fire. We recommend you arrive in plenty of time prior to your interview just simply wait to announce yourself. If you are more than 7 minutes early, figure out where you are going and then find a place to have a seat to wait until you can officially arrive. Take this extra time to go over your notes and think of any additional questions you may have for the interviewer.

Mistake #2: Being unprepared.

Your lack of preparation will be obvious to your interviewer. If you are prepared, this will help demonstrate your researching skills and how articulate you are at communicating. Successful preparation has several elements:

Analyze how your skills match the job description. Make a list of the job requirements and how your accomplishments align with those requirements. Be prepared to give examples of how these skills match.
Research the company’s website, LinkedIn and Facebook pages so that you know your answers to these two questions – “What do you know about us?” and “Why do you want to work here?”
After reading about the company’s mission and business practices, make a list of questions that will show your interest.
Find out who will be interviewing you and check out their LinkedIn Profile. See if you have anything in common with the interviewer, such as attending the same school or belonging to the same professional association.

You should learn as much as possible about your prospective employer prior to the interview. Hiring managers will assume that you have already investigated the company’s website, so make sure you go beyond the minimum by utilizing your professional network or industry publications to find out more.

Mistake #3: Sharing Too Little/Too Much Information

Not giving enough detail makes the interviewer think you are hiding something, whereas if you share too much information, your interviewer may tune you out. Advance preparation is the key to achieving the right balance. Prior to the interview, think about possible emotional intelligence questions and behavioral questions and how you might answer them. Before you arrive at the interview, you should have already prepared succinct answers to questions about your background that will showcase your skills. Practice these responses with your friends or trusted colleagues as they can give you candid feedback that will help you refine and shorten your answers. Remember less is more and caution against giving TMI (too much information). If an interviewer wants to know more, he or she will continue to ask questions.

Mistake # 4 Getting Distracted

It is very easy to get distracted during an interview, but not paying attention can cost you. Before you get to your interview, silence your phone. Texting during your interview is not only rude and disruptive, it sends a clear message to your potential employer that getting the job is not your top priority.

Make sure you are well-rested, alert and prepared for your interview. If you feel your attention slipping away, make the effort to stay engaged. By maintaining eye contact, leaning slightly forward when talking to your interviewer you will show you are an effective listener

Mistake # 5 Badmouthing Past Employers

It is a smaller world than you think so never make the mistake of badmouthing your employers. When interviewing, you want your employer to know that you can work well with other people and handle conflicts in a mature and effective way. Have an example ready of how you turned a negative situation into a positive one.

One of the most valuable, and underrated, interviewing skills is the ability to listen, pay attention to, understand and absorb what the other person is saying. Try to customize your answers based on what you learn from the interviewer so that you can emphasize the skills you have that are most applicable to the position.

In closing, take the time to do what your competition is unwilling or unable to do. We promise you will be glad you did!

July 5, 2017 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

CAUTION! YOUR COUNTER OFFER IS A STALL TACTIC

CAUTION! YOUR COUNTER OFFER IS A STALL TACTIC

After sending out numerous resumes and going on countless interviews, you have found the perfect job. The only thing left for you to do is to resign. Although you probably rehearsed what you would tell your boss 100 times, did you plan for the possibility of a counter offer?

Changing jobs can be an emotional roller coaster so before you give your notice, be prepared for what you will say if faced with a counter offer. Remember you have put your boss into crisis mode and this may lead to an introduction to the counter offer through praise or guilt. Be cautious of the offer of “exciting and expanding responsibilities” or the possibility that you will receive an additional increase or bonus if you stay. If your employer loved you that much, why did it take your leaving to suddenly get the respect you deserve. If the guilt card is played be ready to hear how your leaving will “put a strain on the department” and then politely offer to help in the transition. Try to remain in the mindset that you have been in for months and remember that you would not be leaving if you were happy or felt valued.

Counter offers are to benefit your employer, not you. So before you even entertain a counteroffer, consider these 5 reasons why it is in the company’s best interest to have you stay:

EASIER TO KEEP THAN REPLACE: The cost of recruiting and placing a qualified candidate in today’s economy is significant. It is much easier to keep you with a counter offer than replace you. Since managers are responsible for employee satisfaction and retention, making you a counter offer will also help your boss save face.
WHERE DID THE MONEY COME FROM: If you are offered a raise as an incentive to stay, ask yourself where did the money come from? If your raise was merit based, you would have received it by now. Instead, due to timing alone, your raise now becomes a bribe. Caution – when the crisis is over, so is the incentive to keep you.
TRUST IS BROKEN- As soon as you give your notice, you will become an outsider and easier to replace. And even though your boss may say there are no hard feelings, each time you leave the office for an appointment it will be viewed with suspicion.
WHAT WILL BE DIFFERENT? Chances are the same reasons that caused you to consider leaving this job will repeat themselves in the future; even if you accept a counteroffer. Remember this is business. Your employer is looking out for his best interest and so should you!
YOUR REPUTATION: When you accept a counter offer, you are breaking your commitment to your prospective employer. This will definitely damage your reputation with the company who made you an offer and may ruin your reputation in your field. Would you want to hire someone who does not keep his or her word?
LEAVING WITH MUTUAL RESPECT – Well managed companies treat their employees with respect. If you quit your job with style and decline the counter offer you save your career from potential damage. It is time to show your employer you have the confidence to stick with your decision.

WHY A STALL TACTIC?

Counter offers are merely stalling tactics to give your employers time to deal with the unexpected. By making a counter offer, your boss saves the company time and money and prevents a potential strain on your co-workers.

While accepting a counter offer may be tempting, statistics show they just don’t work. According to Business Week and the National Employers Association, 89% of workers who accept counter-offers leave their job within six months. Before you accept a counter offer, take remember why you wanted to leave your job in the first place.

August 2, 2016 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

5 HABITS OF A HIGHLY INEFFECTIVE JOB SEEKER

The 5 Habits of a Highly Ineffective Job Seeker

Let me offer a brief preamble to acknowledge that the title of this article is in homage to the late Dr. Stephen Covey, the brilliant author of must-reads like THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE^® and THE 8TH HABIT^®: FROM EFFECTIVENESS TO GREATNESS. Dr. Covey’s positive messages and practical advice has been boosting the productivity of professionals in business for generations. Therefore, I’d like to humbly reveal the seven bad habits job seekers should avoid.

In the spirit of full disclosure, the executive recruiters at Strategic Recruitment Solutions, LLC, typically do not work with the “average” job seeker.

Our firm partners with top-tier professionals and executives in industries like Legal, IT, Marketing, and Business Management. And even though our core clientele generally has impeccable credentials, immense experience, and/or advanced degrees…a large segment has very little real-world practice in the fine art of searching for and landing a job. After all, top-tier professionals often rise quickly (and seemingly effortlessly) during the first few phases of their career, so the opportunities for seeking out a job on their own are rare.

Naturally, it stands to reason that high achieving professionals will regard a job search as more-less an easy, methodical task rather than a skill that must be honed. And, without the benefit of previous trial-and-error or past failures at landing a desirable job on their own, many will very quickly develop bad habits which will render their current job seeking efforts ineffective.

1. Not Listening to Expert Advice and Guidance

You don’t know what you don’t know. So, if you truly want to know, you should listen to someone who does know. I’m not suggesting you heed all advice or be swayed by all the guidance offered, but simply listening to what verifiable experts have to say can AT LEAST identify what you don’t know, and AT BEST tell you something you didn’t know.

2. Ignoring Your Online Persona

You are who the internet says you are. Before you dismiss that statement as utterly ridiculous, consider that one of the first actions an HR representative is going to do is Google your name. And the results that Google returns will define YOU, regardless of your professional achievements, your educational background, or the hundreds of hours invested in charity work.

If an initial search returns only a smattering of vague and non-relevant mentions of your name (like in an Ancestry.com listing or an archived white pages listing of an old phone number), it generally portrays you as (1) having not done anything important enough to mention in a news or blog article, or (2) someone who is intentionally trying to hide something. Neither scenario is good for a top-tier professional job seeker looking for a prime opportunity!

3. Ignoring Your Social Media Identity

Many of our core talent partners – especially in the Legal and I.T. fields – are social media averse; some consider it a waste of time and other consider it as posing undue personal and professional risks. OK, point taken. However, when searching for a new career, you may have to adapt more to the “mainstream” in order to maximize your visibility and provide a bit of transparency for potential employers evaluating your non-academic, non-technical traits.

A decent social media presence can help “populate” Google search results with relevant content…thus, helping to fix the Online Persona issue discussed above. Having active and updated social channels can also convey that you have a network of industry associates, outside interests, and actual friends. Think of social media as a “humanizing” factor for high-end professionals.

The social media platforms most beneficial to job seekers are LinkedIn and Google Plus. Your LinkedIn profile should have a considerable amount of detail, as it will be the most relevant to anyone evaluating your credentials. Be sure to add as much detail as possible on past work history, credentials, professional associations, and education. This channel also allows you to connect with industry associations and other interest-based groups without flooding your email inbox with unsolicited messages.

Google Plus (YES, Google Plus is a thing!) is an essential tool for anyone looking to gain high visibility in a job search. The simple reason is because Google Plus IS GOOGLE! Whatever is entered into the “About” section on your G+ profile gets indexed on Google within minutes! This channel is especially important for someone actively looking for a new opportunity and is not concerned that a current employer may stumble across their G+ profile. Kissmetrics has a fantastic article on how to optimize your Google + profile and page.

4. “Call to Action” is Missing in a Resume and CV

Remember that Marketing class you were forced to take Junior year? Well, now you get to put those 3 credit hours to good use because, when you’re seeking a new position, you’re selling yourself! The first chance you have to make a first impression to a potential employer is going to be in your Resume and CV.

Forget templated, boilerplate intro sentences and personal statements. No…seriously…put them completely out of your head. A true top-tier professional is expected to come strong with a unique “call to action”; a compelling argument on how you could personally add value to the company. If you are feeling bold, use that call to action as the Subject Line of the email when submitting your credentials.

5. Relying On Job Boards to Identify Opportunities

The epitome of an ineffective job seeker is someone who responds to a plethora of job listings, then sits back and waits for the job offers to come rolling in. Sure, offers occasionally pop up…but they are probably not offers fit for a professional at the top of his/her game. The listings you see on job boards are broadcast to a huge universe and generate huge responses. These responses are filtered by automated screening algorithms and make it difficult for even the most qualified candidates to get the attention they rightly deserve.

The truth is, a majority of desirable opportunities for professionals are either found through industry connections or identified through an advocate, like an executive recruiter. In either scenario, you are likely to discover opportunities that have yet to be listed. Sometimes reaching out to people in the same industry may not be in your best interest…especially if you’d like to perform a very low-key job search. In that case, partnering with a professional headhunter or an executive recruiting firm may be your best route for forging a new career path.

Whether you are an executive-level professional at the top of your field, or up-and-coming talent looking to reach the next level, a job search can quickly be stymied unless you avoid these bad habits. So if any ring true, do yourself a favor and break the bad habits before you lose out on the opportunity of a lifetime!

July 25, 2016 by Amy Shanks Leave a Comment

3 MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF PARTNERING WITH EXECUTIVE RECRUITERS

The 3 Major Advantages of Partnering With Executive Recruiters

If you’re at the top of your profession, consider speaking with an executive recruitment firm prior to a career change.

Even top-tier professionals and executive-level talent often need assistance navigating their own career path. As executive recruiters in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, LA, we hear many of our clients from the legal and IT industries admit that when the personal decision was made to seek out new opportunities, they immediately faced a huge obstacle: where to begin?

The names and faces of “Top Performers” within a specific industry are likely to be recognizable inside their business circles, especially in a localized region. If everyone knows your name, actively conducting a covert job search becomes next to impossible. Even making casual inquiries about potential opportunities to cohorts in your circles creates a significant risk to anonymity.

However, partnering with an Executive Recruiter not only protects your privacy when forging a new career path, but the relationship also offers 3 distinct advantages for talent at the top of their professional game.

Advantage #1: You’ll Have an Advocate, a Coach, and an Agent

If you’ve never used executive recruiters to assist in a job search, you may not even know what to expect from the relationship. First and foremost, a recruiter is YOUR ADVOCATE; they are watching out for your best interests and are working to find you the best match available. Being an advocate for your professional career means they’ll need to know a lot of details about you, a ton of background information, and will need a clear understanding of your ultimate career goals. When your recruiter/advocate is aware of all the pertinent information, they can design a very detailed map for your career path.

Did you know that even the most accomplished Hollywood actors typically consult with an acting coach prior to taking on a new project? Seasoned actors realized long ago that in order to ensure success in a new role, they must prepare and practice…and this is made possible by getting guidance from an acting coach. In a similar way, an employment recruiter assumes the role of COACH. Your recruiter/coach is available to guide you throughout the job search process, provides education and resources about potential new employers, and helps you prepare and practice for interviews.

In the same way, a professional athlete needs a sports agent, top-tier talent needs their recruiter to act as their CAREER AGENT. In this role, your recruiter will be actively seeking out attractive opportunities that match your specific skillsets, talents, abilities, and other factors (e.g.; location, salary requirements, workload). The agent role is also vital when it comes time to negotiate with potential employers. And this brings us to the next huge advantage…

Advantage #2: Your Recruiter Offers Guidance & Negotiation Skills

As stated before, your recruiter has a vested interest in your success. Therefore, you should expect they will guide and educate you through the entire process. From the first step of identifying and evaluating desirable opportunities to negotiating with the new employer and transitioning from your old company, your recruiter should be right there with you every step of the way.

One of the most sensitive (and sometimes, awkward) aspects of pursuing a new career opportunity is negotiating compensation. Even skilled sales pros or experienced courtroom litigators often balk at conducting tough negotiations on their own behalf; sometimes we’re simply too invested emotionally to have the right perspective on what is considered “attractive compensation”! However, experienced recruiters can remove the emotional element and negotiate based on current market data and other competitive factors. In fact, many company executives prefer negotiating with a third party when it comes to hiring top-level professionals.

Advantage #3: Executive Recruiters Have Access to Insider Information

Recruiters are familiar with the culture, reputation, business models and work environment of most prominent employers. This valuable insider information not only helps thoroughly prepare their talent partners for the interview process, but it also assists in matching candidates with the most desirable employment situation.

But the biggest advantage of “insider information” is that professional recruiters have the inside track on available (or potential) opportunities that have yet to become public. Simply due to the nature of their business, executive staffing companies are in constant communication with the companies they represent and thus receive advanced notice on positions that are likely to become available. Naturally, they quickly alert their qualified talent clients about these opportunities, which means you’ll be competing with fewer candidates at the outset. And being “first out of the gate” provides a significant competitive advantage over other job seekers who must wait for the opportunities to be posted publicly!

So if you are a top performing professional looking to forge a new career path, consider partnering with a trusted executive recruiting firm like Strategic Recruitment Solutions. We work with most of the law firms and technology companies in the Louisiana Gulf Coast region, as well as top companies throughout the nation. Therefore, we can provide access to positions in the Legal and IT fields that may not be advertised on job boards or a company’s website. Search our current opportunities or submit your resume to get started!

Although they are sometimes referred to as “professional headhunters”, executive-level recruiters generally try to work with candidates within a few specific industries, allowing executive recruiters to maintain a high level of expertise within those select fields. Their expert knowledge is used to match talent clients with positions where they’d most likely excel, help prepare candidates for the interview process, and even facilitate negotiations based on the most current industry data.