Tag Archives: Job search tips

Giving Employers What They Want

What do employers want from their employees? While the answers will vary from company to company, field to field, and manager to manager, there are some common skills and qualities that employers look for in their new employees.

Great team members all have certain characteristics, and they are the characteristics that managers want to see in every new employee. If you are hoping to make a good impression on your new employer, keep in mind that these are likely the traits they are looking for in you:

  • Dependability – Show up on time, dress in a professional manner, turn in the same quality of work each day, commit to the team, and give your manager a sense that when she passes a project on to you, she knows it’s in good hands.
  • Self Motivation – Managers dislike micromanaging their employees almost as much as employees dislike being micromanaged. They want their teams to hit the ground running each day, they want employees to seek out new projects and overcome obstacles on their own.
  • Brand Ambassadors – Employers want strong representatives of their brand – whether they are on the clock or off the clock.
  • Flexibility – Change is inevitable. Employers want team members who can roll with the punches, adapting their approach quickly in the face of change.
  • Teachability – Are you open to learning new skills? How quickly do you pick up on them? Employers want their team members to be open to learning.
  • Empathy – Not every person on a team is going to get along with every other person all of the time. Conflict is a fact of life. But employers want to see a high level of empathy from their employees. Can you put yourself in others’ shoes and overcome conflict to get the job done?
  • Proactivity – When something needs to be done, don’t wait to be instructed to do it. Roll up your sleeves and get things done without having to be asked or told.
  • The Ability to Act on Feedback – When a manager tells you that you’ve done something well, do you repeat that behavior? When you’ve been given a plan for improvement, how quickly do you act on it? The ability to receive and act on feedback shows a high level of engagement in your work.

Employers want employees who have the necessary qualifications to get a job done. But that’s not the full story. When you take the time to understand the “human” qualities that employers want to see, you will be better equipped to deliver results for your manager and your company.

If you are professional in engineering, IT, sales, marketing or operations, the professional recruiters at The Prevalent Group can help you become a candidate that hiring managers want for their team.  We work with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies in the country, and we can help you take the next step in your career. Contact us today to learn more.

4 Soft Skills to Remember in An Interview

During the course of a job interview, you’re probably focused on demonstrating your skills and experience. However, your skills and experience alone will not land you the job. Cultural fit is more important than ever before, as employers are starting to understand that they can retain candidates longer if their work style and personalities are a strong fit. While each company culture is unique, there are some universal soft skills that most every employer looks for throughout the hiring process. Therefore, it will be important to remember these soft skills in your next interview:

A Strong Work Ethic

As you answer questions, be sure to include examples of ways in which you go the extra mile to reach your goals and help your team succeed. Many hiring managers look at past performance as an indicator of future results. Be specific. Have stories on hand that showcase the ways you consistently go above and beyond, and be sure to explain your motivations for doing so.

A Positive Attitude

Showcase examples of times that you helped to boost team morale. Was a project in danger of coming in late or over budget? Was your team faced with a string of 12 hour days, extreme pressure, and poor results? What did you do to keep everyone on task and focused on improving the end result? It is also important to demonstrate a positive attitude at all times, even under pressure.  Be aware that if you are naturally laid-back, it might come across as disinterest in an interview. Try to be upbeat to show the hiring manager that even under pressure, you keep your spirits high.

Time Management

Ever since The Great Recession, employees have been asked to do more with less. There seems to always be too much to do, and not enough time to get it done. Be ready so show examples of the ways in which you prioritize tasks, delegate to others, and make sure that your most important projects are always completed on time.

Confidence and Self-Assuredness

Nowhere is confidence more important than an interview. If you can walk into a room of strangers and sell yourself without appearing nervous or stressed out, it shows that you handle yourself well under pressure. Be sure that your confidence doesn’t come off as arrogance, however.  You show confidence in the way you dress, your eye contact, what you do with your hands, how succinctly you answer questions, and whether or not you appear prepared for the interview. At the close of the interview, be sure to express your continued interest in the position, and ask the interviewer when you can expect to hear back from them.

If you are a professional in sales, marketing, engineering, IT or operations looking for new career opportunities, contact The Prevalent Group today. Our team of executive recruiters can help match you with a position that aligns with your long-term career goals, and we can work with you to help perfect your interviewing skills to ensure that you are putting your best foot forward at all times.

4 Reasons Why It Is So Important To Follow Up And Stay In Touch

Jobs, bosses, colleagues and interviewers will come and go, but connections can last a lifetime.  It is imperative to stay in touch with your professional network, even while you are happily employed, because you never know when those connections may help you in your career.

1. Keep in Touch With Interviewers

It can be frustrating to make it to a final round of interviews, only to lose the position to another candidate. If you made it that far, however, it means that the hiring team saw something in you that they liked. Once you find out that you did not get the job, ask the hiring manager if it’s alright to keep in touch. Connect via LinkedIn, and check in sporadically. It is possible that their needs will change over time, and you may be a better fit for an open position in the future. It is also possible that the hiring manager will move on to another company. When she has an open position that suits you, you’ll have a much easier time getting your foot in the door if you’ve been diligent about remaining on her radar.

2. Don’t Lose Contact with Former Bosses

Hopefully, you’ve resigned from your former positions on a good note. If you parted ways amicably with an old boss, it’s not out of the question to keep in touch. Connect on LinkedIn, and when you see your former supervisors out and about at professional events, take some time to say hello and catch up.  Why? You never know where your career, or your former supervisor’s career, will go. Your old boss may move on to a new company, your old company could expand, each providing opportunities for you to return in a new capacity.

3. Follow up with Connections Made at Networking Events

People attend networking events to make connections. In order to make those connections work, you have to stay in touch. After each event, make time to sit down and email those people who made an impression on you – or those people you hope to impress. The emails should be short, but friendly and professional. Remind each person who you are and what you discussed at the event. Follow up by sending a LinkedIn invitation. Keep those people on your touch-base list and be sure to check in regularly.

4. Don’t Go Overboard

Staying in touch means sending an occasional email or placing an occasional phone call. Each point of contact should have a distinct purpose. You might attach or mention a news article about your connection’s company, or a piece of industry news they might find interesting. Don’t reach out once a week asking for a job. That is a surefire way to make yourself known as a nuisance. The point of networking is to establish professional relationships, not to hound people into doing things to further your career.

If you are actively seeking new career opportunities, the recruiters at The Prevalent Group would love to connect with you. We are always on the lookout for talented professionals in sales, marketing, engineering and technology. As a nationally recognized recruitment and executive placement agency, we work with some of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies in the country. We invite you to visit our job board and then contact us to learn more about current openings and potential opportunities. We look forward to meeting you.

How To Transition And Apply For Senior-Level Jobs

Job seekers looking to take their careers to the next level must tailor their resumes accordingly. Junior-level and middle-management positions require significantly different skill sets than senior-level positions. Upper managers must exhibit leadership skills and be able to showcase their ability to get results. Therefore, in order to transition and apply for senior-level jobs, candidates must build a performance-based resume that not only paints a picture of technical success, but one that also shows a history of strong leadership.

Here are some tips for making the transition:

Think like a senior leader:

Before you can take the next step in your career, you must change your mindset. In your current position, begin to think like a leader. Can you volunteer to head up new projects? What steps can you personally take to improve the performance of your entire team? If you think like a senior manager, it can have a positive effect not only on your job search, but your performance as well.

Identify your most valuable skill sets:

What makes you a successful leader? Do you take the reins without asking? Perhaps you are able to quickly take projects in a new direction without pushing back against leadership. Do you find that your team comes to you with questions about specific skills? Identify your strengths and be sure they are highlighted on your resume.

Don’t tell, show:

A resume should not be a laundry list of job titles, responsibilities, and awards. You must sell yourself through specific examples. Don’t simply say you led a team. Instead, cite examples of the steps you took to improve specific team metrics or the processes you implemented to exceed company goals.

Be open to new possibilities:

If you’ve only ever worked at a large corporation, open yourself up to positions at smaller companies where there are more opportunities to wear different hats and take on advanced projects.

Partner with a recruiter:

Making the transition to senior management can be a challenge for some candidates. If you find yourself stuck, it can be valuable to partner with a professional recruiter who can work with you directly to help you modify your resume, and who can coach you on how to interview for senior positions. Recruiters also have a line on jobs that may not be advertised to the public, and they can match you with positions and organizations that align with your unique strengths and goals.

If you are looking to take the next step in your career, we’d love to talk to you. At The Prevalent Group we are always seeking relationships with experienced professionals who have the skills and the ability to deliver results.  As a nationally recognized management and executive placement recruitment company, we place executives in sales, marketing, engineering, technology and more. If you are looking for new opportunities in these fields, visit our job board to scan our current openings, and then contact us to learn more. We look forward to connecting you with your next job.