Tag Archives: Talent and executive placement firm

How To Deliver Results At Work

Ever since The Great Recession, U.S. companies have adopted a lean approach to business. Everyone has been doing more with less for quite some time, and employees continue to feel the pinch. Delivering solid results when faced with a crippling workload is never easy, but it can be done. Follow this guide to ensure that your boss views you as someone who can deliver “the goods” time and time again.

First, Eat Your Peas

We often put our least-favorite tasks at the bottom of our to-do lists. Try flipping things around and “eating your peas” first. Each day, choose the task you dread the most and get it done right away, saving the remainder of your day for tasks you find more interesting and enjoyable.

When you make your least-favorite tasks a priority, your overall productivity will improve. When you save them until the end of the day, you’re more likely to drag your feet on other projects, thereby “putting off” your most unpleasant work and falling into the procrastination trap.

Say Yes to Less

Every time you accept a new project or task, you are adding more to your plate. If you’re starting to get backed up, it’s time to speak up. Drop by your boss’s office with your task list and show her your current workload. Ask for permission to delegate some tasks. It might make sense to have a more analytical co-worker complete certain spreadsheets, or a more eloquent team member draft deliverable documents, for example. If the goal is quality results, some shifting might make sense for the entire team.

Remember, there is more honor in raising your hand when you feel you’re drowning than there is in delivering poor results because you’re overworked.

Review Results Regularly

Block out time each Friday afternoon to review your week. What did you get done? What went well? Where did you stumble? Are you taking too much time to complete tasks that aren’t a priority? Take stock of what happened, where you spent your time, and which of your goals you achieved. Use that insight to plan your Monday accordingly. It can be beneficial to share your self-reviews with your boss, as well. It doesn’t have to be formal, you can simply send him an email outlining your thoughts and asking for feedback.

When your boss sees how you are spending your time, he might have some insight into future workflow. If he’s been assigning you tasks that waste your time or talent, he can make that assessment when he sees it in black and white.

If you are someone who delivers results time and time again – but you are on the hunt for new opportunities and challenges – contact The Prevalent Group today. Our team of executive recruiters work with professionals in sales, marketing, engineering, IT and operations, and they can connect you with a position that aligns with your long-term career goals.

Common Interview Mistakes That Even Experienced Candidates Make

There is nothing worse than the feeling that you did something wrong in a job interview. It’s important to remember, however, that we all make mistakes, especially when we are nervous. And while it may seem that some people are masters of the job interview, even experienced candidates can blow it from time to time.

Some of the most common interview mistakes are easy to avoid if you know what they are and how to proactively combat them.

Talking Too Much

When we are nervous, we can often talk too much, which typically leads to poor listening behaviors. From the moment you sit down in the chair, make an effort to listen very closely to each question and to watch your interviewer for nonverbal cues that will let you know if you are rambling. If she starts fidgeting in her chair, for example, it’s probably time to wrap up your answer and move on.

The Big Salary Mistake

Candidates commonly make a big mistake when it comes to salary negotiation. They bring up the subject far too early in the hiring process. Interviewers can be turned off by those who jump right into salary talk.

If the interviewer brings up salary, then it’s perfectly acceptable to talk about your feelings with compensation related to the position. If the topic isn’t broached, then wait until at least the second interview and ask an open-ended question – “What salary range do you have in mind for this position?” Listen carefully to the response before continuing the conversation.

Bringing a Beverage

If you need to fuel up before your interview, it’s only natural to turn to coffee, tea, or soda. While it’s perfectly fine to drink a beverage on the ride to the employer’s office, it’s essential to leave the cup behind. Having a drink in front of you makes it very easy to become distracted – you may stare at the cup out of nervousness, miss a question while taking a sip, or you may even spill the drink on yourself, the desk, or the interviewer.

Letting Your Guard Down Too Much

When you’re really getting along with your interviewer and you find you have several things in common, it can be very easy to let your guard down and reveal too much personal or irrelevant information. Always remember that no matter how much you may like the interviewer as a person, you must remain professional at all times.

Lack of Preparation

Even the most seasoned job seeker can underprepare for an interview. Underpreparing can take many forms. It may mean you didn’t spend enough time researching the company, perhaps you didn’t realize that the interview would include behavioral questions or that the format would be team-interview style.

Do as much research as you can before stepping into an interview. Use resources like Glasdsoor’s interview tool to help you learn what the process is like, and what you can expect from your interview. Research the company and be ready for an interview that may include behavioral questions.

Another great way to prepare for interviews and avoid potential mistakes is to partner with a professional recruiter. If you are a professional in engineering, information technology, operations, sales, or marketing, and you are looking for new and exciting career opportunities, contact The Prevalent Group today. We are a nationally recognized management and executive placement and recruitment agency that works with innovative organizations in Northern Illinois and beyond. We can help you locate job opportunities that align with your long-term personal and professional goals, and we can help prepare you for interviews so that you make a positive impression each and every time.

Why Networking is Still Important

It doesn’t take an expert to realize that over the last decade, human communication and interaction has become less personal and more digital. We don’t call our friends, we text. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram are the mediums by which we keep in touch with our friends and family – even if they live just a few miles away. The digitization of communication has also affected professional interactions, which has led many people to reduce the time they spend networking. However, networking is still critical to career development, whether you are new to the workforce or you are 20 years into your career.

To get the most from networking in the digital age, it helps to know how to turn online interactions into professional connections.

Spend More Time on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the most effective professional social media platform for networking with people in your industry. It’s not enough to have a profile on LinkedIn, however. You’ve got to create an optimized profile that is not only robust, but also searchable. You also have to know how to work the platform to grow your network and make real and meaningful connections.

Joining and participating in groups is an ideal strategy for maximizing your time on LinkedIn. Not only will you connect with like-minded professionals, but you also have the opportunity to showcase your unique knowledge and skills in discussions. Many hiring managers and recruiters join LinkedIn groups to spot new talent, and groups can be an ideal platform for showing off your expertise.

It is important to stay in touch with LinkedIn connections. Be sure to take the time to personally email or InMail your contacts so that you are cultivating real relationships. Whenever possible, take the conversation offline and invite contacts to coffee or lunch for some analog, face-to-face networking time.

Join Local Meetup Groups

Meetup.com is a digital platform that takes online networking into the real world. Users can sign up and join local groups that meet in their area.

By seeking out meetups based on your professional expertise and interests, you can connect with local professionals in your industry. Join several groups, as you won’t always be able to attend scheduled meetups, and some gatherings simply won’t be of interest to you. Joining several groups allows you to pick and choose the events that are the most relevant to you, and exposes you to the widest variety of people possible.

Commit to Making a New Connection Every Week

In order to ensure that you’re constantly growing your network, set a goal of making a minimum of one new connection every week. Whether it’s on LinkedIn, through Meetup.com, or through some other channel, adding one new, relevant connection to your network can help you stay plugged in to what’s happening in your industry.

Always remember that networking is a two-way street. You have to give if you hope to receive. Be sure that you aren’t approaching networking with a “me first” attitude, and do whatever you can to be of assistance to your professional contacts.

If you are a professional in sales, marketing, engineering, IT or operations looking for new 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 networking skills to ensure you cultivate a strong set of professional connections.

Should You Accept a Counteroffer?

You’ve done it: after a long journey in the job market, you’ve landed a position. You’ve negotiated a great salary, you’re poised to take on more responsibility, and your start date is just two weeks away. But out of the blue, your boss surprises you with a counteroffer. Suddenly, you’re conflicted and you aren’t sure what to do next.

Counteroffers are extremely flattering, but they require serious consideration, because they are not always all they are cracked up to be.

Two Types of Counteroffers

Counteroffers typically come in two forms. The first type of counteroffer is financial, which provides you with an increase in salary. Your boss will either ballpark a guess at your new salary, or sit you down and ask how much your new position pays and then match or exceed that offer.

The second type of offer is emotional. This one is designed to play upon your sense of loyalty. Your boss may not present you with a written offer, but rather a verbal offer of more responsibility, a raise down the line, or some other intangible benefit. It is likely that the verbal offer will come with a lot of talk about your value to the organization, or they may tell you that they really need you on board to launch or finalize a critical project.

Things to Consider Before Accepting a Counteroffer

Counteroffers will make you take pause. Staying in place is much easier than making a change, and if your employer is making big promises (or a big financial offer), it can seem like a no-brainer to stay where you are. Before you accept a counteroffer, however, always consider a few points:

Why Give You a Raise Now? If you’ve been at your position for quite some time and you’ve never received a significant raise, why are the bosses so willing to cough up the money now? The truth of the matter is that it’s cheaper to raise your salary than to conduct a job search for a replacement. If they really wanted you to stay, you’d have received a raise long before submitting your letter of resignation.
You are, in Fact, Replaceable. Every employee is replaceable. If your boss tries to paint a picture that you are indispensable to the company, why were you not recognized before with promotions, raises, leadership training or five-star performance reviews?
Your Leaving Reflects Poorly on Your Boss. Turnover is an indication of a problem in a department, and your boss’s sudden interest in your career may be more of an attempt to cover himself to his bosses than to make you happy.
Counteroffer or Stall Tactic? Data suggests that 80% of all employees who accept a counteroffer are gone after one year. Many managers use counteroffers as a way to buy time to replace employees.
Things Will Never Be the Same. Resigning will place a strain on your relationship with your boss. He may begin to reflect on the time off you took in recent weeks, which you’ve now exposed as time spent looking for a new job. Your coworkers may not trust you anymore either, knowing that you have one foot out the door. Nothing will go back to the way it was before you turned in your notice.

It’s always important to remember that your career is about you, not your manager, not your company, not your projects, and not your teammates. If a counteroffer seems appealing, take a step back and remember the reasons why you started looking for a job in the first place. Will the counteroffer really change things?

If you are a professional in engineering, information technology, operations, sales, or marketing, and you are looking for new and exciting career opportunities, contact The Prevalent Group today. We are a nationally recognized management and executive placement and recruitment agency that works with innovative organizations in Northern Illinois and beyond. We can help you locate exciting job opportunities that align with your long-term personal career goals.

How To Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

Most professionals know that a LinkedIn profile is an absolute necessity. If you’re new to the job market, or you’re just starting to think about looking for new opportunities, it’s probably time to login and take some steps to improve your profile so that it’s searchable for hiring managers and paints a clear picture of your skills and qualifications. If you are looking to improve your LinkedIn profile this year, follow these steps:

One: Update Your Photo

If you don’t have a photo on your profile, if your current photo is outdated, or if it is not a professional headshot, it’s time to make a change. According to LinkedIn’s own data, profiles that include a professional photo get 14 times more views than those without a photo. Getting a professional headshot taken is relatively inexpensive, and the cost of a professional photo can pay for itself tenfold if it helps you land the job of your dreams.

Two: Complete Your Summary

Many people on LinkedIn skip over the summary section, or they fill it out with just one or two sentences. It will be important to take some time and write out a complete summary that paints a picture of who you are as a professional, and the benefits you bring to employers. Your summary is your first introduction to hiring managers and recruiters, and you want them to read it and say, “I want to learn more about this person.”

Three: Craft a Strategic, Searchable Headline

When you’re working on your LinkedIn profile, remember that hiring managers and recruiters will find you through LinkedIn’s search function. If you don’t include keywords in your headline, summary, and profile, you won’t show up in search results. LinkedIn will pre-fill your headline for you if you choose, but it is much more effective to write your own. Include your name, your current job title, any known variations of that job title, and the industry in which you work. For example, data scientists should also include analytics keywords, and business intelligence keywords, since they are all related.

Participate in Groups

LinkedIn Groups are an excellent way to make new connections, expand your network, and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Join relevant industry groups and participate in discussions whenever possible. Always make sure your answers are well thought out and relevant. Groups are not the place to ask about open job positions. Keep your conversations on topic, make valuable and insightful contributions, and always be respectful of the other me members of the group. Hiring managers and recruiters join these groups to monitor discussions and identify talent, so always present yourself professionally.

Work With a Professional Recruiter

Crafting an effective LinkedIn profile is an art form, and it can be extremely useful to get some outside help. Professional recruiters know the value of a strong online presence, and they can help you craft a profile that will make you more attractive to potential employers.

If you are a professional in sales, marketing, engineering, IT or operations looking for new 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 LinkedIn profile to help you make a strong first impression on hiring managers.

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.

Tell Me About Yourself: How to Develop an Elevator Pitch

Many interviews open with the same question, “Tell me about yourself.” Many interviewees see this as an invitation to tell their personal life story, but this is not what hiring managers want to hear. “Tell me about yourself,” is an invitation to provide an overview of your career background, your achievements, and where you see yourself in the future. The answer to this question is often a great place to utilize your elevator pitch.

What is an Elevator Pitch?

Elevator pitches are named for a challenge: How would you express your value as an employee if you found yourself on an elevator with your dream employer and you had to describe yourself to that person in the time it took you to reach your floor?

Your elevator pitch should be concise, illustrating who you are and how you can help the listener. It is a sales pitch about yourself that you deliver verbally, which means it takes focus and practice in order to deliver it with confidence. To be effective, an elevator pitch should be compelling and memorable, and it should clearly illustrate your value to the employer.

How to Create Your Elevator Pitch

Developing an effective elevator pitch takes some time. Though it is short, it carries a lot of weight, and determines the tone of the rest of the interview. Here are some tips to help you craft a compelling elevator pitch:

Set aside time to sit down and create a career inventory.

Write down the things you would want potential employers to know about your skills, achievements, and relevant experience.
Edit, edit, edit.

Once you’ve got a nice, long list written down, it’s time to edit. Delete anything that is not absolutely critical to your elevator pitch. You want to be left with just a few bullet points. Remember, the elevator pitch is not your life or career story, it is more of a highlight reel of your “top hits” that should leave the interviewer wanting to learn more about you.
Format the pitch.

Now that you’ve got a list to work with, you can begin to craft your pitch. A solid elevator pitch will answer the questions: Who are you? What do you do well? What are you looking for from your career?
Tailor your pitch to your audience.

Remember that you are giving a sales pitch, and the listener only wants to know what’s in it for them. Therefore, the message should focus on your benefits as an employee. Instead of saying, “I am an HR professional with 12 years of experience in the finance industry,” it would be much more powerful to say, “I am an HR professional with a track record in successfully recruiting top-level management.”
Practice, practice, practice.

After you’ve got a solid draft in place, practice your pitch out loud with friends, family, or your professional recruiter. They can help you make any edits that might be necessary, and the more you practice delivering your pitch, the more confident you will be in your delivery.

Professional recruiters can be an invaluable resource when it comes to perfecting your elevator pitch and your entire interviewing technique. If you are a professional in engineering, information technology, operations, sales, or marketing, and you are looking for new and exciting career opportunities, contact The Prevalent Group today. We are a nationally recognized management and executive placement and recruitment agency that works with innovative organizations in northern Illinois and beyond. We can help you locate job opportunities that align with your long-term personal and professional goals.