Recruiter Tips Archives - Blue Signal Search

Types of Engineering Interview Questions

Preparation is key to ensure candidates make a favorable impression on everyone they meet during the interview process. According to a survey from Glassdoor, 88% of hiring managers say that an informed candidate is what they are looking for when interviewing. Taking the initiative to learn and practice responses to potential engineering interview questions will set you apart from other candidates. Hiring managers leverage a myriad of interview questions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the candidate. Each type of interview question has its own purpose and will reveal something specific about the candidate. Ultimately, the interview questions seek to measure the candidate’s skill set and abilities as well as their cultural fit within the current team.

Image of two women seated in chairs at a table - one is leaning in and listening while the other speaks during an interview

Situational Interview Questions

Situational interview questions are based on specific scenarios that could conceivably await someone in the new role. They seek to focus on a given hypothetical situation and how the candidate would handle it. Situational engineering interview questions can be difficult, as a candidate is required to think on the spot. Likely, this is a skill the interviewer may be testing them on. Answering these questions well can prove that an engineering candidate is willing to take the lead, ask for help, stay calm under pressure, and/or make positive choices. Overall, they prove the candidate can overcome any situation they will be faced with in the job.

Competency-Based Interview Questions

Competency-based interview questions are used by interviewers to assess specific attributes, knowledge, and behaviors. For example, a hiring manager looking to understand more about a candidate’s behaviors may ask about different ways in which they used their analytical ability to solve a problem. Alternatively, if it is decision making that the interviewer is looking to assess, they may ask candidates to provide information about how they built strong professional rapport with colleagues to make informed decisions. While these interview questions may often seem to be situational, competency-based questions are far less likely to be hypothetical. This enables candidates to draw directly on real-life examples and be focused on specific competencies rather than a general approach.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions are asked to elicit information from candidates on how they would likely handle any range of real-world challenges based on previous, similar circumstances. Whereas situational engineering interview questions decipher how engineering candidates would approach certain scenarios, and competency-based questions prove they have the skills required for the role, behavioral questions determine if candidates possess the desired character traits the hiring manager is looking for. Such interview questions tend to be based on the principle that a candidate’s past behavior is the best predictor of their future behavior. These questions can touch on such aspects such as candidates’ ability to work as part of a team, client-facing skills, adaptability, time management skills, and more.

Tips and Best Practices for Answering Engineering Interview Questions

It can feel daunting to prepare for a laundry list of potential engineering interview questions. To help ease the anxiety around interview preparation, Blue Signal partnered with our very own Bo Scott to provide insight on how to best prepare for these engineering interview questions. Bo is a Senior Executive Recruiter who specializes in IT, Emerging Technology, IoT, Cloud, Technology Sales, Unified Communications, Telecommunications, and Wireless roles. Based on his experience and expertise in the field, Bo recommends keeping two important points in mind when crafting responses to engineering interview questions. These pieces of advice will help candidates perform well in an engineering interview, and hopefully lead to landing the role.

The first tip is to remember that the interviewer is asking questions specifically about yourself, rather than your team. We all understand it takes a team effort to reach business goals, however, it is vital that you quantify, individualize, and specify your unique contributions to those achievements. Engineers rarely work alone, but they will bring their own strengths and weaknesses into their new team. Engineering candidates must focus on sharing what they have done to bring success to a business, team, or project.

Secondly, Bo emphasizes the importance of answering the engineering interview question that is being asked, rather than providing the answer a candidate believes the interviewer is looking for. This can be a difficult distinction to make. For example, an engineering interview question asking about what you have done is not a chance to share what you think they should do, or what you would do differently. One way to ensure you are concisely and accurately answering the question at hand is to draw examples from your experience to tell a story about your accomplishments – and, if applicable, how those experiences prepared for this potential new role.

While it is likely most of these engineering interview questions will be asked throughout the hiring process, it’s important to be prepared to answer any question thrown your way. Assume these interview questions will also be tailored toward the role’s industry, and area of expertise. Whether on your own or partnering with a recruiter, preparing for the engineering interview questions discussed gives you a critical advantage in the hiring process.

Using Employer Marketing to Overcome Talent Shortages

September 30, 2022 by Amber Lamb

With talent shortages on the rise, it’s more important than ever to know how to appeal to potential applicants and future employees through employer marketing. Having a good opportunity is no longer enough to cut it. In fact, 69% of candidates said they would reject an offer from a company with a bad employer brand, even if they were unemployed. Believe it or not, the fear of unemployment isn’t enough on its own to overcome a negative employer brand.

On the flip side, 41% of passive candidates said they would accept a new position without an increase in pay if the company had a good employer brand. A positive employer brand is all it takes to overcome the stigma associated with a lateral move for nearly half of the workforce. Not to mention, a positive employer brand is enough to catch the attention of a happily employed candidate.

Employer marketing is the first impression a candidate has with your company. Your employer marketing should answer any questions they may have about company culture, values, your mission, who you serve, what you do, and where the company is headed. In this blog, we will discuss how to better market yourself as an employer to win the war for talent.

Marketing Your Company Culture

As cheesy as it may feel, marketing your own company’s culture is really the only way to get the information out there. No one else is going to brag for you! To give your employer marketing the direction it needs, follow these steps.

Find Your Value Proposition

Ask yourself, “why would someone want to come work for my company over others?” This is your value proposition! Maybe you’re known as an innovator in your industry space. Lean into that by mentioning the opportunity to be at the forefront of that innovation. Advertise opportunities for furthering a candidate's knowledge on the topic.

Perhaps you’re a smaller company, and the value you can provide candidates with is that personal touch. Describe your company’s culture and the close-knit internal communication. Advertise the flexibility you provide employees when it comes to making their schedules or working remotely. Really lean into the growth potential within a small but growing company. People will be intrigued by the opportunity to be a part of building something.

Make Candidate Inquiries Accessible Through Employer Marketing

In today’s job marketplace, candidates will be cross comparing your company and the opportunity you provide with other companies. Make their decision an easy one by addressing their questions up front!

Make Your Value Proposition Accessible on a Careers Page

When applying, a potential candidate should be able to go to your website and find answers for all their employer-based questions about your company. Due to this, you need to have a careers page on your website that outlines your culture, benefits, and more so that candidates can easily make a connection with your employer marketing. Build out this careers page by highlighting your value proposition as well as your mission statement, photos of your employees, workplace perks, and your internal initiatives.

Better yet, ask your existing employees for testimonials, so potential hires can hear about your company from the source. Ask for confidential feedback and use the good stuff on your website. Any other feedback, leverage to make your company a better place to work. After all, the best employer marketing is honest employee satisfaction.

Aim Existing Company Branding Toward Employer Marketing

Understandably, most company branding is aimed toward customer acquisition efforts. Websites and other company collateral is usually created and used to market toward your customer base, not potential employees. However, these two ideas don’t have to be mutually exclusive. You’d be surprised to know that 29% of customers surveyed by Edelman said that in order to become a loyal customer, they need to know the business they shop frequent treats its employees well. This means that in order to wow your customer base, you need to be marketing to employees and potential hires as well.

Benefits of Employer Marketing on Your Customer Base

By investing in your employer marketing you’ll encourage consumers to trust your brand more, too. For instance, if your company is branded as a sustainable choice for consumers, tell your company story and demonstrate how you apply that same mission/vision with employees. By making that connection known, and covering topics like corporate social responsibility, you’ll multiply your brand strength on both fronts. This makes it easier for both audiences to make a connection with your brand.

Employer Marketing Through Social Media

In the same spirit, leverage your existing company social media mediums to get the message out there about your employer brand. Share information on these pages about company culture, employee events, internal programs, and more. Be sure to take photos at team gatherings and give followers an inside look into what a day-in-the-life is like within your company. People trust brands they deem to be authentic, and what’s more authentic than leveraging your current employees as part of your employer marketing strategy?

In order to stay relevant in this ever-changing hiring landscape, you have to prioritize employer marketing as part of your hiring strategy. Your employer brand will be unique to your company, so do what feels authentic to you and your workforce. If you want support along the way, talk to one of Blue Signal’s expert recruiters today about how you can improve your employer marketing to win this war for talent.

Why Employees Quit: Top Reasons and How Recruiters Can Help

September 28, 2022 by Sam Kotowski

Over the last year, more companies have seen employees quit than ever. The collective movement of workers voluntarily leaving their jobs, coined the Great Resignation, began in 2021 as a response to wage stagnation, rising cost of living, and job dissatisfaction – and has continued well into 2022. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that 4.2 million people voluntarily separated from their job in August alone. As a result, companies are left scrambling to replace employees and prevent further turnover. But what’s causing workers to voluntarily leave en masse? From burnout to bad management, we’ve identified the top reasons why employees quit, and how working with recruiters can help.

Employees Quit Because of Toxic Company Culture

The beliefs and attitudes of an organization can highly influence job seekers’ decisions to join a company; and conversely, be a contributing factor to why employees quit. According to a poll conducted with our LinkedIn followers, a toxic company culture was the number one reason for leaving their last job. If employees don’t feel connected to the mission or values the company holds, they’re more likely to be disengaged and unproductive, leading to higher turnover. Consequently, a high turnover rate can have a negative effect on company culture and be costly to the business – with the cost of a bad hire ranging between $17K and $240K. With dissatisfied employees leaving and poor management offloading the extra workload onto the leftover workers, a toxic company culture can be perpetuated and reinforced by that turnover. Ultimately, this destructive, cyclical movement forces employees to leave their job.

How Recruiters Can Help Combat a Toxic Company Culture

As an outside, impartial party, recruiters have a unique perspective when looking at clients’ company cultures. Through conversations with leadership and management, recruiters can evaluate the culture holistically and offer recommendations for improvements. They can give advice on cultural initiatives – such as diversity, equity, and inclusion – that can transform company cultures from toxic to empowering.

When it comes to establishing a positive company culture, it’s key that management is involved. Specializing in executive recruitment, our recruiters help build leadership teams that influence culture from the top down. Our recruiting team finds executives, senior leaders, and managers that drive results for both culture and performance; which in turn, results in engaged and productive employees. Establishing an inclusive, positive company culture will lead to higher retention rates and increased job satisfaction.

"My company has been working with Blue Signal for several years. In that time, Blue Signal has changed our company for the better in so many positive ways, but especially from a cultural and performance perspective. Most of our leadership team and middle management have been permanent placements from Blue Signal. As a result of their incredible initiative on our behalf, we’ve earned numerous awards for culture (e.g., Best Places to Work, Certified Great Place to Work), performance (e.g., Inc lists, Fast 40 mid-market companies, Financial Times Fast 500 in the Americas, Charlotte Fast 50, etc.), and have been recognized as one of the leaders in our industry in innovation. We wouldn’t be anywhere close to where we are today without Blue Signal."

— CEO, Wireless Company

Employees Quit Due to Lack of Opportunities for Advancement

According to a Pew Research Center survey, 63% of employees quit a job in 2021 due to the lack of opportunities for advancement. On top of leaving workers hanging and disengaged, unclear promotion paths can also lead to low morale and efficacy in the workplace. As a result, employees feeling like they’ve hit a dead end in their current role are bound to leave for somewhere that offers upward mobility.

How Recruiters Can Help Establish Upward Mobility

It’s a recruiter’s job to fully understand the scope of the role – including responsibilities, team organization, and growth opportunities. During intake calls with candidates, recruiters can set clear expectations of professional development and career growth within the company. This way, the candidate is fully prepped on what is expected of the role, and what can be expected from the organization. Additionally, recruiters can work with hiring managers to establish clear internal promotion paths and professional development ladders. With those processes established, candidates can envision what they’d be working towards, even before they take the job.

Employees Quit Because of Burnout

The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies employee burnout as a “syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” While all employees are sure to experience burnout sometime in their career, it may be more prevalent for some workers. In fact, 84% of millennials say they have experienced burnout at their current job. Like a toxic culture and lack of opportunities, workplace burnout can directly affect job satisfaction. Thus, burnt-out employees are 2.6x more likely to be actively seeking another job. If you notice employees quit because of burnout, you may be missing the mark when it comes to supporting your employees’ mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.

How Recruiters Can Help Battle Burnout

Bringing in an outside recruiter’s perspective can uncover what your company’s missing – whether that is mental health benefits, inclusion initiatives, or retention strategies. Recruiters are masters of employee retention and engagement, even with a remote workforce. After all, they want to see the candidate they placed at your company thrive long-term. Utilizing recruiters’ expertise, hiring managers can apply their recommendations to help battle burnout.

Bad Management Makes Employees Quit

We’ve all heard the saying, “Employees quit bad bosses, not bad companies.” While sometimes a terrible manager is easy to spot due to their unprofessionalism or negative attitude, others can fly under the radar. Less overt characteristics like constant micromanagement, lack of transparency, and being ill-equipped to lead can affect employees’ morale and productivity. For those considering leaving the company, these attributes can be the breaking point. When it comes down to it, a bad manager can cause even the best employee to quit.

How Recruiters Can Help Restructure Management

One of the key benefits of working with a recruiter is having the ability to restructure management by finding professionals skilled in leadership. Recruiters can ensure the executives they place have the qualifications needed to lead and inspire a team, such as emotional intelligence and a strong work ethic. Conversely, they’re able to spot the red flags in an intake interview that could lead to bad management. As a result, recruiters can build leadership teams that inspire, mentor, and build a team around trust and collaboration.

Employees Quit Due to Poor Compensation

It should come as no surprise that employees quit due to being compensated poorly or unfairly. In fact, low pay was a major factor for more than a third of workers who left their jobs in 2021. With tools like Salary.com and LinkedIn Salary Insights, employees can easily find their market rate – and if their employer isn’t paying fairly, they might think it’s time to move on. Additionally, job seekers are looking for higher paying jobs to offset inflation. With the rising costs of everyday essentials, employees may look at their employers to provide an inflation or cost-of-living adjustment. At the end of the day, poor compensation is not always the primary factor for making employees quit, as it could be a combination of all the reasons above – but it may be the deciding one.

How Recruiters Can Help with Compensation

As experts in the space, recruiters have deep insight into market conditions and can determine what candidates are expecting in terms of compensation. Hence, recruiters have the unique advantage of being able to advise hiring managers on salary, commission, and bonus structures that will give their job offer a competitive advantage. In addition, they will have insights on whether a candidate has multiple offers, or higher offers, from other companies throughout the interview process. Using this inside information, they can also advise hiring managers on decision speed, to not risk losing a candidate to another offer. Recruiters can also properly inform candidates on the company’s salary range at the beginning of the hiring process, so that they are not blindsided in the offer stage. Setting clear expectations for compensation, to both candidates and clients, is an essential way recruiters can help prevent employees from quitting.

Conclusion

Employees quit for a multitude of reasons; it may be because of a toxic company culture, lack of opportunity, burnout, bad management, poor compensation – or a combination of each. If your company is wondering why employees quit, look internally to see if any of these factors are prevalent. Then, if you’re not sure how to mitigate them, reach out to a recruiter. At Blue Signal, our recruiting team is your partner in the hiring process, even after we make the initial placement. By utilizing our recruiters’ expertise, you can avoid the top reasons employees quit, and establish groundwork for a thriving work environment. Contact us today to partner with a recruiter on your next search.

Confidential Search: What are the Benefits and When is It Necessary?

September 9, 2022 by Aylish DeVore

According to CNBC, 70% of jobs are never published publicly – and a large part of this number comes from jobs filled through a confidential search. When filling any position, there are many things for a hiring manager to consider. The first, and most important decision, should be whether the job needs to be posted publicly or kept confidential throughout the search process. When it comes to conducting a confidential search, there are many factors that make hiring more tedious. Because of this, most companies choose to outsource these roles to recruiting firms experienced in this type of search.

But what is a confidential search? When is it necessary? And why should you look to recruiting firms to conduct them? In this blog, we’re diving into all the instances when a confidential search is important and the benefits of partnering with a trusted recruiter for these types of roles.

What is a Confidential Search?

A confidential search is when a company is seeking to fill a position without advertising or alerting their employees, competitors, and/or clients that the job is open. When choosing between a traditional search and a confidential search, there are a few simple factors that determine which is needed. How you’ll advertise the role, how you’ll source candidates, the urgency of filling the position, and of course, the level of confidentiality desired, all should be considered.

Whether a position is vacant, newly created, or replacing a current employee – conducting a confidential search could be essential. When filling a confidential search, companies can’t carry out typical advertising and job postings online like they usually would. This results in much more time sourcing candidates in a more hands-on and direct way. Even without typical job postings live online, keeping an open position confidential can still be difficult to do for an internal talent acquisition team if not experienced.

When is a Confidential Search Necessary?

Replacing Executives or Management Positions – Avoiding Leadership Gaps

The most common reason companies choose to conduct a confidential search is when they’re replacing high-level positions in leadership. Based on a recent LinkedIn poll we did with our followers – 70% of hiring managers agreed that they conduct a confidential search when replacing an executive-level role. When planning to replace a current employee, especially one with a high level of responsibility, it’s better if they aren’t tipped off about the change before coverage has been arranged. Ideally, you’ll have a replacement lined up and ready to step in when the time comes, avoiding any gaps in leadership.

In general, the process of filling executive and senior management roles take longer than lower level roles. According to Monster, the average time it takes to fill an entry- to mid-level role is about eight weeks, while a high-level role can take anywhere from six months to a year. This makes it even more important to ensure the position isn’t left empty, when possible.

Exploring New Sectors/Products/Industries

Another common reason hiring managers choose a confidential search is when their company is rolling out a new product line, business model, secondary company, etc. In most cases, it’s important to keep industry competitors in the dark about upcoming expansion news until the public launch date. Posting detailed job openings that obviously allude to new product development, sector expansion, or a first-of-its-kind service, can lead to increased market competition. When looking to launch any type of industry disruption, being first to market is key when filling a need or service gap. No matter the industry, every company has competitors, and you never know who’s keeping a close eye on you as competition.

Experiencing Internal Changes or Reorganization

Companies going through drastic internal changes such as mergers, IPOs, or restructuring may want to keep certain open positions quiet. Often, these situations can be sensitive information when it comes to internal staff. If you have not made the big announcement yet, posting certain job titles may give it away. The last thing a company needs when going through an organizational change is panicked employees – which can often lead to early resignations. In these situations, a confidential search can also ensure you’re not deterring candidates from applying. Outsiders may see these changes as the company being unstable and would result in less of an applicant pool to choose from.

For the same reason, you also don’t want to put off your clients by the amount or type of jobs you have posted online. This can be especially true for executive level roles. Even if a current employee in leadership is retiring and aware of the hiring need, it still might be a good idea to fill their role confidentially to avoid clients questioning internal stability. Many companies also need to consider their competitors in this same situation. If competitors see a time of weakness for your business, they may begin to pose a bigger threat and possibly poach your customer base.

Reducing High Volumes of Unqualified Applicants

When it comes to a globally recognized brand name or commonly sought after company, it’s always better to hire confidentially. This helps avoid receiving an overwhelming number of unqualified applicants to sort through. If a role is going to be highly desired among a large group of candidates, (i.e., a sales executive at a Fortune 500 company) you can expect hundreds or even thousands of applicants. With such a large number of applicants, it’s likely only a small percentage will be fully qualified for the position.

Conducting a confidential search also helps to avoid candidates from adjusting and falsifying experiences and skillsets on their resume before they apply. Unfortunately, this can be a common occurrence and if you’re not familiar with the signs of a candidate exaggerating during interviews, it can lead to a bad hire – meaning the search process has to begin again. When a candidate connects with a recruiter, they are asked to present a resume before they are even sent the job description. This helps ensure you’re getting an accurate representation of the candidates’ authentic experiences.

Benefits of Outsourcing a Confidential Search

Stress-Free Process

Overall, partnering with a recruiting firm ensures a stress-free environment for you and your staff. As mentioned, one small mistake can void confidentiality all together in a job search, causing a stressful hiring process for you and your internal hiring team. When using a recruiter who is experienced in confidential search, you can be confident that the position will be filled the right way.

Not to mention, an extra layer of confidentiality can be put into play when recruiters use NDAs in their search process. This is something Blue Signal does with 100% of our candidates. Having candidates sign NDAs before moving forward in the interview process and discussing company information is a great safety net to ensure confidentiality. Signed NDAs hold candidates accountable, so they don’t communicate any details related to the job opportunity with others. Recruiters also can guarantee an exclusive list of candidate outreach, so the info doesn’t get into the wrong hands. This is done by sourcing passive candidates rather than posting detailed job descriptions on online job boards.

Larger Candidate Pool

Because confidential searches are made primarily through passive candidates you can guarantee a much larger candidate pool, but without the added time screening unqualified candidates up front. Passive candidates are people who aren’t necessarily looking for a job change. They are thriving in their current role, which means regular job posts don’t typically reach these top performers. Recruiters can reach out to passive candidates directly and communicate the opportunity on a personal level. Through these one-on-one conversations, they’re able to relay certain aspects and details about the role that may pique their interest in making a move.

Save Time

Overall, facilitating a confidential search requires much more time to source and review talent. Studies have shown that 44% of candidates don’t receive feedback from a potential employer for weeks after applying. Not to mention, tests have found that the average hiring manager looks over a resume for only six to seven seconds. When working with a recruiting firm, especially on a confidential search, they are able to get back to candidates FAST and take the time to review each resume in full detail.

Recruiters also take on the added inconvenience of conducting initial candidate screenings and phone interviews. This allows them to fully vet candidates for your role before their resume even comes across your desk. Not to mention, the candidate will be fully briefed on the confidential aspects of the role and meet with you only after signing an NDA. This then allows you to interview candidates in detail without the stress of exposing sensitive company information.

Continued Recruiter Support

One of the most beneficial reasons to work with a recruiting firm during a confidential search is the overall partnership you receive along the way. Throughout the process, you’ll have the opportunity to gain expert-level advice, learn about best practices, and get questions answered by your recruiter. Once your recruiter identifies a great candidate, your partnership doesn’t end after the candidate’s first day. Recruiters are industry experts, and they are there to act as a partner for you and your company’s goals long-term. A great recruiter will offer support throughout new hire onboarding processes and candidate retention. Furthermore, once your recruiter understands your company’s goals, they can keep you in mind when another ideal candidate comes along in the future.

Conclusion

In the end, a confidential search done in partnership with a best-in-class recruiting firm will protect your team, brand, and drive authentic alignment with your hires. Blue Signal keeps 100% of our searches confidential, regardless of the type of search our clients choose. This helps us better protect the hiring manager’s time, gives us an exclusive candidate pool, and allows access to our own audience – which is wider than theirs on their own.

It’s important to remember, confidential searches can be much more difficult for non-experienced hiring managers. Don’t risk it – a minor slip up can cause a snowball effect and blow confidentiality fast. This is why we always recommend getting help from an experienced recruiting firm for all confidential searches. If you’re ready to partner with an expert or want to learn more about our search processes, reach out to us and we’ll connect you with a recruiter who is specialized in your industry.

The Benefits of Responding to Recruiters’ LinkedIn Messages

September 1, 2022 by Kayla Mitchell

Receiving unexpected LinkedIn messages from a recruiter can spark all kinds of feelings. On the one hand, you may feel flattered that someone thinks you are well-qualified for a position they are trying to fill. However, on the other hand, you may also feel nervous about responding, or annoyed because you have a great job, and your inbox is flooded with similar LinkedIn messages. You could even feel conflicted about whether to reply at all, and if so, how you would go about crafting a response.

Recruiters – including our top-notch team at Blue Signal – spend a lot of time reaching out to potential candidates. In fact, 77% of recruiters use LinkedIn messages for recruitment purposes, making it the most-used channel. Even though they are somewhat used to people not responding to their messages, it’s always a good idea to at least respond. As a job seeker, it’s imperative to understand the benefits of responding to recruiters’ LinkedIn messages and what to say to stand out from the crowd.

LinkedIn Messages Have Low Risk, High Reward Potential

Responding to recruiters’ LinkedIn messages politely, whether interested or not, only takes a couple seconds. A quick reply is less burdensome than a phone call, and let’s be honest, we are already replying to hundreds of texts and instant messages a day. So, what’s one more? LinkedIn even provides short responses for both showing interest and politely declining. However, we suggest you take it one step further and set up these templated responses to LinkedIn messages as "Quick Replies," saving you even more time.

Not only does responding to a recruiters’ LinkedIn messages take virtually no time, one of the main benefits is that it is also a free service to you! Recruiters are paid by the hiring companies to help place candidates into their open roles. Recruiters aren’t trying to swindle you; they really want to see you happy in your career. Which means their focus is finding the perfect pairing both for you and the hiring company.

In fact, their paycheck might depend on it. The job of the recruiter is to source candidates on behalf of the client, and they are typically paid a percentage of the first-year salary for managing all sourcing and screening. Recruiters like those at Blue Signal work through a placement guarantee. Meaning, if you quit or don’t like your job, they don’t get paid! This is even better news because they have a stake in the game. Recruiters will go to bat for you to get the salary and compensation you deserve. It’s literally a mutually beneficial effort for them to get you a better paying job!

Recruiter LinkedIn Messages are a Networking Opportunity

Getting a LinkedIn message from a recruiter is actually great news! After a recruiter has sought you out, and you’ve replied professionally and politely, you can leverage the recruiter’s expertise as a dynamic networking tool of your own. Even if the role they initially contacted you about doesn’t work out, connecting with a recruiter can have several long-term advantages. Replying to recruiters’ LinkedIn messages creates a positive first impression that may make them more inclined to think of you down the road. You are likely to stick in their mind if you let them know you’re not currently interested but are open to other opportunities. This puts yourself in a position to have exclusive access to future open positions. In the interim, the recruiter can potentially be a valuable resource for resume review, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile optimization tips and tricks. They are experts in the hiring industry and have unique insights into exactly what hiring managers are looking for that are sure to benefit you long-term as your career progresses.

Benefits from recruiter LinkedIn Messages

Another great way to remain connected to a recruiter if you aren’t interested in an opportunity is to refer colleagues. If you are not interested, or don’t fit for the role the recruiter is trying to fill, offering them a referral from your own network is sure to keep you at the top of the recruiter’s mind for future opportunities. Keeping your network in mind could turn into a huge opportunity for someone you know! It’s in our human nature to want to help people, and those you help will be more inclined to return the favor in the future. This generates good will between you and the recruiter and reflects well on your professionalism and willingness to help others as a potential candidate.

Recruiters are Your Personal Career Advocate

They say reputation is everything, and a recruiter will ensure that yours works for you. A recruiter will be your partner in helping to sell your skills and talents to a potential employer. Because recruiters have already established a trusting relationship with hiring managers they work with, their word carries a lot of weight. The recruiter’s vote of confidence can be especially important if you are making a switch to a new career or industry. A recruiter can act as your real-life cover letter! You have someone that can vouch for your transferable skills and abilities, even if they don’t exactly align with the job description.

Take for instance your next career move. Perhaps you received an offer and wondered whether it was fair. You aren’t alone! Most candidates aren’t quite sure of their market value. But as someone with a recruiter in your network, you have an Ace in your back pocket. Your recruiter can advocate for you throughout the hiring process by helping you to assess and negotiate for appropriate compensation. Because recruiters work in this field every day, they have the market knowledge to ensure that you get the offer you deserve and will work with the potential employer to do so. As the middleman, you can be direct with your recruiter about what you want, and they can help you be able to frame that in an appropriate way when making negotiations about the job offer.

How to Respond to Recruiter LinkedIn Messages

Now that we have addressed all the benefits of working with a recruiter, let’s discuss how to respond to recruiters’ LinkedIn messages appropriately and effectively. It is crucial to keep in mind that your first impression with a recruiter is also your first impression with the hiring company. You will want to treat all of your conversations with recruiters as if they are interviews with the hiring company because, to an extent, they are. This means maintaining a professional and positive demeanor throughout your communication, whether it is via LinkedIn messages or another method. Recruiters are more likely to move you forward in the process if they are confident that you will treat a hiring manager in the same manner.

Also, it is important to be courteous and respectful. After all, “treat others the way you want to be treated” is the golden rule for a reason. Like anyone, recruiters want to work with people they like. Treat recruiters with respect and be polite when interacting with them. Be respectful of recruiters’ time by keeping communications brief and do not overwhelm them with constant LinkedIn messages, emails, and phone calls. You’d want to receive the same courtesy, and you never know how valuable a connection can be!

Here are some examples of how you can respond to recruiters’ LinkedIn messages to help get you started:

Although responding to recruiters’ LinkedIn messages may seem like a daunting task, the benefits of responding greatly outweigh any drawbacks. A recruiter can serve as an expert in the field, your biggest career advocate, and an addition to your professional network all at zero cost to you! Blue Signal is here to help; as your partners in the hiring process, we advocate for the best of the best for each of our candidates. To get started, and see your own career’s potential, contact us today.

How To Create an Inclusive Remote Workplace for People with Disabilities

August 5, 2022 by Sam Kotowski

Working remotely can be an accommodating arrangement for many employees, including people with disabilities. With its plethora of benefits, remote work is becoming a top hiring trend for 2022. Many thriving businesses are adopting this change, but are finding that creating an inclusive remote workplace for people with disabilities has its own unique challenges. This may seem daunting, however, the key to creating an inclusive remote workplace is simple. To achieve this goal, companies must provide employees with the freedom and flexibility to design their workspace and schedule in a way that meets their individual needs.

In addition, employers should provide clear expectations and guidelines for remote work, including how to stay connected with colleagues and receive support from their managers. But what additional steps can be taken to make everyone feel included without bias? In this blog, we will take a look at the best strategies for creating an inclusive remote workplace for people with disabilities.

Provide Assistive Technology

People with disabilities shouldn’t have to face additional obstacles when it comes to working remotely. Large personal expenses incurred by paying for their own assistive work equipment can cause unnecessary hurdles. Even with reimbursements, it can take time and headaches to get those expenses approved. Luckily, employers are required to provide assistive technology as a reasonable accommodation.

Common assistive technology includes screen readers, text-to-speech software, and audio captioning (which can be particularly helpful on remote video calls). During the interview process, make sure to discuss with your new employee which assistive technology they may need to thrive in the role. Ensuring your employee has the appropriate technology from the start will set them up for success in their role and help create an inclusive remote workplace.

Ask What They Need For an Inclusive Remote Workplace

Asking employees directly what they want is a way to ensure their needs are met. They are, after all, the best person to tell you what will make work easier for them. This conversation should be proactive; don’t wait for them to tell you that there’s an issue.

Fortunately, a recent report found that 71% of companies are willing to make adjustments for people with disabilities. While there is still room for improvement, it’s a great start. By asking employees what will improve their work environment, you are promoting an inclusive remote workplace. This shows that you value them as an employee and want to see them succeed. As they gain tenure, continue checking; as their role evolves, their needs may as well. Being open to suggestions and establishing regular check-ins will sustain an inclusive remote workplace.

Man sitting at desk in wheelchair using his phone and laptop in an inclusive remote workplace, with a transparent blue background. Text with statistic is overlayed.

Train Managers on How to Best Support Employees

In order to best support employees with disabilities, it is essential that managers receive suitable training on how to accommodate their needs. These trainings should cover a wide range of topics, from how to adapt work tasks to specific impairments, to interacting respectfully with employees who have disabilities. By ensuring that managers are properly prepared to support every member of their team, businesses can create a more inclusive remote workplace and unlock the full potential of their workforce.

Ensure Social Interaction is Accessible

Social interaction plays a huge part in establishing a strong company culture and camaraderie among colleagues, so it’s important that it’s consistent. This doesn’t mean that you all have to meet up every Friday after work but having casual conversation or messaging about your weekend can go a long way in supporting coworker bonding.

Making sure these events are accessible for people with disabilities is the only way to make them equitable and welcoming for all. This isn’t just about physical disabilities either – people with intellectual disabilities may need more regular breaks, for example. Whether it’s establishing virtual happy hours or team building activities, ensuring social interaction is accessible to all is a great way to create an engaged and inclusive remote workforce.

To Sum Up Creating an Inclusive Remote Workplace

Every employee is in a unique position and taking an individual approach will serve you well when creating an inclusive remote workplace. To be successful, make sure to talk to your team members with disabilities about adjustments that will make things more accessible for them. Remember to be open to their suggestions, even if it’s a new approach for you.

Blue Signal’s tenured team of recruiters specializes in diversity, equity, and inclusion recruiting. If you need guidance in creating an inclusive remote workplace, reach out to one of our recruiting professionals today to get started.

About Our Contributor

Dylan Reid is a freelance writer at 6XDMedia who holds a particular interest in employee welfare and has created content for established companies based all around the world. They hold a degree in creative writing and are always eager to expand their knowledge around different subjects.

The 5 Recruiting Metrics Every Business Should Measure

July 15, 2022 by Amber Lamb

Hiring is one of the most important business decisions any company can make. However, many companies are unsure where to start when it comes to talent acquisition and often overlook key recruiting metrics. Hiring blindly can lead to poor candidate support, turnover, and lost recruiting dollars. In 2021, a bad hire was estimated to cost a business anywhere between $17K to $240K.

While hiring based on instinct can sometimes yield some lucky results, it isn’t a great strategy for long-term growth. In order to make the most informed hiring decisions now and in the future, businesses should measure and monitor these 5 essential recruiting metrics.

#1 – Time to Fill/Hire

When you have a position open up, it’s important to know your timeline. Of all recruiting metrics, this should be evaluated first. Setting timeline expectations can help internal stakeholders like teams and managers allocate proper resources to cover in the interim. The average time to fill a position is 42 days. Use this as a benchmark to ensure your business is able to hold out on operation of that role for at least that long. If not, that indicates that you will either need to reprioritize hiring, or come up with a short-term solution until you get the right person on board.

After you’ve set an estimated timeline, get ahead of the urgency by identifying funnels and streamlining your hiring process. As you go through the motions, watch to see what steps in the process take up the most time. Look for ways to speed them along, or remove them altogether. Regardless, it’s important to address common mistakes that could slow down the hiring process. After all, this could be the make or break of the candidate’s experience.

A study by Cronofy found that 43% of candidates have dropped out of a hiring process due to scheduling delays. That means that you could lose nearly half of your qualified applicants simply because it takes too long to process them. Assess your hiring bottlenecks early and often so you don’t miss out on top candidates due to poor task allocation and time management.

#2 – Attrition/Turnover

Next, it’s pertinent to know your company’s recruiting metrics surrounding attrition. By looking at the turnover rate of a candidate’s first 12 months on the job, you can determine the effectiveness of your recruiting and onboarding processes.

For instance, if you find that you have a rather high turnover rate for new hires, you might want to assess whether or not the job postings are accurately setting the expectations of the role. Are you being transparent throughout the interview process about what it will look like? Is your onboarding training setting these candidates up for success? Or does it need to be reevaluated?

Regardless of the cause, high turnover signifies a lack of communication somewhere in the process leading to costly falloffs. Research by Brandon Hall found that great employee onboarding can improve retention by 82% and productivity by 70%. Essentially, it pays to be conscious of the candidate experience!

#3 – Cost Per Hire

Speaking of payoffs, it’s important to prioritize cost per hire among your core recruiting metrics. This should include job board fees, time spent by hiring managers in interviews and screening resumes, ATS system subscriptions, and any agency fees. Divide that grand total by the total number of hires you’ve made to determine your cost per hire!

This metric is critical. It would be impossible to know whether your optimized recruiting efforts from any of these other steps are having effective ROI/cost savings if you don’t measure cost per hire. Not to mention, it will be important to know how much money you spend on recruitment annually when you begin planning and budgeting. Whether you’re scaling your business, planning for retirements, or getting ready to reorganize, it’s good to know your cost per hire.

#4 – Quality of Hire

Similarly, it’s important to track the quality of the candidates you hire. Although less data-driven, this step falls high among recruiting metrics because it can help you determine whether or not your recruiting process is yielding the results you want. To accomplish this, you’ll want to monitor the performance of each new hire’s first year on the job. Track things like time to onboard, assimilation into company culture, and their impacts on the business.

For example, how much revenue did a salesperson help produce in their first year compared to what you’d expect from someone in their position? Or, think about a marketing hire – did they contribute innovative ideas to the team resulting in audience growth?

If you discover that the quality of your hires does not match what you need from them for the roles you are recruiting for, this is a good indication to adjust your tactics and target a new talent pool. By measuring this success rate, you will also be able to forecast the impacts on the business you need to get to the next level - i.e. if you want to hit $10M in sales next year, you’ll need to know how many new salespeople you will need to hire to get there. Nailing down this recruiting metric can help you plan ahead.

#5 – Diversity of Candidates

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) benchmarks are becoming more prominent in sourcing goals for companies across the nation – especially as studies continue to show that the more diverse the team, the better they perform and innovate. Therefore, DEI is here to stay among the top recruiting metrics to measure.

To reach your own DEI goals, you’ll need to ensure your candidate pipeline is bringing in a diverse pool of applicants. Leverage Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) dashboards, candidate surveys, and hiring feedback to gauge where you stand today. Then, adjust your approach to meet the diverse candidates where they are online and in person. Most importantly, leverage resources – whether remote or in person – to foster the best environment for DEI within your existing team. As your candidate pool becomes more diverse, so will your company – and that will result in increased revenue, employee engagement, and more.

Let’s Review – Your Recruiting Metrics

Hiring should be a top priority for all companies, because when you have the right team, you will garner the best results. Whether your goal is to increase revenue, scale to handle new projects, or expand your service offerings – it all starts with the right hire. By tracking the right recruiting metrics, you will be able to address areas of improvement in your process and ultimately make better hiring decisions.

All companies need help when it comes to hiring – and the best resource can be found within their industry. Leveraging a recruiter in your industry saves money, time, and results in better hires and a greater impact on the business. For hiring help within telecom, wireless, manufacturing, healthcare, emerging technology, IoT, accounting and finance, human resources, lighting, cloud and managed services, cybersecurity, information technology, logistics and supply chain, plastics and packaging, food and agriculture, and medical industries – contact a Blue Signal recruiter to get you on the right path.

Employer Branding: 5 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Page

June 30, 2022 by Sam Kotowski

It’s no secret that in today’s digital landscape that job seekers are turning to social media in their job hunt. With over 830 million members and 58 million companies represented, LinkedIn has become a social media career powerhouse. Every second, 95 job applications are submitted. With 50 million people using LinkedIn to search for jobs each week, the quality of your LinkedIn company page is becoming increasingly more important. Your company’s LinkedIn page could be your first impression for a potential employee, so it’s crucial that your employer branding is translated across this platform.

A LinkedIn company page can give viewers a lot of insights – from a general overview of your business offerings, to a direct look at company culture. Optimizing your page is essential to attracting and impressing job seekers. In fact, company pages with complete information get 30% more weekly views. Not sure where to start? Utilize these five ways to optimize your LI company page to stand out to job seekers.

1. Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Page for SEO

When it comes to attracting job seekers, searchability is one of the most important factors. Think about your customers. When they’re searching for the product/service you offer, are they going to choose the company on the first page of their search results, or the last? Most likely, they are going to go with the company in the high-ranking search position, as it assumes authority and credibility in the space. The same goes for your potential employees. Thus, it is essential to implement SEO best practices to your LinkedIn company page.

To optimize your LinkedIn company page for SEO, start with including industry-specific, targeted keywords into your header, about section, and posts. If you’re in a specific niche – this is your time to shine! Niched keywords are preferred by the LinkedIn algorithm, so don’t be afraid to whip out the nuanced industry jargon. Not only will optimizing for SEO make your LinkedIn company page more discoverable on LinkedIn, it will also improve the position of your page on Google and other search engines – making it easier for job seekers to find you.

2. Create an Attractive Header

After job seekers find your company profile, you want to grab (and keep) their attention. This can be done by creating an attractive header. The LinkedIn company page header includes two key elements: the imagery (your page logo and cover image) and tagline.

Imagery

First, make sure your LinkedIn company page has your company logo uploaded. If a job seeker finds you through LinkedIn job postings or on their newsfeed, this will be the first imagery they see – so it’s important that your branding is both eye-catching and recognizable. LinkedIn recommends an image size of 268x268 pixels to ensure the highest quality.

Next, upload a cover image to your LinkedIn company page. When choosing a cover image, make sure the design is cohesive with your logo and brand colors. It only takes 50 milliseconds for consumers to judge the visual appeal of your brand, so it is crucial that it is consistent. Contrasting imagery will make your brand seem less credible and drive away job seekers. Additionally, when designing a cover image, take into account the space your logo will overlay on the profile. Avoid heavy text or graphics in that area so that they are not cut off. For the highest quality cover image, LinkedIn recommends 1128x191 pixels.

Tagline

The tagline is displayed directly under your company name, and is one of the first things a potential employee will read on your LinkedIn company page. In 120 characters or less, it can encapsulate the who/what/why of your company. Who are you? What do you do? Why do you do it? It could be your company’s slogan, industry specialization, or a mix of both! The tagline is also a great place to include relevant keywords to increase searchability. Having an optimized, memorable tagline will draw job seekers in and entice them to want to learn more about your company.

3. Strengthen Your LinkedIn Company Page Description

After a job seeker admires your header, they’ll navigate to your “About” section to read the company description. This section is your company’s elevator pitch – you want to pique job seekers’ interest and get them excited about what you offer. The description should include a brief summary of the company, your products/services, and any awards or recognition you have. In addition, this is where you want to highlight what sets you apart from your competitor, both as a company and an employer. Does your company have team building initiatives unlike anyone else? Unparalleled sustainability or philanthropy efforts? Show them off here!

With a character limit of 2,000, this section is a home-run for SEO optimization; make sure to include all relevant keywords, industry specializations, and buzz words here. When optimizing your About section, you can also add specialties that will be added below the description. These are additional keywords that can improve your searchability, so use them to your advantage.

4. Utilize Career Pages

According to LinkedIn, candidates are 1.8x more likely to apply for a job if they’re familiar with the company. A great way to establish familiarity is through LinkedIn’s Career Pages. These Career Pages can be used to raise awareness, drive interest to your company, and build a pipeline of candidates for open roles. Career Pages include sections for life at your company, what you do, and job postings. Note: Career Pages are a paid feature and are only available to LinkedIn company pages with the Premium Business subscription of $47.99/month.

Life Page

Life pages on a LinkedIn company page allow employers to display company culture, work environment, and more through photo galleries, videos, and featured sections. Within these featured sections, employers can highlight company values, their mission, and/or benefits/perks offered. Each section is an opportunity to get the potential employee more excited about the company, so the more information given the better. Employers can also share employee content by leveraging a company hashtag (for example, Blue Signal uses #HireBlue) to compile posts from employees that are then shared to the Life page. This can give candidates an authentic perspective of life at the company, coming directly from the mouths of current employees. If you want your culture to stand out, it’s worth it to create a Life page.

What We Do Page

The function of the What We Do page is to show job seekers your company’s service offerings/products in a digestible format. Instead of scrolling through dozens of webpages, they can access the information on one page within your LinkedIn company page. This style of page can be broken out into subpages of your company’s practice industries, business units, services, and/or product lines. For example, Blue Signal has career pages for our recruiting services and practice industries, such as emerging technology & IT, cloud & managed services, etc. Similar to a Life page, the What We Do page can also include company photos and employee posts. LinkedIn allows a maximum of 10 subpages to be within the What We Do page.

Job Page

A job page compiles all of your job postings to one page, making it easy for job seekers to easily locate your open roles. Each LinkedIn company page is given one free job slot per month; any additional postings are a paid feature.

5. Post Regularly on Your LinkedIn Company Page

Posting regularly on your LinkedIn company page is a great way to both grow and engage your audience. Companies that post weekly on LinkedIn see a 2x higher engagement rate than those that don’t. In addition to improving engagement, posting regularly can establish your company as a thought leader and attract candidates in your industry. It will also establish a voice to your brand that job seekers will recognize. Utilize the following types of post to diversify your postings.

Industry Article Share

If you don’t have the bandwidth to write an article yourself, sharing articles or commenting on others’ can establish your expertise in the space. Be sure to follow hashtags relevant to your industry so you can be one of the first viewers to share relevant topics.

Highlight Your Products/Services

Get your potential employees (and customers) excited about what your company has to offer by highlighting your products and services in posts.

Give an Insight to Company Culture

Company culture is an important factor for 46% of job seekers when considering a new employer. Through posting regularly, you can give an insight to company culture by sharing posts of team building events, employee testimonials, or company values.

Showcase Your Accomplishments

Is your company a great place to work? Brag about it! Sharing recognition and accolades through press releases or graphics will increase engagement and stand out to job seekers.

Key Takeaways

In order to attract and impress job seekers, your LinkedIn company page should be a reflection of your employer brand. To hook job seekers, make sure your LinkedIn company page is optimized for SEO and has an attractive header. To reel them in, strength your overview section and utilize career pages to get them excited about your company. Finally, land the catch by posting regularly and engaging with your audience. These five ways will optimize LinkedIn company profile to stand out to job seekers.

In today’s candidate-driven market, employer branding is especially important. If you’re unsure how to market yourself, partner with Blue Signal. Our recruiters can help enhance your employer branding to ensure you’re attracting and retaining top talent.

Personality & Relationship Skills:

1. What’s your favorite part of a sales job/process? Least favorite?

This response will offer key insight when fitting candidates to your exact sales role. For example, if the role you’re looking to fill is 60% cold calling/prospecting and the candidate replies with this being their least favorite – the role most likely isn’t a fit. Often, sales executives will shy away from admitting something they don’t enjoy in fear of not coming across as a team player. There are multiple ways to frame this ask if you don’t think you’re getting a straightforward answer from a candidate. Asking “In your last position, how much time did you spend cultivating customer relationships versus hunting for new clients? Did you enjoy that?” often does the trick.

2. If you asked your manager what your biggest strength and weakness is, what would they say?

Asking sales executives about their strengths and weaknesses may seem like a basic interview task but it’s common for a reason. Framing this from the perspective of their current or previous manager will give you even more insight to their past experiences. This will also shed light on the candidate’s confidence level in those roles. Often, sales executives will dodge the weakness aspect of the question. Don’t take “none” for an answer and try to uncover how they are at “selling” themselves, and how they are at critical thinking/problem-solving.

3. Given these three terms: promotion, money, and recognition; put them in their order of importance.

This question will give insight into what a sales executive values in both their career and in life. As a follow up question, ask them to explain what each of those terms look like to them. Their answers will explain what they’ll be motivated most by and what they’ll use as a benchmark for success. Be sure to leverage the answer if you end up managing them, and you’ll already be ahead of the game.

4. If you had no obstacles and could start your dream job tomorrow, what would that role look like?

This more creative way of asking the tired “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” question will keep an interviewee on their toes. It still allows you to break down their short-term and long-term goals, but also sidesteps the possibility of a candidate providing a manufactured answer. Oftentimes, the 5-year question usually prompts a response that the candidate thinks you want to hear.

Regardless, planning for the future of any employee you decide to hire is important. Thinking in terms of the future benefits not only the sales executive, but the manager and company as a whole as well. When forecasting team strategy, you’ll need to know your sales executives are here for the long haul. To help avoid even higher turnover rates, asking this question weeds out the candidates who aren’t truly passionate about the position, and helps you determine whether or not you’d be able to offer them their dream job, either now or in the future.

5. Tell me about a time when you collaborated with other sales team members and those outside of the sales team.

This answer will be key when deciding if they’re a team player or a lone ranger in the field. If one or the other is important to the role, the response can be extremely useful. In most sales roles, relationship building and collaboration skills are essential, so don’t be shy with follow up questions if you need more information! Asking “What impact were you able to make or what goals did you achieve?” can lead to further insights. Again, this will depend on the exact position the interview is related to. If the role will have a high amount of internal collaboration with a team – focus on that, and vice versa.

Ideal Work Environment Insights:

6. What type of work environment do you thrive in?

This question and answer often gets overlooked but can be one of the most detrimental if discovered post-hire. In order for a sales executive to thrive in any position, the environment and culture around them needs to be a fit. Take the candidate’s response and compare their preference to the environment they will be in at your company. Does it seem like a match? If you don’t value the same things here, turnover can be expected and moving forward with the hiring process wouldn’t make sense.

Another thing to consider is that all 2022 hiring trends point to the remote and hybrid workforce continuing to grow. Experts predict that by 2025, roughly 36.2 million employees in the US will work remotely. If the role you’re hiring for permits, be sure to ask candidates key questions surrounding their remote working experience. Ask if they thrive most in a remote, hybrid, or in-office work setting. From there, you should be able to gauge if they require consistent team interaction to succeed, or if they are sufficient working independently majority of the time.

7. Have you ever had a manager you didn’t like? Why?

Management styles can alter the success of a hire in the same way as a work environment. Dive deep into the candidate’s ideal management style and compare it to your own. Can you see yourself working closely with this candidate? Do they seem eager to learn from you and willing to take direction? These are all good follow-up questions to ask yourself after reflecting on their answer.

Also, be sure to note how they portrayed their past experiences. Did they bad-mouth their previous manager, or did they offer facts and expand on the lesson they learned from their experience? Venting and talking negatively about a past role or leader can be a sign of arrogance and lead to a toxic relationship down the road.

8. Which sales metrics do you pay attention to and why?

In sales, personal drive is essential. Asking what metrics they specifically look at when determining success for themselves will give great insight into how they operate. Are they motivated by the same things you use to track success and promotions? If not, it may be hard for the sales executive to feel fulfilled and experience growth in the role.

Ability to Remain Resilient:

9. What do you do to regroup and recover when you have a bad day? Bad week? Bad month?

Sales requires a lot of resilience and the ability to deal with rejection frequently. Asking if sales executives have an established coping mechanism will be telling in how dedicated they are to succeeding in their role. You’ll also be able to reflect on how much experience they’re bringing to the table. This is especially important if the role you’re hiring for will require a lot of cold-calling. Have the sales executive provide personal examples of this experience, which will shed light on how they’ve succeeded in previous roles.

10. How do you motivate yourself?

Along with overcoming rejection, sales roles typically require a good amount of self-motivation. Similar to the previous question, asking how a candidate motivates themselves will highlight their work ethic. An ideal sales executive will have a detailed answer based on past experiences.

11. Describe a time when you had a difficult prospect but were able to persevere and win the sale.

Ideally, the last two questions will lead into a version of this question naturally - but if not, it’s a good one to follow up with. Don’t be afraid to ask for specifics! Some sales executives are pros at misdirection. Candidates who give vague, wordy answers should be a red flag. By asking for a specific time when candidates managed a difficult prospect, and how the situation played out, you’ll be able to gather the details you need to trust their skills. An ideal sales executive will offer insight on lessons they learned and will be able to explain how they applied that knowledge to future situations – preferably without having to be asked. This highlights strong customer service and interpersonal skills that are essential in any good sales executive.

Sales Executive Expertise & Other Skills:

12. Explain the steps you take from the beginning of the sales process to the end.

Look for detailed answers here that point to their confidence and industry expertise. See which tasks will be similar to the role you’re hiring for. Make note of what will need to be retrained and what will be a breeze for them to pick up when it comes to transitioning into your company’s processes.

13. Pitch me our company’s product/service.

This question is a spin on the classic “sell me something” concept and shows how much knowledge the candidate already has. The biggest underlying insight you’ll gain from this question is the amount of research they did to prepare for this interview with your company. A sales executive with a firm understanding of what the company does and the products and services they provide will ultimately be a dedicated addition to the team. Those who did their homework should be noted, as it directly reflects one’s work ethic and initiative.

14. What’s your proudest sales accomplishment?

This question leads to insights into the candidate’s skill level, confidence, and how large or small of sales they are used to closing. This will also point to their passion for the industry. From their response, you should be able to tell what gets them excited about sales.

15. Have you used CRM software before? If so, which one and how advanced are your skills?

This may seem like a basic, technical question but it allows for major bonus points if the candidate will be able to breeze through learning software during training. Even if the candidate hasn’t worked hands-on with the exact software you use, you can ask them if they’re familiar or have heard of it as follow-up questions. Even a little bit of familiarity and knowledge is better than starting from scratch!

16. How do you stay knowledgeable about your target audience?

A dedicated and passionate sales executive will take the initiative to stay up to date on their industry’s trends and updates. Ask what specific resources they leverage or how often they review industry news. Watch for vague answers here, this is one candidates may try to talk themselves into a circle about if they don’t have a solid answer. Bonus points if they can tell you a bit of recent news they’ve heard with specifics on how they are planning to implement it into their process.

Company Culture Fit:

17. Why did you apply for this position?

This question is a great way to uncover why they’re looking to leave or why they left their current role. Be sure to take notes on how they talk about their previous or current company. As mentioned earlier, bad-mouthing of any kind should be a red flag. This question will also give insights into what drew them to your company specifically. If the vision that was portrayed to the candidate doesn’t fit what you want it to, this then gives you insight on how to better market yourself as an employer.

18. Are you ready to jump on a sales call right now?

In other words, this question asks, “Did you do any research on our company and product offerings?” This will show either a strong work ethic and desire for the role, or a lack of ambition. If you like the answer you receive, another great follow-up could be “If you were to start the job tomorrow, what would you be doing tonight to prepare?” Again, this will shine a light on their motivation and drive to succeed in this role.

19. Why do you want to work here/sell our product/service?

It’s no secret that an employee who is passionate and invested in the company they’re working for will out preform those who aren’t. Gallup's report on employee engagement shows that companies with a highly engaged workforce have 21% higher profitability. This question allows sales executives to open up about what they find intriguing about the role and overall company. Play close attention to see if any buzzwords from your company’s core values show up in their response. Finding candidates that have similar values to what your company is striving for is an excellent bonus.

20. How do you think our company can improve?

Loyalty plays a big role in employee retention. If you can decide which candidates already have initial loyalty to your brand, that’s a big plus! By asking what the company can do to improve, you’re really asking “How much do you care about the company succeeding?” This is a good question to watch for some common red flags as well. Often, you’ll be able to notice if the candidate is the type to tell you what you want to hear, or if they are critical thinkers. Those that answer honestly and critically are more likely to work through challenges to help better the company.

Conclusion:

Ultimately, not all sales roles are created equal. Leverage these interview questions as an outline but be sure to adjust to fit each role’s specific needs. While it’s very important to prepare and have a roadmap for leading the interview, don’t be afraid to get creative and be ready to pivot with follow-up questions based on candidate’s answers.

Once you’ve ran through all the questions you prepared, a great way to wrap up the interview process is by opening up the floor to them to ask you questions. Sales executives who ask questions show they are inquisitive about the role and company culture – which means they are trying to picture themselves there. Declining to ask any further questions is a tell that they may have bad communication skills and may be afraid to ask for what they want – not a skill you want in a strong sales executive. In this sense, be prepared to answer some questions of your own! 67% of employed Americans say that job interviews influence their decision to accept a job – so be sure to portray your enthusiasm for the role, company, product, and/or service offered. LinkedIn reported that the most important considerations in accepting new jobs are compensation (49%), professional development (33%), and better work/life balance (29%). Make it a point to touch on these key points to get sales executives excited about joining the team.

When preparing for the undertaking of hiring new staff, remember that Blue Signal can help alleviate the stress. As experts in the hiring process, our recruiters can help not only coach you through the interviews, but help with sourcing candidates, scheduling interviews, negotiating hiring terms, and so much more. Contact us today to get matched with a specialist in your industry!

Are Executive Recruiters Worth It?

February 23, 2022 by Amber Lamb

Addressing Common Misconceptions About the Value of Talent Acquisition in the Hiring Process

It’s Q1 and you’re working with a new hiring budget for the year. You have a lot of hires you need to make, and may be overwhelmed with the state of the market. Maybe you’ve considered engaging with a talent agency – but you’re uneasy. You’re asking yourself, are executive recruiters worth it? You want to protect your money, but also your time. You’re nervous about the transactional stereotypes surrounding bad recruiters, and are hesitant to take the leap.

All of these common questions and concerns are totally reasonable. Being curious and calculated is just good business! Let Blue Signal set the record straight and help you determine if hiring a recruiter would make the most sense for your current search.

Job Ads Are Free – Why Should I Pay a Recruiter to Find Applicants?

Chances are you’ve posted your open role online somewhere. Your results are mixed – and you’re either getting flooded with ill-fitting candidates or have received next to no applicants. You wrote the job description to the best of your ability and are stuck. You’re left wondering how paying a recruiter to “do the same thing” will help.

Are Executive Recruiters Worth It Blog Graphic 1

This is one of the biggest misconceptions when it comes to recruiting. Executive recruiters are able to add value to a search even before sending you resumes. Successful professionals leverage relationships with recruiting firms to stay on top of their industry, and gain insight into the market before it changes. By employing a specialized recruiter in your industry niche, their social media following and network of professionals gets your open req in front of the right audience at the onset.

Simply put, leveraging a recruiter when advertising a role ensures access to their fine-tuned network of professionals. Talent acquisition firms are built on applicant tracking systems (ATS), and take years to properly build out. With this log of qualified talent, working with a recruiter gives you access to both active talent – or applicants looking to make a move – as well as passive talent, i.e. people who aren’t necessarily looking for a job change.

Passive talent is usually succeeding in their current role today, giving you access to top performers that you may have otherwise missed. Additionally, recruiters have the experience and insights needed to help separate the value from the fluff. For example, specialized IT recruiters know what certifications will help you in your modernization and business transformation journeys, and HR recruiters will know what certs are needed to keep those projects all on track. They’ll be able to judge resumes and CVs accordingly, and only send you the best of the best.

Perhaps you know what you are looking for but are unable to advertise a role or target the candidates you truly want. By leveraging a recruiter, you are able to confidentially conduct searches and have a middleman representative between you and competitors in your space. This opens doors to more hiring possibilities! By allowing a recruiter to market your role, you’re keeping your reputation intact among your own customers and peers.

In fact, marketing a role is half the battle. Executive recruiters are master marketers, and know how to best sell a candidate on an opportunity and employer. Because talent acquisition is a fine balance between B2B and B2C sales, recruiters know just how to address the wants and needs of their B2C clientele. The candidate experience is just as important to your own process when hiring in a candidate-driven market, and recruiters are trained to navigate it daily. They will deploy different strategies – attracting particular industries, professions, even generations – to get you the candidate you need.

Moreover, the talent acquisition world is changing daily. Executive recruiters have access to and are constantly working to master new technology in this space, especially as it surrounds job ads and applicant tracking. Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and automation are making an impact within talent acquisition just like every other industry. As the digital landscape of recruiting continues to evolve, recruiters will play a key role in supporting their clients as they learn new technologies, counteroffer techniques, and recruiting strategies to keep them ahead in the 2020s.

Okay, But I Can Screen Applicants – Why Should I Have a Recruiter Interview My Candidates?

Interviewing applicants is much more involved than a 30-minute phone call. Recruiters can help you manage all the moving parts. They will screen CVs and conduct the initial candidate intake for you, ensuring that the candidates that make it onto your calendar are prequalified for the position. Then, they offer support through the entire process – including interview coordination, reference checks, candidate management, and salary negotiations. Executive recruiters act as project managers throughout the interview process, prioritizing success for all involved.

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With candidate retention guarantees, it doesn’t benefit a recruiter to make a match that won’t work and then in turn, have to start the process over. Recruiters are invested – and your success is their success! When leveraging a recruiting firm with placement guarantees, you protect your investment for the first 12 months of their employment.

However, you’ll never make a hire from an executive recruiter without determining fit for yourself. A recruiter can help there, too! Executive recruiters know what questions to ask to uncover information, and can help coach you through the interview process.

Understandably, candidates tend to open up to recruiters differently than they would to a potential employer. With information coming from a 3rd party, they may trust recruiters’ input more than information coming straight from an employer, too. Because executive recruiters also represent the candidates’ best interests in the hiring process, they are able to uncover the candidate’s true drivers, must-haves, and qualifications. Whether it’s supporting long-term career goals, aligning core values, or negotiating pay – a recruiter can properly suss out a candidate’s needs.

Let’s use the compensation example. To be considered for the role, a candidate may feel like they have to give hiring managers an agreeable answer, rather than being forthcoming about their true financial needs. Alternately, they will tell recruiters their honest salary expectations and a recruiter can represent them accordingly. If they are out of your budget, they can move on with no time wasted. If they are, both parties can move forward knowing that they are well matched while maintaining traditional interview etiquette. No more losing out on candidates at the final offer stage!

That Does Sound Promising, But Why Do Executive Recruiters Cost So Much?

It does seem counterintuitive to save money by spending it to bring another party into the hiring process – but the proof is in the results. So much so that most executive recruiters will actually work for free, and will only bill you once a placement has been made. Let’s break down that value-add.

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The majority of hiring managers are not solely responsible for hiring. Because of their normal duties, how much time are they feasibly able to contribute to the hiring process? And how much does that hinder their official responsibilities? In 2020, upper management and C-suite positions took 20% of companies more than 3 months to hire. In one study, 67% of respondents said it takes between 30 minutes to 2 hours just to schedule one interview. To cover for an absence in the team, write and post a job description, review applicants, schedule interviews, conduct interviews, and to actually make a hire can take up approximately 100 hours of a hiring manager’s time per hire. Meanwhile, a recruiter’s entire 9-5 is devoted to a search. This can reduce your team’s time spent by about 70%.

Additionally, hiring a recruiter can offer exponential cost savings. 76% of hiring managers admit to recruiting the wrong candidate for a role, essentially making at least one bad hire per year. According to the US Department of Labor, the average cost of a bad hire is up to 30% of the employee’s first year compensation. This can result in as much as $240K depending on the role and company. When you also consider a 12-month placement guarantee, a recruiter fee seems like a fair investment to ensure your new hire pans out. Employing a recruiter helps lessen your chance of a costly bad hire.

Finally, a recruiter’s expertise offers immeasurable value in a search. As experts in your industry niche, they will be able to provide insights into the market and your competitors’ movements that you won’t find online. They can define typical salary ranges for roles spanning several industries, locations, job functions, and skill levels. As hiring professionals, they are constantly in the business of knowing what companies are hiring, what companies are losing talent, and why. Executive recruiters are able to represent candidates without you “poaching” from your network, allowing access to otherwise unobtainable talent. The list goes on and on.

Ultimately, Why Should I Work with a Recruiter?

As a 30-second elevator pitch, we could talk about how executive recruiters help you save time and money. However, the real value comes from what executive recruiters bring to overall business strategy. They can help inform you about your industry’s movements, what your competitors are doing when it comes to hiring, trends you should be aware of, and changes in the market you should prepare for. Successful recruiters provide companies with more than a warm body for an open job.

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When considering whether or not to take a recruiter’s call, consider the value of a long-term partner. A good recruiter will help advise you no matter how long it’s been since a placement was made. Having access to these insights is just good business, even when you’re not actively hiring. Recruiters share their clients’ successes, and are passionate about making these matches. After all, recruiters change organizations – as well as people’s lives and careers! – for the better.

When it comes to selecting a recruiter, make sure to engage with relationship-based recruiters that are invested in the future of your company. At Blue Signal, we’ve set out to disprove the bad industry reputation that has resulted from transactional recruiting methods. As your partner in the process, we hope to make a long-lasting connection that benefits your organization beyond filling a role.

Types of Engineering Interview Questions

Situational Interview Questions

Competency-Based Interview Questions

Behavioral Interview Questions

Top 20 Engineering Interview Questions

Tips and Best Practices for Answering Engineering Interview Questions

Marketing Your Company Culture

Find Your Value Proposition

Make Candidate Inquiries Accessible Through Employer Marketing

Make Your Value Proposition Accessible on a Careers Page

Aim Existing Company Branding Toward Employer Marketing

Benefits of Employer Marketing on Your Customer Base

Employer Marketing Through Social Media

Employees Quit Because of Toxic Company Culture

How Recruiters Can Help Combat a Toxic Company Culture

Employees Quit Due to Lack of Opportunities for Advancement

How Recruiters Can Help Establish Upward Mobility

Employees Quit Because of Burnout

How Recruiters Can Help Battle Burnout

Bad Management Makes Employees Quit

How Recruiters Can Help Restructure Management

Employees Quit Due to Poor Compensation

How Recruiters Can Help with Compensation

Conclusion

What is a Confidential Search?

When is a Confidential Search Necessary?

Replacing Executives or Management Positions – Avoiding Leadership Gaps

Exploring New Sectors/Products/Industries

Experiencing Internal Changes or Reorganization

Reducing High Volumes of Unqualified Applicants

Benefits of Outsourcing a Confidential Search

Stress-Free Process

Larger Candidate Pool

Save Time

Continued Recruiter Support

Conclusion

LinkedIn Messages Have Low Risk, High Reward Potential

Recruiter LinkedIn Messages are a Networking Opportunity

Recruiters are Your Personal Career Advocate

How to Respond to Recruiter LinkedIn Messages

Provide Assistive Technology

Ask What They Need For an Inclusive Remote Workplace

Train Managers on How to Best Support Employees

Ensure Social Interaction is Accessible

To Sum Up Creating an Inclusive Remote Workplace

About Our Contributor

#1 – Time to Fill/Hire

#2 – Attrition/Turnover

#3 – Cost Per Hire

#4 – Quality of Hire

#5 – Diversity of Candidates

Let’s Review – Your Recruiting Metrics

1. Optimize Your LinkedIn Company Page for SEO

2. Create an Attractive Header

Imagery

Tagline

3. Strengthen Your LinkedIn Company Page Description

4. Utilize Career Pages

Life Page

What We Do Page

Job Page

5. Post Regularly on Your LinkedIn Company Page

Industry Article Share

Highlight Your Products/Services

Give an Insight to Company Culture

Showcase Your Accomplishments

Key Takeaways

Personality & Relationship Skills:

1. What’s your favorite part of a sales job/process? Least favorite?

2. If you asked your manager what your biggest strength and weakness is, what would they say?

3. Given these three terms: promotion, money, and recognition; put them in their order of importance.

4. If you had no obstacles and could start your dream job tomorrow, what would that role look like?

5. Tell me about a time when you collaborated with other sales team members and those outside of the sales team.

Ideal Work Environment Insights:

6. What type of work environment do you thrive in?

7. Have you ever had a manager you didn’t like? Why?

8. Which sales metrics do you pay attention to and why?

Ability to Remain Resilient:

9. What do you do to regroup and recover when you have a bad day? Bad week? Bad month?

10. How do you motivate yourself?