Executive Search Firm Archives - Blue Signal Search

Blue Signal Ranked #1 Technical Placement Firm in Arizona 2022

July 29, 2022 by Aylish DeVore

Blue Signal Search was recently recognized by AZ Big Media for ranking among 5 different lists of top businesses in Arizona for 2022.

“Ranking Arizona - The Best of Arizona Business” is an annual publication by AZ Big Media that is Arizona’s largest and most comprehensive business opinion poll. It annually ranks companies based on the opinions of clients, partners, and customers with one simple question: “With whom would you recommend doing business?”

This year, in addition to being named #1 in the Technical Placement category, Blue Signal has been awarded four other Ranking AZ titles in multiple categories:

#1 Technical Placement (Ranked #4, 2021)
#2 Top Executive Search (Ranked #2, 2019, 2020, 2021)
#2 Best Places to Work (Ranked #4 in 2021)
#3 Permanent Placement
#3 Temporary Placement

We are so proud and humbled to be recognized in this publication for the fourth year in a row, and to be nominated by those in our amazing home state makes it that much better! Not to mention, having a place among the best in the business is such an honor. The fact that so many of our clients and peers would choose to work with our business is a testament to the number of lives we have positively impacted in our line of work. The services and personalized care we give when approaching any hiring need has helped hundreds land new jobs, launch their careers, and reach new heights.

We particularly want to thank our incredible team of employees for our #2 ranking in the Best Places to Work category. The Business Services: Best Places to Work category in Ranking Arizona receives an extraordinary number of votes on the voting site, a publication representative explained, adding that "being mentioned in this category is very personal to the employees and leadership of each participating business." We couldn’t have done it without the support from our dedicated team!

More about AZ Big Media:

For more than 35 years, AZ Big Media has been bringing readers the state’s most compelling business, real estate, and lifestyle news through the print editions of AZ Business and AZRE magazines, Ranking Arizona, AZ Business Leaders, Experience AZ, People & Projects to Know, Arizona Business Angels, and Play Ball, the only official spring training publication of The Cactus League.

The company has the fastest-growing news website in the U.S., that serves as a complement to its print publications and incorporates up-to-the-minute breaking news, compelling business stories, C-Level executive editorial profiles, and much more.

More about Blue Signal:

Blue Signal was founded in Chicago in 2012, and since then, has grown into a multimillion-dollar executive placement firm with offices in the Phoenix and Chicago areas. Blue Signal has established itself as the premier executive search firm within wireless/telecom, IoT, cloud and managed services, medical and healthcare, manufacturing, emerging technology, and related industry niches.

Having successfully completed over 1,700 search projects, it’s no surprise that Blue Signal has the experience, relationships, and tools to help you grow your career. Our deep industry knowledge – from 215 combined years of recruiting experience – and streamlined processes help clients to secure high-caliber talent within tight timeframes. As a top executive search firm, we have been a driving force in our clients’ professional successes. At Blue Signal, we immerse ourselves in our client's businesses and our candidates’ careers to fully understand top priorities and the best direction of both parties. In turn, our reputation is built on our ability to consistently incorporate these priorities into all of our searches to make long-term, impactful connections.

Blue Signal Summit, 2020

January 22, 2020 by Lacey Walters

The Blue Signal team kicked off our second annual Summit on January 10th which included a healthy mix of presentations and activities. The two-day event is a way to look back on the years’ achievements in recruiting and operations, and celebrate our success as a group. Friday included a 2019 sales presentation by Matt Walsh, Blue Signal Owner, and Sr. Managing Partner. Among the highlights, we overwhelmingly had our best year to date, bringing on 15 outstanding recruiting and support team members. We saw five employees receive well-earned promotions and recognized the overall growth the company has seen over the last 12 months after bringing in as much revenue as the previous three years combined!

Following Matt’s presentation, we kept on-theme with a game of Jeopardy which did not disappoint. The game, put together by Amber Lamb, Sr. Marketing Specialist, and Lacey Walters, Director of Operations, included challenging Blue Signal related trivia that had us all on the edge of our seats. It was fun to learn a little more about our colleagues, from this year’s highest biller, down to who owns which beloved fur baby. The only thing missing was Alex Trebek!

We rounded out the day with a variety of bruschetta from Postinos, a few beverages, and a game of bags (or “cornhole”, depending on where you come from).

Not to be outdone, on Saturday, January 11th the whole Phoenix team gathered at the Gainey Ranch Golf Club for cocktails, dinner, and an awards ceremony. The beautiful setting offered a perfect backdrop for the night, which included a lot of laughs and a few sentimental moments as well.

During the presentation, Matt gave out several awards and also recognized those that were promoted for their hard work and achievements this past year.

Ryan Walsh

Promoted to Recruiting Manager. Ryan has been with Blue Signal for about a year and a half now and has already made a huge impact. Not only has he developed strong partnerships with phenomenal clients, but he also crushed his first-year numbers in the process. He’s also a go-to resource for support to anyone at the company, not just his own team – and he continues to achieve more and more in this leadership capacity.

Amber Lamb

Promoted to Senior Marketing Specialist. As Matt said to the group, “Rockstar, killer, has that instinct,” and we all couldn’t agree more. Her tenacity and drive have earned her this role and we look forward to seeing many more exciting things from Amber down the line.

Jonathan Lee

Promoted to Technical Business Manager. Jonathan started his career at Blue Signal in recruiting and soon realized he would be better served in a technical/operations capacity. He’s essentially carved his own path within the organization, demonstrating an insane amount of work ethic while remaining a constant source of support for the entire team.

Trevor Gamble

Promoted to Senior Executive Recruiter. Trevor came out of the gates strong when he started with Blue Signal in January 2019 and never lost steam. Without prior recruiting experience, he picked things up quickly and brought an innovative spirit to the role and organization. Trevor aims to be not only a recruiter but an advocate for the candidates and clients he works with.

John Stuart

Promoted to Senior Executive Recruiter. John, as Matt aptly said, is a “hustler”. He rose to the top of the activity charts right off the bat and put in the time and effort to be dangerous in this role. While the fruits of that labor weren’t immediately evident, his drive and determination paid off. He finished the year as one of the top billing recruiters, even making placements from islands halfway across the world.

Another worthy milestone that Matt discussed is the 4-year work anniversary of Blue Signal’s Managing Partner, Jordan Lawhead. Jordan took a leap of faith, moving him and his wife from Illinois to Phoenix to help Matt build Blue Signal. We’re lucky to have a mentor like Jordan on the team who has seen how challenging the recruiting world can be but also how rewarding it is as well.

As we find ourselves already weeks into the new year, we look forward to scaling out the team, further expanding our reach, and making 2020 a banner year for Blue Signal.

Recruiting: The Perfect Blend

October 2, 2019 by Amber Lamb

Many professionals have worked with recruiters in some capacity or another throughout the course of their careers. It’s common knowledge that recruiters help businesses fill open roles with qualified professionals. But have you ever really thought of the logistics behind this?

To be successful in sales, it takes a very particular combination of skills, attitude, and character. Salespeople must be confident, persistent, upbeat, and influential by nature if they hope to convince someone to buy what they are selling - whether it’s a product, service, or in certain cases, top talent.

Someone selling B2B must be an expert in their product. These companies who sell products and services to businesses are known to have long-term sales cycles. In most cases, this means developing established relationships with clientele to best understand their needs and ultimately deliver custom solutions. B2B sales are high value transactions, with elaborate influencing groups, stakeholders, business cases, and negotiations. Their high-stakes, high-reward model is complex but consistent.

B2C sales on the other hand, need to be able to roll with the punches. They will have shorter, more transactional sales cycles and will need to quickly create rapport with several different buyers in a day. Although their sales tend to be smaller in size, they are much greater in volume and require a diverse set of approach tactics and strategies.

Recruiters, in their unique circumstances, must create a balance and perfect mixture between the two selling philosophies. They must be able to sell a candidate to a company, but also a company to a candidate.

Why Recruiting is like B2B

At Blue Signal, we partner with our clients to act as an extension of their business. We strive to make our client relationships long-term, mutually beneficial, and as transparent as possible. Blue Signal invests in our clients’ successes and we make it our job to learn all there is to know about their business products, services, pain points, and goals. Our recruiters do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis for each role - making sure we have pinpointed the problem and are able to remedy the hiring issue… whether that be a need for people with different skillsets, an open role that needs filled, a culture fit or transition, or a number of other challenges.

This is much like the B2B model in that we establish a strong foundational relationship with our client stakeholders and must continue to develop the relationship with regular follow-up. CEO’s, management, reporting teams, cross-functional teams, and other individuals can be the driving force behind a hiring decision - so the stakeholders are often diverse and complex. These B2B “sales” are very high value. Blue Signal will charge the client a percentage of the placed candidate’s base salary, which often times requires some negotiations. To combat this fear of commitment, our recruiters must make meaningful, strong business relationships with the appropriate parties to truly create value and trust. The stakes are high, but with our superior caliber of talent, so is the ROI.

Recruiting is also similar due to the comparably small number of clients, and more complex and continual sales cycles. Blue Signal’s client base is hand-picked, relevant to our industry specialties, and truly decides our fate when it comes to sales success. We strive to understand the ins and outs of the business, their talent needs, their standing in their respective industry, where they are headed, and more. Each client is unique, so each tactic to complete their searches must also be unique. This requires a specific set of communication skills and developed business case analysis, presentations, negotiations, and more. We hope to make each of our clients long-term customers.

When you think of recruiting as a business - this B2B model makes sense! And is normally what people attribute to the industry. However, that’s really only one side of the conversation.

Why Recruiting is like B2C

Blue Signal has an extensive network of candidates and superior industry professionals that we constantly keep in contact with to help supplement their best career options. This network - unlike our client network - is much larger and much more transactional.

That word - transactional - has such a negative connotation. When really, all that’s meant by it is that our relationship is based on a transaction. In our first contact - recruiters have to sell themselves and their worth to a candidate rather quickly. Their goal is to establish a base level of rapport early. Recruiters may speak to hundreds of candidates in a week - and have to create meaningful touchpoints with each one in order to be successful. Each candidate has a unique set of skills, desires, needs, and other factors so each touchpoint has to be carefully crafted yet quick - much like the B2C tactics used by salesmen calling upon customers. Recruiters are trained to uncover candidate’s career drivers, potential job dis-satisfaction, and other things that get down to the candidate on a personal level. They really dial into the things that drive candidates in order to play into those wants and needs and create a longer lasting placement - unlike companies who often miss the mark by merely focusing on their bottom line. Therefore, the relationship between a recruiter and a candidate is transactional - yet precise and personal.

To truly craft this in-depth and thorough understanding of the individual behind the resume, Blue Signal processes each prospective candidate with a 12-point assessment. We inspect their career drivers, their ambitions, insecurities, behaviors - what makes them tick. A recurring example is people who lie in interviews. If they are in front of a hiring manager, looking for a job, they will say what they think that manager will want to hear to better their chances of getting the job. And - that can be more harmful than helpful in the long run. The candidate and hiring manager may ignore red flags or make compromises, both for the sake of fulfilling their short-term needs. By omitting their real desires, they may not be able to reach agreeable goals. We want to really get to know the candidate and understand what they want, so that we can do our best to place them somewhere they will be happy. This research is reminiscent of the time and effort all B2C companies put into understanding their target market, but on a scale of more than 100 interviews a week (i.e. more than 100 different “consumer” profiles - a Blue Signal recruiter’s target metric).

Not to mention, candidates today are exhibiting consumer behaviors more than ever. According to a survey by MRINetwork, “nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of candidates spend more than an hour researching a job and employer before even applying, and 16 percent of job seekers spend more than five hours!” This trend, coupled with the literal million open jobs without people to fill them, is putting candidates in the driver’s seat. They are doing more research into role responsibilities, company culture, compensation averages, and other key factors in a new job. This is turning recruiters into marketers - having to sell the company, the opportunity, and their structure better than any Glassdoor review ever could. Recruiters have the potential to be that mediator and representation to the hiring process and “customer” that both parties are unable to accomplish themselves.

Recruiters, The Perfect Blend

In many ways, recruiting is one of the most unique jobs in the world. As our CEO Matt Walsh uniquely indicates, “we are selling people to people!” Recruiters sell on all sides: they sell value to a client, they sell their relationship to candidates, they sell a client’s opportunity to a candidate, and they have to sell a candidate to a company - all before they even make a “sale.” They must maintain a balance between the two sales philosophies: taking the B2C human and consumer element and merging it with the B2B business scenario to create favorable outcomes for both parties.

Recruiters bring so much value to the hiring process. They strive to have that deeper understanding of candidates, their career drivers, and why they do what they do. They work to be partners to clients and invest in their success. A recruiter’s success depends on properly managing solutions to each party’s requirements and doing what is right for everyone. Blue Signal is proud to have some of the highest ethics and proven results in this dynamic industry, and strives to maintain that transparency in all aspects of our “sales”.

The Telecom Awards – Blue Signal Takes First Place

July 1, 2019 by Lacey Walters

Blue Signal was recently recognized as the Best Wireless & Telecom Workforce Recruitment Agency - USA by Corporate Vision Magazine

CV Magazine rewarded some stand-out key players in Wireless and Telecom based on their positive and impactful influence within the industry as shown over the last year. Competing against top recruiting firms across the nation, Blue Signal's expansive growth and client-centric services made us stand out among the rest. We are excited and honored to announce our achievement of the Best Wireless and Telecom Workforce Recruitment Agency award.

(You can find the article on Blue Signal from the online publication of CV Magazine here, on page 10.)

CV Magazine Telecom Awards 2019 Cover - Blue Signal

Blue Signal takes pride in our extensive network of professionals, which allows us to make superlative matches within the industry’s top companies. Blue Signal’s immense company success would not have been possible without the diligent efforts of our recruiters and supporting team members.

Blue Signal’s service offerings are designed to benefit both clients and candidates. Our focus is to move candidates forward in their career goals and provide customized, individual action plans and introductions to prospective employers. With each of our clients, Blue Signal guarantees confidential replacement searches, new launches, or high-profile openings to ensure both clients and candidates can reach their best potential.

This recognition from such a large pool of successful firms shows our clients and candidates - current and potential! - that Blue Signal appreciates the trust and opportunities our candidates place with us in their career goals. The award for Best Wireless and Telecom Workforce Recruitment Agency - US gives Blue Signal the opportunity to showcase our current achievements and future endeavors.

Blue Signal is incredibly grateful for the support and backing we’ve received from our partners, clients, candidates and the industry as a whole. In the future, we will continue to push through industry boundaries and change the game to better serve all those involved. “We are proud of all of the hard work we’ve put into supporting our clients and candidates, and we will continue to work closely with the best talent and companies in the telecom market over the coming years.” - CEO Matt Walsh

More about CV Magazine

Corporate Vision is a valuable resource created for leaders and decision makers to inform and improve how professionals manage their business operations from staffing to supply chain. CV is passionate about recognizing and showcasing top industry professionals with their individually-tailed awards that provide an in-depth analysis of the very best companies of each market, region and industry. To learn more about their print and online publications, visit their site here.

More about Blue Signal

At Blue Signal, we believe hiring the right people is the best way to transform business. Our targeted, specialized searches deliver highly qualified professionals to meet every hiring need. Our team has decades of combined experience in finding the right people for each unique company culture and industry niche.

Our team works with both candidates and hiring managers to find the right fit. Contact us today to let us know how we can help.

Blue Signal, Best of Arizona Business 2019

April 5, 2019 by Amber Lamb

Blue Signal was recently awarded #2 Executive Search Firm of Arizona for 2019!

“Ranking Arizona - The Best of Arizona Business” is an annual publication by AZ Big Media that is Arizona’s largest business opinion poll. It annually ranks companies based on the opinions of clients, partners, and customers.

This accomplishment is huge for Blue Signal, as we were up against the best in the business, and as first-time listers, we had a lot to prove! We are so humbled and grateful for our amazing clients, candidates, partners, and other professional support for the recognition. We take pride in our services,and are excited to hear that we have helped so many!

More about AZ Big Media:

AZ Big Media has been reporting compelling business and lifestyle news for Arizona for over 30 years. They cover everything from breaking business, to real estate news, to lifestyle features, professional tools, event information, and even magazine articles. To learn more about their print and online publications, visit their site here.

More about Blue Signal in AZ:

Our team works with both candidates and hiring managers to find the right fit. Contact us today to let us know how we can help.