Recruiter Tips Archives - Blue Signal Search

Monday Market Share – Lighting Recruitment

March 27, 2023 by Lacey Walters

Blue Signal is excited to announce our new series, Monday Market Share. Each month, the Monday Market Share will provide insights into a specific recruiting industry by interviewing one of our tenured recruiters. This month we are featuring lighting recruitment, featuring Sr. Recruiting Manager Melissa Coleman.

Melissa uses her expertise in lighting recruitment to answer the following questions:

What are the top 3 positions in high demand in lighting recruitment?
What are qualified candidates commonly looking for to make the next move in their career?
If you could give one piece of lighting recruitment advice for hiring managers, what would it be?

Read on to hear her responses or click on the video below!

What are the top 3 positions in high demand in lighting recruitment?

“This year, we're seeing an uptick in sales roles in the lighting industry, much more than we did in the last few years. As we know, engineering has stayed in demand with more technology involved in lighting. We're certainly seeing more electrical engineering and software engineering roles. And then thirdly, we're seeing operations support roles continue to be in big demand, such as quotations and project management.”

What are qualified candidates commonly looking for to make the next move in their career?

“Money definitely has to be there. It's not necessarily the most important, but it has to be there, and we’ve certainly seen increases in salaries over the last few years. Second thing is work life balance – candidates want flexible work schedules, remote opportunities, and paid vacation.”

If you could give one piece of lighting recruitment advice for hiring managers, what would it be?

“Even though we hear a lot about a recession, the unemployment rate is at a 50-year low. Candidates have multiple offers to choose from and they need your help as the company, as the hiring manager, to see how your opportunity will make their life better. Within lighting, we're still in the war for talent. I commonly hear from candidates that they like where they are, but they think they should be making more. So they're open to hearing about opportunities and they want the opportunity to work remotely.”

In Conclusion

The lighting industry plays an intricate role in every market sector – from LEDs to Smart Lighting. As a result, the global lighting industry is projected to exceed $93.93 billion in 2023. With such expansive growth, it’s crucial to have a partner in lighting recruitment. For more insights into the lighting hiring market, reach out to Melissa Coleman. And stay tuned for our next Monday Market Share!

About Melissa Coleman

With 15 years of experience, Melissa has developed a second nature understanding of clients' hiring needs, particularly in the areas of lighting, manufacturing, engineering, supply chain, and sales in IoT and AI. Her unique ability to evaluate the chemistry and motivation of both parties enables her to make lasting placements that benefit everyone involved. In addition to her extensive experience, Melissa holds the CSAM designation (Certified Senior Account Manager), which is recognized worldwide as a mark of excellence in executive recruitment. CSAM holders are ranked consistently at the top of their profession, and Melissa is committed to pursuing continuous professional development to exceed both client and candidate expectations.

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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.

Why Employees Quit: Top Reasons and How Recruiters Can Help

September 28, 2022 by Lacey Walters

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.

4 Steps to Take When Relocating for Work

June 8, 2022 by Lacey Walters

Although remote work has become a norm for many people post-pandemic, others still work in-person and may relocate for certain positions. In fact, 16% of Americans moved for work-related reasons in 2021 despite COVID-19. As more people are moving jobs and advancing their careers with different companies, job hunters are on the search for new opportunities – which may result in relocation. Starting a position in a new area can often be just as stressful as it is exciting; there are a lot of details to consider! To help you on this journey, here are some steps you can take to make relocating for work a breeze.

#1 – Look Into Assistance

Relocating for work is no small feat. It’s often a complex process that requires a lot of time, money, and organization. When you’re in the process of finalizing your job offer, it’s important to research your options and find out what type of assistance your company offers for those relocating. Many companies provide some sort of relocation assistance or benefits, and the terms are often flexible. They might reimburse you for moving-related costs, cover the cost of trips to visit your new location, provide moving services, offer help to sell or buy a home, and more. If you’re married, they may even help your spouse find a new position in your location as an added incentive.

If your company doesn’t offer any aid, you can try negotiating for some assistance to help with the transition. At the job offer stage, you can be rest assured they see you as a valuable asset to their team, so they’re more likely to be flexible. To make your case more convincing, research the costs associated with relocating beforehand – including the new cost of living in your location, median income for your role in the region, etc. – so you can explain where the money would be allocated. Here, you can leverage your recruiter to present market insights and comparable relocation packages from similar companies. Giving your future employer a detailed estimate of expenses is crucial in getting them to accept your request. If you’re successful, ask about preferred providers and any criteria for covered expenses. Remember, even if you aren’t able to negotiate relocation assistance, you may be able to get a signing bonus, a higher salary, or even a flexible schedule to make the transition easier and to offset the costs.

#2 – Create a Budget for Relocating

Moving can be expensive, so calculating the expected costs of relocating and determining how much you can afford to spend will help keep your finances organized and prevent you from overspending. Before you relocate, create a budget to track your spending and keep yourself accountable. As mentioned earlier, this budget will also come in handy when asking your company for relocation assistance.

In your budget, include the cost of moving supplies, transportation, meals, professional moving and packing services, the adjusted cost of living, housing deposits, and more. If your current home needs repairs and touch ups to make selling easier, account for those expenses as well. Estimating these costs ahead of time will help make the relocation process less stressful and ensure you’re prepared for a successful move.

Relocating Contributor Blog Graphic with four steps listed in light blue bubble text

#3 – Find Housing

Aside from getting your job offer, another important aspect in relocating for work is finding a place to live. There’s a lot that goes into buying a new home, especially on top of starting a new job, but creating a list of your wants and needs can help narrow your search. Look into the best cities for job seekers, and do extensive research on your new location to determine what neighborhoods would suit your budget and lifestyle the best. For instance, if you have children and pets you may want to live in a more suburban location with a big yard. However, if you’re single and want to be near the bustle of restaurants and bars, you may want to live closer to the city.

Along with these details, make sure to consider the length of your commute to the office, the cost of living, safety, proximity to stores, school districts, and more. If possible, try to visit the place you're moving to at least once before committing to get more familiar with the area and to get a closer look at potential neighborhoods and homes. Your company may even provide you with temporary housing so you can explore the area more without having to rush into buying a home. When considering housing options, you’ll also want to create a budget for your new home to see what you can comfortably afford. Researching financial requirements such as home loan rates, the minimum down payment amount, and the process to get a mortgage will help make the house hunting process much more efficient. This will help you be more prepared and can help your real estate agent find homes that are suitable for your needs and finances.

#4 – Set a Timeline for Relocating

There’s a lot to manage during a job relocation. To make this transition easier, it’s important to plan ahead, stay organized, and create a realistic timeline for your move. The amount of time you have in between the end of your current position and your new role may vary depending on your situation, but either way it’s best to start preparing as soon as possible. If you need more time, you may be able to negotiate for a later start date if you’re moving a long distance.

In general, you should try to move into your home before starting your new job so you have enough time to get familiar with the location and get situated in your space. With this in mind, you’ll want to dedicate time to sell your current home and purchase a new one, while also making appointments with moving companies and packing. Depending on how far your move is, you may also want to plan a few visits to your new location to get a better feel of the neighborhoods and surrounding areas. Whatever tasks you need to complete, consider making a detailed checklist to keep track of everything and assign them deadlines so you stay on schedule. As long as you’re proactive and split up tasks over time, your job relocation will be a breeze.

With the help of professional recruiters, research, and preparation, relocating for work will be an exciting milestone in your career rather than a hassle. As long as you advocate for your needs and plan ahead, you’ll be set up for a successful personal and professional move. If you need help navigating the job relocation process, reach out today to Blue Signal’s talent acquisition professionals.

September Is Update Your Resume Month

September 16, 2021 by Amanda Miller

Did you know that September is International Update Your Resume Month? Launched by Career Directors International in 2000, this month marks the perfect time to revisit your resume and see if it’s up to par with what today’s recruiters and employers are looking for. If you haven’t updated your resume in a few years, the likelihood is that it’s a bit behind current standards. Even if you’re not looking for a new job right now, having a ready-to-go resume in your arsenal is helpful should that great opportunity present itself.

The Crux of a Great Resume: Accomplishments

The standard resume format most job seekers use focuses on skills or responsibilities in each role. These types of resumes generally consist of a lot of bullet points with those skills and tasks listed. Unfortunately, a “death by bullets” approach does little to market you to a future employer.

While what you did at each role is still an important part of your resume in 2021, skills are not the primary components you want to highlight on your resume. These days, your best bet it to focus on your accomplishments and how you’ve added value at your positions.

To craft great accomplishments that pack a punch, use this formula:

Challenge … Action … Result

In other words, there was a challenge you faced, an action you took to overcome that challenge, and then a result that came out of that action.

In most instances, accomplishments fall into one of four categories:

You made the company or client money.
You saved the company or client money.
You made stakeholders happy.
You developed or improved processes and procedures.

In your resume, aim to list one bulleted accomplishment per year, and don’t exceed five bullet points per position.

Text stating "o craft great accomplishments that pack a punch, use this formula" following by a flow chart with three elements containg text.

Update Your Resume with Your Value Proposition

While accomplishments display ways you’ve helped companies succeed in the past, there’s another place you should do that: in your summary.

If you have an older resume, you probably have an objective at the top of it. Objectives are common in a skills-based resume format and are obsolete when it comes to differentiating yourself. Therefore, if you have an objective, it’s definitely time to update your resume to today’s standards!

In lieu of an objective, add a title or headline that states the position you’re seeking. Just below that, create a summary, where you’ll answer the question, “Why should I hire you?” Focus on the key skills that only you can bring to the position, as opposed to your personality traits. How have you added value to other companies in the past? What kind of leader are you? What are the results you can deliver? Overall, you want to share how your particular experience directly translates to the requirements for this job.

A summary is often referred to as a branding statement because its goal is to brand you to an employer. Therefore, you really need to sell yourself here. After all, this is the first thing employers will read!

Here’s an example of a great summary:

A unique and insightful powerhouse who offers a proven record of success across commercial operations, strategy, global marketing, and research. Driven by data to bring an innovative perspective with an eye toward creating and delivering new growth opportunities. Extensive experience leading large, complex projects and in bringing cross-functional teams together as an engaging and supportive coach.

Ensure Your Resume Is ATS Friendly

No matter how fantastic the content on your resume is, if it doesn’t make it through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), it won’t be seen. A key component to updating your resume is to create content that works with the ATS software most employers use. That means it has to have:

Contact information, including the city, state you’d like to work in, your phone number, email address, and any online portfolios or accounts that you’d like to highlight (a custom LinkedIn URL is a great addition).
Relevant keywords that match the job description.
A simple reverse-chronological layout without text boxes, lines, shapes, or columns.
One color (black) and one font (Calibri, Arial, or Helvetica are best).
No more than two pages.
No photos or icons.

Avoid filling your resume with keywords in white font. It’s bad form and could potentially eliminate you from consideration.

Career Coaching and Resume Writing Are Coming to Blue Signal

As a recognized, premier recruiting firm, Blue Signal is excited to announce the launch of a new component to our business designed to help job seekers. We will provide users with the education and tools needed to advocate for themselves in today’s job market.

Be sure to stay tuned to our blog and social media pages LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter), and contact us to get insider information on our launch date and how you can join!