from your friends at Vector Talent Resources
Welcome to the Quarterly Newsletter for Vector Talent Resources—the latest Vector news in
recruiting, outsourcing, partner events, staff highlights, media, and publications .
From the Corner Office

I hope that you all are having a wonderful start to the new year! As we close out 2018 and as 2019 begins to take shape, it seems like a great time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished, the journey we have taken, and the plans we have for an exciting and bright future.
 
I’d like to start by telling you how much I appreciate each member of the Vector team: We wouldn’t be where we are without the contributions made by each and every one of our treasured employees. Thank you!
 
Last year was a year of growth, change, and transition. We ended the year celebrating our largest ever sales numbers since purchasing the company back in 2012. In past years, we were able to pin our growth on the success of one or two clients. This year, our sales represented many old and many new clients. We thank all of you who have helped us meet and succeed our 2018 goals. 

We have successfully enhanced our financial team with several new hires. We also have had success in driving operations under our COO, Hector Velez. After months of negotiations, we have accomplished one our most strategic hires in years. She is exactly what Vector needs; our executive team is now complete, symbiotic, and fully functional. Look for the official announcement in the coming days!
 
With the executive team securely in place and with the help of our awesome employees, Vector is really making strides in all of our business lines. Our TalentMEDIA team continued to rock the world of editing and design by successfully adding many new clients last year. Both staffing divisions had record-setting years thanks to growing our existing clients and expanding our client rosters. Vector has earned a great reputation as a trusted partner to our customers. And we want our reputation for excellence to continue to grow.
 
Thank you for all you do.
The Myth of Executive Search
By Hector Velez, Chief Operating Officer

Client: “So, let me get this straight. You will charge me one-third of total compensation, including base salary, bonuses, stock options, etc., regardless of the result, even if I end up hiring my cousin? And if the candidate makes more, you make more? Isn’t that a conflict of interest? Also, if in the future the economy grows and salaries go up, I will have to pay more for the same service? Wow. That is one great business model.”

Indeed, it seems to be.

So, why would companies engage these services under seemingly non-customer-centric terms and conditions? Maybe for the same reasons they buy from IBM or for the same reasons they buy from the Big Four accounting firms: there is always that skittish board of directors trying to play it safe by de-risking everything at the expense of securing better services at a greater price.

To add insult to injury, what if I told you that performing a C-level executive search is 10 times easier than conducting one for an entry-level software engineer, yet costs 10 times as much?

For the past 24 years I’ve been competing with and closely observing the largest retained executive search firms. I remain mystified as to why companies keep using them at the aforementioned price points. That’s why the Vector team and yours truly have developed a better model. 

I would like to humbly and respectfully submit that the pricing of executive search services should be based not only on job content, compensation, etc., but also on the complexity and difficulty of the search. Also, the total search and/or placement fee should comprise a nominal engagement flat fee plus the balance due on success. This would remove the inherent conflict of interest of the search firm making more when the candidate makes more. In fact, if the candidate makes more, the search firm makes less, percentage-wise. How about that for a true customer-centric model!

At Vector Talent Resources we are doing all we can to upend the antiquated and non–customer centric executive search model, and many of our clients are saying "yes" to this new approach.
Most Valuable Performer
Each quarter, Vector picks its Most Valuable Performer (MVP). The MVP is someone who has shown exemplary work for one of our clients and/or candidates and continues to be a shining example for those around them.
Morgan is a Sterling, VA, native who was born and raised in the DC Metro area. She's got two very protective older brothers. She is truly the baby sister, with a 15+ year difference between her and her brothers. Morgan is also a proud mother to her wonderful 7-year-old daughter, Mileah. Although Morgan likes to remind us that she's 7 going on 17. I'm sure there are many parents out there who can relate to that!

Morgan is an alum of North Carolina A&T State who always knew that once she graduated she was going to pursue a career in sales, but also knew she wanted to do something that would enable her to help people. Naturally, she was a perfect fit for a staffing agency, and lucky for us, she's here at Vector!

In fact, please join me in congratulating Morgan on her three-year Vector anniversary. We couldn't be happier to have such a hard-working and loyal recruiter on our Talent Agent team!

In addition to being a great recruiter, mom, and daughter, Morgan also loves to spend her time enjoying the great outdoors—preferably when it's warm out! She enjoys hiking the trails along the Potomac River at Great Falls National Park in McLean, VA.

Whenever possible she enjoys taking sunny, beach vacations to places like Punta Cana, Mexico, where she can go zip-lining, water tubing, cave exploring, or just lie on the beach and relax.

One fun fact about Morgan is that Morgan used to play shooting/point guard for her high school basketball team! It's probably why she still enjoys watching an occasional game of basketball—even if it's a Washington Wizards game.
What's the Difference between a Boss and a Leader?
From an early age, my grandfather was an instinctual entrepreneur with a knack for building relationships and businesses. He always told me, “the sign of a good leader is having others follow them.”
T ackling To-Do Lists When You Are Overwhelmed
Is it just me, or was January a year long, February a week long, and now March just feels like a blur of wanting it to be spring already?
T he 2019 Pantone Color of the Year
Each year, I’m curious to see which color Pantone picks as its Color of the Year. Colors surround us; they can even influence some of our day-to-day choices without us realizing.
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