April 2018 • Volume Two • Issue Two
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Welcome to the Quarterly Newsletter for Vector Talent Resources. In each issue, we will bring you the latest Vector news in staffing, recruiting, partner events, staff highlights,
media, and publications
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What Is to Be Done?
You are in the middle of a full-employment economy. Once again, you are experiencing dramatic shortages of talent. Your hiring managers are maxed out and are begging for help. But you don’t want to relax your stringent hiring requirements and hire just anyone with a pulse.
What is to be done?
Is it time to consider augmenting your talent acquisition capability with “outside” help? I put “outside” in quotes because, here at Vector Talent Resources, we are determined to redefine the relationship between recruiting firm and client so that we are not “outside,” but inside. We consider ourselves an extension of our clients—we have as deep an understanding of their company’s mission, vision, and culture as we do of our own.
Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons—cost, negative experiences with unscrupulous agencies, or lack of service and value—some employers are reluctant to engage with a search firm. I believe not having a relationship with a few trustworthy, quality search firms is a mistake.
A little-known fact is that, even though I’ve been in the staffing business for 24 years, I too have engaged search firms for internal hires. How about that!
I hope the following helps you decide whether to augment your talent acquisition capabilities. These are the elements I look for in firms:
- Subject Matter Expertise. Do they understand the appropriate functional areas: sales, marketing, IT, HR, operations?
- Track Record. Do the firm and the principals have a track record of success?
- Pricing. Is the pricing customer-centric? Does it de-risk the client’s investment?
- Professionalism. Look for responsiveness, accountability, attention to detail.
- Commitment. Are they committed to their trade? Or did they walk away from staffing during the last recession?
- Integrity. Do they project and live the core values of honesty, kindness, generosity, and civility? Or are they just words on a wall? Is there a gap between their aspirational values and practiced values?
- Flexibility and Adaptability. Some firms see things as they are, and ask why. The standouts think of things that never were, and ask why not.
- Listening and Empathy. These attributes are more important than persuasion.
- Candidate Experience. Do they treat their candidates as well as they treat their clients?
- Finally, the Intangibles. Do you like them, do you believe in them, do you have confidence in them, and do you trust them?
In my 24 years in the business I have learned how to do things—and how not to do things. Luckily, I’ve been able to tell the difference. Here at Vector Talent, we strive to be a firm that fully embraces the tenets delineated above. If you truly believe that your people are your greatest asset, I hope you will give us an opportunity to demonstrate how we share that same belief.
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TalentFLEX provides temporary staffing services that work. Vector Talent Agents are experts at staffing and have honed methodologies that are precise and effective. TalentFLEX offers “talent on demand” with the flexibility to add or remove resources as your business environment fluctuates. Candidates automatically become free agents once they have completed six months of service, whether the assignment was tagged as contract-to-hire or not. We make it very simple for hires to occur—it's our goal and we are excited when we can make things work for everyone!
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TalentDIRECT provides talent acquisitions services that are on target! Our talent agents are designated in specialty teams of: Technology, HR/Recruiting, Marketing/Communications, and Operations/Administration. This allows for relationships to develop in the industry, resulting in strong networks and keen understanding of the roles, which aids in finding the candidate that best matches the position. The Vector teams are constantly exploring, tweaking, sharing, and piloting innovative ways to find, attract, and acquire talent for on-target delivery.
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Step 1: Phone Screening.
After we identify a potential candidate through our extensive research and evaluation process, we perform an initial phone screening to see if they are a good match for a current opportunity or for a future one.
Step 2: In-Person Interview.
The next step is to bring the candidate in for a thorough in-person interview. If the interview goes well, we then package the candidate profile and submit it for consideration. We obtain and conduct references to validate our findings.
Step 3: Client Consideration.
Our account managers work diligently to understand clients’ cultures. In fact, we will not submit a candidate unless we feel comfortable that they are the best possible match from both the client and candidate perspectives.
Step 4: Candidate Interview with Client.
We coordinate all details for the client and candidate meeting. We are completely open and honest about expectations on each side to ensure a positive experience regardless of the outcome.
Step 5: Debriefs.
Once the interview process is complete, we discuss the experience on both sides to gain information and interest levels, and determine next steps.
Step 6: Offer or Next Steps.
We work closely with clients to craft a winning offer and handle all negotiations on their behalf. In addition to our reference checks, we can conduct various background checks, upon request.
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Director of Talent Services
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Debbie is one of the newest members of our sales team, having started at Vector in September 2017.
Debbie is a Washington, DC, native who grew up right outside the DC border in Montgomery County, Maryland.
Thanks to her son's love of baseball, Debbie herself became a fan. As many parents can probably relate to, she spent countless hours on the sidelines watching her son play and cheering him on as his biggest fan. When it comes to professional sports, she's been a New York Yankees fan since 1996 when they won the World Series, and as a DC native she'll always be a
die-hard Washington Redskins fan, win or lose.
In her spare time Debbie also supports and raises funds for a breast cancer group called
For Three Sisters. The
group was started by Marshall Moneymaker, a retired Montgomery County firefighter known to many in Montgomery County as the “the pink fireman” for his advocacy about breast cancer, a disease that claimed the lives of three of his sisters.
Debbie is the oldest of three kids. She enjoys hosting large family get-togethers, having all her siblings and their children over. It gives her a chance to do the cooking that she loves—and all the kids get to enjoy their favorite dish, Debbie's homemade macaroni and cheese!
In addition to cooking, she also enjoys going boating and crabbing with her family. After all, one of the perks of being in Maryland is the Chesapeake Bay and all the great crabbing that it offers.
Here's one fun fact about Debbie that may surprise you—she owns a karaoke machine and loves to belt out her favorite tunes. She listens to and sings a variety of music. Her musical range varies from classic rock 'n' roll to hit musicals like "Grease"!
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Each week, our Talent teams blog about topics ranging from staffing and recruiting to communications and publishing, and sometimes even health and wellness. Follow us on social media or check out our website for the latest blog updates!
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T
he Power of Professional Branding
My initial thoughts of branding are of companies large and small. Popular brands, like Coca-Cola and Nike, can linger in the minds of customers for a lifetime. Logos, websites, social media profiles, and company email domains ...
READ MORE
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The More Things Change, the More Things Stay the Same
As a 20-plus-year veteran in the staffing business, I have been able to observe many changes that have affected the industry. Some have been game changers, while others have been dismissed pretty quickly.
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T
o Post or Not to Post, That Is the Question...
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The Workforce Show offers conversations with men and women in different occupations that inspire and teach. Shows are offered in segments of: science and technology, government contracting trends, and executive.
On a recent episode of the "Secret Sauce," Jim Thomas talks with Hector Velez, our COO, about hiring and recruiting within the workforce. Hector shared his knowledge and experience of the HR recruiting field and discussed what makes a good candidate.
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Follow us on social media!
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You are being sent this newsletter because of your business relationship with Vector Talent Resources, Marc Berman, and/or Hector Velez.
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