I graduated from Indiana University Bloomington with accounting and finance degrees. I started my career with Johnson & Johnson in corporate accounting. I spent 3 years with JNJ including completion of their 2 year Financial Leadership Development Program. In that 3 year period I lived in Warsaw, IN…New Jersey…Jacksonville, FL and back to Warsaw. Different…
People and Timing. Had coffee this morning with one of my colleagues and a CFO here in Indy. Great conversation on a variety of topics. As the CFO reflected a bit on his career, he talked about evaluating the people involved when considering an opportunity. Were the owners/investors/executives good people? Do they have a proven…
Good morning! ☕️ If you had to start your career over, and couldn’t choose the career you are currently in, what would you choose to do? No, I’m not changing careers. Love what I do. Mostly. 😉 Just fascinating in the work we do at Platinum Recruiting Group we get to see so many different…
Podcats. So popular right now. Don’t worry, I’m not starting one. I was late to the podcast game. I finally tried it out this year and I’ve really enjoyed it. One of many signs that I’m getting old! My favorite 2 podcasts right now are How I Built This – Guy Raz and Rule Breaker…
On Wednesday I visited a client in the morning and then had lunch with the legendary Paul Ashley from FirstPerson. That afternoon I felt great. I felt energized. Excited. Motivated. It was a great reminder that I love that part of my job. Getting out of the office, meeting with clients, networking, helping others build…
Another year in the books! Hard to believe. My wife shared a great quote during a dinner date recently: “The days are long but the years are short”. So true! I enjoy this time. One year is ending, another right around the corner. While we are still recruiting for a lot of open jobs, there is…
It’s a highly competitive market, as I’m sure most of you have heard or experienced. The interview process is more important than ever. What does this mean for employers? You need to SELL your opportunity! (No, selling does NOT mean lying) Highlight why someone should want to work with/for you. Make a great impression! Treat…
Taking a chance can catapult your career!
Another DisruptHR Indy event in the books! It was awesome. Another sellout as well. All 3 events have been! Check out DisruptHR Facebook & Twitter. How about a huge shout out to those that make these events possible: Kymberli Findley, Deb Lang , Andrea Brummett & Julie Barker! The idea of DisruptHR is to create an environment where HR executives, business leaders and owners can…
Changing jobs happens more frequently than ever before. You need to be prepared to communicate the reasons for your job changes. Here are 10 tips:
Platinum Unplugged #11: Plenty has been said about the “War for Talent”. By now you know it’s a candidate’s market. I’ve written about this as well: It’s a Candidate’s Market: What You Need To Know! It’s hard to find enough good, available and interested people right now. It’s a pain point for a lot of companies.…
Continue readingEmployers: Don’t Forget About the Talent you DO HAVE!
Set the stage: Like most things, the job market swings on a pendulum: leverage goes back and forth between employers and candidates. Right now, there is a shortage of talent. There are not enough good, available and interested candidates to go around. Things get a little crazy in this type of market. Talented people often…
Time away from work has many benefits. Patience & Perspective are two words that stuck with me all week. Here’s why:
Continue readingPatience and Perspective: Cabin Trip + Father’s Day 2017!
Dear Platinum Recruiting, What is your advice for the closing minutes of an interview? (Here’s the Facebook Live response! Below is the blog with more detail) Hi Bob, A lot of interview tips focus on preparing for an interview, knowing how to answer certain questions and good questions to ask. That information is important and…
Continue readingPlatinum Unplugged #10: Interviews – 4 Steps to Closing Strong!
If you caught my last blog entry, DisruptHR Indy 2.0 – Highlights!, you read about DisruptHR Indy! I shared highlights from all the great speakers. The topic of my presentation was “What Is Your Current Salary?” “None of Your Business”. Check out this video! The format was 5 minute presentations with 20 Slides changing automatically every…
Continue readingPlatinum Unplugged #9: Negative Consequences to This Common Salary Question!
I had the honor and privilege of speaking at Disrupt HR Indy 2.0 last night (4.25.17)! Over 100 HR & Business Leaders/Owners that are making huge impacts in the Indy market and community. Not sure how I made the list of speakers! Our firm, Platinum Recruiting, is thrilled to have been a sponsor. Keep scrolling for quotes…
“Don’t quit a job until you’ve found another one”. You’ve heard it a million times, right? I’m not going to preach that you should live by this rule. There are valid reasons for taking time off. Heck, most of us could use it. Compared to some of our international friends and colleagues we don’t take…
Continue readingPlatinum Unplugged #8: Quitting Your Job? Read This First!
Dear Platinum Recruiting, I have an interview coming up, any advice about offer negotiations? Check out our Facebook Live Response & “Like” our business FB page while you visit: Offer Negotiations – Facebook Live Response Hi Jill, Yes! Plenty. Before getting into negotiations tips, let’s set the stage: Check out these stats 37% of people always negotiate…
Continue readingPlatinum Unplugged #7: Job Offer Negotiations!
Dear Platinum Recruiting, How do you recommend a candidate communicate with their recruiter? It can be tricky to determine. I don’t want to check in too often but I haven’t heard from them in a while. Check Out Facebook Live Video Response! (Be sure to ‘like’ our page while you visit) Hi Jane, Thank you…
Continue readingPlatinum Unplugged #6: Why Haven’t I Heard Back From My Recruiter?
Dear Platinum Recruiting, What is the best way to approach your current employer about accepting an offer with another company and how do you best handle what could come up when you resign, such as a counter offer? Check out the video version: Facebook Live Video! Dear Jon Doe, Time for some tough love: If your…
10 Words/Information to Remove From Your Resume! Several words are included for being painfully obvious and/or overused. They lose meaning when an employer reads them on every resume. We also suggest removing portions of your resume that can do more harm than good. For more detailed resume tips, read here: Resume Tips and Template We created a fun…
Dear Platinum Recruiting, I’ve been asked about salary during several interviews recently. Both current salary and salary expectations. How do you suggest handling these questions? I don’t want to be difficult but also don’t want to lose leverage if we get to the offer stage. Thanks for your help! Dear Joe, You know it’s a…
Continue readingPlatinum Unplugged #2: What Is Your Current Salary?
NEW HIRE CHECKLIST Congratulations, the offer you extended was accepted! That’s great. Enjoy the moment. Now shift to on-boarding. A Lot Can Happen Between Accepted Offer & Start Date. PDF you can save, print & share: New-Hire Checklist: Starts with Accepted Offer! The time between accepted offer and start date is tricky. Your new hire is…
Continue readingNew-Hire Checklist: Starts with Accepted Offer!
Dear Platinum, What are your thoughts on networking? Most people do it when they’re out of work, which makes sense. It seems impossible to find the time while employed. Is it worth it? Any advice? Hi Jane, Great lead-off topic for Platinum Unplugged! I chose to start with ‘networking’ because it’s something everyone can benefit…
The end of any year is a time to look forward and establish new goals. It’s also a time to reflect. I shared my first blog on January 3rd, 2016. I wrote 27 columns (28 counting this) in 2016. Important Lessons Learned, Stats and Thank Yous! 2016 was a busy year with social media initiatives.…
A weekly Q&A (launching in January 2017) discussing topics important to you. Questions can be submitted to anyone at Platinum Recruiting via email, social media and live conversations. We’ll answer questions each week without mentioning the source. Questions will be submitted in confidence to encourage honest conversations about real situations. Why are we doing this? Add…
Have you interviewed for a job you weren’t quite sure about yet? Do you have an interview coming up soon? Don’t let this happen to you: 9am: Interviews all morning. 1pm: I get a call from candidate to debrief: “Wow, I am impressed. They have a great team, really like the environment. Good career growth…
I started 2016 with a goal of reading 1 book per month. I failed miserably during the first 6 months but have been doing much better lately. I recently finished a book called “The One Thing” by Garry Keller (with Jay Papasan). I found it interesting and motivating. If others struggle like me to find a good…
Not happy with your recruiters? This could be why! Employers get contacted by recruiters all the time. Why choose just one? On the surface it might seem like the more the better when it comes to working with recruiting firms. You only pay a fee to the firm with the winning candidate. Sounds great, right?…
Continue reading5 Benefits to Working with 1 Recruiting Firm!
To a lot of people, updating a resume is an annoying task. A necessary evil to get a new job. Part of the problem is resumes are often thought of in a reactive manner: Job is being eliminated or got called about a new opportunity, I better update my resume. Think about your resume proactively. It’s…
Many states are making it illegal to ask candidates for current salary info and salary history. I agree with this law. But, ironically, I still need to know your salary. I get the hesitation to share this information. It’s discussed in one of the first few conversations I have with someone. There isn’t even a…
Massachusetts recently made it illegal to ask your salary in a job interview. This is big news. The law was passed to ensure equal pay for everyone. The political spotlight on equal pay for women helped drive these efforts. Fist bump to Massachusetts! You can read about it here: New York Times Article Most companies…
I love the fall. College Football is right around the corner. I can start playing Rocky Top on Saturday mornings. Fire pit nights are more frequent. And companies are hiring! It never fails, the fall is always our busiest time of the year (knock on wood). I first thought this would be a boring topic.…
Part 2 of 2: (See last week’s blog on Interview Tips) I am excited about this week’s blog! Several local leaders from the Indianapolis business community graciously shared opinions and tips on interviews. To focus on their awesome tips, I decided to share my Interview Preparation Guide in a word document. Added bonus you can actually save it…
Without further ado, the ‘Interview Tips’ blog is finally here! Frankly, I’m impressed I made it halfway through the year before going with the obvious Interview Tips column. While it’s not the sexiest topic, it is one of the most important. This is where you win or lose the opportunity. This will be Part 1 of a…
I’m not going to preach about digging deep and figuring out your “why”. Why you do what you do, what your biggest motivations are. You either already know or don’t care. Most of you reading this are highly motivated and successful. You already know what your why is. However, in the day to day grind, it can…
Since writing about the “candidate market” we’re currently in we’ve seen multiple people get offers that were 20% or more above their current salary (well above average so results may vary!). Plenty of people are taking advantage of the hot market to improve their situation. Yet, others wonder where in the world they get the time…
I have the pleasure of working with companies from most industries. Technology companies are providing a blueprint that a lot of other companies can learn from. Before I run off non tech company readers I’ll start by saying there are plenty of companies in other industries doing great things. And, the love and press for technology companies…
Leverage swings back and forth between candidates and employers. Similar to shifts you see in the housing market where the owner sometimes has the leverage, other times the buyer. In an employer market, companies can often pick between multiple good options. In a candidate market, it gets harder and harder to find good talent. Here are 4 signs we’re…
Continue readingIt’s a Candidate’s Market: What You Need To Know!
Counter Offer: Someone gets an offer from another company, accepts that offer, resigns with current employer, current employer then provides a “counter offer” trying to get that person to stay. Counter Offers are more common now than I’ve seen in years. Why? Leverage swings back and forth between employers and candidates. Right now, it’s a candidate…
Every line of work has bad apples. The recruiting industry may have more than others. It’s an easy field to get into. When big recruiting firms get the green light from corporate, they hire as many as they can, give them a desk and a phone and hope a few work out. That’s how I…
Continue readingTop 5 Advantages To Working With a Recruiter
If you’ve ever interviewed for a job you’ve probably been asked this question. How do you answer it? Should you answer it? Should they even be asking? It’s an important and controversial topic. I recently read a great article by Liz Ryan (You can read here: What is your last salary?. She’s a good follow on…
Have you been putting off the dreaded task of updating your resume? No more excuses. Below is a link to my “go to” template. No text boxes or defined fields. Just open the word document, save it as your own and enter your own information. Not looking for a job right now? That doesn’t matter. It’s…
I’ve had a lot of conversations lately about interview strategy. I’ve written about interview tips before but this entry isn’t about dressing right and sending thank you notes. This is deeper. The further you get in your career, the more important it is to compare your background to requirements for an opportunity AND the competition. Rarely…
“Good news, we’d like to make you an offer!” That’s great. But how do you decide? There are so many things to consider: Is it the right job? Is the company stable? Is the offer enough? How do the benefits compare to what I currently have? What is the 401k? How much vacation? Evaluating a…
The title isn’t clickbait. I see more money wasted on MBAs than anything else. MBAs can be a game changer. But they aren’t for everyone. And if you do get one you need to pick the right school (probably another blog entry by itself) at the right time in your career and do it for…
I just returned from our annual company incentive trip and it was a great reminder why a little time away is critical. I started this as a “Top 5 Benefits of Taking a Vacation” list. I quickly realized each benefit was a function of time. Don’t get me wrong the endless drinks, never ending supply…
Like any service organization, not every situation calls for using a recruiting firm. When the time is right, these are 3 ways a great recruiter can and should add value to your recruiting efforts. This list can also help determine when working with a firm might make sense. These factors can also be helpful when evaluating recruiting firms…
Continue readingTop 3 Ways a Great Recruiter Can Help Your Company!
You hate it: I will get deeper than this but sometimes it’s good to start with the obvious. Do you hate your job? Are the hours awful? Is it negatively impacting your personal/family life? Don’t make a rash decision but if there’s no end in sight and management doesn’t seem to care, it’s time to move…
Happy New Year. Now get your LinkedIn Profile updated! Not on LinkedIn? You should be. Don’t worry; this is not about New Year’s resolutions. It just happens to be a good time to remind you LinkedIn should be part of your professional arsenal. Are you highly motivated in your career? Of course you should be…