QPS Farewell and Lessons Learned

Today will mark my last day of work for QPS Employment Group.


Funny, that was probably my best attention-grabbing headline, and it's my last QPS newsletter!

I'm moving on to do for recruiting for another organization, in a different industry and different market. It is time to do something new.

This swan-song newsletter is to thank you for the opportunity to work together, be it for 5 direct-hire placements or just a conversation every 6 months. Chances are, you've helped me become a better recruiter. Hopefully the information I've provided has been useful as well. I look forward to keeping in touch.

QPS has a transition plan in place. A great recruiter will contact you as necessary to discuss how the organization can potentially be of help. The recruiter will do a great job. How could they not? They worked with me:)

In typical fashion, I put together a list of just some of the things I've learned during my tenure at QPS.

Sincere Regards

Dave


1) People Want To Work:

I've talked to thousands of candidates, and it's amazing how many times I've heard this line. "Dave, I'm not one of those people that doesn't want to work. I need to find something." Even though the recession may have knocked us down a bit, it didn't affect our desire to make a difference."

2) Business Leaders Will Return Your Call:

The key is to have something of value. My message that never worked. "My name is Dave and I would like to tell you about QPS." No chance. But if I said: "My name is Dave and I have a candidate that helped his last company save 50K last month by modifying their manufacturing process," my callback rate skyrocketed.

3) Social Media Has Blown Up:

In recruiting, specifically Linkedin. When I started almost four years ago, it was just a fad. Now every recruiter uses it, and companies are not only aware of it, but they use the tool for searches of their own. Moving forward recruiters are going to have to use other methods to find candidates that companies can not source on their own.

4) Organizations Are Caring:

With rare exceptions, most companies I worked with gave employees the benefit of the doubt and did everything in their power to make their people successful. The stigma that companies are just out to make a buck doesn't seem to extend here.

5) People Want to Get Along with People they Work With:

This one shows that the interview process is two-sided. Not only are you learning if this candidate is right for your organization, you're selling the company on why this is the right choice for them. I used to be surprised when a candidate would take a lower paying job for what they deemed a better "cultural fit." Now it seems to be the norm.

6) Flexibility is Key:

Along those same lines, candidates rarely left positions where they were "treated like adults" and granted flexibility with work at home and work schedules that allowed them to take care of obligations outside of work. Right or wrong, with the expectations of Gen X and Gen Y the heavy-policy workplace seems to be on the way out.

7) This is a Fun Business:

Most days, (I don't think any job is perfect) recruiting is a blast. You interact with successful motivated people, and provide them with opportunities that may be a better fit for them and their family, while helping a company succeed.

8) QPS is extremely customer-oriented:

It was behind everything that we did. While other companies severely cut staff, we maintained a structure that allowed us to service our customer effectively during the recession, and be in the best position to help them now that things are picking up.