Professional Search of Atlanta, with an industry focus of manufacturing and logistics, is the premier recruiting firm for technical managers, engineers and supply chain executives in the Southeast.

A member of the Georgia Association of Personnel Services (GAPS), our president has been active with the local professional associations; APICS (The Association for Operations Management) and ISM (Institute of Supply Management) for over 15 years, and provides each association with Career Center Assistance.

Our consultants, with decades of experience, provide candidates for: materials management, engineering, production control, supply chain management, logistics, distribution, warehousing, high-tech manufacturing, purchasing, start- up projects, turn-around projects, human resources, maintenance, validation, documentation, quality systems (including ISO 9000 and Six Sigma), research, design, telecommunications, as well as many other aspects of general business management.

Our mission is to help build quality organizations, not just fill "open req's" -- by recruiting top performers.  We do this by making your goals our own.

Because we network with professionals in companies across your industry, we can provide you with:
Advice on salaries & benefits;
Vital industry contacts; and,
Access to candidates not on the open market.

Other Articles of Interest:

Street Smarts or Sheep Skins
Cost of a Vacant Position
Contingency vs Retained
Recruiting Across Generations

If we categorize the entire labor talent pool by productivity…

• 1st  quartile - the most productive 25% of total talent population,

• 2nd  quartile - the 25% slightly above average,

• 3rd quartile - the 25% slightly below average and

• 4th quartile - the least productive 25% of the available workforce population

Then we can analyze the content of each of the following sources for talent!

Many individuals, including a significant number of internal HR staffing organizations believe that big internet job sites, like Monster and Career Builder, should be their primary source of candidates!

BIG INTERNET CAREER SITES

Yet logic demands that the candidate pool available through these massive job sites may well harbor disproportionally large quantities of candidates with 4th quartile capabilities, with only small quantities of 1st quartile talent.  This seems reasonable when you consider an overall unemployment rate of close to 10% causing many of the people with 4th quartile capabilities, to be among the ranks of the unemployed and overly represented on the job boards.  While some 1st quartile talent may happen to be caught in an occasional, ill-designed “reduction in force” (RIFs), they obviously remain unemployed for a shorter period.  In general, 1 st and 2nd quartile (above average) are hard to find on the big boards  One frustrated internal recruiter admitted, “It is hard to find a ‘1’ in a herd of 3’s and 4’s.”

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Social Networking internet sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and others faired only slightly better in our groups analysis, with some quality talent well hidden among massive numbers of below average and unemployable candidates.  

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

Professional trade associations, particularly those offering training and certification programs, reversed this pattern with all quartiles being represented but exposing larger segments of 1st and 2nd quartile talent, primarily because these groups tend to include many individuals seeking continued education and certification.  Members of these organizations are willing to put forth the extra effort to become professionals within their technical fields.  (Professional associations considered for this example were APICS, ISM, CSCMP, IIE, IEEE, ASME, SME,PMA, ASQ, etc.)

Visit the APICS Atlanta Career Center - to gain access to local certified candidates for FREE!  And join the organization to grow your professional network.

PROFESSIONAL SEARCH RESULTS

At the top of this hierarchy is the population of the workforce being presented to smart companies by their professional recruiters.

Professional Recruiters are not restricted to recruiting only from the ranks of the unemployed.  A client company pays for the luxury of choosing from a short list made up almost totally of 1st and 2nd quartile talent, with confidence that the new employee will earn for the company, enough profit (in sales, savings, or productivity) to cover both the agency fee and their own salary many times over during the first few months of their employment.

“No client should be willing to pay to acquire below average talent.” was the explanation of one experienced professional recruiter.

It may be difficult getting agreement on when the recession has officially ended, but now may be the perfect time to make a strategic investment in recruiting that special talent who can help your company win the race for market share.

Please contact us today, so that our consultants can assist in your identification of people needs and help you find the least expensive solution that satisfies your company’s financial and organizational goals.  Call us with your ideas and challenges today.

JD Harvill CPC, jdharvill@psa-recruit.com or 770-952-0009

For more information on When to Use a Search Firm please visit our website...

ASK THE EMPLOYMENT EXPERTS

Dear Steve and Jon, The rumor mill has started around my company that lay-offs are coming.  Seems I have three choices:  look for a new job, stay and hope my job holds, or be laid off and collect a severance.  Which is better?  Signed: Preemptive

Steve Hines, consultant, career coach and author of Atlanta Jobs http://www.ajobs.com/ Dear Preemptive, Whatever you do, don’t quit your current job without a firm job offer in hand; companies much prefer to hire individuals currently employed. Certainly, you should update your resume – actually, you should always have an updated resume – and begin to circulate it discreetly. Consider what you can do to make yourself more marketable – e.g., certification through your professional association, computer classes or other courses related to your discipline or industry. Even if you avoid the first round of layoffs, you will be better positioned along your career path.

Jon Harvill CPC, consultant with Professional Search of Atlanta http://professionalsearchatlanta.com/ Dear Preemptive, No matter what I say, inertia will probably cause many in your situation to choose no action until the ax falls. Confidentially looking for a new job, while you have a job, can give you options. If you find alternative employment then you must make a decision to accept it or ride with the odds of your current job remaining stable. ‘Double dipping’ while you are on severance may sound tempting but the economy has many employers apprehensive about hiring and it may take you longer to find that next job than you anticipate.

Our job, as executive recruiters, is to find the best candidate for our client company and the best job for the candidate who entrusts us with his or her career.  This is a huge responsibility and we proudly feel we have made a positive impact on hundreds of companies’ growth and a multitude of candidates’ lives over the years. Qualifications vs. Chemistry - In selecting a short list of candidates for a company’s job, each of the candidates must obviously fit our understanding of the general qualifications sought for the job.  Hopefully there are even two or more candidates who fit the job so well that the decision will come down to the chemistry that is demonstrated by the candidate in the interview and selection process.  Not all jobs come down to chemistry, but I have seen chemistry as the most important factor for a final decision more times than qualifications.  Chemistry does not necessarily mean the person with the sales personality will win, although that is a tendency.  A match to the company’s personality, hiring official’s personality or the personality required to be successful in the job, are the more important factors.  A positive attitude winds every time over minor aspects of qualifications.  As an outside recruiter I need to be aware of the shortcomings of the person who was previously in the position because everyone will be sensitive to hiring someone with the very same flaws.

Add Value - In addition to possessing the basic skills, the candidate who brings added value in the form of future growth potential or added qualifications that the company can benefit from, will likely fair well in the selection process.  Additional degrees (to a point) and professional association membership and certifications are good indicators of this extra measure of professionalism.  A history of continued and focused education and the ability to learn new skills are becoming increasingly important.  “The ability to adapt to change”, is listed as required skills in the specifications for almost every level of position.

Use of Examples - The original resume, and the interview process, should both be filled with concrete and verifiable examples of the individual’s accomplishments.  A good way for the company to bring these facts to light in an interview is to ask very specific situational questions, such as, “Describe a situation where negotiation skills were required to accomplish your task?”.  Then listen to the candidates’ ability to comply with the question and to articulate an answer that has meaning to the interviewer.  From the candidate’s perspective, know the job requirements well enough to be prepared to present vignettes, or short stories, emphasizing the qualifications expected to be sought for the job.  Describe your accomplishments quantitatively, right down to the dollars brought to the bottom line.

Thought Processes – A candidate’s reasoning ability may be critical.  Bill Gates is reported to ask questions to specifically see the candidates thought processes.  He may casually ask, “How much artificial turf is in North America?” or, “Why are manhole covers round?”.  The next thing the candidate says determines if he or she gets the job.  He is looking for an indication of how the person reasons out the answer to a problem.  Other notable interviewers are known to set up artificial situations in a restaurant or casual setting that will test the person’s ability to prioritize alternative responses, do they send an incorrectly prepared meal back?, do they respond graciously or rudely to apparent oversights.

The stakes are high when a company is selecting a new employee.  The industry rule of thumb is: the wrong person costs the company three times the employee’s annual salary, and that is for starters.  There is also additional lost opportunity cost, and then they are right back to square one, looking for a replacement.  But the rewards for selecting the right person are enormous also.  The difference in having a professional in the job or an amateur – may be as different as having a trapeze artist or a safety net tester.

Jon Harvill CPC, jharvill@psa-recruit.com

Are you interested in receiving more information of this kind?  Visit our website at professionalsearchatlanta.com.. There will be more to come here, too. This e-zine -- the “Professional Search of Atlanta Consultant” -- is published several times each year and is dedicated to providing employment market trends and competitive hiring tips to our Customers.

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