June 17, 2013
High Employee Turnover Equals High Costs
Can You Afford to Ignore Your Online Reputation?
By Robert Teal, CCP, CBP
In today’s environment of ubiquitous social media, job seekers have unprecedented access to information about an organization’s workforce stability, turnover, and culture. As much as an out-of-work employee may need and want a job, many talented workers shy away from an employer with a poor workforce reputation.
Paul Shread, writing for Time’s Business and Money on March 01, 2013, stated, “Want to hire great employees and keep them happy? Make sure you have a good social media reputation.” (more…)
June 10, 2013
Recruiting, Staffing & Employment News – June 2013
Gathering Steam
Redfish’s main recruiting in May involved Quality Assurance, Systems and other Software Engineers, as well as Delivery Managers. The main tech sectors where we were busiest include Cloud/Grid Computing, Performance Management Software, Network Intelligence, and 3D Mapping Software.
Tech sectors are steaming along, and the competition to hire talent is on-going. There is also a shortage of qualified talent in sectors like health care, biotech and cleantech.
The wider economy appears to be gathering steam as well. Indications of the recovery include the U.S. economy growth at a 2.4%, brisk vehicle sales, and very important real estate gains. The jobs report Friday showed that payrolls rose 175,000 last month after a revised 149,000 increase in April that was smaller than first estimated (private payrolls rose 178,000 after gaining 157,000 in April); the unemployment rate rose to 7.6 percent from 7.5 percent. (more…)
June 3, 2013
 Joanna Bradley, Sales & Marketing Recruiter How To Attract/Retain Top Talent
Create an Awesome Culture
By Joanna Bradley, IT Sales & Marketing Recruitment Manager
Recruiting for dynamic startups, early stage companies, and even established players is all the easier when that company really knows how to go after the best talent. It is exhilarating as a recruiter to reach out to the best and brightest talent with an opportunity they weren’t even looking for and be able to get them very exciting about it because of the company’s awesome culture!
The companies who have dialed in their culture and know what to offer their employees to motivate them do less recruiting. It is simple. These companies are retaining their excellent talent. They have built a work environment and value proposition that creates engaged, committed team players.
Companies take different approaches to building such an attractive workplace and work contract. What works for one company may not work for another, it depends on the company and the employees. Define a culture and benefits that appeal to the people you want to attract.
These are some of the things that we’ve seen work best in terms of creating an awesome culture:
Give ’em Food:
Who doesn’t like free food? Chocolate donuts and pizza for some, for others organic / vegan / macrobiotic / paleo / trend food. Offering fresh and healthy snacks or meals, at a subsidized rate or complementarily. There’s nothing like healthy fuels to feed the minds of your most precious human resources.
Give ‘em Drinks:
If most people like free food, boy do most love free drinks. Cold beer Fridays, Happy Hour at the local watering hole, a monthly office party… these are easy ways to not only celebrate accomplishments and thank the team, they allow employees to mix it up and create/reinforce connections and bonds.
Be Flexibility:
Flextime, work-from home, virtual offices, self-policed hours, ROWE, ski days. There are any number of ways depending on the nature of your business to offer employees flexibility. Workplace flexibility accomplishes goals such as reducing greenhouse gases, reduced traffic and transit time, and better work-life balance.
Encourage Fitness:
Many companies provide free or subsidized gyms, on-site or off. Some offer cool perks like a company ski pass, golf membership, or shared bicycles. Many will help facilitate walking/hiking clubs and other recreational activities that promote health and fitness. Healthy bodies make for healthy minds.
Build the Team:
Sponsoring a race, forming a sports team to play in the local league, providing flexibility to coach others, organizing a group recreational outing, taking employees out to a comedy show, and/or any other activities that motivate your employees is a great way to help them bond as a team, and reward them for their dedication at work.
Long Lunches:
Companies that offer long lunches so that people can take advantage of time to exercise. It’s a great way to make people happy by allowing some endorphin release in the middle of work, and it keeps people in a productive mode. Other folks may take advantage of a long lunch to check errands off the “to do” list of life such that at the COB, post work life is freed up for quality personal time.
Green Initiatives:
Being a proactive green company can be approached in a huge variety of ways: car-pooling, providing public transit passes, buying green power, going paperless, reducing/reusing /recycling. Creating contests or participating in local promotions like national bike to work day create fun and awareness, and facilitate playing a role in greening our world.
Community Service:
Giving to your local community is very rewarding. Companies can encourage volunteering by giving flex time or time off, celebrating employee contributions, and providing air time for people to inform colleagues about the community organizations dear to their hearts. Participating in fundraisers can be as simple as encouraging the sale of girls scout cookies in the office or as elaborate as creating a team goal linked to a donation to the group’s chosen beneficiary as a function of meeting the goal.
Blow Off Steam:
Some companies have built game rooms and offer impromptu fun time on the job, some organize competitive gaming sessions. Other companies have a music room, on-site jams during the day provide an opportunity to get creative juices flowing and get a fresh perspective on the day. Some organizations provide an in-house masseuse to help employees relax and refocus.
Flora and Fauna:
Domestic animals provide comfort to humans, from the utility of seeing-eye dogs, to the soothing presence of canine companions for treating trauma and stress. Why not allow pets at the office, or organize a visit to/from the local animal shelter? Beautify the surroundings and get some fresh air made in-house by bringing in plants. Why not have a green thumb contest on the desks?
Staff Initiatives:
If what is going to motivate your team hasn’t been mentioned, or just isn’t evident, ask your staff. Get input directly from your workforce about what would make the company an even better place to work. Encourage the employees to design programs, goals, and celebrations that motivate them. You may be surprised by what they come up with!
The key to creating an awesome culture is understanding the types of personalities that make your company productive and unique, and nurturing and feeding these folks. This builds excitement, loyalty, and engagement, which means a more committed and productive staff.
What makes your company great?
Do you have other ideas about fun and fantastic company cultures?
Share them with us, we’d love to hear from you.
Share on Facebook / Send us an Email / Tell the Group on LinkedIn
About Redfish Technology:
Founded in Silicon Valley in 1996, Redfish Technology recruits top high tech and clean tech professional and executive talent. Partnering with growth mode companies, small and large, Redfish staffs executive functions and builds out the teams below. The company provides services nationwide and has offices in Silicon Valley, the East Coast, and Sun Valley. Redfish has received a number of awards: Awarded first place in the 2013 “Best Places to Work”, named a “Top Executive Search Firm” by Leading Providers, and awarded “The Most Dependable Executive Search Firms & Staffing Agencies of the West” by Goldline Research.
May 27, 2013
Redfish Technology Sponsors Sun Valley Half Marathon 2013
 Redfish is providing racers with water bottles “Stay hydrated” “Hydrate!” Nationwide IT Recruiting Firm to Provide Water Bottles to Sun Valley Half Marathon Racers in the June 1, 2013 event. “We love to sponsor healthy events,” says Rob Reeves, CEO. “Stay hydrated and Run, Sun Valley, Run.”
Redfish Technology is proud to sponsor the Sun Valley Half Marathon 2013 taking place on June 1st. “We are providing water bottles to help keep the athletes hydrated,” Says Rob Reeves, CEO. “This is one of our favorite Sun Valley physical fitness events. Good luck to everyone.”
This will be the 8th annual Sun Valley Half Marathon, and it is shaping up to be one of the most scenic and traffic free courses imaginable. The course runs primarily along the City of Sun Valley and Wood River paved path system.
Redfish employees are excited to be running the race. This year, Leah O’Flynn and Joanna Bradley, Sales & Marketing Recruiters will be testing their mettle.
Leah O’Flynn encourages runners saying “It’s a great sense of accomplishment and I recommend it for anyone out there who enjoys running. You can do it! I promise!” Veteran competitive runner, Joanna Bradley has shared that she has a time she’d like to hit but isn’t disclosing it yet.
The Sun Valley Half Marathon, 10K and 5K runs and relay runs primarily along the City of Sun Valley and Wood River paved path system. The courses starts and finishes in Sun Valley Village on the spacious grass field in front of the Sun Valley Pavilion allowing for a relaxing spot for spectators to watch as family and friends cross the finish line.
Day/Start Time
Saturday, June 1, 2013 – 9:00am
You can view the course here:
About Redfish Technology
Nationwide IT and Clean Tech executive search firm, Redfish Technology provides full service recruiting, partnering with leading organizations to provide the next generation of high tech and renewable energy talent in C-Suite, Marketing, Sales, Development, and Engineering. Redfish was recently awarded first place in the 2013 “Best Places to Work” by the Idaho Business Review, and has been recognized in the Forbes “2011 Investment Guide” as a top recruiter out of more than 7,500 executive search firms and staffing agencies. – Hire the Best Talent Now
We Remember!
Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. Thank you to all who gave their lives for the rest of us. Between burgers and bike rides this weekend, let;s all take a moment to remember.
May 20, 2013
 The ZOPA of Hiring
By Sandy Cavitch
The ‘Zone Of Possible Agreement’ is not a physical place, but rather an area where two or more negotiating parties may find common ground. It is this area where parties will often compromise and strike a deal.
Every hire is a negotiation about an exchange, make it a success. The employee will be dedicating time, brains, effort, focus, and loyalty. The company will be paying salary, employment taxes, benefits, and investing in training and career development. What are each of these exchanges worth?
On either side of the equation, a full assessment and appreciation for the value of the contribution should be done as objectively as possible. But one size rarely fits all well. Understanding perspectives and priorities will help rule out hard stops from the get go, and identify the ZOPA of a hire.
For example, as a candidate, your present salary doesn’t always equate to your worth in a new position at a different company. The value you bring to a new role may be greater or less than what you were last earning.
And salary isn’t everything, far from it. Quality of life is important. Work environment is huge. Perks, benefits, equity, are all quantifiables that come on top of your salary. When comparing two opportunities, throw the apples and oranges into food processor and then compare the fresh squeezed cup of juice that results from each.
Understand that each company is different, and starting salaries may be lower or higher depending on the upside or an outstanding culture that unifies and attracts talent. Know your own hard stops, and identify what makes up an employer of choice for you.
As a hiring manager, understanding where the company has flexibility, how it will incrementally gain from certain hires, and whether the perfect candidate on paper has what it takes to success in your company’s culture.
The ability to tailor an offer must be weighed against any issues of fairness, while fully recognizing different people are motivated differently. Immediately rule out those who lack the right qualifications, those who aren’t a cultural or personality fit, and those who cannot demonstrate a passion for the mission.
Go from there. For the right person, what can you do to reach agreement within the role’s allotted pay grade or other company hard stops?
Rule out what doesn’t work, focus on where you can make it work. A recruiter or HR staffer often has a pivot role to play, in a sense investigating and mediating between parties to come to the zone of agreement more quickly and efficiently.
About the author:
Sandy Cavitch is a human resources management consultant. Sandy works with companies on tailoring employment contracts to create motivating environments that meet company goals and staff priorities. An avid equestrian, Sandy enjoys spending time in the outdoors when not otherwise engaged in creating HR success stories.
May 13, 2013
“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”
 Logan Knight, IT Recruiter The Sweet Counter Offer – When Your Employer Doesn’t Want You To Go
By Logan Knight, Executive Recruiter, IT Division
I am a big music fan and I just can’t seem to help hearing Joe Strummer rip through the chords of this classic every time I hear a candidate pose the question “Should I stay, should I take the counter offer?”
I’ll be honest, while it can be a tough decision, the indecision does bug me. While much of the time I am recruiting candidates who weren’t actively looking for a new role, there is a reason they went into an interview process. From the start of this process, I ask candidates to honestly evaluate the company and the opportunity, and I give them all the information I possess about the pros and cons, the challenges, the rewards, the culture, the perks, the work. And we discuss whether they want to move forward if offered a job.
As the tech sector continues to boil, it is only natural that companies are trying to retain employees with counter offers. But that doesn’t mean it is a good idea. Not for the candidate, and not for the company.
Please read my article on the pitfalls of taking a counter offer:
 Joe Strummer The Sweet Counter Offer, When Your Employer Doesn’t Want You To Go
The great majority of professionals who accept a counteroffer to stay are gone within a year, whether of their own volition or being asked to leave. There are a variety of reasons that staying for a counter offer goes so wrong!
Let me know what you think!
May 6, 2013
Recruiting, Staffing & Employment News – May 2013
Numbers are okay
Employment growth was up over last month, the economy grew 2.5%, unemployment numbers are down to 7.5%, so far so good, the big numbers are looking okay.
Dialing down, job growth was mostly driven in the professional and business services (+73,000), food services and drinking places (+38,000), retail trade (+29,000), and health care (+19,000) sectors.
In April, Redfish Technology’s main placement growth was in mobile video advertising, mobile financial services, mobile application tools, and enterprise content management.
In tech hot spots, such as Silicon Valley, there’s intense competition for tech talent; at the same time there is reluctance to change jobs by many in the sector. “Staffing firms in the technology space are definitely very active today,” said Scot Melland, chairman, CEO and president of Dice Holdings, “and they’re seeing their businesses do pretty well.”
CareerXroads did a source of hire survey recently that shows that as we pull out of the recession, the largest U.S employers report growing usage of retained and contingent recruiters, especially with the harder to fill roles. In 2005, reportedly 5.2% of jobs were filled by external recruiters, compared to 2.3% in 2009 and now at 3.1% in 2012.
The survey further reports that at 24.5% the biggest percentage of external hires comes from referrals; that is the lowest percentage since 2001. In 2011, the companies in the survey said 28% of their external hires were the result of referrals.
April 29, 2013
Become the Solution To The Job Interviewer’s Problem
by Carole Martin, The Interview Coach
The absolute worst way to go to an interview is with the attitude of: “Please, please – hire me.”
When you go to an interview with that attitude you appear desperate. And even though you actually may be desperate in a difficult job market, you don’t want to appear that way.
The demeanor and attitude that you bring to the interview will set the tone for the entire interview.
Let’s look at it from the employer’s/interviewer’s point of view. (more…)
April 22, 2013
 Redfish Technology Inc. Awarded First Place in the 2013 ‘Best Places to Work’
Redfish Technology was awarded first place in ‘Best Places to Work in Idaho’ last night at the awards banquet held by the Idaho Business Review, the state’s preeminent business publication.
“We’re thrilled to be named number one Idaho’s Best Places Work,” says Rob Reeves President and CEO of Redfish Technology. “Cultivating a culture in which we are healthy and thrive personally, as well as contribute to the local community is among our firm’s greatest achievements. We are designed to attract, motivate and retain extraordinary people. This culture is surely one of the main reasons that we, and our clients, are so successful today.”
The recognition was given to the top ten businesses in each of three categories. Redfish Technology, a leading nationwide technology recruiting company, competed in the category of companies with 10-19 employees.
The Idaho’s Best Places to Work is awarded based on employee feedback and achieving excellence in company best practices in employee attraction and retention. Companies competed in three size categories and were measured by the employees in terms of Compensation and Benefits, Employee Growth and Development, Work-Life Balance, Workplace Environment, and Company Management.
When asked what employees liked best about working at the Redfish Technology corporate office, they said:
“Redfish offers a dynamic and proactive environment in which staff can enjoy professional careers in the middle of majestic mountain recreation and lifestyle.” – Logan Knight, IT Recruiter
“I love working at Redfish as it gives me an opportunity to assist people and companies in meeting their needs and every day is a new challenge.” – Jon Piggins, Sales & Marketing Recruiter
“It allows us to live in a place where most people can only vacation, while pursuing a rewarding career.” – Leah O’Flynn, Sales & Marketing Recruiter
“I love Redfish because of the open team environment, and I can wear shorts in the winter.” – Greg Schreiner, Tech Recruitment Manager
Redfish Technology has long cultivated a culture of community and health. The company’s CHO (Chief Humanities Officer), Heidi Clark, is proud of the design and implementation of the corporate culture and philanthropic efforts at Redfish. She’s been instrumental in Redfish’s involvement and financial support of local community events and non-profits. The recruiters have also created their own community service initiative called ‘One for One’ that consists of volunteer hours and a monetary donation program benefitting local organizations.
 Best Places to Work Winners The company motivates its staff in large part by providing superior work-life balance which includes traditional-type benefits such as a matching 401K plan, as well as inspired perks such as fun employee activities. The company takes an annual camping trip to (but of course!) Redfish Lake, there’s an annual night out to see The Second City, golf and ski days, and gym membership reimbursement.
Redfish Technology has also been recognized as one of the top Executive Search Firms of the United States in 2011 by the Leading Providers and in 2008 by GoldLine Research.
About Redfish Technology
Redfish is an award-winning, nationwide technology search and talent acquisition firm. Founded in 1996, the company provides services nationwide and has offices in the Silicon Valley, the East Coast, and the Intermountain West. Redfish’s high tech division specializes in recruiting top talent in the mobile, software, security, digital, cloud, saas, e-learning, and big data sectors. The cleantech division focuses solar, wind, renewables, energy efficiency, green technology, and alternative energy. www.RedfishTech.com
April 15, 2013
 Top Ten Best Places to Work Redfish Technology Inc. Honored on 2013 ‘Best Places to Work’ List
Redfish Technology was named among the “Best Places to Work” in Idaho. Winners are companies that reflect exceptional performance in the areas of Compensation and Benefits, Employee Growth and Development, Work-Life Balance, Workplace Environment, and Company Management.
(more…)
April 8, 2013
Recruiting, Staffing & Employment News – April 2013
Slow Spring It Would Seem
In March, Redfish Technology hit its 20,000th job order and reported high tech has been especially hot in the e-learning, software-as-a-service, cloud, disruptive software and gamification sectors.
The development side of hiring has been predominantly for product managers, quality assurance and delivery managers, and on the sales and sales support side for managed services, account executives, and client services engineers. (more…)
April 1, 2013
7 Different Ways You Can Be Job Searching Today 
A nationally recognized resume expert, Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast and a former human resources manager and recruiter.
http://www.greatresumesfast.com
So you have this great, marketable resume that showcases your potential as an employee. You’re ready to launch your job search and start using your new resume as vigorously as possible. But where do you start and what do you do? I recommend starting with reading one of my most recent articles: I Have A Great Resume, Now What Do I Do With It? It shares advice on how to start social, professional, and in-person networking to jumpstart your job search. But what else can you do besides jumping on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter and networking with people in person?
Here are some additional ideas to really help you diversify your job search and make the most of your job search time (more…)
March 25, 2013
 John Stevens, Executive Recruiter, IT Engineering The Craft of Scouting for Tech Talent or Hockey Talent
You’d be surprised at the similarities…
By John Stevens, Executive Recruiter, IT Engineering
Hockey scouts live in a secretive world of prospecting, some have said it is a world more akin to Cold War-era spying than a casual day in the stands. Faced with bad coffee, long periods in cold rinks, and remote locations, the job isn’t as sexy as you might think.
As a long-time recruiter in the tech sector, is also an avid hockey player and coach. He notes many similarities between scouting for hockey talent and recruiting top tech talent. (more…)
March 18, 2013
The Reality TV Career Shows for Job Seekers
The last thing anyone would suggest to a recent grad or seasoned professional is to spend their free time watching TV when they should be out building a new career, but the truth is most of us are going to watch from time to time.
Reality shows grew to become one of the most popular genres on television, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The “reality” within these shows needs to be taken with a bit of skepticism, but there are some lessons to be learned in the world of business if you know where to look.
‘The Job’
The new competition show from CBS pits job seekers against each other to compete for spots with companies like the Palm Restaurant Group and Cosmopolitan. One of the twists in the show is that a trio of related businesses can swoop in and hire a candidate out from under each week’s featured company. (more…)
March 14, 2013
Recruiters Square Off to Settle the Redfish Office Squabble Once and For All in “The Run Off”
 The Run Off – One Recruiter Will Be Left Standing Win a $100 Starbucks Gift Certificate
Eight days from today, the recruiters at Redfish will settle the office squabble once and for all. The Redfish debate “Who Can Run Farther” will be settled in “The Run Off”. Play on Redfish’s Facebook page to enter drawing for a $100 Starbucks gift certificate.
Office squabbles are common-place enough, but at Redfish Technology the squabblers are taking it to the street. In an all-out race to the finish, Greg Schreiner and Logan Knight, IT Recruiters, will face off to settle the question of who can run farther once and for all in “The Run Off” on March 22. The last man running will earn eternal bragging rights.
You can win! As the recruiters at Redfish Technology prepare a race to the finish, the public is invited to participate – the lucky winner will receive a $100 Starbucks gift certificate. (more…)
March 12, 2013
Recruiting, Staffing & Employment News
While sequester is dampening employment, the technology sector sizzles on!
It’s not a great moment to be working for the government, but the private technology sector is sizzling. The coals are hot in disruptive software, digital media, mobile content distribution, HD internet and satellite technologies. Product Management, Development Operations, and Quality Assurance were the hottest hires recruited by Redfish Technology last month.
Mirroring Redfish’s pipeline, employers in the Silicon Valley area plan to increase hiring through the second quarter of the year, according to the latest economic survey by the West Valley Staffing Group. The survey includes hiring managers from industries such as tech, manufacturing, electronics, finance, semiconductor, medical, aerospace and alternative energy. (more…)
March 11, 2013
 Rob Reeves, Recruiter, President, CEO Negotiating Yourself Right Out of an Offer
By Rob Reeves, Executive Recruiter, President, CEO
So you fancy yourself a skilled negotiator? That will hopefully serve you well, just don’t negotiate yourself right out of an offer. We recently had a fantastic candidate who did just that.
It is important to understand that negotiating a job offer is the beginning of an important relationship between hiring manager and employee. “Don’t lose sight of the human part of negotiating.” cautions Rob Reeves, executive recruiter and CEO of Redfish Technology for over 17 years.
Salary negotiations can be challenging. The market is heating up for great sales, marketing and engineering talent in the technology sectors. Candidates often want a step up in salary when making a move. Even if you are the greatest thing since sliced bread, and you’ve got negotiating in your blood, listen up! (more…)
March 4, 2013
 Anna Mathieu, Marketing Communications Giving Good Phone
How to Perform Well on a Telephone Interview
By Anna Mathieu, Marketing Communications Manager
Almost every tech company these days will hold phone interviews before any onsite is scheduled. While this means you can keep you comfy slippers on, it doesn’t mean you should get too cozy. To perform well on a telephone interview, first you must prepare in much the same way as for an in-person interview (slippers aside). Next, you must put on your phone etiquette and your listening ears. (more…)
February 25, 2013
4 Ways to Customize Your Resume Based on the Job Posting
By Jessica Holbrook Hernandez
I’m sure you’ve heard me say before that it’s critically important to customize your resume when applying for positions—especially to online job postings. Hundreds of candidates apply to positions posted on job boards, and employers have become very savvy at weeding out those candidates who are not qualified. Or who at least do not appear to be qualified because of what is or is not (in most cases) on their resume. So I’m going to share some tips for making key adjustments to your resume to target it exactly for the position based on the job advertisement.
Search for keywords
Look for keywords throughout the job posting related to the position and then include those keywords on your resume. For example, customer service resume keywords might include: account relationship management, customer retention, customer management, order processing, process simplification, relationship management, or service benchmarks.
Incorporate Required Skills
Most position descriptions include required skills or qualifications. Ensure that you address within your resume your ability to meet and exceed these required skills. For example, if one of the position requirements is service delivery, don’t just say “responsible for service delivery”. Show the employer how you successfully delivered this by saying something similar to this: Restructured service delivery procedures, improving staff field time by 35% and increasing customer satisfaction ratings by 92%.
Include Education & Credentials
Is a degree required for the position? Then make sure that you put this information front and center on the resume. Especially if you recently obtained the degree or credential required. If you possess an M.B.A.—and it’s required for the position—a great way to showcase that is to put the degree next to your name at the top of your resume.
Always Address Requested Information
If the job ad requests that you provide salary requirements, be sure to include these on your cover letter. Additionally, if the posting asks for any other additional information such as hours of availability, samples of your work, etc., make sure you always provide what they are requesting so as not to exclude yourself from consideration.
Additional job search and resume-related advice is available on our blog or by following us on Twitter or Facebook.
About the Author:
A nationally recognized resume expert, Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast and a former human resources manager and recruiter. Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com
Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.
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