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On this episode of Job Talk, we talk to Amanda Quirk (Monster) and Sylvia Dahlby (SmartSearch) about why most job descriptions suck and how they can be improved.  If you write job descriptions and want advice on how to get more and better candidates, this podcast is for you.The topics we discuss include:- How to write an effective job title- Writing a compelling job description- Candidates are clear about the information they want from a job description. Are you addressing the information they're looking for?  * Company culture  * Job purpose - Optimizing your job title and description for Google and SEO- Responsibilities; how many should you include?- Requirements: Must have's and nice to have's. Why it's important to separate them- Benefits: Aside from the expected benefits, what else should you mention?- Call to action; Are you communicating next steps?Do you have open positions you're haveing a challenge finding qualified candidates for? iMPact Business Group specialized in helping our clients find qualified candidates for positions in IT, Engineering, Accounting/Finance, Business Admin (HR, Marketing etc). Reach out to us today for more information https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com/opportunities/. Job seekers, please view all of our open positions here  https://jobs.impactbusinessgroup.com/ 

According to people analytics firm Visier, 84% of job seekers have ghosted their employer or potential employer in the past 18 months. Especially in the late stages of hiring and onboarding. On this episode we talk to iMPact's owner Matt Peal, and iMPact Sr. Account Manager Curt Willbrandt about candidate ghosting and what employers should handle it.For more information about iMPact Business Group, visit us on https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com

When you make the decision to leave your organization for a new opportunity - and you're presented with a counteroffer; should you accept it?  We also talk about a newer phenomenon that's becoming more common: 1st day ghosting - employees no-showing on the 1st day of work.In this episode, we talk to iMPact's owner Matt Peal and Account Manager Mark Herman and their insights on counteroffers. Topics include:- What is a counteroffer? - What are the reasons a company will make a counteroffer?- What should an employee consider before deciding whether to accept a counteroffer?- Is there a situation where accepting a counteroffer can workout?- 1st day of work ghostingTo learn more about iMPact Business Group and view all of our currently available job opportunities, please visit https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com

In this episode of Job Talk, iMPact Recruiter Gershia Lassiter shares her experience and insights into how you can tell if your job interview went well,  signs that it's not going well and what you can do to turn it around. A few of the topics we discuss include:What are the top signs that an interview went well? o   What does it mean if an interview goes longer than the scheduled time? o   Introduction to others (potential co-workers) in the organization during the interview. o   Should you be worried if you don't get invited to a 2nd interview right away? o   What does it mean if the interviewer starts asking about your other job prospects? o   Interviewer trying to impress you with extensive job and company details - is that common or a good sign? o   What should you read into the interviewer discussing the next steps in the interview process? o  Are there any differences between in-person and virtual interviews?    What are some signs that the interview didn’t go well?   o   Is it always a bad sign if your interview is short? o   Interviewer didn’t offer a lot of details about the company or role - does that mean they are not interested? o   Interviewer expressed concerns about items on your resume. How can you address any red flags? o   Interviewer seemed distracted during the interview. Is that always a bad sign and how can you re-capture the interviewer's attention? o  What are the most common reasons for a candidate to misread how the interview went? o   When working with a recruiter, how can they help overcome an interview that didn’t go well? o   How can a recruiter help bridge the gap if there are misunderstandings between the interviewer and candidates during the interview? o   Interview prep before the interview with insights about the company, job role, and interviewerVisit our website https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com for more information and to view all of our current job postings,

Welcome to our 2nd annual Salary Report. This survey is intended to provide you and hiring companies in the area with an 'overview' of current salaries and hiring trends within our field/industry. We asked our candidates and hiring managers to provide an overview of salaries and hiring in 2022 in hopes we all have a better picture.  This year's report has information about how employees and job seekers in our three core areas of Information Technology, Engineering and Finance/Accounting are viewing and valuing their workplace, salary situation, benefits and career plans.  We hope you find this report valuable.For more information about iMPact Business Group and to see all of our currently available job postings, please visit https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com

In this episode of Job Talk we have a conversation with iMPact Owner, Matt Peal and Account Manager/Recruiter Mark Herman about resume best practices and advice for 2022. So much about the workforce has changed in the past couple of years with jobs going remote, an all digital hiring process – how has the resume evolved over the past few years? -          How long should a resume be in 2022? -          Are custom objectives still recommended? -          How should a resume be formatted? o   Do employers prefer reverse chronological order or a functoinal resume? -          Items hiring managers/recruiters are looking for that weren’t as common a few years ago? -          What’s the ideal format for a resume? (PDF, Word, LinkedIn, other? -          How to format a resume o   Plain white page or use a template with different colors/blocks to highlight skills?  -          How to address employment gaps, especially if it’s due to a Covid layoff?  -          Other resume changes for the upcoming year?View all of our available job openings on  https://jobs.impactbusinessgroup.com/

Most job seekers will reach out to recruiters when they are already in need of a new job; sometimes the need might be urgent. At that point all you can do is hope a recruiter will want to connect with you and have a job available for you that is a match. Being proactive and establishing a relationship with a recruiter ahead of time is a good long-term move. Even if you're not looking for new opportunities, you may be presented with the occasional job that's a good fit and could be a great career move. And should you find yourself in a situation where you need a new job quickly, having an already established relationship with a recruiter can prove to be very valuable.In this episode, we talk to iMPact recruiters Lauren Sylvester and Kyle Rynkar about how to go about finding and networking with recruiters ahead of time, and why it can be mutually beneficial. Topics discussed include:- Why should you start a relationship with a recruiter even if you're not looking for a job right away?- What recruiters do, and don't do   - Help clients find candidates vs help candidates find open positions- How to determine which recruiter(s) to connect with   - Skills & career objectives- Where to find recruiters   - Social media   - Networking   - Find staffing agencies- The best ways to keep in touch Please view our job board https://jobs.impactbusinessgroup.com for all open positions in IT, Engineering, Finance/Accounting and other professional roles such as HR, Sales, Marketing.

On this episode we talk to  iMPact's owner Matt Peal and Account Manager, Drew Kunkel, about best practices for interviewers and how to sell their organization to a potential employee during the interview process It’s a candidate-driven market, and candidates have options. How should interviewers talk about, and sell the benefits of working for their company to stand out from the competition? Culture, work-life balance, growth opportunities, benefits, other? What’s the best way to honestly and proactively discuss things that may be perceived negatively by a candidate? How can distractions during the interview make a candidate lose interest, and what are things an interviewer should avoid doing that could be distracting? Checking emails, taking calls, interruptions by other employees etc Just like a candidate is expected to prepare by researching the company a bit and have questions ready, what are some of the most important things an interviewer should prepare for ahead of time? Additional preparation tips if it’s a 2nd (or 3rd) round interview? What are some tips for how to best conduct the interview as a productive conversation instead of either party leading the interview in a question/answer format? What type of small talk is appropriate and what are topics and questions that should be avoided?  If the interview process is too long with too many rounds of interviews, assessments etc, there’s a good chance the candidate will accept another job offer. What are some best practices for conducting several rounds of interviews? Should the interview process be different for a permanent job vs a contract job? What are the risks/benefits of asking abstract/oddball questions such as: If you could be any animal, what would it be and why?  If you were President for a day what would your first day in the office look like? Questions like these have no validity.  While interviewing someone for a specific role, what should an interviewer keep in mind/ask during the interview for other positions within the company that the candidate might be a better fit for? To view all available job opportunities, please visit our job board https://jobs.impactbusinessgroup.com and to connect with us about finding talent for an open position, please contact us: https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com/employers/request-employee/ 

Get tips and best practices on how to navigate the salary negotiation during the interview process. In this episode, we talk to iMPact's owner Matt Peal and Sr. Account Manager Curt Willbrandt. Topics include: -          When and how to discuss salary during the interview process o   What to do if the employer hasn’t advertised or given their salary range, or are unwilling to bring it up first during the interview? o   How to discuss salary expectations, and your current salary (if/when asked), especially if you’re looking for a big increase   -          Salary negotiation strategies o   Should you ask for more than your desired salary, and if so, how much more (%) to start out the negotiation?   -          Avoid bad faith negotiation. Don’t surprise the employer with a new and higher salary range at the end of the interview process.   -          What should you do if your current employer makes you a salary counteroffer?   -          How can working with a staffing agency/recruiter help you with salary negotiation and obtaining the salary you’re looking for? o   Interview feedback o   Avoid miscommunication/misunderstandingsiMPact Business Group is a professional staffing agency based in Grand Rapids, MI, and Tampa FL serving clients and candidates nationwide. We specialize in Information Technology, Engineering, Finance/Accounting and Business Process/Operations (HR, Marketing etc).For more information about iMPact and to find our most recent job opportunities, please visit https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com 

In this episode, we talk to iMPact owner Matt Peal about the best places to find a new job. Topics covered in our conversation include:  Networking Friends Family Online Co-workers (current, former) Staffing agency Job boards Best job boards for: IT Engineering Finance/Accounting Career advancement with current company Plan ahead Update skills Job fairs Virtual & in-person Networking events Professional events/organizations (PMI, IT groups, HR groups) User groups (meetup.com) Friend and family gatherings Social media Facebook groups Twitter (follow accounts that post about jobs of interest) LinkedIn (groups, follow accounts that post jobs of interest) Industry-specific sites & forums (ex Reddit, or industry sites with forums & job postings) Please fine more information about iMPact Business Group and a listing of all available job postings on https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com

Employers, are you looking to find remote talent for your team? In this episode of iMPact Job Talk, we talk to iMPact Owner Matt Peal and Sr. Account Manager Curt Wilbrandt about how employers can best leverage remote workers to find and retain the best talent. Finding remote talent when it's not available in your local market Salary requirements and considerations for remote workers who live in areas with different salary requirements. Avoiding turnover due to local competition by employing remote workers The pandemic remote work infrastructure is already in place and proven successful. How and why your organization can benefit. Your local candidate base is also open to remote work. It provides them with the flexibility they want.  Using work from home as a strategic advantage. How iMPact can help you source the remote talent you need for your organization. Learn more about iMPact, view all our job openings and connect with us on https://www.impactbusinesgroup.com

On this episode we talk to iMPact owner about how as a candidate to find a job with iMPact. After listening to this episode, you will have a better idea of who we are, what types of job opportunities can we help you find, and how to go about applying and engaging with us. We discuss the following topics.  History of iMPact What types of job roles are available? What types of companies does iMPact work with? Who do we normally work with within each company and what does that relationship look like? What do iMPact recruiters look for in a successful candidate? What are some advantages as a job seeker to working with iMPact compared to job searching by yourself? Contract roles How often do contract roles lead to a permanent position, or to additional contract roles once the contract has ended. Remote roles Interview prep Resume issues: employment gaps/criminal record/other Will you be offered benefits if you're hired? If you’ve applied once or more and not heard back, what should you do to improve your chances? How frequently should you re-submit my resume if you haven’t heard back? What are the best ways to apply for jobs and engage with an iMPact recruiter? For more information about available opportunities with iMPact Business Group, please visit our job board: https://jobs.impactbusinessgroup.com/

As more and more organizations are allowing their employees to work from home, or even creating positions that strictly work from home, it has faced managers with a new set of challenges. In this episode, we talk to iMPact Owner Matt Peal about the types of challenges that come with managing remote employees and how to address them. Work from home after Covid-19 Management challenges Task-based work-force Management-style  changes with a remote workforce Communicating with remote team members Setting up communication guidelines Providing the right tools How to overcome communication challenges How to avoid micro-managing Helping employees overcome challenges Change in attitudes around working from home Work from home trends for 2021/2022

We made it to the end of 2020! Just in time for the holidays, we chat with iMPact Recruiter Katie Zotos about job searching tips for the holidays. A few of the topis include:- How to network during Covid.- Utilizing friends, family, and professional contacts for your job search during the holidays.- Reasons to continue to apply for jobs during the holidays.- How to connect with a recruiter.- During the holidays, the job search process will slow down. What should job seekers be aware of?- What skills to update.- Other advice to help get the most out of your job search this time of year.Visit our website https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com for all of our job postings and other helpful job search tips, or if you'd like to request candidates for an open position at your company.

In this episode, we talk to iMPact's owner Matt Peal and Sylvia Dahlby with SmartSearch about the candidate experience.  What is the candidate experience and why is it important? Different ways to connect and engage with candidates Importance of communication Use of social media The candidate is the customer Setting the right expectations AI - Artificial Intelligence  What candidates should know What happens on the back-end? How will it help recruiters? How to write a resume for AI AI is looking for humans and online presence Importance of perception of fairness in the process Talenboard What do the best experiences for candidates have in common? The rejection process How to utilize technology About SmartSearch Visit our job board for all available opportunities in Information Technology, Engineering, Accounting/Finance, and Business Administration/Process.

In this episode of Job Talk, we talk a look into the new year and discuss what we believe will be some hiring and recruiting trends that employers and job candidates alike should be aware of.Diversity More employers will seek out candidates who are "disruptors" and can find new ways for businesses to grow out of the economic downturn How candidates can show off their creative side to employers How can employers utilize a staffing agency to find employees who can bring new ideas and ways of doing business to their organization? How GenZ coming into the workforce will impact the workplace and what employers can do to leverage a diverse, multi-generational workforce   Economy getting back on track Bringing employees back or finding new employees as projects that were put on hold start during pandemic start to resume  What can employers do to be ahead of the game? How can candidates engage with recruiters, and what will recruiters look for to help fill new roles in 2021?   Employer branding As jobs start coming back, employees will have options of where to go, especially as more jobs are going to have remote options. What can employers do to improve their reputation and popularity in the eyes of job seekers? For smaller businesses that don’t have the resources of large corporations to brand themselves in the same way to potential candidates, how can working with a staffing agency help them retain top talent?   AI (Artificial Intelligence) How will AI impact the job search and what should job-seekers be aware of to maximize their job search?   Candidate experience What can/should companies do to ensure candidates have the best possible experience during the application/interviewing/hiring process?  Flexibility What can we expect to see in 2021 in regard to both candidates and companies looking for more flexibility as it relates to work from home, scheduling, or hybrid styles of remote work? To view and apply for any of our currently open positions in IT, Engineering, Finance/Accounting or Business Administration/Process; or employers seeking qualified candidates who are available for opportunities, please visit https://impactbusinessgroup.com 

In this episode, we talk to iMPact's owner Matt Peal about what you can do if you're underemployed.      What does it mean to be underemployed? How to approach different kinds of underemployment How you can negotiate a better role with your current employer How to update your resume and apply for new jobs How you can leverage networking to your advantage? What are some ways to use your skills even if they’re not part of your current job? How you can gain the attention of an employer if you don’t have relevant work experience yet? How can a staffing agency help someone without relevant work experience get their foot in the door? Visit our job board to view all of our currently available opportunities in IT, Engineering, Finance/Accounting, and Business Admin/Process.

One of the most common questions we receive from job seekers is how to go about searching for jobs after 50. In this episode we talk to iMPact's owner Matt Peal and discuss some of the following topics: Common employer misconceptions about workers over 50 How far back to go with work-history on a resume Skills to highlight on a resume "Age indicators" to remove or adjust on a resume How to brush up on your interview skills How to leverage your professional network for career opportunities How to frame your experience as an asset to potential employers Why you should consider a contract opportunity Visit https://www.impactbusinessgroup.com for all currently available job opportunities as well as resume interviewing and career advice.

A large number of job openings never make it to any of the main job boards for various reasons. These jobs are part of the "hidden job market". They are jobs that for example are filled internally, through staffing agencies or for other reasons aren't posted publically. In this podcast, we discuss with iMPact's owner Matt Peal how job seekers can position themselves to be considered for some of these jobs.Topics include: What is the hidden job market?  How big is the hidden job market? What kind of jobs are typically not publicly posted? What can job seekers to do uncover “hidden” jobs Who should job seekers talk to? Where to look? How can working with a staffing agency help tap into the hidden job market What are some of the best ways for job seekers to network? To connect with one of our recruiters for opportunities in Information Technology, Engineering, Finance/Accounting, and Business Administration/Process, visit our job board to submit your resume. https://jobs.impactbusinessgroup.com/

In this episode, with the drastic changes in the job market due to COVID-19 over the past few months in mind, we discuss the benefits for candidates and employers to work with a staffing agency to help find a new job role or candidates for open positions. Topics include: What makes a candidate stand out? What to put on a resume Resume mistakes to avoid How recruiters are finding candidates Changes to the interview process Work from home during COVID Benefits for both candidates and clients of working with a staffing agency Visit our website for up to date job postings and more information about iMPact.