Southwestern Family of Companies

Keys to Streamlining the Hiring Process

By Matt Lewis, Partner and Practice Lead, Banking

For many companies, the hiring process can become an unwieldy endeavor: HR professionals and hiring managers frequently discover that processes can be complicated by misunderstandings and miscommunication. In this blog post, I’ll address how to mitigate these costly challenges. Robust Brand Management Brand management is a new frontier in HR. By investing resources into crafting a brand identity, companies can elevate their recruiting efforts to unprecedented…

Hit a Home Run on Your Next Hire: 4 Grand Slam Ideas to Improve Your Selection Process

By Hans Schlegel, Partner, Sales

Nothing gets people more excited for late spring and summer like the crack of a bat and the roar of the crowd: Major League Baseball takes the field again on Opening Day starting next week. America’s Favorite Pastime captures the essence of our culture in ways few other sports can. In the words of American newspaper columnist George Frederick Will: “Baseball, it…

The “New” New Normal: Healthcare Professionals Demand (and Get) Higher Salaries

By Kay Linder, Partner and Practice Lead, Healthcare Technology & Innovation

The Great Recession of 2008-09 is over – in fact, it’s been nine years. In 2016, the U.S. saw 2.2 million jobs added to the national economy [1] (in addition to a 2.7 million increase the year before). Clearly, job seekers are in the driver’s seat today compared to nine years ago. Several high-skill job sectors, including healthcare, are riding the crest of the post-recession…

How to Hire High Performing Teams — And Keep Mis-Hires to a Minimum

By Stephanie Maas, Partner, Banking

There’s no doubt that high performing teams are paramount to an organization’s success, but hiring the right people for the job is something that every organization struggles with, regardless of its size, age, or industry. In fact, one out of every two people hired is a mis-hire, even if they (or you) don’t know it; this means that up to 50 percent of…

How to Win Candidates and Influence Them

By Cathy Moll, Partner and Practice Lead, Life Sciences

Rejected offers are costly for employers, but in today’s candidate-driven market, talented applicants hold all the power: a shift has occurred, and companies now have to do all that they can to compete for hires. One of the best ways to do that is to make a candidate feel wanted before extending an offer of employment. Ninety percent of HR managers believe that hiring was candidate-driven in…

What should I do if my company announces a “Restructuring”?

By Tim Knight, Vice President, Banking

With the economy growing and unemployment at its lowest levels since before the Great Recession of 2008, we have not heard of many companies needing to restructure or the need for the dreaded reduction in force. In recent weeks, we have talked with professionals whose situations have changed due to their companies need to make necessary organizational changes through restructuring…

Tired of losing people…try keeping them

By Stephanie Maas, Partner, Banking Exhausted By the Time and Expense of Hiring New People? Try These Three Retention Strategies Do you know and truly understand the best assets in your current organization? Most managers consider their clients to be their most important assets, but others might beg to differ. Your employees — those who find, service, and maintain your…

The Internal Conversation

By Rich Weinman, Practice Lead, Architecture/Mechanical Construction

The psychology of every employee is differently complex. While most feel fortunate to have a respectable job and are grateful for the opportunities they’ve been presented, many also ponder if the grass is greener elsewhere- it’s just human nature. But although these thoughts may seem like an ungrateful intrusion, asking “what if?” is perfectly natural. Recruiters are experts at seeing…

Why Posting Jobs is Not Enough to Get Good Candidates

By Christy Farrell, Partner, Healthcare Technology & Innovation

You’re encouraged, but also overwhelmed: a single job posting has brought in hundreds of applications. Executives are so busy they can barely find time to sort through the most qualified candidates — and it’s doubly frustrating when less than 10 percent of applicants are qualified for the role. What’s going on? Where’s the top talent? If this scenario sounds familiar, you may need the expertise of…

4 Ways to Keep Your Millennial Employees Engaged

By Courtney Rice, Partner, Banking

We all want the same thing – a rewarding job filled with opportunities for growth and career development. Although these younger employees has been increasingly dissected and analyzed, perhaps the most overlooked aspect of their generation is that they do indeed value stability, contrary to the stereotype. Having grown up in a sluggish economy and dealt with profound challenges from student…