CTE Article by Grace Fossier, Managing Partner:

Downsized In 2016? How To Move Forward With a Bang. 

The year of 2016 saw many mergers and acquisitions in the market place. LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft, McKesson and Change Healthcare merged, and Baxter International acquired Claris Injectables. What does that mean for the companies and the many highly skilled professionals at these establishments? Opportunity.

Company Focus

One of the common outcomes of a merger or acquisition is surplus or duplication of workforce. Investors and company leaders focus on their bottom-line; truth is, they must in order for their companies to thrive in the very competitive world market. Often, talented professionals must be let go as the new business unit scales back before beginning to exhale and grow again.

Oddly enough, businesses will often need to hire again soon after layoffs to fill in the missing talent gaps, so you should always make sure to leave on good terms. You never know, your last employer could be your next, after a slight hiatus.

So what to do if you have been laid off in a collision of companies? First off, don’t take it personally because it won’t do you any good. Stay positive despite the disruption to your life. One door closes, another door opens…

Personal Focus – Full Court Attack

1. Find a Recruiter in Your Field: Contact your recruiter to see the latest options and possibilities, let them know you are in the hunt, and what you would like to pursue. Don’t have a recruiter? LinkedIn is an excellent resource to find contacts that recruit in your profession.
2. Network with All Contacts: Reach out to former companies, bosses, and co-workers to see what is available; and let them know you are on the market.  Reach out to sharp friends and neighbors as well to see if they have any ideas. The more options you have available, the more you can leverage your desirability as you interview with various companies.
3. Treat your Job Search as a Full-time Job: Go all out in your areas of attack – every day check job postings, stay up on the latest business news, and research companies for whom you would like to work. When applying for jobs, see that your resume is in sync with the job description posted. Said another way, make sure that your resume accurately depicts your qualifications with the company needs, in their exact lingo.

4. Remain Confident: Remember the strengths and expertise that you possess. Also, continue to gain knowledge in your field and research the latest trends. You do not want to come across as desperate in interviews; hold your head high and position yourself as a top candidate. Be the person you would want to hire on your team. Stay positive and don’t complain.

5. Brand Yourself: Establish a solid LinkedIn Profile with a friendly picture, and engage in Social Media with a positive spin. Define who you are as a professional in the workforce, what you can contribute, and how you can make a difference for a new employer.

6. Follow Up and Follow Through: Most companies take a good deal of time to finally decide and hire their ideal candidate. Be patient, yet be sure to check back in after your initial thank you letter. Some companies take months to go through their hiring process. It is acceptable to check in every few weeks with things like an appropriate action plan if you were hired, pertinent articles, or any other thoughtful and sensible ideas, letting the hiring manager know that you are still engaged in the process and interested.

7. Volunteer Your Time: Carve intentional time out of every week to volunteer at a local charity. There are food kitchens, charity ministries, animal shelters, foster programs, and many other options to help out your community. A little effort and time every week has a wonderful cumulative value in the world and will make a difference in your life, as well.

 CTE Blog

August 23, 2016

The subject of “differentiation” is always on the mind of companies trying to maintain or grow their business or profits, as well as in the considerations of candidates researching new companies.  Because of the importance of differentiating to avoid being viewed as a commodity, CTE looks to our clients to describe their positioning to our team so that we can share that appropriate information with our candidates – so plan to count on us for that.

But what about CTE?  How do we differentiate in the world of staffing and recruiting?  How do we provide any different service to our candidates than other recruiting companies do?  Our first responsibility is to find companies that our candidates would want to work for and set up an arrangement that allows us to present candidates for their consideration – but that’s not a differentiator – that is our primary responsibility to our candidates.  However, it is the preparation of our candidates that our ability to bring superior service begins to emerge in a unique way.

CTE offers to our clients a truly “concierge” level of service in preparation for the entire interview process.  From pre-interview preparation of resume, LinkedIn profile and possibly even personal website and “branding” efforts, to the pre-phone interview prep, to face-to-face interview prep to all follow up, CTE has brought on resources that provide ONLY those prep services, wholly contingent on the needs of our candidates.  There is NO COST for these services, but we provide because they are so incredibly effective in providing the advantages needed to separate from others in the interview process.

If we can provide more details around this for your edification, just call or email us.  We will get right back to you to discuss and make sure you are prepared to take full advantage of the differences our team can provide you.

June 4, 2016

Having entered in to the Staffing and Recruiting business from more traditional corporate backgrounds, our initial step to launch was to envelope ourselves in training and research. We wanted to ensure we had the knowledge of the industry’s details to be of meaningful value to the clients that entrust us with the opportunity to present them with qualified and fitting candidates, and in the same way for the candidates we have the privilege to represent.
So what was the biggest take-away from all the research and training? What would be of interest to our clients and the many candidates we have a chance to present? The secret is – well, there is no secret. The staffing and recruiting profession is exactly what you would think intuitively. It is all about taking the time to find great clients that you know top people would want to work for, and then going out and working your network to find the sharpest, brightest, energetic, educated, caring, fun, ambitious people that are out there.
The recruiting business sometimes get a bad rap for good reason, in our opinion. There are definitely companies that are in the high churn and burn market of having recruiters call in to companies and “bang around the halls”, listening to anyone that will talk with them. Or there are those recruiters who seem to think they are more important than the candidates themselves, and they can also leave a very bad taste. But in our experience, there are far more professionals in the industry that understand clearly that they provide a very important service only when they do the task right, and only when they understand that they are servants to their clients and candidates.
CTE Staffing & Recruiting was launched because we knew that we could bring valuable relationships together – ones that would prove highly beneficial to both client and candidate. And yes, relationships that would not have occurred without us doing our job of connecting the right candidate with the right client.
If you feel that you are that “right” candidate as we described above, we would welcome the chance to talk with you and discover if the fit is right for us to be your “eyes and ears” in the industry and with the companies you are interested in. The promise we make is that if we mutually decide to work together, you will be treated just as you deserve, with dignity and sincere respect. We look forward to hearing from you.