curate, Author at Curate Partners

21Nov

Navigating the Data-Driven Healthcare Revolution: Insights from Curate Partners

Navigating the Data-Driven Healthcare Revolution:

Insights from Curate Partners

Introduction:

In the realm of healthcare, data stands as a pivotal element in catalyzing high performance for hospitals and health systems. Its role in facilitating informed decision-making, effective change management, and meticulous performance monitoring cannot be overstated. It’s through the lens of accurate and transparent data that healthcare institutions can pinpoint improvement areas and monitor their growth trajectory.

In an insightful Q&A, Vijay Kukreja, Chief Consulting Officer at Curate Partners, delves into the intricate challenges of formulating data strategies that elevate care delivery and expand patient access. Vijay’s journey includes a tenure as Chief Digital Officer at BCBSMA and leadership roles in data & analytics at various healthcare organizations, augmented by a recent MITxPro certification in AI in healthcare.

The Critical Role of Data in Healthcare Performance:

Q: Can you elaborate on the significance of data in enhancing performance in healthcare settings?

A: Today’s healthcare leaders are more intent than ever on instigating impactful changes and meticulously tracking performance. This ambition hinges on the availability of robust and transparent data, capable of being dissected down to individual patients, providers, or units. The necessity for data to be prompt and risk-adjusted is paramount. While data perfection is aspirational, top-tier organizations strive for near perfection, benchmarking their data for precise and meaningful comparisons.

Strategic Data Utilization for Enhanced Care and Access:

Q: What strategies are leaders adopting to improve care delivery and patient access through data?

A: The focus is on a “north star” metric, a guiding light that aligns with patient care imperatives and facilitates benchmarking against peer institutions. It’s crucial to encompass all patient data, irrespective of their payer status, to foster comprehensive insights. Consistent data utilization for driving change is vital, involving key stakeholders such as physicians in the goal setting and review process. This strategy extends to every level, from units and departments to individual employees, ensuring everyone is aligned with the collective objectives.

Data Solutions and Emerging Innovations:

Q: What challenges can data address, and which innovations in this space excite you the most?

A: Data stands as a formidable tool in refining both clinical and administrative workflows. AI’s role is increasingly prominent, finding applications in human resources, customer service, and claims coding. It’s revolutionizing radiology, enhancing both accuracy and efficiency in image reading. The horizon holds immense promise for AI in complex care decision support, early detection systems, and tailored medicine. The journey to fully unleash AI’s potential in healthcare is ongoing and exhilarating.

Future-Ready Investments by Healthcare Leaders:

Q: What are the key areas of investment by healthcare leaders to future-proof their organizations?

A: The current investment landscape is heavily skewed towards data warehousing, visualization, and AI, particularly in back-office operations. Efforts are being directed at refining coding, documentation, and optimizing workflows in critical areas like operating rooms and emergency departments. Short-term focuses include charge capture, patient data analysis, and workflow optimization. Looking ahead, the emphasis will shift to predictive analytics, risk stratification, clinical decision support tools, and enhancing provider workflows.

Curate Partners’ Role in Shaping Healthcare Futures:

Q: How is Curate Partners aligning with healthcare leaders to realize mutual objectives?

A: At Curate Partners, we’re in lockstep with healthcare leaders, setting data-driven goals anchored in industry benchmarks. In scenarios where best practices are nebulous, we undertake studies/workshops to unearth insights and devise solutions working with our healthcare SME’s and leaders. Our commitment to integrated data platforms, data as a product augmented with AI, is unwavering. We have partnered with organizations like Snowflake and Databricks to bring the latest in data technologies in parallel with specialized purple squirrel talent experts and SME’s. This dedication aids hospitals in reducing costs, enhancing quality, and strategic growth. Our collective aim is to identify and deliver the most efficient, quality care for every patient. By focusing on strategic data investments, we’re not just adapting to the changing healthcare landscape; we’re helping shape it, with an unwavering commitment to improving patient care and simplifying healthcare complexities.

About Curate Partners: Curate Partners is a Strategic Consulting and Specialized Talent Services provider specializing in aiding clients navigate transformations like improving customer experiences and crafting competitive digital innovations. From strategy formulation, project roadmap design, to resource planning, talent fulfillment, and program execution, Curate Partners, with its network of adept product managers, CX leads, UX designers, and other critical technology experts, is committed to enabling clients to make significant business transformations. www.CuratePartners.com

Media Contact:
Jess Rousseau, Senior Marketing Manager
Curate Partners
jess.rousseau@curatepartners.com | 833.828.7283 | www.curatepartners.com

27Jun

Layoffs too soon? Q2 jobs report is better than you think.

Layoffs too soon? Here’s why the Q2 jobs report is better than you think.

The Q2 jobs report offers many valuable but contradictory insights. Jobs are up, but average work week productivity is down. It’s not perfect news – but it’s not the bad news we’ve come to expect.

I’ve seen many ups and downs in my career. I believe that the latest wave of layoffs was an overreaction.

As a leader, you must understand: companies that are unwilling to embrace large-scale change risk being left behind. There’s a lot of change right now indeed. But there are also things you can do today to prepare your business for the upcoming rebound.

Let’s talk about the trends that I see.

Things aren’t so bad. They’re just less predictable.

The May 2023 jobs report was eye-opening: employers added a total of 339,000 non-farm jobs, far outpacing analysts’ expectations. Companies like Salesforce are crushing their numbers, with year-over-year revenue up 22%. And the annual inflation rate seems to be slowing – in May, we saw it at its lowest in 2 years.

But despite all that, every week brings yet another tech layoff. Why? It’s what companies traditionally do during downturns. But people must have short memories – because what about the last few years has followed tradition?

What this means for you

I believe this quarter’s job report contains something deeper than a story of missed expectations about jobs. It’s the start of something that could be big. Are you going to be ready?

Rethink, re-engage, reinvent

So many forces are coming at us at once. There’s the explosion of generative AI; the reckoning between the remote and the return-to-office paradigms; and not least, the looming shift away from full-time work and towards consulting.

Productivity is complicated
What about productivity, though? It’s down, and we can’t ignore that. There were two previous quarters of GDP miss.

Productivity is a complex and nuanced problem. Some of the problems stem residually from the pandemic lows; some, perhaps, from a culture that pivoted too hard into remote and hasn’t yet found its way in the new world.

Remote must be a strategic – not inertial – decision

Regardless, now is the moment to redefine how and where their people will do work moving forward. Remote vs. onsite must be a strategic business decision weighing culture, connectivity and the specific nature of your business to get your best work done. Your decision here must engage employees to jointly explore how to produce better work rather than continue a pandemic paradigm in a post-pandemic world. Because if you fail to address productivity, morale (boosted by isolation and a lack of real-life connection to the people you work with) will continue to suffer too.

This moment is an opportunity for leaders to re-engage with employees on the subject of productivity in a way that they could not do in the past few years.
New staffing models can help productivity and labor hoarding issues
It’s also the perfect time to explore alternative or flexible staffing models, such as engaging consultants or fractional roles. You can take advantage of the great talent newly on the market and reinvent how great work gets done at the same time.

One of the more contradictory insights from Q2’23” jobs report is the gain of “labor hoarding”, when businesses hold on to people in anticipation of future downsizing– and to the detriment of productivity. But what if you could bring in experienced specialists, ready to engage right here and right now, bringing new ideas? What if you could automate some foundational workflows with today’s AI technology and make room for a different way of showing up? For many post-pandemic workers, a “jungle gym” approach working on project-based initiatives and untraditional hours is a boon towards the flexibility they’ve come to expect – and they’re ready to produce and contribute in new ways.

As things change, you’ll need to redefine how you measure productivity too. You’ll need to think less about 9-to-5, and more specifically work to define what good productivity means for you. Why those numbers? How do you get there? What does it mean to engage or show up? How are you measuring your success?

What this means for you
Don’t let productivity problems fester. It’s a good time for you to step in and focus – not by doubling down, but by engaging with your team on productivity and its implications. Involve them in the solution that works for your particular business operating model. Experiment.

We’ve weathered storms of change before – only the weather was worse.

The last time I saw this many changes at once was during the dotcom boom of the 90s, where many tech leaders started their careers but lacked the foresight to understand the global implications of their work. In the dotcom crash, low interest rates gave startups what felt like easy money; but many large ones folded when capital dried up as their business plans, operating models, and products were underdeveloped. The crash was deep: more mature companies fell victim too, sometimes losing significant market value.

Yes, we saw several bank and company failures this year. But were they massive? At a global scale? Maybe… but not at the dot-com scale. These are smaller, more controlled failures that did not have the same profound global economic effect. It may not feel like it, but little by little, we’re learning.

Many voices say that generative AI could be the transformative shift unlike all others. I’m curious to see where that goes. Will most jobs be wiped out? I don’t think so yet. Some will be, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s another opportunity for evolution and reinvention. I see AI as having great potential to solve future problems – with population rates falling, will we have enough specialists in the future? Jury’s out.

What this means for you
We can look to lessons of the past for context, but I believe this tech recession isn’t a doomsday moment. Instead, we’re seeing a renegotiation of boundaries from an unprecedented last few years. It’s how we react to it today that matters.

What you can do now

Uplift your team’s morale. Don’t neglect this. Your team is your most important asset. You must make sure that your team is on the right path forward by addressing residual morale problems from the pandemic, working in isolation, and industry layoffs.
Embrace the changes. You can’t ignore AI and other new technologies that could upend how you do business – but you can embrace them and stay attuned. Explore how they could help you do business. Learn from others’ mistakes. Stay curious.
Never stop innovating. Innovation always drives success in times of change, but don’t limit innovation to your product development. Innovate how you develop your team: lean into flexible staffing models such as contract or fractional hires. Bring in new strategies to solve problems that you haven’t solved well before.

I believe that change is fundamentally good. Only the people who don’t change are the ones whose journey stops where they are now. Whatever we’re in for, it’s going to be interesting!

06Apr

Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory

The Curate Cares Team came together at the Cradles to Crayons Giving Factory, an organization that aims to provide essential items to homeless or low-income children for their homes, schools, and playtime. Cradles to Crayons accepts a range of donations that are new and like-new items for children aged newborn to 12 years old. The Giving Factory is the warehouse where volunteers hand-select items for specific children and distribute the packages.

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Volunteering at the Giving Factory Warehouse involves hands-on processing of the children’s items that are donated to Cradles to Crayons. Within the warehouse, there are several stations that include inspecting, sorting, and packaging donations so that they are ready for distribution to children.

This year our team of volunteers was assigned to the “outfits” area where we assembled outfits for boys and girls aged newborn to 12 years old and inspected the quality of the clothes one final time before heading off to the families! It was a rewarding experience for all of us to contribute to such an important cause!

There are so many different ways to get involved with Cradles to Crayons. Volunteer for a shift in the Giving Factory, donate funds, or donate goods to make an impact today on a child living in poverty.

30Mar

Celebrating Women’s History Month 2023

To celebrate Women’s History Month we wanted to hear the voices of the incredible women of Curate Partners! We asked them to tell us how they feel empowered at Curate Partners. As employee empowerment is defined as the ways in which organizations provide their employees with a certain degree of autonomy and control in their day-to-day activities. This can include having a voice in process improvement, helping to create and manage new systems and tactics, and running smaller departments with less oversight from higher-level management.

The responses we got were amazing and inspiring. Our women employees shared stories of being given opportunities to lead projects, having their ideas heard and implemented, and feeling supported by their colleagues and managers. We’re proud to have a workplace culture that values diversity, equity, and inclusion, and we’re committed to continuing to empower our employees to reach their full potential. Here’s to the incredible women who have paved the way for us and those who continue to make history every day!

How do you feel empowered by Curate Partners?

Emily Brash, VP of Sales and Healthcare Solutions

Curate has given me the opportunity to use my years of experience and creative approach to help lay the groundwork for new client acquisition strategies and internal process improvement opportunities. Rather than dictating a roadmap for me, they have asked me to recommend a roadmap and then come together with the leadership team to collaborate and finalize it. It’s a great feeling to know my company and its leaders trust my leadership and judgment at this level. This environment absolutely makes me feel empowered and appreciated!

Jess Reumann, Recruiting Consultant

I feel empowered at Curate because I feel like I am heard and valued. I am given the opportunity to voice my opinions in a healthy way and know that I am being listened to with respect. Everyone is supportive and encouraging and takes the time to recognize the achievements on both a personal and professional level!

Cathy Porcaro, Senior Account Executive

I feel empowered at Curate Partners by knowing I have a seat at the table and can bring my ideas to my managers and peers without judgment. By fostering a growth mindset culture, Curate has empowered me to be creative in my role as an AE, think outside of the box, and do things differently than they have always been done!

Meghan Arsenault, Administrative Assistant

Curate Partners values my current role and people have gone out of their way to tell me, and my fellow coworkers, how our jobs matter. We are constantly verbally appraised, giving us the proper support in our role. I know that what I do in the company is important, and it is a great feeling when others express the same.

Meghan Kouble, Operations Manager

As a woman employee at Curate Partners, I feel a sense of empowerment every day. This stems from the company’s culture, which places a strong importance on recognizing and rewarding hard work and dedication. By providing ongoing training and development, many networking events, and other programs, supports a work environment where everyone has an opportunity to succeed.

Samantha Tilley, Account Executive

I feel empowered at Curate Partners because my thoughts and ideas matter! I feel like we are equal in this company and we all help each other when needed. Teamwork makes the dream work! I am so happy to be a part of a company that feels like family!

Jess Rousseau, Senior Marketing Manager

Throughout my career with Curate, the entire organization has continually given me the support and freedom needed to succeed in ways I never thought were possible. My team treats me with respect and trusts my ideas and contributions for the company. I’m SO proud to work for a company who’s female staff represents over 50% of our workforce! It’s empowering to know we all have equal opportunities to truly make an impact here.

Taylor Shea, Senior Account Executive

Curate has invested in my development since Day 1, valuing my ideas and asking for my opinions. This has created a professional confidence that I couldn’t be more thankful for!

Theresa Sanchez, Recruiting Consultant

I feel empowered at Curate Partners because together we created clear and attainable goals and expectations and I feel encouraged and supported throughout the process of achieving these goals. Also, I feel heard and like my opinion matters which is super empowering.

Natasha Thomas, Manager of People and Culture

Curate has helped me do the work that I am passionate about. I had a vision coming into this organization of what I wanted to do, and I have been encouraged and empowered to do it. The autonomy and trust that they have given has allowed me to continue to focus on our people and culture. At our core we are a people first organization, so making sure that we continue to create an environment that promotes inclusivity, diversity, equity, and belonging is my priority. At Curate every day I feel empowered to make positive changes that will impact not only our team but the partnerships outside of our organization.

Logan Lopus, Marketing Intern

Throughout my internship at Curate Partners, I have always felt empowered. From day one, I was given meaningful work and was able to work alongside other employees. I also appreciated being given the chance to take on larger projects and felt that my opinions were heard and valued. Overall, I believe Curate has created an empowering work culture that encourages its employees, including interns, to make important contributions to the organization.

Corina Bardwell, Recruiting Manager

Transparency from leadership, the ability to grow into new roles, and the autonomy to implement processes and procedures that are best suited for the recruiting team are some of the ways I feel empowered at Curate. I always feel valued, both professionally and personally, and I appreciate that my achievements are recognized and celebrated. Our culture provides equal opportunities for all, which makes me feel like everyone is playing on the same field.

Courtney Holland, Account Manager

I feel incredibly empowered here at Curate. My ability to have a voice and manage a work-life balance with 3 young kids without questions, micromanagement, or concern; all while feeling like I make a lasting contribution to our business and team. My peers and especially my manager look to me for advice on managing situations, providing input, and general “What would you do?” scenarios. I honestly could not be more proud and thankful for the culture and feeling of contribution that this company provides me every day.

Keep up with more content like this on our Instagram and follow Curate Partners here!

16Nov

4 Traits You Should Look For In A Recruiter

With 10 million job openings in the U.S., recruiters have an important role to play. Unfortunately, the stigma of the salesy recruiter—the type that cares more about filling the role and less about making sure the candidate is right for the role, makes a lot of candidates hesitant to work with recruiters.

At Curate Partners, we break the sales mold. Instead of acting like salespeople, our recruiters act like matchmakers. They operate as the liaison between the job-seeker and the company, ensuring all parties are aligned and fully vetted before making introductions.

We are committed to fostering a positive job-seeking experience for all candidates. This means building strong relationships, actively listening to candidates’ needs, and putting ourselves in their shoes. Our candidate-first perspective helps us identify and deliver Purple Squirrels for our internal teams and clients.

If you’re seeking new employment opportunities, here are four traits you should look for in a recruiter.

Empathy

Recruiters need to be empathetic towards their candidates. This means putting themselves in your shoes to understand what you’re looking for in your next position. Preferred salary ranges, work-life balance, and career goals should all be prioritized. Think of your recruiter as a friend leading you through the next phase of your career.

We care deeply about our candidates both before and after they are placed with companies as consultants. Here’s what one of our reviews on Glassdoor says about our process:

“Curate has an incredibly supportive, collaborative, and progressive team…Their positivity, awareness, and care for each team member is something so rare to experience in the workplace.”

Creating a healthy work culture starts in the hiring phase—empathetic recruiters set the tone for the companies they place candidates with.

Open-Mindedness

Open-minded recruiters look beyond the resume to find their Purple Squirrels. Yes, recruiters must acknowledge a candidate’s career experience and educational background, but they should also consider candidates whose backgrounds are unique and multi-faceted. Whether you took a traditional path—high school, college, entry-level roles in your field, and so on—or a more eccentric path—your recruiter should see you as an individual and try to understand your skillset beyond just skimming your degree and previous position.

Recruiters must remain open-minded and recognize the value of hiring diverse candidates. This means reaching out to individuals of all gender identities, races, and cultural backgrounds and not letting any biases—even the unconscious ones—get in the way of selecting the candidate who is the best fit.

Transparency

Transparency and integrity are crucial for building trust. At Curate Partners, our recruiters are honest about open positions and transparent about what our company stands for. This integrity helps us build candidates’ trust and find the right individuals for each role.

Another Glassdoor review mentions our team’s transparency:

“[Curate Partners] treat both their internal employees and full-time/contracted hires with the utmost respect and professionalism. They are a company of real people you can trust to stay transparent and honest throughout the entire hiring process. Once you are a Purple Squirrel, that professionalism, respect, and transparency do not dissipate.”

Strong Communication Skills

Last but certainly not least, recruiters must display strong communication skills. This is the name of the game. Recruiters must converse with their candidates clearly about a position’s requirements and company expectations. They must answer questions, provide insights and advice, and provide honest feedback in a timely manner. As a candidate, you must feel comfortable communicating with your recruiter and, by extension, the company you are applying to work with.

We are proud to say that our recruiters exhibit all 4 of these traits. We remain hyper-focused on making our candidates feel seen, heard, and appreciated while also finding the best fit for the companies we serve. With our people-centric model, our recruiters aren’t just finding bodies to fill gaps; they’re finding great opportunities for skilled individuals—a win-win for the client and the candidate.

If you’re looking for a people-first approach to recruiting, contact us. We’re here to help!

02Nov

How Curate Partners Makes The Hiring Process More Human

Now more than ever, it is crucial for recruiters to connect with their candidates. This means listening to their needs, empowering them to ask questions, and communicating with empathy. While automated technologies are becoming more prevalent in our industry, the candidate’s experience thrives without templates and call scripts.

Here are five ways we make the hiring process more human in 2022.

We are transparent with candidates regarding salary ranges, benefits, and workplace culture.

Being transparent and communicative with your candidate about what each open position entails is crucial. This includes salary ranges, benefits, and information regarding workplace culture. If you withhold this information or tweak the truth for your benefit, you are not putting enough value into your candidate’s needs. This unethical practice sets your relationship up for distrust and failure.

Our Recruiting Manager, Johnny Cail, says it best:

“I’ve found the best way to help a candidate feel empowered to ask questions is first to tell them all the ‘insider information.’ Many recruiters keep this information to themselves and try to get the candidate at the lowest numbers possible to maximize profit, but I just don’t see as much success going that route,” Cail explains. “I’d rather gain someone’s trust by telling them what rates we typically see and trying to get them at the highest number, so they are excited and eager to embark on the journey of interviewing.”

We find the balance between technology and the human touch.

Automated technologies are known for saving time. As a result, more recruiters rely on new programs, from auto-scheduling to automated emails. However, these technologies can negatively impact candidate communications and searches when used in place of humans rather than in partnership with humans.

Don’t let an AI bot be your company’s voice when sourcing candidates. Human connection is necessary when determining if someone is the right fit for a role. Data points and resumes don’t tell the whole story.

“Technology can help in so many ways, but being reliant on technology is hard to sustain in this industry for the long term,” Cail says. “Since each candidate’s experience differs, putting some prefabricated process in place is wrong. Instead, you need human touch to finesse the intricacies of each person and situation.”

Strike a balance between promoting efficiency and using your intuition to make your hiring process more human.

We recommend video interviews and visual interactions over phone calls and email threads.

Since most open roles are remote, most interviews are face-to-face via video conferencing programs. Visual interactions put a face to a name and can give you a sense of who your candidates are in the moment. Seeing facial expressions, hearing tone of voice, and watching your candidate’s body language will help you better understand what excites your candidate, what concerns them, and how they present themself in a professional setting. Email simply cannot compete with the audio and visual components of video calls. Additionally, video interviews add a layer of professional intimacy that builds trust and understanding for both parties involved. These are the reasons why we set up video interviews for our candidates.

We incorporate Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEI+B) initiatives into the hiring process.

Making your hiring process more human means showcasing your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. According to Glassdoor’s Diversity and Inclusion Workplace Survey (2020), 76% of U.S. employees and job seekers say that a diverse workforce is important when evaluating companies and job offers. 21% claim they would not apply to a job at a company that does not publicly state its goals to increase DEI+B initiatives.

Whether discussing these core values with candidates or expanding their networks, recruiters and hiring managers should focus on creating an environment that values fresh perspectives and welcomes diversity.

At Curate Partners, we have implemented DEI+B initiatives into the hiring process by partnering with non-profits across the US to provide more opportunities for individuals from all walks of life. We provide our clients with the most diversified candidates for the job—and remain committed to closing employment gaps.

“In hiring, there’s no better way to exemplify your commitment to DEI+B than setting expectations for all candidate searches to be diversified,” Taylor Shea, our Senior Account Executive, says. “[By doing this], inclusivity becomes a learned behavior rather than a term.”

We put ourselves in the candidate’s shoes.

We think about the job search from the candidate’s perspective. It can be arduous to continue sending resumes and cover letters that are mostly left unanswered.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What type of position would fulfill my candidate’s career goals?
Why is my candidate looking for a new position?
What are my candidate’s values, boundaries, and strengths?

As a recruiter, you must remain empathetic to your candidate. Remember that your mission is to lead each candidate you work with to the next step of their career journey. If you embrace the human connection, you will create a mutually beneficial safe space for your candidates to grow and find their dream jobs.

If you’re looking for a hiring process that is more human, contact us.

17Oct

3 Ways That A Tailor-Made Recruiter Can Drive Your Company’s Success

There are 227,827 recruiters employed and over 200,000 staffing and recruiting agencies in the United States. Staffing is a $174 billion industry that continues to grow as organizations begin scaling efforts in a post-pandemic world. However, with so many options available, it can be difficult for companies to develop a strong recruiting strategy.

There are two common concerns when hiring a recruiter or staffing agency—speed and accuracy. While traditional staffing agencies are focused on moving at break-neck speeds to fill your roster, tailor-made recruiters are focused on finding the right talent for your company as efficiently as possible. After all, benchmarking data from SHRM reports that while the average cost per hire is $4700, it can grow to three or four times the position’s salary. Constant rehires can drain recruitment budgets in an instant.

Essentially, it pays to get the right person the first time around.

Here are three ways a tailor-made recruiter can drive your company’s success.

Tailor-made recruiters specialize in specific industries.

Tailor-made recruiters specialize in hiring for specific industries. This experience gives recruiters insider knowledge, so they know how companies operate and what they are looking for in their new hires. Due to their industry experience, these recruiters are more likely to have already built meaningful connections with industry professionals. Networking is crucial in recruiting: knowing the industry’s movers and shakers creates greater opportunities for candidates and companies.

Unlike some larger staffing agencies, tailor-made recruiters take a candidate-first approach.

To find your “purple squirrel,” you need a recruiter that takes a candidate-first approach. This means prioritizing candidates’ needs and desires rather than molding them to fit whatever job is available. Tailor-made recruiters build strong relationships with their candidates by digging deeper into their motivations and career goals. There is no one-size-fits-all method for recruiting. Due to the diverse range of candidate skill sets and personality types, it is impossible (and unfair) to work with every individual in the same way. Instead, tailor-made recruiters prioritize their candidates’ needs, which in turn, helps them find the perfect fit for the organizations they assist.

There is a greater emphasis on company culture.

Lastly—and certainly not least—tailor-made recruiters talk to their candidates about the importance of company culture. Not every individual wants the same workplace environment, which recruiters take into account. They go beyond just asking for their ideal salary ranges. Instead, recruiters ask the following questions:

In what type of work environment do you feel most productive?
What management style motivates you to do your best work?
Do you prefer working collaboratively or solo?
What values do you wish for your workplace to promote?

Company culture is important because it incorporates how employees and executives work and communicate. This emphasis on company culture ensures that candidates work for an organization that keeps them engaged and fulfilled on the clock.

Overall, tailor-made recruiters can play a significant role in driving your company’s success, regardless of your industry. Their specialized attention to detail sets them apart from more traditional staffing agencies.

If you’re looking for your next purple squirrel, contact us. We’re here to help.

06Oct

How We Are Giving Back, with Purple Squirrels

There are more than 10 million nonprofit organizations that exist worldwide. From fighting world hunger to medical research, all nonprofits better their respective communities in one way or another—and it takes a village of dedicated and passionate individuals to create these much-needed changes.

Nonprofit organizations employ about 12.3 million people in the United States, accounting for about 10% of the country’s employed citizens. While these numbers prove the importance of nonprofits in our workforce, staffing for non-profits is becoming more challenging with the competitive talent market today.

At Curate Partners, we make it part of our mission to help staff nonprofits as part of our effort to support the communities we work in.

Our work with Pan-Mass Challenge:

We saw the power of working with nonprofits first-hand when we joined forces with Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC). The Massachusetts-based bike-a-thon raises funds for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute every year. Known as the country’s highest-grossing single athletic fundraising event, PMC aspires to aid doctors and cancer researchers in their fight for a cure. Since its inception almost 40 years ago, PMC has donated $1 billion to the cause.

While PMC made great strides on its own, they were facing challenges building out their digital infrastructure. There is much more to scaling a nonprofit than inspiring supporters to reach for their wallets. This is only half the battle; the other half is hiring passionate employees who can support the organization from all angles to amplify their digital presence. And this is where Curate Partners saw a chance to step up and help out.

To build their team for future success, we aided PMC in their search to find their next Director of Digital IT. Finding the perfect fit for this position was more important than making a sale; We wanted to be a small factor in helping them double their donations in the next decade. Our founder Dan Foley, says it best in his LinkedIn post about our partnership:

“In an effort to give back, I am eager and honored to announce that Curate Partners is teaming up with the Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC) to find their next Director of Digital IT. This is a pro-bono executive search that we are doing to help raise awareness for the cause while also tapping into our incredible network of tech professionals as we look for their purple squirrel!”

This job post received a ton of engagement. Which, in the end, raised more awareness for the cause and inspired people to apply for the job. Our public search also inspired our network to show their support on social media. With almost 300 reactions and many comments from industry professionals, our transparent staffing strategy and network of IT leaders helped us find PMC’s passionate new leader, Jennifer Schachter.

We are eager to watch her success unfold as she builds digital experiences across many user spectrums; from riders to their donors, to the volunteers, all the sponsors and everyone who makes the PMC a success!

To learn more about the Pan–Mass Challenge, click here.

22Sep

Curate Partners is a 2022 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm Winner by SIA

Curate Partners Named on SIA’s 2022 List of Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms

SIA’s Annual List Recognizes US Staffing Firms That Achieved Significant Organic Growth Over Five Years

September 21, 2022 – Curate Partners announced it has been named to the 2022 List of Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms. Published annually by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA) – the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions – the list ranks US firms by compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for staffing revenue over five years.

There were 122 staffing firms included on the 2022 ranking, and the median CAGR for all firms listed is 30.3%. To be considered one of the Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms, companies must meet a minimum revenue threshold of $1 million in 2017 and have had a CAGR of at least 15% between 2017 and 2021. The Braff Group, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, sponsored this year’s list. Each staffing firm is profiled online at fastestgrowing.staffingindustry.com.

“The 2022 List of Fastest-Growing Staffing Firms displays a masterclass in perseverance. Emerging from the pandemic with organic growth is a true achievement and testament to the staffing industry’s strength, even in the most turbulent of times,” said SIA President Barry Asin. “Our list of staffing firms more than doubled this year and SIA is honored to present these resilient staffing firms to the world. A huge congratulations to our 2022 honorees!”

About Curate Partners

Curate Partners is a talent solutions provider that specializes in solving tomorrow’s business challenges by deploying better infrastructure, leveraging customer-driven insights and investing in digital innovation today. Our people-first approach has fostered a network of digital and tech experts who drive meaningful impact for any business transformation.

About Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA)

Founded in 1989, SIA is the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions. Our proprietary research covers all categories of employed and non-employed work including temporary staffing, independent contracting and other types of contingent labor. SIA’s independent and objective analysis provides insights into the services and suppliers operating in the workforce solutions ecosystem including staffing firms, managed service providers, recruitment process outsourcers, payrolling/compliance firms and talent acquisition technology specialists such as vendor management systems, online staffing platforms, crowdsourcing and online work services. We also provide training and accreditation with our unique Certified Contingent Workforce Professional (CCWP) program.

Known for our award-winning content, data, support tools, publications, executive conferences and events, we help both suppliers and buyers of workforce solutions make better-informed decisions that improve business results and minimize risk. As a division of the international business media company, Crain Communications Inc., SIA is headquartered in Mountain View, California, with offices in London, England. Learn more at staffingindustry.com.

Media Contact

Jess Rousseau, Senior Marketing Manager

Curate Partners

jess.rousseau@curatepartners.com | 833.828.7283| www.curatepartners.com

14Sep

The importance of respect, inclusion, and transparency in the workplace

In the U.S., more than two in five (45.5%) of LGBTQ+ employees said they had experienced unfair treatment at work, including being fired, not hired, or harassed because of their sexual orientation at some point in their lives—and nearly a third reported experiencing this within the past five years.

In a June 2022 survey by LinkedIn and YouGov, 75% of LGBTQ+ respondents said it’s important that they work at a company where they feel comfortable expressing their identity, and 65% said they would leave their current job if they felt they could not do so.

Clearly, there’s still room for improvement.

At Curate Partners, our employees are our greatest asset, and we take a serious stance on ensuring that everyone feels safe and comfortable in the workplace. We recently hosted Graci Harkema, an international diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) speaker specializing in implicit bias and inclusive leadership. Here are a few tips we learned from Graci that can help any organization better serve LGBTQ+ community members.

Celebrate the importance (and history) of LGBTQ+ pride.

From Stonewall to Harvey Milk, there’s much to learn about LGBTQ+ history. The origins of Pride Month can be traced back to 1969, when police raided New York City’s Stonewall Inn on Friday night, June 28th. This raid prompted a series of demonstrations against discrimination by members of the LGBTQ+ community—and it’s these demonstrations we now celebrate during Pride Month every year.

At its core, pride month is about supporting those who feel marginalized or discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or gender identity (or both)—and celebrating those who fought for equality socially and legally. Learning the history and understanding its importance is a great first step to becoming an ally in the workplace.

Acknowledge and respect individuals’ identities.

It can be challenging for anyone in the workplace to discuss their gender identity or sexual orientation with coworkers or even supervisors. When hiring new employees—and interacting with existing ones—it is essential to acknowledge and respect individuals’ identities. Encourage workplace transparency about sexual orientation and gender identity by honoring a person’s chosen name and pronoun usage.

If you or your employees struggle with pronouns, consider holding office hours where someone can ask questions about how to use them correctly without being mistaken for being overly sensitive or difficult. The National Center for Transgender Equality also provides an online guide for using pronouns correctly if you’re unsure which ones are appropriate for people who don’t identify as cisgender men or women.

Make sure everyone knows it’s okay to talk about being LGBTQ+ at work without fear of judgment (or worse). If some people are uncomfortable talking about their own lifestyles but are willing to lend a hand when coworkers come out about theirs, offer a small but important gesture by thanking them sincerely every time they do so.

Learn to be an ally in the workplace.

When you’re an ally, your actions demonstrate that you support and respect LGBTQ+ people and their families. Allies can help create a safe, inclusive work environment for everyone. They also help develop an understanding of the unique challenges that LGBTQ+ employees may face in the workplace.

Developing as an ally doesn’t mean you need to be perfect; everyone makes mistakes. The key is to use each mistake as an opportunity to learn, grow, and demonstrate your commitment to improving. The role of an ally is to consider the perspectives of your LGBTQ+ peers and see what behavioral changes you can make to ensure that everyone is treated equally. For example:

Making sure that all employees feel welcome at lunchtime events or team outings by inviting them along or including them in group emails about these events.
Speaking up if someone makes a homophobic joke or comments in front of others (or even around just one person)

Allies should also be mindful of their own language, which may inadvertently exclude or alienate LGBTQ+ people. The most prevalent way we see this happen is through unconscious bias—the tendency for those who hold certain privileges and status markers within society to unconsciously favor others like them over others who don’t share those markers. An ally in the workplace should consider how their actions may perpetuate these biases if left unchecked.

Take note of anything in your job post that may illustrate an unintentional bias. If you are hoping to promote internal talent, and are struggling to find interested employees, consider whether there are ways you can make your team or department more welcoming. For instance, is your team diverse? Are people collaborative and cohesive in spite of differences? Does everyone feel supported equally? Sometimes sending out an anonymous survey to this effect can help you determine how you can improve your team’s DEI.

Creating an inclusive work environment where everyone can be themselves encourages positive mental health and helps build trust between co-workers. So take a moment (many moments, in fact) to think about how your company could be more inclusive of all kinds of people—whether they identify as LGBTQ+, straight allies, parents with kids in school, different racial or cultural backgrounds, or even those who simply think differently.

Ultimately, the most important thing to remember is that everyone deserves respect regardless of their identity—and it’s up to us as employers to make sure that happens.

Learn more about our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

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