purplesquirrelusa, Author at Curate Partners

13Jul

Hiring at Scale, Amid the Great Resignation

A year ago this month, Anthony Klotz, a psychologist and professor of business administration at Texas A&M University, coined a now-famous phrase: He said “the great resignation is coming,” and that was that—or so we thought.

A lot has happened in a year. According to CNN, 47.4 million jobs were left voluntarily last year—an admittedly staggering amount—for greener pastures. But what started it all? And how can business owners keep up?

Resignations will continue at a higher rate for at least a few years, according to the original prognosticator. But what started it all is as simple as changing priorities during the pandemic. Americans are continuing to evaluate what it means to have a healthy work-life balance, and people are deciding to follow their dreams instead of staying put.

In February, nearly 4.4 million quit their jobs in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and that’s about 100,000 more people than quit in January—and just shy of the 4.5 million record set in November. But despite all of this, the unemployment rate is at 3.6%. That means there are about 6 million unemployed people in the U.S.

The workforce is focusing on their personal priorities. They aren’t settling for just any job—so how do you make sure your company attracts talent and is staffed for the future? Despite these sobering statistics, there are ways to win the war for talent if you follow these five steps.

Step One: Lock in Your Existing Resources

Promoting a healthy work culture is more than politeness and “thank yous”. It means recognizing your employees holistically as people—not just workers. To do this, you must prioritize the well-being of your employees, from healthy habits to mental health. This can look like encouraging employees to relax on their days off, to take actual lunch breaks instead of working as they munch, and to share fun facts about their lives outside of work. Offering team-building exercises, meet-ups, get-to-know-you events, and the like, can help create a sense of camaraderie and fun in the workplace. But there’s more to it than that when it comes to a healthy culture; offer competitive pay, feedback and goal setting meetings, recognition for successes, and employees will feel valued, secure, and seen for their hard work.

For the remote workforce, it can be as easy as having chat channels for different interests or having themed days of the week where employees are encouraged to share pictures of their pets, DIY projects, kids, or travel adventures. When employees feel respected and seen as full people—not just worker-bees—they become more engaged in their work-life, improving their attitudes and productivity. This translates to inclusivity and a feeling of belonging.

Step Two: Cut the Fluff

An easy way to kill a job candidate’s interest in your company is by dragging out a long hiring process. No one likes spending six months—or even 6 weeks—interviewing for one position. Aim to cut down on the decision-makers and number of interviews, video interviewing to increase availability (which should be your primary interviewing method), and speed up the hiring process. If your company isn’t equipped to keep the hiring process on track, consider outsourcing to a third party. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that the average time to fill (the time it takes to make a hire after a position opens) at 42 days across all industries, yet the best candidate is off the market in 10 days. So if your process takes longer than that, you’re missing the mark.

An analysis of data on LinkedIn showed that for positions filled between June 2020 and March 2021, it took an average of 49 days to hire engineers and an average of 44 days to hire IT professionals—but when it comes to contractors, that wait time gets nearly eliminated. Contract employees are a great move if you’re looking to hire quickly, as they also cut down the timeframe for the hiring process. Not only can they typically start sooner than full-time employees, they’re ready to dive right in having the expert knowledge in the role they are hired for. Contractors are a fixed cost—with no overhead costs to consider, no maintenance around training—and they are task-oriented. Remember employee turnover is expensive, but contractors are cost-effective and require less onboarding paperwork.

Step Three: Be Flexible

About 88% of knowledge workers say that when searching for a new position, they will look for one that offers complete flexibility in their hours and location.

Gone are the days of the strict 9-5. Today, flexible work schedules are king. Translation: As long as the employee gets their work done prior to their deadline, does it really matter if they start work at 7 a.m. rather than 9 a.m.? Or if they opt to contract with you Monday through Thursday so they can always take a three-day weekend?

But flexibility doesn’t only lie with the times they clock in and clock out. If a kid is sick, or an employee has to go to the doctor, they shouldn’t feel like they can’t ask for time off. The key here is simple: Clearly outline whether roles are in-office, remote, or hybrid, and what’s expected of employees. Employers that offer some level of flexibility will come out ahead.

Step Four: Evaluate Your Goals

Obviously, you want your future hires to be happy during their time with you, but this isn’t just about them. The Great Resignation has also triggered plenty of employers to reevaluate what their goals are for their employees and what a success “position” looks like during their time with the company. Are you looking for long-term hires? Contractors? Project Teams? When it comes to evaluating goals, employers need to shift their interest towards how the work gets done and not the status of the employee.

One great option is to consider contract-to-hire employees, that way you can have a trial run to make sure that it’s a good fit before making a long-term commitment. While hiring contractors provides the benefit of having employees that are not full-time it also allows the employer to assess the contractor’s skills and cultural fit before making that investment toward a full-time employee.

Step Five: Encourage Development

Encouraging development goes beyond the standard onboarding. It’s more than just compliance training, too. Schedule more frequent one-on-one reviews and performance assessments with your employees to understand what their future looks like. This also allows them to voice any concerns they may have. After all, an employee who feels more in the know is more confident with their employer.

But how else can you encourage development? Check in with employees and see if they have goals for their future with the company. Do they want to upskill and reach a certain career trajectory? Offering discounted or free education incentives could not only encourage them to grow with your business but also increase their worth. By 2030, 30-40% of all workers in developed countries will need to move into new occupations or upgrade their skill set significantly. Keep this in mind, and don’t fall short of your digital aspirations.

Another way to encourage development is by dropping the annual raise and switch to more frequent pay reviews. This helps you be more competitive when searching for talent while keeping pace with rising wages.

The Great Resignation may very well be a misnomer. Maybe it should be called the Great Aspiration—forced to make abrupt and significant changes under pressure, Americans are aiming to live the lives they want. They are reaching for what they once thought was unattainable, and they are going for what they thought was simply aspirational. For organization growing their digital/tech efforts, you may also want consider this; IT and digital skills are so in demand (more so than others), which means that these steps are even greater to address if you are aiming to grow your IT and/or digital efforts. A failure to address any of these steps and you can expect your job openings to drag on forever.

With a workforce aiming for the jobs they always dreamed of having—it’s time to ask yourself: is the job I’m offering dream-worthy? Cut the fluff, and create a great culture that includes flexibility, a strong mission, and employee development—and the answer will be a resounding yes.

Need help hiring at scale in this market? Reach out.

27Jun

Purple Squirrels: What They Are and Where to Find Them

Purple squirrels are changing the game in IT and digital innovation—but what are they, and how do you find one?

Purple squirrels: A term used by Curate Partners to describe a person with just the right mix of experience, training, skills, and passion to succeed in today’s dynamic environment. They stand out from the sea of resumes and of course they’re the most in demand talent. But the real value in bringing in quality purple squirrels? Seeing a return on investment for digital and IT projects.

Harvard Business Review got it right when they said digital transformation is less about technology and more about people. A person’s ability to adapt to a digital future depends on hiring unique individuals that can develop skills and close the gap between talent supply and demand—and in doing so, it future proofs your potential and that of others.

We’ve all heard of job applicants that stand out from the pack. They’re not just humdrum resumés with standard qualifications; their expertise practically jumps off the page. Essentially, that’s a purple squirrel, and hiring purple squirrels is key to waging in the talent war—and winning.

To us, purple squirrels are sought-after and highly valuable contributors.

“These people are caring, motivated, and represent the company with the highest integrity,” says Nathaniel White, Recruiting Manager at Curate Partners. But finding these “purple squirrels” is sort of like finding a four-leaf clover: often talked about but rarely accomplished. That’s why Curate Partners stands out.

“I coach colleagues to really get to know the people they are working with,” White continues. “To not only search for the skillset needed but the personality and drive to succeed. We look for the total package when we present to our clients and really strive to build solid relationships.”

When it comes to IT and digital innovation, purple squirrels are changing the game. “They are a perfect mix of a genuine person and a value-adding employee,” says Corina Olsen, a senior recruiting consultant at Curate.

These candidates are sincere, personable, humble, and transparent. They are top performers with quality experience, and they are adaptable and innovative in nature.

“Purple Squirrels come in all shapes and sizes; from different backgrounds, locations, and even industries,” Olsen continues. “But the one common denominator is that they will always be the best person for the job.”

These unique hires are seemingly hard to come by, but one thing to keep in mind is that you have to look deeper than what’s on a LinkedIn resumé.

“Anyone can have experience in IT, but not everyone has the pureness that is found in the purple squirrel candidates we place,” Olsen says. “I encourage my peers to really get to know the candidate and to always trust their gut. Things move fast in this industry, but if you take the human factor out of it and only focus on their career experience, you lose the true value in what sets us apart from other staffing agencies.”

At Curate, we not only find current purple squirrels, but we coach candidates and help them reach their full potential to become purple squirrels as well. Many of our candidates become close friends that stay in touch with our recruiters even after they move on to new opportunities. And how do we harness that level of care? By putting people first.

“Curate is full of people that genuinely care about me inside and out of work,” White says. “I am empowered to help the company grow and create positive change.”

Olsen agrees. For her, Curate is the one company she’s worked at where people are put above all else. “We have a family culture in our company, and that translates to treating our clients and candidates as family as well,” Olsen says. “They instill in us that each person we interact with both internally and externally is a human who deserves respect, trust, and compassion—they’re not just a number to us and never will be.”

It’s this level of drive and commitment to tracking down purple squirrels that not only empowers our employees but also motivates them. “The founders are some of the most inspiring, driven, and intelligent leaders I have had the pleasure of knowing and working with,” Olsen says. “They motivate us all to be the best we can be, both personally and professionally. This company never loses sight of what matters most, and that’s people.”

Are you a purple squirrel looking for your perfect fit? A company looking for your next unique hire? Reach out.

13Jun

How to make the Great Resignation your Hiring Opportunity

The Great Resignation of 2021 is happening, and companies are paying attention: 1 in 4 tech employees are likely to quit between August and December of 2021. While tech and knowledge workers are accustomed to the ebbs and flows of the job market, they’re also in an environment deeply changed by COVID-19. And perhaps feelings about work have changed, too: demand and workloads in tech are ever high, and so is burnout. Many employers see the Great Resignation as a threat to recruiting and retention, fearing that more movement will hurt morale and productivity.

But what if the Great Resignation were an opportunity? What if employers could embrace a more dynamic working model, access a vibrant pool of diverse candidates, and reinvigorate their hiring culture to be more agile?

We believe you can. Here’s a few steps your organization can take to take advantage of the moment, and pivot to a better way of working.

1. Embrace remote work as more than a stopgap.

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many felt that remote work would be a stopgap solution. Yet 1+ years in, combined with the continuing uncertainty of COVID-19, remote is here to stay.

Companies must embrace remote work to hire competitively and keep employees safe. Yet, remote work can also democratize access to employment and widen the talent pool that your organization can access. Now, people with the right skills can apply to your roles from anywhere, granting you a much wider pool of talented candidates that already know how to be effective in this environment. For workers, remote work also offers flexibility, a highly coveted benefit, and the freedom of upward mobility and career growth in new places.

At Curate Partners, we’ve long prioritized democratized access to technology roles and have already optimized for building an experienced remote workforce. Our consultants know how to collaborate in a remote-first environment and will deliver the results you need, no matter where they are.

2. Move fast to hire right—especially now.

Today hiring is moving faster than ever—and organizations willing to bet fast on the right candidate can reap the rewards if they move quickly. After all, the average candidate is on the market for a total of 9 days—if you take longer to hire, you’re likely to lose out on the best candidates. Further, today’s candidates often have 2-3 offers before accepting one. The top employees and consultants will have many choices— but in the era of the Great Resignation, they’re on the market; two years ago, they might not have been looking.

Hiring the right person fast is a core part of our own hiring philosophy at Curate Partners. We’re experts in helping you identify your need and fill it fast, at the right level. Early on, we saw that digital transformation and technology innovation was going to disrupt the workplace—and we adapted fast to build a hiring model accordingly. Your Purple Squirrel is out there, and we have a plan for how to get them to work for you, so you don’t miss your moment to hire opportunistically.

3. Optimize for happiness and inclusion.

The Great Resignation isn’t just about switching jobs: it’s also about re-evaluating what’s important at work. Employees want to be supported and developed; they want to be heard, for their opinions to matter. And they want to be free to be their authentic selves at work, especially now that work is more deeply a part of people’s home lives.

Younger and ethnically diverse workers are also likelier than other groups to seek greener pastures. This is a chance for organizations to pause and re-evaluate their culture—is it working for long-term employees? How about new ones? Is it inclusive, welcoming, authentic for all groups? Are you open to improving how feedback is given and received? How have you adjusted your culture recently?

Well before the Great Resignation, we’ve always believed that happy employees drive better business— and that diversity, inclusivity and cultivating a positive, feedback-driven culture is critical for employee retention and development. We strongly believe in our duty to create and foster a culture of inclusion and growth with our consultants, partner organizations, and full-time employees—because culture creates strong, long-term relationships that will weather any market conditions.

4. Try a different way to hire and retain.

You have many hiring options in the age of the Great Resignation. Even if you’re filling a full-time role, you’re not limited to a full-time hiring model. Contract and contract-to-hire working arrangements are booming, as employees seek to expand their skills and explore new professional environments.

If you already embrace flexible hiring by hiring consultants, consider extending their contracts if more work is coming. Remember that replacing someone who already understands your business will likely cost you more per hour—and may be less productive due to initial learning curves. Your consultants are part of your business today; considering the current environment, you also have an opportunity to evaluate whether they’re well compensated and happy working for you.

Our consultant and contract-to-hire working model can help you bridge the gap between contract and full-time so that you focus on the problems your organization needs to solve, while we take care of the sourcing and hiring. We’ll give you access to the people with the skill sets that you need, while also screening for the right match that thrive in your organization’s unique culture.

Embrace change to gain opportunities

Today’s employees have more leverage to choose situations that work better for them, and they’re looking for companies that fit better into their lives. For companies, it’s an opportunity to examine the way they hire, how they develop their teams, and how they approach both their hiring and retention strategies.

At Curate Partners, we understand both sides. With our help, the Purple Squirrels—those qualified, skilled, hungry professionals—will be able to find you and, perhaps, the big role of their career. And for you? The Great Resignation is your chance to transform your people strategy—and we’ll help you along the way.

23May

We are Curate Partners – your supporter, advocate, and champion at every phase of your career journey.

Thanks to the Great Resignation, job seekers are more empowered than ever to make decisions about the way they want to work. At Curate Partners, we’re paying attention—listening to what job seekers want and checking the boxes to make sure our company is meeting those marks.

We’re building a team around a new era of workplace standards, one where employees work alongside a support system full of industry veterans as well as creative and collaborative peers. Our goal is to cultivate a team where each member is valued for the unique traits that make them great, and for their contribution to our multifaceted team.

Five Reasons You Should Work at Curate Partners

1. Our company culture—we put people first!

2. We believe in diversity and inclusion.

3. You are aligned with our Cur8—our core values.

4. We care—you’ve heard of CSR, but have you heard about Curate Cares?

5. The perks—there are so many perks, like unlimited PTO.

At Curate Partners, we excel not only at staffing other companies but at staffing internally. Our company culture is unmatched, and candidates—especially in sales—love the idea of operating your day-to-day as you wish within an organization. There are no boundaries. You know what makes you a successful salesperson. And at Curate, we aren’t going to stop you from what makes you successful. As an added bonus, you’ll have the support of marketing, operations, recruiting, admin, and executive leadership.

At Curate there is open territory for your account profiles and prospecting—no bureaucracies. Sales personnel have free range on where and what verticals they want to pursue, and they implement their go-to-market strategy themselves.

After all, at Curate, we place value on deep relations rather than on metrics.

Leverage your current professional relationships how you wish. Work with clients who are building cutting-edge technologies. And best of all? Your career path is unlimited; each employee chooses their own path, whether it’s industry-driven or a specialty.

You’re not hidden behind the phones, cold calling all day. At Curate Partners, you are in the field and get to work with decision-makers, impact leaders, and even C-suite-level executives.

Besides our top-notch culture, another standout at Curate is our perks. There’s the obvious career development plan and company trips, but we also offer unlimited PTO, a hybrid work model, an annual KPI bonus plan, fitness reimbursements, a savings plan with company matching, and even what we dub “Club Curate”—where top performers and nominated employees attend an all-inclusive destination trip.

And honestly, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

So, if you think it’s time to curate your own career path, join us. We have openings in sales, agile solutions, accounting, and recruiting—and we’re excited to find more purple squirrels.

Want to stand out to us? Check out our internal job openings and apply today!

26Apr

Curate Partners named a 2022 Best Places to Work Honoree

BOSTON (April, 2022) — The Boston Business Journal has named Curate Partners to its 2022 Best Places to Work — the BBJ’s exclusive ranking of the Massachusetts companies that have built outstanding work environments for their people.

The 80 companies honored in 2022 range in size and industry, with winners from the technology sector, retail industry, health care space, commercial real estate and more.

“We are so glad to be able to celebrate this year’s Best Places to Work in person. These companies signify teamwork, retention, engagement, trust with co-workers and senior leaders. Together they create a dynamic, innovative place where people want to work and grow. “ said Carolyn Jones, Market President and Publisher of the Boston Business Journal.

The 181 businesses that met criteria for office location and size participated in employee-engagement surveys distributed by Business Journal partner Quantum Workplace. Employees were asked to rate their work environment, work-life balance, job satisfaction, advancement opportunities, management, compensation, and benefits.

Based on the results of those surveys, businesses were assigned a score out of 100 percent and ranked by Quantum. The top-rated companies are listed in five size categories — extra small (20 to 49 employees), small (50 to 99 employees), medium (100 to 249 employees), large (250 to 499 employees) and extra-large (500 or more).

The Best Places to Work celebration will be held in-person on June 16^th at the Boston Park Plaza from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. The special publication will appear in the June 17^th weekly edition of the Boston Business Journal.

The Boston Business Journal is the region’s premier business media organization, one of 45 markets owned by American City Business Journals. For marketing and sponsorship opportunities, contact the Business Journal today.

05Apr

Curate named a 2022 Fast 50 Honoree by BBJ

The Boston Business Journal has named Curate Partners to its exclusive 2022 Fast 50 list, which represent the 50 fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts.

The Fast 50 companies are selected and ranked based on revenue growth from 2018 to 2021. The numbers are crunched and analyzed by the Business Journal’s research department.

“We are so happy to be able to celebrate this year’s Fast 50 in person, bringing together the leaders, founders and professionals working at the region’s fastest-growing private companies,” said Carolyn M. Jones, market president and publisher of the Boston Business Journal.

A Fast 50 special publication is scheduled to run in the May 20 weekly edition of the Business Journal and online that week as well. A celebration to honor this year’s Fast 50 is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, May 19^th at the Long Wharf Marriot, Boston, MA where the rankings will be released.

Companies on the Fast 50 must have their headquarters in Massachusetts and must have reported revenue of at least $500,000 in 2018 and $1 million in 2021 were considered.

For the complete list of 2022 Fast 50 companies: https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2022/03/22/bbj-releases-this-year-s-list-of-fast-50-honorees.htmland event details: https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/event.

13Mar

5 Things to Consider When Hiring Contractors

Your company is expanding. Business is good, and you need more people on staff to help with the demand. That’s great news! So, you’re looking to hire new employees—and during the Great Resignation, no less.

But are full-time hires the way to go?

According to the Wall Street Journal, people are quitting full-time jobs. While contract work was once seen as a “layover” for executives angling toward retirement or a first step for those looking to re-enter the workforce after time away, the tides have changed. Consulting and contract work are becoming the more attractive option—for both new hires and employers—in today’s job market.

One in five (20%) of contractors cite schedule flexibility as a reason for choosing temporary/contract work—and that need for flexibility is one of the elements that caused such a seismic shift in employment over the past few years.

For new hires, the perks are obvious: flexible hours, more control, and more money. But for companies both large and small, hiring contractors provides its own set of perks. Here are five things to consider when hiring contractors.

Try before you buy.

Hiring employees as contract-to-hire is great for companies that are set on full-time hires, and it allows the company and employee to get a feel for each other before the role becomes permanent. Both the candidate and the company can see if the position is a right fit in terms of skillset, environment, flexibility structure, performance, and so on.

Work with subject-matter experts.

One big advantage to hiring contractors that few talk about: They’re known to be subject-matter experts. They’ve quickly spread their wings and worked with various employers and projects—so they not only know the field, but they know how produce quality work within your budget and on time. They have worked for many industries as they build out those cutting-edge technologies, therefore can bring a multitude of experiences and fresh points of view into clients’ digital transformation plans.

Highly technical contractors are looking for the flexibility that contract work allows, so you’ll be able to take advantage of a vast talent pool and stay competitive. Additionally, these contract workers often need minimal training to be productive, and because they are solely there to deliver their expertise to the company’s transformation goals, you’re able to avoid any need for them to attend admin or HR-related meetings.

It’s Cost-Effective.

As an employer, you’re always looking for innovative ways to cut costs, and hiring a contractor is cost-effective. You won’t have to think about costly overhead such as offering health benefits, unemployment compensation, social security taxes, or medicare taxes. Plus contractors are able to onboard quickly and kick start their projects with minimal management – that means faster product/service delivery and no time or money wasted on month long hiring processes. Basically, for the employer, it’s low risk and high reward.

Cut your hiring timeline in half.

A big time-suck for a lot of companies is the onboarding process for new employees. They have to be trained, brought up to date with projects, and then some. At Curate Partners, we take care of the onboarding, so your contract employees can hit the ground running.

The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that the average time to fill (the time it takes to make a hire after a position opens) is at 42 days across all industries, yet the best candidate is off the market in 10 days. You can cut your hiring time by more than half if you set your sights on contractors instead—and hire a company like Curate to handle the heavy lifting.

Open up the talent pool even more.

Choosing to go down the contractor route opens up the candidate pool to ALL workers, even non-US citizens who are here on a work visa or who need sponsorship. We can make that happen. Otherwise, employment and citizenship status can drag out the hiring process for an employer and be costly.

Common Objections to Hiring Contractors.

Objection: I want someone that won’t leave this role and is looking to develop in their career.
Reply: Contracting is a great way to develop a career, and those who seek out contractor roles know that. You can also consider offering contract-to-hire if you feel that your contractor is a good long-term fit. You can’t prevent someone from leaving a role, but you can provide an environment that compels workers to stay—offering a supportive work environment, fair compensation, and the ability for job growth are all great ways to retain your employees.

Objection: What if at the end of their contract they don’t like us, but we like them—training, time, and energy will be wasted.
Reply: You always risk that someone won’t be the right fit for your company whether they are a full-time employee or contractor.

We get it: There’s a level of uncertainty in hiring a contractor. But with the right staffing partner, that uncertainty all but disappears. When you open up opportunities to contract-to-hire and contract employees, you allow your talent pool to increase and the likelihood of finding a candidate becomes much higher—especially with niche jobs or skillsets. You go from filling a vacancy to filling a need.

Around three million temporary and contract employees work for staffing companies in the U.S. during an average week, and during the course of a year, staffing companies hire 16 million temporary and contract employees. Those numbers are hard to ignore—and they add a lot more prospects to your talent pool.

Looking to hire a contractor, but not sure where to start? Reach out.

03Jan

Why your Hires “Ghost” and How to Stop it.

We’ve all experienced it: you’re talking with someone, there’s a connection… and then they disappear.

Ghosting is when someone abruptly stops engaging in dialogue, especially during an important process. While the term originates from online dating, it’s also become a hiring problem. Employers used to be more guilty of ghosting when they’d fail to follow up during the interview process; but today, the Great Resignation gives job candidates more leverage— and some can afford not to show up, or even bail in the middle of it.

As hiring has become more automated, ghosting has increased. But why is that problematic? Ghosting creates poor communication and inefficiencies; it’s impolite and unprofessional; and it fundamentally lacks empathy for the other party, cutting off any dialogue or feedback. With ghosting, a human element disappears—further promoting future unprofessional behavior.

However, certain hiring behaviors can make candidates more likely to ghost: automated hiring, a lack of accountability, and poor (or missing) feedback. But there’s lots you can do to build trust along the way and avoid ghosting altogether.

Let’s review how to create a process that helps you hire the right people, ghost-free.

A human touch is an advantage in the automation age

Companies have automated many parts of the hiring process, but those very processes can work against you. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) and other AI-driven tools save time and optimize for information management but may reject viable candidates by missing important nuances that a human wouldn’t ignore. A recent Harvard Business School study found that automatic rejection of people with gaps in their employment history are a prime example: when the candidate does not have the opportunity to explain that gap—whether it’s a pregnancy, job searching, building their business—everyone loses.

Other common processes, like automated status and rejection emails, are also becoming outdated. Candidates receive automated emails outside of working hours—and a 3 am “next steps” email signals that no one has really read their application.

These seemingly small process missteps contribute to an enormous perception problem: a lack of empathy from their would-be employer. “If I’m just a cog in an automated system,” candidates think, “it won’t even matter if I stop responding. There’s always another company out there.”

Solve for human-centered hiring

Curate Partners hires humans. We form a personal relationship with every candidate to identify potential and opportunities that AI can’t. All of our recruiters are trained to get on the phone and form genuine relationships with candidates. This allows us to speak with hiring managers about why this candidate might be the right person for their job, even if their resume isn’t keyword-perfect.

Our hiring approach prioritizes robust relationship-building so that both parties keep talking. Both know that we’re on their side to make the right match; both are engaged, vital participants in the process. And when we treat applicants like people, we build relationships on behalf of your company—growing your employer brand perception.

Hiring may be virtual, but accountability shouldn’t be

Accountability can fall second in peak times, especially in virtual hiring. When hiring managers and interviewers aren’t physically in the office to conduct a conversation with a candidate, it’s easy to forget to follow up with someone they’ve only seen on a screen. And likewise, virtual hiring lowers the stakes for candidates. Why take the time to send a thank-you email when they can get another interview tomorrow?

Ghosting happens when people don’t feel like they’re talking to real people on the other side: when neither party feels accountable nor feels like they owe their time.

Keep everyone accountable

Accountability is more important than ever. Being accountable to everyone in the hiring process is the very core of our business— and we drive accountability from our partners and consultants, always.

But what does that mean? For you, that means that the candidates we work with care about accountability as much as we do. And for us, it means being deeply invested in the success of everyone we work with. Accountability means driving that success through open, clear, and consistent communication at all stages of the process.

When you work with Curate Partners—whether you’re a company or a consultant— you’re always working with a real person who looks out for your interests. Recruiters are embedded from the requisition to the post-hire stage, acting as the agent of both parties, and facilitating feedback and dialogue even after placement.

No feedback? No communication.

When you last applied or interviewed for a job, did you expect to get actionable feedback, regardless of how you did or whether you were selected for the next step?

When candidates don’t receive feedback, nothing stops them from backing out of the process. And they won’t give feedback, either. Employers may lose good candidates this way. They also lose the opportunity to understand how the experience resonated with that candidate, and any insight about what went wrong, or how your process could be improved.

First, clarify the process

We explain the process upfront, so there’s no question about how many interviews a candidate will attend, what the hiring managers are looking for, who is hiring, and how long the decision will take. This removes many of the immediate communication barriers. We also work with candidates to understand how many opportunities they have or are exploring, so we can accelerate the process quickly when you find the right match.

Feedback doesn’t stop at hiring

At Curate Partners, all applicants get feedback regardless of their interview performance. And if our candidate doesn’t make the cut this time, we’ll let them know and offer constructive feedback about where they could improve. That’s because we aren’t focusing on just one opportunity: we’re building long-term relationships and partnerships.

Nor does our feedback stop after the hire. We want each candidate to be thrilled to start a new job, to build excitement for their first day, to make it hard for them not to show up, and easy to be engaged!

We’ve found that building relationships like these helps our candidates give their best not just for their interview, but during their entire tenure with you.

Ghosting isn’t random, but you’re empowered to fix it

Most candidates don’t disappear without a reason: ghosting is a symptom of the perfect maelstrom of a hot labor market, an impersonal hiring process, and communication breakdowns. It hurts everyone and results in lost time, money, energy, and professionalism.

You can prevent ghosting with better accountability and communication, by working with a trusted intermediary that excels at both. It’s our job to create, nurture, and sustain the human connection that’s the glue of human-centered hiring. That’s what we do at Curate Partners: we build connections between people and companies, today and tomorrow, so your top candidates become your top employees and remain proud to work for you for years to come.

12Aug

SIA’s Best Staffing Firm to Work For Grand Prize Winner

SIA Awards Recognize Outstanding Employers in the Industry

Curate Partners has been named as a Grand Prize Winner, Best Staffing Company to Work For 2020. The Best Staffing Firms to Work For awards are given annually by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions, and recognize employers for their top performance in engaging their employees and creating a workplace conducive to talent development, enjoyment, collaboration and productivity. The winners were recognized at SIA’s 29th annual Executive Forum North America, held March 18th virtually in place of the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach, FL event.

The winners represent companies who scored in the top quartile in each of the categories and the Grand Prize Winners reflect the organizations scoring highest in their category. The Best Staffing Firms to Work For 2020 awards are sponsored by Sense.

Curate Partners was founded on a people-first mentality. It was built to emphasize culture over revenue growth, because the improving your company moral will in turn lead to the growth. With our company, that’s exactly the path we’ve taken. We hire on character and potential, therefore every employee at Curate Partners is brought on board knowing we’ve invested in them and will continue to invest in their future. The executive team practices what they preach so there is never any stress, guilt, fear or worry passed on to their employees, which creates an environment where all that’s left to do it work hard, laugh a lot and gain knowledge every day. Our mentorship program is world class, employees are able to work one-on-one with industry veterans, explore new outlets for development and even collaborate interdepartmentally to learn multiple facets of the business and industry. Curate has an unlimited vacation policy, not to appeal to millennials, but to encourage and support family time, reset time and travel.

The Cur8, Curate’s core values that were established on day one:

People first.

Never compromise, ever.

Conviction sells itself.

Find your passion. We found ours.

Life is hard. Make business easy.

Learn, earn and return.

Laugh as hard as you work.

To whom much is given, much is expected.

Over 250 firms sought participation in the program this year, which was conducted by SIA in conjunction with Quantum Workplace, an Omaha, NE-based company. Internal employees at each firm were asked to complete an online survey that measured key engagement categories, focusing on items including teamwork, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, manager effectiveness, compensation and benefits.

In order to gather statistically sound results, participating companies must have reached a minimum level of employee participation, based on their total number of employees. Companies were ranked in each category according to their overall score. Winners were chosen based entirely on the survey results.

12Aug

Purple Squirrel Promotions

We are proud to congratulate this amazing group of people. Throughout their journey, they have proven to be invaluable contributors to Curates’ success in more ways than one. Each of them embody our core values, take pride in their work, are always willing to go the extra mile for their teammates/customers and have achieved so much already during their time with us. For these reasons and more they have earned themselves a well deserved promotion!

Taylor Shea

Promoted to: Senior Account Executive

Since the day Taylor started, her passion to provide her customers with superb quality has been unmatched. She takes great pride in her work and it has consistently shown in her performance throughout the years. When Taylor gets her mindset on achieving something, watch out! It’s fun to see her drive and persistence pay off in so many ways.

She is the ultimate teammate and would do anything for her Curate Team. Her unselfish nature, loyalty, and willingness to help others succeed are just a few of the traits we love about Taylor. We are extremely fortunate to have someone as dedicated as Taylor as a key member of the Curate Family.

Nancy Fuccillo

Promoted to: Senior Operating Manager

Nancy has been with the company from the start. She has been instrumental in building a best in class, operations function for Curate. She consistently goes above and beyond in her quest to ensure our consultants, clients, and sales and recruiting teams are getting the support they require and deserve.

During her time at Curate, Nancy has become an exemplary leader of a very important function at Curate. She is organized, smart, and you can always rely on her. Our organization is lucky to have someone as diligent and sharp as she is! Thank you for an amazing journey, Nancy, we are looking forward to seeing what’s in store for the future.

Johnny Cail

Promoted to: Senior Recruiting Consultant

He’s the car guy, right? Yes, Johnny loves cars and has taught us all about German craftsmanship. That is who he is? Or is it? Johnny is so much more. Not only is he the most tenured Recruiter at the company, but he is also the one that always goes the extra mile for his candidates. Whether that’s prepping them until all hours of the night for a big interview, helping them move into new accommodations when they’ve moved from out of state, or just being a friend to them when they need someone to talk to.

Johnny bleeds purple. He is always willing to roll up his sleeves, help out new people starting, and always putting others before himself. He goes above and beyond to make sure that everybody has the best experience and we love him for it. Nobody deserves the success he’s earned more.

Cathy Panah

Promoted to: Senior Account Executive

Cathy embraces every situation with the most positive attitude and handles the most difficult issues with sophistication and grace. Her customers trust and respect her, as does the entire Curate Team. She is always working tirelessly to support the demands of her customers and is very skilled at offering creative solutions to complex situations.

Cathy has created many wonderful relationships amongst our team and is truly a joy to work with each day. She is the constant “breath of fresh air,” boosting our team’s morale. Cathy has an infectious enthusiasm and always makes coming to work more fun.

Jess Rousseau

Promoted to: Senior Marketing Manager

Jess has been instrumental in the evolution of Curate Partners’ journey. Her guiding voice has led the transformation of many of our digital assets, DE&I, and marketing programs. Jess wears so many hats for our Curate team and is always so willing to embrace any challenge.

Jess is a true champion of our Curate Brand and always representing our company with honesty, integrity, and trust. In addition, her confident and direct approach has earned her the admiration of our entire team. Thank you, Jess, for all that you do! We are very excited about creating the next chapters in our story together.

Corina Olsen

Promoted to: Senior Recruiting Consultant

Corina has been making placements since her first week at Curate Partners. Her ability to develop impactful relationships is unparalleled; her genuineness shines through on every phone call and every meeting. Couple that with her work ethic and there is nothing that can stop her. She is the lifeblood of the recruiting team.

Corina’s personality and good humor is infectious within the Curate team. She is calm and patience yet driven and honest when it comes to the tasks at hand. We are so proud of the strides she has made since starting (they have been exponential) and feel so lucky to have her as a big part of this team, we can’t wait to see what the future holds.

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