Sharknado, Miley, Paris, & Search Solution Group Celebrate Halloween

As the week winds up towards Halloween, Search Solution Group is getting ready to compete in an epic costume contest! Last weekend was a crazy weekend in Uptown Charlotte with some insanely creative costumes abounding. One brilliant costume was Sharknado, a made for TV SyFy movie about a water tornado that lifts sharks out of the water and deposits them on the unsuspecting inhabitants of LA.  Inhabitants like Paris Hilton who was dressed up this year like Miley Cyrus.

 

Possibly Paris?

It’s hard to tell, but we’re pretty sure that Paris Hilton really dressed up like Sharknado this year in NoDa, Charlotte. Pretty sure.

Search Solution Group works so hard that we feel as equally obligated to play just as hard. We love having fun and Halloween is the perfect excuse to do just that! We love celebrating and some could say that we go all out. This year, Search Solution Group‘s theme is “TV Show Characters from the past decade. It’s a tough one, and there are sure to be some of the most creative costumes this year. You can help pick a winner this year by going to our Facebook page on Thursday and voting for whoever you think should win!

As an executive recruiting firm full of young and talented recruiters, Search Solution Group finds itself relating to a lot of what is going on around the world. With North Carolina still high up in the percentages of unemployment ( as of september 20th, it was at 8.7% of the labor force being unemployed), our recruiters are working hard to get you back to work. A lot of finding the right candidates is by searching through resumes and applicants, but most often, the most successful placements are through making a personal connection to the job poster or the employer.

Connect with Search Solution Group on LinkedIn to have an insider’s advantage to the job application process. Join networking groups in your local communities and find yourself at as many of their events as you can handle. Being proactive and politely aggressive during your job search is going to worlds of wonder for you.

Now be sure to connect with us on LinkedIn, Check out our photos on Facebook on Thursday, and give us a shout! We are the most approachable recruiters out there and we would love to hear from you!

 

 

 

 

Wield LinkedIn As a Job Seeking Weapon!

So the government shutdown has ended (for now) and the debt ceiling has been extended (hooray). It only took three weeks of jabber and people not making money. Social Media is now the norm for spreading ideas and news during the government shutdown and it got us thinking about how social media is changing the way recruiters do business. There are so many resources for finding new candidates that recruiters of the past didn’t have access to that are huge tools to todays recruiters.

Now how can social media be useful to YOU when you are applying for jobs and trying to get in touch with recruiters?

So you’ve applied for the position that you’re interested in online, but you want to do more than just sit around and wait for a recruiter to call you. Now is the time to leverage the power of social media by using LinkedIn.

1. Jobs that are being filled by Search Solution Group will be advertised as such. Most often recruiters do not give the name of the company the position is with for confidentiality reasons. Once you have applied for the job through Search Solution Group, take the next step by connecting with the company and recruiters on Social Media
2. Start out by introducing yourself to the recruiter and stating that you have applied online and are following up in order to state your interest in the position. Be sure to say specifically which position it is, how you match the job requirements, and how you are the top candidate for this role. Thank them for their time and that you look forward to working with them.
3. Reaching out through social media is never a bad thing. Worst case scenario, you aren’t a good fit for the job and they pass. Best case scenario, you have the experience and qualities the recruiter is looking for and you become a candidate! If a recruiter has you as a candidate for one position but the hiring manager moves on to another candidate, that original recruiter will keep you in mind for future positions.

Being proactive about your job search is the top way to ensure that your career path is smooth and easy. Don’t let fear or doubt get in your way. Employers love a go-getter and if you have this attitude, you’ll be sitting behind a brand new desk in no time!

Be sure to Connect with Search Solution Group on LinkedIn, Like us on Facebook, and Follow us on Twitter!

Do You Have Career Passion?

One thing is for sure, the executive recruiters at Search Solution Group are passionate about their work! Our ideal situation is when we find the perfect candidate for a client and everyone lives happily ever after! Being in the business of humans, it is hard to accommodate everyone to make them happy, but by having a goal and a passion for our work, nothing gets us down.

Being passionate about your own success and the accomplishments of your company gives you a distinct advantage in your career. Passion shows in your work and if you decide to look for a new job, recruiters will see it both in your past work and your positive outlook for the future.

So what do you do if you are not a natural-born passionate worker?

• The first step in aligning your career passion is looking deep into your soul and figuring out exactly what it is that makes you tick, what you define as success, and what you love doing both at work and in your free time. Write everything down and look for patterns in your answers. This should tell you what you are already passionate about.
• Now that you have an idea of your passions, use this new insight to direct your goals. Brainstorm careers where you can utilize your passion. If you are already in your dream job, use your newly found passion insights to bring new elements to your daily efforts at work.
• It’s time to start taking steps towards your new career with gusto! It would be pointless to think of  your passions and where you want them to take you, and then not take steps toward your goals. So first things first, start networking within groups that you admire or want to have membership. The next step of course is to re-do your resume to fit your new passion.
• Call the recruiters at Search Solution Group! We understand career passion and absolutely love it when we find someone just as motivated for success as we are. We can help you with your goals and every step on your journey to a new career!

Be sure to Like us on Facebook, Connect on LinkedIn, and Follow us on Twitter!

Cover Letter Conundrum

Hate to break this to you, but your cover letter stinks. It’s not your eloquence, or your experience, it’s the whole idea of a cover letter to begin with. Recruiters and hiring managers see thousands of resumes and do not have the time to read your page long description of your hopes and dreams. This is a tough lesson to learn, but it’s an important one: KEEP IT SIMPLE!

Today recruiters and hiring managers use resume and cover letter screening tools in addition to reading them. What these tools do is look for keywords in your resume to match up with what they are searching for. Only some screening tools read cover letters and 80% of recruiters and hiring managers skip to resumes without bothering with cover letters.

However, do not skip the cover letter. Some recruiters and hiring managers won’t look at a resumé if it doesn’t have a cover letter. It’s a tricky beast to tame, but you can do it if you follow these expert cover letter writing tips!

• Salutation: Skip the whole ‘Dear Sir or Madam’ BS. What that salutation shows is that you were too lazy to find out the hiring manager’s name. If you need to, call the company and ask for a name. If you can’t be bothered, or you can’t find it out, skip it all together and get to the point.
• Short & Sweet: Plan on having saying everything you have to say in one paragraph. Like we said, recruiters have zero time so make it easier for them.
•  Name it: Make sure you mention the name of the company in the first sentences of your letter and why you want to work there. Keep it truthful and sincere because recruiters and hiring managers are like sincerity bloodhounds and will sniff out a lie in a flash.
• Mobile Friendly: The fantastic recruiters at Search Solution Group do work even after hours and outside of the office. Making your cover letter mobile friendly ( meaning short and neatly organized) gives your cover letter a higher chance of actually being read. No one wants to have to zoom in and scroll to read anything, much less a cover letter.
• Typos:  Read your cover letter and resumé a million times before hitting send. If you have terrible grammar and a sordid past with typos, have someone trustworthy read it for you.
• Be Eye-Catching: After a cover letter has been deemed worthy by a screening tool, the recruiter still wants to be convinced why yours is the one to pick. Being straightforward and sincere are good like we said, but taking it a step further and asking a good intelligent question is another way to get a recruiter to call you. However, as much as you want to ask,  it can’t be a question like, ‘how much travel is there?’ or ‘what’s the pay?’.
• Refer To Your Resume: By making a quick reference to your resume in on of your few sentences of your cover letter, it makes the recruiter subconsciously look at your resumé which brings you a step closer to being called!
• Sign Your Name: If this is a paper cover letter, you better sign it at the bottom. If it is an online cover letter, type your name. It’s simple, but a surprising amount of people forget to put their name on the letter.

Typos.. grrrrr.

Once you get far enough to become a candidate for a job with our recruiters at Search Solution Group, you will get even more advice for your resumé and how to present yourself best on paper. We know that you have Top Talent and our recruiters will make you even better!

Connect with us on LinkedIn, Like us on Facebook, and Follow us on Twitter!

Why You Aren’t Successful (And Never Will Be)

Whoa whoa, calm down!  We were just kidding.. sort of. The whole ‘You won’t be successful thing’ is actually contingent on whether or not you follow these pieces of advice that are often disregarded, but are straight from the Search Solution Group recruiters and are not to be ignored.

On your road to success, you’ll get advice from your mother, your sister, your neighbor, and anyone who has a mouth and a brain. People love to give advice (and not all of it’s good), but here are 10 pieces of career adviceyou should actually follow!

1. Read Everything You Can Find: Not only does reading give your grey matter a good work out, reading is the easiest and most fruitful way to gather new ideas and relevant career advice ( like this blog)!  Reading autobiographies of successful people is a good place to start and can seriously elevate your success by giving you inspiration and new ideas.
2. Get Organized: No one is going to want to work with you if you are disorganized. Getting yourself into the habit of writing lists and organizing those lists based on priority is the first place to start. You list style can be  based on color coding, actual coding, a smart phone App, or a million sticky notes. Finding a system to keep you organized will show in your work and home life.
3. Find A GOOD Mentor: In order to be successful, you never ever EVER want to work for someone who is not going to encourage you to be the best. Finding good mentors that won’t let you fail are important to find. If you aren’t getting that type of mentor at work, look towards professional and social groups. It’s a matter of finding someone who you respect that would be proud of your successes and pick you up when you fail. A good place to start in your mentor search is within LinkedIn groups specific to your industry.
4. Prove Your Worth:  In order to be successful you need to be able to show that you aren’t afraid of doing anything to get results. You need to make yourself DO something instead of just talking about your dreams all day. Look at all the movers and shakers of the world.  Gary Veynerchuck took his father’s liquor store and turned it into a successful online wine store by thinking out of the box and actually DOING it!   You can’t be too afraid to fail and not take risks because taking risks often pay off the most.
5. Don’t Burn Bridges: Keep every solid contact that you have ever made. Burning bridges when leaving a job or not working with a company can be detrimental to your future success. You never know when you may need advice or help from a person, so the best advice is to always be professionally cordial  to everyone you ever work with ( or don’t work with).
6. Follow Up: Making initial contact with a company you’re interested in, or a group you would love to talk with might seem hard, but it’s actually the easiest part of contacting a person. You’ve introduced yourself and given your pitch, but now is not the time to sit idly by. Follow up! Email them and call them and make them see why it is beneficial to them to work with you. You may get shot down, but it’s better to try then to wonder what could have been.
7.  Ask For Help: If you have a problem and need help, just ask for it! The most successful people have failed in their lifetimes and had to ask for help. Don’t let your pride get in your way.
8. Get Some Sleep: The Human brain needs sleep. No one really knows why the body snoozes for a portion of each day, but science shows that without sleep, illness follows. Achieving a good sleep schedule will do wonders for you during the day.
9. Work/Life Balance: There comes a time when a little bit of relaxation is necessary to your success. Just make sure that you aren’t going out drinking every night. That won’t leave you with a fresh mind in the morning.
10. Look to Other People’s Needs: Be a problem solver for others and you will become wildly successful. Henry Ford needed to solve a supply and demand problem for his cars so he invented the assembly line making him wildly successful and a household name for the past 100 years.

Just remember this quote attributed to Karen Lamb, “A year ago you may wish you had started today”, and get out there and do something today to  make yourself successful!

Be sure to Like Search Solution Group on Facebook, Connect on LinkedIn, and Follow on Twitter!

The State Of Our Nation’s Jobs

As the indecision war wages between the government parties focused on pointing fingers and waving away blame, hard-working people are losing money, and some are losing their jobs.

As thousands of US citizens are deemed ‘nonessential’ to the function of their company and agencies, unemployment rates are skyrocketing. Not only are government employees in D.C. feeling the effects of the shutdown, people here in North Carolina are feeling the icy sting of unemployment.  And it’s not just government employees either. Companies that rely on government contract jobs, have been letting their employees go right and left. Even if both factions of the U.S. government settle a budget, it’s doubtful that government contracts will be awards frequently anymore.

The U.S. has been in an economic crisis officially since December 2007 and for some strange reason people are just starting to become aware of the recession. This is just a warning, but it would be in your best interest to update your resume, check your references, re-evaluate the security of your career, and contact the recruiters at Search Solution Group before it’s too late!

If you feel as though you may be laid off, planning and preparing before hand will give you a plan of action. If unemployed, having goals will help to keep you focused on becoming employed again. If unemployed, take time to get in touch with a recruiter. You never know if there is a position you’d be perfect for unless you search!

Additionally, now that you have the time, learn something, read something, or go some place new. You don’t have to spend money to do any of these. Library books, networking events, and blogging sites are free. There are plenty of things you can do to stay positive and keep growing each day.

If you are looking for a job, please take a look at the jobs posted on our website. Our recruiters are constantly looking for the perfect candidate to fill our positions, and it could be you we’re looking for!

Follow this link to find our open positions:  http://ssgresume.com/index.php/top-talent-candidates/search-all-positions-in-finance-hr-executive.html

 

Connect with us on LinkedIn, Like us on Facebook, and Follow us on Twitter.

Finding The Best Executive Recruiters

When starting your job search ( or if a recruiter calls you because you are a top candidate) the best type of recruiting or search firm to work with are a team of recruiting  specialists looking to work with specialists in their industries. For example, our recruiters at Search Solution Group specialize in placing people in these industries: Manufacturing, Retail Management, Distribution, Restaurant Management, Logistics, Energy, Health Care, Consumer Product Goods, and Hospitality. Within these industries are thousands of specialities ( like Finance or Human Resources) that we’ve placed. There are to be exact, a bajillion recruiters in the world, yet only some have connections, expertise,  and recruiters who are passionate for their jobs like our recruiters at Search Solution Group. 

Search Solution Group Super Recruiters

When looking for a great recruiter, take these qualities into account: 

Do They Know Your Industry? 

Say you are a Mechanical Engineer looking to find a new position, it would be important for you to work with a Recruiter who knows the industry and has connections and relationships with engineering firms  that employ Mechanical Engineers. For example, Search Solution Group has recruiters who have very strong connections with local, national, and international engineering firms and maintain those connections even when there is no job for them to fill because they know one day soon there might be one open.

Do They Communicate?

You want a recruiter who is always open to talk with you, give you advice, and listen to your concerns. Top recruiters have very  demanding schedules, but the important quality to have in a Recruiter, is responsiveness. If a recruiter doesn’t return your phone calls, emails, or hides behind a bush when they see you, its time to find yourself working with  Search Solution Group. If there is one thing that our recruiters are excellent at, it is responsiveness. Our recruiters are not afraid to pick up the phone and call you. Following through with a candidate is so imperative that you want to make sure you partner with a recruiter who will value your time.

Is This a Long-Term Relationship? 

The majority of recruiters will collect a large number of OK candidates for a position, and then drop them once they’ve made a placement. The recruiters at Search Solution Group look for a limited number of phenomenal candidates and makes sure to partner with those candidates in the future, whether it means working with you in your new Human Resources position, or staying in contact with you in order to find you the perfect position in the future. You want to work with a recruiter who cares about your success as much as they care about their success.

 

The recruiters at Search Solution Group are a team of dedicated, passionate, and caring people. We do everything to bring success to our clients and candidates. If you are looking to make a career change, contact us, find new job postings, and submit a resume through our website HERE and HERE!

6 Interview Killing Mistakes

Lets face it, at some point in your life you were just a little bit imperfect. We at Search Solution Group have never experienced an ounce of imperfection, but we hear it’s a common occurrence for other folk. One of those awkward or imperfect moments was most likely career search or interview related. While there are some people who seem to be natural-born interviewers who can land a job like nothing, it actually is a combination of Practice, Conscious Effort, and Experience that give these people immense power to land any job.

From the mouths of top Recruiters at Search Solution Group, here are 6 ways to kill any chance of acing an interview:

• A Terrible Personality: It should go without saying that you want to be perceived as a team player, a people enthusiast, and someone who won’t drag down the environment of the office. Being outgoing and personable during your interview goes a long way towards success. No matter how skillful or intelligent you are, a recruiter has a really hard time approving of a candidate who is lacking in the personality department.
• Focusing on Your Needs: When you go in for an initial interview, your main goal should be to make a good impression, find out more about the position, and decide whether or not you think you’d be a good fit with the company. While you may be thinking about the salary and benefits, DON’T ask about it. When a candidate is initially interviewing, the recruiter wants to see interest in the position and not perks of the job. Wait until further interviews when the recruiter or interviewer brings up compensation.
• Um, Like, You Know! : These words are fillers and they make you sound dumb in an interview. If you need time to think of a response to an answer, do just that! Don’t open your mouth to answer until you have a complete answer. This will avoid those filler words and your interviewers won’t mind the pause. In fact, showing that you carefully formulate answers will be a good sign of intelligence
• Dressing Like a Slob: It doesn’t matter if you are interviewing to be a Barrista or the Creative Director at Starbucks, always dress nicer than you think is necessary. It is better to look professional than run the risk of being judged on your low appearance. If your shirt wrinkles easily just from wearing it, it probably isn’t the best thing to wear to an interview. Gentlemen, wear a nice tie and a suit jacket, shave your face, and shine your shoes. Ladies, wear a nice and simple suit either of the pant or skirt variety, wear minimal makeup/perfume, and wear shoes with a reasonable heel.
• Disorganization: When asked about specifics on your resumé, and you can’t answer the question, that is a HUGE red flag to recruiters. Why would we take you seriously as a candidate if you can’t explain your past experiences. Additionally, when dates and positions with past companies don’t match up, you are either labeled as sketchy or sloppy.
• Unprofessionalism: First and foremost, not being early to an interview is being late. Additionally, when you have terrible eye-contact or a weak handshake, you didn’t  bring multiple copies of your resumé, all label you as a lame candidate and can potentially devastatingly kill your chances at landing that job. However, luckily for you, all it takes is some practice and conscious effort to not make these mistakes.

As a candidate, our recruiters at Search Solution Group work to make your interview process as smooth as possible. We act like a coach with our candidates and are looking for a huge win for you!

The Worst Job in America

For the last two years I have been receiving calls from a sales rep for the Charlotte Bobcats. Every time she calls I remind her that she has the worst job in America. I think she finds it amusing but I’m telling her this because it’s the truth. She is trying to sell me tickets to the Bobcats…who wants tickets to the Bobcats? Come on. This product she is selling is broken, it does not work, there is not interest in the product locally or Nationally! “Hi this is Jenn calling on behalf of the worst basketball team that ever existed can I interest you in some tickets?”

Imagine the great Steve Jobs selling iPods that didn’t work. His sales pitch would have went something like “This is going to be a great product right now you can buy it and in a few years you can play music from it, eventually it will work and get better I promise.” That’s the biggest joke ever, that is what every sales person who works for the Charlotte Bobcats has faced everyday for the past few years and will face for the near future. As I wake up in California this morning staring out my hotel window, I can’t imagine how low morale must be over there.

Here is my PLEDGE…I will interview any SALES person who works for the Bobcats. I want nothing more than to hire a sales rep from the Bobcats. Even better if you play on the team, I’ll interview you and consider hiring you. In fact any HR, accountant or professional staff who can’t take it anymore call us. We will do anything we can to find you a better job with a winning company. 704-332-8702

You think your employer treats you good? 21 reason why we’re the best!

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of day to day life we miss things. Rumor has it that one year my Dad forgot his Anniversary with my Mom. Now I am pretty confident my Dad will deny this with a smile on his face but my point is that we forget about things from time to time. I forgot that this is the 10TH Anniversary of Search Solution Group. That means that we have beat all the statistics out there about new businesses failing.

I tell my teammates all the time that without bad employees and failed business we would struggle. Search Solution Group was started shortly after 9/11 when a ton of businesses were laying people off, but I personally was not left with a lot of options so I gave it a shot. I will forever be thankful to my parents, my friends who let me use their Monster accounts, friends who hired from me and gave me my first placements and a friend who helped me come up with my business name and everything else that comes along with starting a new business. I was not to proud then nor am I today to ask for help and tell people that I just don’t know what to do. Which leads me to the next phase of Search Solution Group……What to do next??

We have started the process of being better. For me at this time it means why you should work with Search Solution Group and be a part of our team. So here goes my list for 2012 that we are offering to our current employees and future employees that make us better than your employer.

 1. Dog friendly environment. Yes we have water bowls and dog hair on the floor. If you leave food on your desk watch out..ha

2. Flex hours, especially when the sun stays out later.

3. Free lunches 5 days a week

4. Improving benefits

5. A soon to be announced awesome 401K plan

6. Free water, energy drinks, flavored water (my favorite), and POP (I am from NY)

7. FREE snacks and candy galore!!!

8. Free car wash

9. Lots of coffee and espresso shots

10. The best commission structure

11. A base salary because we want you to be happy and secure

12. As much vacation time as you need within reason also known as the “Stella Vacation Policy” SVP (just email her and ask stella@ssgresume.com)

13. An annual SSG week long beach vacation. This is fun!!

14. I will also accompany you to 1 emergency room visit per year and make you smile

15. Free parking

16. We have a couch and have NAP TIMES

17. Ice cream cake birthday celebrations

18. Lots of sarcasm

19. Finally NO ONE will yell at you

20. Entrepreneurial cnvironment in which you can be creative and generate as much money as you want.

21. Happy hour fridays which can be drinks, golfing, food or whatever makes you happy

 We are always looking for hard working talent to join our Search Solution Group Family!