Whether you are currently employed or seeking a new opportunity, how will you know if it’s the right job for you? There are many reasons people continue to stay in the same position for years, for better or worse. Here are a few discussion points that might help you decide you are in the right place or decide to move on.

Does the organization have the same goals and desires you are seeking? Individual, team and organizational goals should be cross aligned, ensuring connection and contribution to the overall higher goals. The business should also support these goals and help you achieve them the best way they can.

Is this a position where you can make an immediate impact? The organization should be able to create an atmosphere where you can feel comfortable enough to initiate new ideas and show individuality while also listening to your team and learning from leadership.

Do you always feel like you are in survival mode? Does every day going into work feel like a battle, or do you dread going in? We mostly all have had those thoughts/feelings in specific jobs, and there is a reason you aren’t there anymore. So why waste more time in a dead-end job?

Suppose a job is not fulfilling your needs personally and professionally. In that case, it might be time to accept a position within an organization that will and take the next step in your career. Only you can make that decision!

JSpire Recruiting celebrates Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month as Janice Shisler, Chief Executive Officer, is proud to represent the community as a Hispanic Executive and Entrepreneurial Leader within the financial services recruitment industry.

Hispanic Heritage Week was initially started by Congress in 1968 and was lengthened into a month-long celebration in 1988. The dates September 15th through October 15th are unique due to several national independence days occurring in Latin American countries over this time period.

Hispanic and Latinx small-business owners are the fastest-growing group of entrepreneurs in the United States. According to a study from Stanford University, the number of Latinx business owners grew 34% over the past ten years.

During this month, we honor the cultures and recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans. Thank you to our colleagues, clients, candidates, and partners within this community who help influence and inspire growth in our industry and beyond!

Working cohesively with the Search Committee of the Board of Directors as a recruitment firm is crucial during the recruitment process. While the relationship between the Board of Directors and the recruitment company is an obvious factor, the bigger picture is finding the right successor.

Making a significant succession decision means a lot of details have to align – A thorough understanding and identifying the core competencies needed to prosper in the position; realization there is not the perfect candidate that will meet a whole laundry list of requirements; and objectivity about candidates a whole, not focusing entirely on who and where they are coming from – including external or internal candidates.

While recruiters can be an essential part of the process, ultimately, each member of the Board of Directors has to be content and satisfied with their decision. Pinpointing the needs of the credit union and who will lead the culmination of the internal transformation process should be the main objective of the Board.

Each credit union is unique, and their search for a new leader is not ‘one size fits all.’

Board of Directors Recruitment – What do innovative companies look for in the selection of a new Board member?

A Board Member is an essential function in navigating a company’s future direction. When recruiting new members for a Board of Directors, the current Board Members desire candidates with fresh ideas and original thinking to be a significant and impactful contributor to the organization. Their uniqueness should have a philosophical alignment with the business, along with a mentality to give back to others in their personal and professional lives.

An innovative intellectual is fundamental to a strategic skillset for the governance of the company with a collaborative mentality. The diversity each individual brings with different life and work experiences help facilitate a well-rounded vision of the organization’s future.

Dedicating time and commitment with the eagerness to participate in meetings and beyond is a necessary attribute in a Board Member. The individual’s flexibility and preparedness are ideal in the board’s progression, immensely when they contribute questions, research, and creativity.

There is so much more to a Board of Directors than just attending meetings. Someone with futuristic views and able to identify trends contribute to being a valuable asset. Tangible attributes are valued when seeking new Board Members; however, intangible characteristics reach beyond tradition and appeal to innovative individuals.

New market, new demand!

Ask yourself, what are we doing as a company to retain our talent within our mortgage division?

The mortgage industry is in high demand of employees, as mortgage rates continue to remain under 3%. Due to the urgency of hiring candidates with mortgage operations experience, employers are seeking mortgage leaders to join their organization.  Quality talent is being swept away by other mortgage companies by virtue of monetary base compensation and incentives.

As an organization facing some of these challenges, employers are being creative on compensation structures to incentivize workers.  Incentives offered are hiring bonuses, retention tools tied to compensation, with the ability to work remotely.

If your company is facing the same challenges, reflect on your incentive strategy and retention tools needed to be competitive in a demanding mortgage rate environment.

Should you chase the money or the opportunity? Well first, ask yourself, ‘Is it the right fit?’ Organizations may pay well, but if they have a high turnover rate and don’t fulfill your career goals, it may be in your best interest to really think it through.

This is an internal dilemma that many people go through. Of course, you shouldn’t undervalue yourself monetarily should a job prospect check all your career boxes, but don’t let an opportunity slip away that could benefit your long-term career development. Success can be subjective, and how it is measured and valued differs from person to person.

Some companies do entice candidates with short-term monetary goals, which can burn out employees quickly, causing high turnover within an organization. It may not be in your best interest to weigh opportunities based on compensation alone; career advancement, skill development, and passion should be considered. Chasing short-term benefits could prove unfruitful in the long-run, and you may not want to look back and wish you would’ve done things differently.

The creation of an Executive Resume or LinkedIn Profile succinctly may not have been needed in the past, however, when opportunity knocks, it is best to be prepared and relevant. The process to obtain a C-Suite position requires specific innovative and strategic thinking by integrating technology and emphasizing on a strong personal brand.

While an Executive Resume may have been sufficient to land a new position a few years ago, in today’s modern age, it takes more effort than just quantitatively updating career accomplishments and community contributions. In most recruiting cases, there is significant weight placed on social branding.

Executives with an online social networking presence tend to be noticed more over than the traditional job search. Your profile should include strategic accomplishments, leadership qualities, and a proven track record of success in managing complex business initiatives. Establishing the proper brand is most important to ensure a clear message across all professional and social channels.

By identifying an appropriate and desirable value proposition that supports the business initiatives, this will allow your social profile to capture the desired audience. In many instances, this identification and establishment of developing a professional online profile can often be established through experienced professionals.

Once your online brand has been established, it is time to portray who you are and consistently focus on your futuristic career goals and what you set to accomplish as an executive leader.

When trying to attract top talent, the vacant position must stand out amongst the clutter of other eligible opportunities. Establishing a talent recruitment campaign allows both employers and employees to actively align goals and interests in a cultivating way.

Setting clear and measurable goals can be a great start when creating any recruitment campaign. Asking questions like “How many people do we want this to reach?” or “By what margin do we want to increase our overall audience?” allows for quantifiable marks to be set and evaluated throughout the process. When objectives and the end goal is understood, it determines the success built before and achieved after recruitment.

Determining the audience should be the second part of the campaign. It is important to develop a unique communicative platform through company culture videos, social media promotions, evaluating and reviewing glass door reviews and provide community-related blog posts. This will allow prospective candidates to evaluate the value proposition of the company and be the center of any talent recruitment practice.

While those platforms should exhibit the culture, they should also integrate a call to action. A call to action clearly separates the recruiting pool from those that are curious and those that are serious. It should be visible on all facets of communication with potential employees and should be direct and explanatory – providing further insight or action to those that interact.

Talent campaigns are meant to be unique to the position or organization. While every business may be using the same platform to get their message across, influencing those platforms to align with the goals that were initially established will provide recruits with an understanding of what the company has to offer and how they will be part of the success, and significant contributions to the future of the organization.

As the structure of an organization matures and employees begin to mature and transition from their initial roles, succession planning becomes a key piece in ensuring the organization will continue to run smoothly.

Be proactive in outlining a succession plan that works best for the culture of the company. Set aside adequate time to identify the key traits needed for another leader to fill the soon-to-be vacant position. Even if a transition is not expected immediately, proper timing and planning make a difference in the midst of any occupational shift.

In the spirit of timing, this offers an excellent opportunity to provide training to other employees that may be interested in leadership roles down the road or perform trail runs for potential candidates whom may be closer to the level of accepting more responsibility. Opening up the chance for employees to actively seek leadership roles and identifying top performers, organizations pave a greater road towards smoother transitions.

Through training and vetting, it is important to relay the shared vision of the organization. Engaging in transparent strategic conversations will not only help develop a greater vision for future success inter-departmentally but it will also magnify the strengths of top-performers.

Once an internal succession structure is identified, the process should be mirrored and appropriately transitioned to fit the hiring strategy, establishing the traits valued in top-leadership parallels that of new additions.

Having the opportunity to shadow senior leadership when beginning a career or transitioning to a new position provides countless benefits, specifically, the resources and skillsets that are available in a shortened timeframe. But, why choose shadowing versus another on-boarding system when welcoming a new employee?

Shadowing is most important when the position is best learned through seeing or doing. The new hire is able to take in a plethora of information that, if trained through a different method, might be overlooked or not mentioned. It provides a “hands-on” approach to a position that may require a “hands-on” mindset.

The ability to learn firsthand from leaders who have forged their own path to success is second to none. The time spent with senior employees opens to the door to understand the ins and outs of the company culture, fine-tune and continue to develop professionally, and gain expert insights into the business. Shadowing also expedites the on-boarding process as new hires begin to acquaint themselves with the business sooner.

Job shadowing provides a behind-the-curtain look at the expectations of job duties, key deliverables needed, and the interactions between coworkers and peers and coworkers and senior management. This provides an excellent chance for senior management to recognize if processes, job descriptions or culture needs to be restructured or reevaluated.