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!

Are you in a dead-end job?

If you are asking yourself this, then most likely, yes. You’ve probably heard the term dead-end job, but what does it mean? To put it bluntly, you have no career advancement in your present company. You’ve fulfilled your time in your position or department, and there is no room for professional advancement or growth.

A few specific examples that could lead you to this conclusion:

• Your employer cannot provide or outline a clear career path for you within the company.
• You feel you are not utilized for more challenging projects or opportunities.
• You are required to have advanced degrees or qualifications to meet the criteria for a higher-level position.
• The organization hires external candidates instead of promoting within.

Overall, you feel you are undervalued. So, is it time to call it quits and take the next step in your career? Go for it, and maybe you’ll see an overall lifestyle change!

Are Counteroffers a Good Idea?

In the short-term, they could be – long-term, probably not.

You have a new job offer with a new employer, and you decide to tell your current employer you have another offer on the table. They could either wish you the best of luck or offer you a counteroffer. If they give you a counteroffer, should you take it? It’s probably not in your best interest in the long run, should you decide to stay.

The majority of employees who accept the counter, will end up leaving their current employer within months. You were looking for a new opportunity, why not stay the course? Additionally, this could change your current organization’s view of you as an employee and you may not receive any additional monies that year and beyond. Especially, if you feel your career path has dissipated and there is no more room for growth within the company.

You should also be aware of how this might look to your new prospective employer. If they feel you are contemplating the counteroffer, they could decide to pull your offer, hire a candidate who wants to work there, and who will accept their offer.

Of course, the final stage of the offer doesn’t go without some negotiations; however, your decision to entertain a counteroffer should be weighed heavily before you enter into any discussions.

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.’

Managing Client and Candidate Relationships

Respectable recruiters are successful in managing the two relationships – client and candidate – during the recruitment process. Both relationships are equally important, requiring trust and communication.

Technology has evolved and streamlined the recruitment process, primarily through Client Relationship Management (CRM) software and Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). These systems are beneficial to recruiters; however, the rapport between the recruiter and their contacts gets lost in translation.

Personal connections are unequivocally the foundation for recruiters, clients, and candidates alike. Simple callbacks and touching base with clients and candidates on both sides of the recruitment process on a frequent basis is essential, making sure both your clients and candidates feel involved in the process.

Getting back to the basics is vital for successful recruiters, especially during the current climate, where we may not be getting human interaction as much as we used to. People want to feel like they aren’t just another number, and reassuring them they are as important as the next client or candidate can foster a reputable reputation.

What defines Cultural Transformation within an organization?

Facilitating cultural transformation in the workplace is a necessary commitment to ensure employee satisfaction and inclusion. The development of changing the organization’s culture should transform the outlook, policies, behaviors, and practices. Change has to start from executive leaders to assure the rooted, existing culture shifts from the outdated practices to the newly improved values and beliefs.

To get to the root cause of the existing culture, the company should conduct a cultural assessment to evaluate what changes need to be made. The cultural review should consider internal beliefs, such as honesty and integrity, while also examining outward actions like collaboration and information sharing. This valuation should help the business understand and indicate any dysfunction at any level within the organization.

Once executive leaders pinpoint the source, they can then cultivate change and transformation by using mindful behaviors to other leaders and managers to accomplish employee engagement in all departments. For cultural transformation to be effective, every individual must want to change any negative beliefs and values within themselves to the chosen cultural shift.

Securing quality talent within your organization should include an internal strategic plan. Retention plans for top credit union Executives comprise of competitive salaries, targeted performance incentive goals and retention bonuses, stock options, paid time off, and ancillary allowances and benefits.

Robust, targeted performance incentive plans are successful when implemented at the offer stage/onboarding process, and even more lucrative when these plans align with industry standard. Specifically, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual performance incentives are beneficial at the Executive level and should be established to incorporate non-financial metrics and financial metrics. Non-financial metrics might include engaged members, member survey results, staff turnover ratios. Financial metrics may encompass loan growth and earnings, return on assets, capital ratio, membership growth, net income, and board evaluations (if applicable).

Once you establish the targeted goals, each metric should be broken out to a percentage of the final goal. Non-financial metrics could be 10% of the total bonus, while financial metrics are 90%, it depends on the organization’s focus to meet the needs of its employees and business strategy. Evaluating your Executive Compensation plans should be assessed annually to ensure they are in-line with the industry standard to achieve employee engagement and retention.

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.

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.

Negotiating pay is a difficult situation when offered the job of your dreams. While the job description may check all of the boxes, compensation is also a major determinant in whether you should accept the position or not.

There is a certain threshold that employers will withstand when in the counteroffer stage of hiring. By doing your research and recognizing the market compensation wage bands, you will set yourself up for far better success than by countering the future of your career blindly. Trust the process as you think about negotiating an offer once it has been presented.  Seek counsel from a professional to guide and lead you through each phase of the negotiation.

When countering the offer, focus on why you want to join the organization and what is important to you at this stage of your career.   There are other benefits can be included as part of the compensation package which can include, commute time, work-hour flexibility, job responsibilities, family support, and ability to contribute in the strategic success of the company. Focus on how your dream job can transform more than just your bank account.

Countering what you feel is deserved can be effective when done properly. If conducted correctly, counteroffers can provide better benefits, incentives, job security, and ultimately pay for a job that was already a dream to begin with.