Aurelia Butler

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  • 188 Shares99 Views

    in Employer

    Agencies versus In-House Recruiting, Building Community, & More: Talk Talent to Me August ’23 Recap

    What did you miss on last month’s episodes? Listen in on August 2023 episodes of Hired’s Talk Talent to Me podcast featuring recruiting and talent acquisition leadership who share strategies, techniques, and trends shaping the recruitment industry.

    Working for an agency versus in-house with Kyle Samuels, Founder of Creative Talent Endeavors
    Building community with Maggie Mannion, Founder of Kindred
    Being your own boss with Kaylee Estes, Founder of Estes Group

    1. Kyle Samuels, Founder of Creative Talent Endeavors
    Kyle explains his entrepreneurial journey and why he decided to leave a big brand to start his own agency, Creative Talent Endeavors. He shares about the early days at Creative Talent Endeavors and the process of finding clients, including how he managed to take on Taco Bell as the first one. Kyle also tells us about the benefits of an agency over an in-house recruiting gig.
    “I do like the variety of having different clients and different things to work on every day.” 
    Listen to the full episode.

    2. Maggie Mannion, Founder of Kindred
    Experiencing a career transition is overwhelming, to say the least. But that doesn’t mean it has to be lonely or shameful. Maggie founded Kindred, a community of professionals navigating career transitions together. She explains what led her to start the company, which professionals Kindred targets, and how she curates content relevant to a variety of professions.
    “Kindred is all about career transitions and really is built on this thesis that career transitions and navigating career transitions don’t have to be a solo pursuit.” 
    Listen to the full episode.
    3. Kaylee Estes, Founder of Estes Group
    To stand out as a recruiter, you need to shift your focus from being transaction-based to being relationship-based. Kaylee discusses the agency side of recruiting and why she decided to start her own staffing firm. She also delves into unconscious bias, the freedom that comes with being your own boss, how functional recruiters fit into the recruiting world, and how she makes sure she is representing companies well.
    “Yes, people need to know how to make hires but at the end of the day, they just need to make good hires and they need help with that.”
    Listen to the full episode.
    Want more insights into recruiting tips and trends?
    Tune into Hired’s podcast, Talk Talent to Me, to learn about the strategies, techniques, and trends shaping the recruitment industry—straight from top experts themselves. More

  • 113 Shares199 Views

    in Career Hacks

    Insider Tips for Marketing, Business, Sales, and Advertising Professionals

    So you’ve nearly got your degree and you’re ready to make waves in the world of marketing, advertising, business or sales. You’re familiar with concepts like market segmentation and you can break down the pillars of supply chain management and you’ve watched movies like The Wolf of Wall Street and The Social Network more times than you can remember.

    What you don’t learn in school or movies, however, is what moves to make as you attempt to breach the world of business and how to make a career for yourself. What we mean by “moves” are the decisions you make regarding the way you present yourself, how you choose to grow and learn, and the mindset you carry with you into your endeavors. 

    With so much to keep in mind when making this major leap into the professional world, it can become difficult to choose what advice to follow and what to ignore. Instead of leaving it up to AI software and chatbots, we decided to host a virtual event with some real-life employees about what their marketing, advertising, business, and sales departments look for in a candidate. 

    In our Job Search 101 virtual event, we spoke with Kalina Popova, a Campus Manager at Dell, Madison Ahmadi, a Talent Acquisition Partner at Expedia, Jennifer Voss, the Director of Early Careers Talent Acquisition at Visa, and Tangela Woodley, a Talent Acquisition, Marketing, & Digital Early Careers Manager at L’Oréal. In our conversations, the panelists reveal the tips and tricks needed to succeed in the world of marketing, advertising, business, and sales.

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    Don’t Limit Yourself

    One of the great things about the marketing and business industry is the variety of roles that exist within it. You could be a copywriter making taglines, a graphic designer creating brand logos, an account manager closing deals and finding new clients, and a whole lot more. 

    This being the case, it is critical to keep an open mind when you’re trying to decide what kind of role best fits you. In our conversations with experts, Tangela Woodley from L’Oréal sheds some light on just how many different opportunities exist within their marketing department.

    From analytics to creative, the world of marketing has opportunities for people interested in all kinds of things, especially at L’Oréal. So when you’re preparing to make your foray into the marketing, business, advertising and sales world, it’s important that you don’t pigeonhole yourself into one subcategory or another!

    Follow the 5 Dimensions of Potential

    While every company and its employee expectations are bound to be different, L’Oréal has a specific set of criteria that candidates can keep in mind wherever they apply. L’Oréal calls it the five dimensions of potential and with these rules, you can better your chances of succeeding in the world of business.

    Whether it’s learning agility or your judgment and decision-making skills, L’Oréal’s Five Dimensions of Potential would apply to numerous top-tier companies and what they’re looking for in employees.

    Leaders > Participants

    As a company that specializes in helping early-career candidates and college students find jobs, we have seen young professionals make a lot of mistakes. One of the big ones we’ve seen them make is signing up for a club or organization just to get it on your resume.

    It doesn’t take much to sign up for a group and show up to a couple of meetings. What does take some effort is actively contributing to these groups and taking on leadership or executive roles. This is something to keep in mind when you mention your involvement in groups and extracurriculars in your applications.

    Our suggestion is to be proactive. When you join a group, don’t just be a bystander! Make sure you’re participating and doing things that give you stuff to talk about later on when you start applying for jobs. If you have an idea, speak up! If you feel inspired to take on a position.

    You Gotta Have Grit

    A lot of people outside the marketing and sales industries perceive it as this glamorous world with photo shoots, hot-shot business people, and high-profile deals. What you don’t see are the challenges and obstacles that marketing professionals face on a daily basis.

    Any marketing veteran you meet is likely to have just as many stories about unhappy clients and discouraging rejections as they are to have stories about massive wins and incredibly successful campaigns. And that’s just a part of the business.

    This being the case, it is critical that anyone trying to enter the marketing, business, and sales worlds develops a tough chin and plenty of grit.

    While Kalina’s anecdote relates to sales, the same thing goes with marketing, advertising, and business. What if you pitch a marketing campaign to a client and they don’t like it? Or propose a solution to your boss that he chops down? Having the grit to face this type of rejection and come back stronger is what will make you successful in the long run.

    Take Advantage of Resources

    One thing that every one of our panelists in our recent Job Search 101 virtual event agreed upon is the importance of utilizing the resources at your disposal. If you go to college, whether it’s community or Ivy League, chances are there is a career office working to connect the student body with potential employers.

    In these offices, work has been done to establish relationships. All you need to do is take advantage of it.

    These types of resources are oftentimes free and extremely beneficial, so there really isn’t any reason not to take advantage of them.

    Looking for another free resource you can use to score the job of your dreams? Create your account with WayUp and start browsing open roles today or head over to our blog for more career tips and job-search advice! Watch the full session here.  More

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    in Employer

    How Mars Used the Employer Brand Index to Refresh Their EVP

    Developing an employer value proposition (EVP) is essential for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent.
    The EVP is a statement that summarizes the unique value that a company offers to its employees. It is a promise to employees about what they can expect in terms of compensation, benefits, development opportunities, and overall work experience.
    An EVP is essential for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent. It helps communicate the company’s culture and values and shows potential employees why they should choose to work there.
    But how do you know if your EVP is working? And how do you know when it’s time for a refresh?
    That’s where Link Humans’ Employer Brand Index (EBI) comes in. The EBI is a comprehensive analysis of your employer brand that tells you what candidates, employees, and alumni are saying about your company online.
    Mars, Inc. is a global company with over 140,000 employees in 80 countries. They recently used the EBI to guide an EVP refresh for their organization.

    Refreshing an EVP on a Global Scale
    Mars is a complex organization with a wide range of businesses. Their EVP needed to be something that could resonate with employees and candidates all over the world.
    The first step in the refresh process was to conduct an EBI survey. The survey asked respondents about their perceptions of Mars on a variety of factors, including career development, culture and values, and work-life balance.
    The results of the survey showed that Mars had a strong reputation among its employees and candidates. However, there were a few areas where the company could improve. For example, respondents felt that Mars could do more to promote its mission and purpose.
    Using the EBI to Supplement Internal Surveys and Focus Groups
    In addition to the EBI report, Mars also conducted internal surveys and focus groups. These surveys and focus groups provided additional insights into the company’s culture and employee satisfaction.
    However, the EBI data had some advantages over the internal surveys and focus groups. First, the EBI survey was anonymous, which allowed respondents to be more honest. Second, the EBI survey reached a wider audience, including candidates and alumni.
    How Mars Uses the EBI
    Mars now uses the EBI to measure the effectiveness of its EVP on a regular basis. The company also uses the EBI to inform its decision-making on a variety of topics, such as talent acquisition, employee engagement, and corporate communications.
    Establishing Your EBI Baseline
    The EBI is a valuable tool for any organization that wants to attract and retain top talent. By using the EBI, you can get a clear understanding of how your employer brand is perceived by candidates, employees, and alumni. This information can help you to identify areas where you can improve your EVP and make your organization a more attractive place to work.
    To follow Marie Codet’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help gathering data and insights you can act on to improve your own company, get in touch.
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    Recruiting Agencies Pros & Cons: Why Hired is Best for Tech Hiring

    You may have considered turning to recruiting agencies to fill tech and sales roles. Even when inbound candidates are plentiful, finding the right top talent is a challenge. However, are agencies the best way to find future team members with long-term tenure potential? In this blog post, we explore the pros and cons of using recruiting agencies, shedding light on the factors to help you bring the best tech and sales talent to your organization.
    Recruiting Agency Pros
    1. Access to an extensive network
    Recruiting agencies often have connections to a vast pool of professionals. On top of that, they proactively reach out to potential candidates – even those who are not actively seeking new opportunities. Instead of taking a shot in the dark, employers have the opportunity to leverage an agency’s existing database of people. The best agencies have developed industry connections and built relationships with qualified candidates.

    Hired candidates are engaged and actively looking. As a result, employers see response rates double or even triple, what they’re used to – often 60%+ compared to the 14% industry average. With access to a database of candidates in the millions, and tens of thousands active on the platform, Hired customers have more opportunities to connect with the right talent, right away.  

    2. Efficiency
    Most employers know finding and hiring the right candidate can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. Because recruiting agencies specialize in talent acquisition, you offload these responsibilities to focus on core business operations. With agencies handling screening, interviewing, and shortlisting, businesses reduce speed-to-hire.

    Spread thin? Add on Hired Sourcer for temporary or ongoing help sourcing, pre-screening, shortlisting, and managing communication with experienced candidates. Whether you’re without a dedicated recruiter or busy hiring managers need support, Hired Sourcer fills the gaps. (And it’s typically a fraction of the cost of hiring a contractor or agency!)

    3. Specialized knowledge
    While finding top tech and sales talent is hard, finding candidates with niche skills can be even harder. Tech recruiting agencies possess industry-specific knowledge and understand the nuances of the tech landscape. Their expertise in niche areas helps them identify candidates with the right skill sets, ensuring you find the candidate that checks off the list of requirements.

    Bundle Hired Assessments into your Hired solution to standardize tech skills assessments and free up your teams from live proctoring. Some candidates proactively take them to earn badges for their profiles. Save time when you use our filters to find talent who’ve proactively verified their skills with these technical assessments. By leaping ahead to interviewing tech talent with proven skills, it’s easier to hire faster and reduce your cost of vacancy.

    4. Tech & sales hiring market insights
    Recruiting agencies stay abreast of market trends, salary ranges, and candidate expectations. This valuable knowledge can provide you with a competitive advantage, helping you craft attractive job offers and tailored recruitment strategies. Agencies also offer insights on market demand and supply, assisting you in aligning your talent acquisition plans with current industry dynamics.

    Dedicated support from our Customer Success Managers works in collaboration with the Candidate Experience team to ensure you have a pulse on candidates in process. We are the leader in offering data and competitive insights to share with internal stakeholders at every step of your hiring funnel. Many customers highlight competitive insights as one of their favorite aspects of partnering with Hired for their tech and sales recruiting.

    5. Enhanced candidate experience
    Recruiting agencies have experience in managing the candidate journey from start to finish. They understand the importance of a positive candidate experience and ensure candidates are well-informed, engaged, and supported throughout the recruitment process. This professionalism reflects positively on your organization and helps to build a strong employer brand.

    Candidates on Hired benefit from a variety of resources, including workshops, AMAs, guides, a salary calculator, and a dedicated Candidate Experience Team to support them on their journey and provide insights 

    Recruiting Agency Cons 
    1. “They’re expensive”
    While recruiting agencies provide value, their services come at a cost. Most agencies charge a fee based on a percentage of the candidate’s annual salary. For startups and small companies with limited budgets, this expense may pose a financial challenge. It is essential to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of using an agency compared to the potential benefits they bring to your recruitment efforts.
    2. Lack of deep organizational knowledge
    Recruiting agencies operate externally to your organization and may have limited knowledge of your company’s culture, mission, and specific needs. This can sometimes result in candidates who might not be the best cultural fit or fully aligned with your organizational objectives. 
    3. Limited control over the recruitment process
    Outsourcing recruitment to an agency means relinquishing some control over the hiring process. While agencies work closely with you, the final decision-making authority rests with your organization. Some stakeholders might prefer to be more hands-on throughout the recruitment process, which may be a challenge when working with an external agency.
    4. Potential candidate pool overlap
    There is a possibility of overlap in candidate pools if multiple organizations engage the same agency for their recruitment needs. This can lead to competition among clients for the same talent, potentially diluting the exclusivity of your candidate search. 
    “We’ve used recruitment agencies in the past, but they’re pricey, they’re expensive,” says Logikcull’s Head of Talent Laura McDermott. “Sometimes agencies push somebody too hard who’s not actually a good fit. At Hired, there isn’t any of that.” Hired frees her from navigating the conflicts and external pressures that often come with recruiting agencies.
    Unlike commission-incentivized recruiting agency personnel, Hired’s Candidate Experience team is unbiased about whether talent accepts a role. They are purely there to offer support and resources, such as interview coaching, salary calculators, evaluate options, and more. 
    Why Hired is a better tech and sales hiring solution  
    Hired is not a recruiting agency, a job board, or a social network. It is a solution directly connecting employers to vetted talent with thousands of skills across 50+ tech and sales roles. 
    Organizations find in-demand tech candidates primarily in Software Engineering, DevOps, UX Design, Product Management, and Data Science. Employers needing sales candidates in Customer Success and revenue-based roles, such as Sales Management are also in luck. 
    Essentially, Hired offers easy access to the best talent along with everything employers need to know about them from salary requirements to work preferences. 
    “I think the best thing about using Hired is everything I need to know and would like to know as a recruiter from the offset, is almost always straight in front of me.”
    Joe Miller, Senior Recruitment Manager, RVU
    Hear from Joe about his experience with Hired and how it helped his tech recruiting productivity exponentially.
    What’s more, in Hired’s full suite employers get unbiased insights, DEI features for more diverse hiring, tech skill assessments, and dedicated Customer Success Managers to support teams as they fill open roles efficiently. 
    For lean teams within global enterprises or startups with a dedicated recruiter, Hired Sourcer comes to the rescue. Short or long-term, an experienced professional acts as an extension of your team to source, shortlist, and screen tech or sales candidates. They’re also great at maintaining consistent communication and keeping candidates engaged. 
    Considering Hired over a recruiting agency? 
    Companies switching from recruitment agencies to Hired often say their shift is driven by a lack of quality candidates with specific skills from agencies. Employers find they are more focused on speed over quality. On Hired, employers get both. In fact, companies have immediate access to candidates they need and save 45 hours of sourcing time per hire. 
    Hired also specializes in matching experienced talent with employers they likely won’t see in the pipeline – even with an agency as the middleman. Typically, top senior-level engineers are not thrilled to work with agency recruiters due to constant badgering. Hired yields higher response rates and engagement from candidates – the platform has an 85% candidate response rate to all interview requests.
    In addition to a vast pool of candidates, talent is also responsive on Hired. Candidates typically respond within one business day and have a 50% interview request acceptance rate. Plus, Hired integrations mean you can directly connect with candidates to avoid doing twice the work of updating a third party.
    Speaking of saving time, agencies do not always understand your requirements. Hired specializes in identifying tech and sales talent across niches. Talent pros don’t have to waste precious hours reviewing resumes and conducting interviews unlikely to be a match. 
    Hired positions candidates for long-term success; increased retention
    Reflecting on her experience with Hired compared to recruitment agencies, Hired fulfills Logikcull’s interest in long-term employee success over making a placement McDermott adds, “We really pride ourselves on the tenure of a lot of our employees. Many have been here 10+ years… We’re recruiting people who are looking for a career and not just a job to come in and bank a paycheck. We want people who are looking to grow. We want people who really want to be able to make an impact.” 
    For companies looking for tech and sales candidates interested in a career over a job, try Hired. Candidates placed through Hired have an 18% longer tenure with employers than average.
    One financial services TA leader told us, “I think the challenge we had with a lot of third-party recruiters was the candidates they would present would frequently job hop. We look for long-term employees. I think the unfortunate reality of working with a lot of recruiters is their interests are not exactly aligned with ours because if their candidate stays for 0 days and then they place them somewhere else, they still get paid. 
    They tend to present candidates that churn every year. Beyond that, sometimes it’s been finding specific skill sets, especially on the technical side, developers who know specific languages, etc.”
    Cons often outweigh pros of recruiting agencies
    Remember, partnering with a recruiting agency is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Assess your specific requirements, weigh the pros and cons of recruiting agencies, and select the approach that aligns best with your organization’s goals and resources. 

    About Hired: 
    Hired is the most efficient way to fill tech and sales roles today. With unbiased insights, DEI tools, tech skill assessments, sourcing services, and dedicated Customer Success Managers, Hired works with companies around the world, placing more than 20,000 active and qualified candidates in new roles. Using better data, curated matches, and ways to reach new markets and talent with higher acceptance rates, employers save an average of 45 sourcing hours per role using Hired’s solutions suite. Backed by The Adecco Group, Hired is rated by G2 as a leader in Recruiting Automation, Job Search Sites, and Diversity Recruiting. More

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    in Career Hacks

    Learn How Northwestern Mutual is Championing Diversity in the Finance Industry

    When you’re deciding where to start your career, you may want to work for a company that doesn’t just believe in diversity and inclusion (D&I) but supports it as well.

    Northwestern Mutual believes in having a diverse workforce that benefits the company, its employees, and local communities.

    We spoke to employees at Northwestern Mutual to learn about how the company has built strong diversity initiatives, and what this means for employees, clients, and communities alike, including how Northwestern Mutual intends to keep the needle moving.

    Diversity Enables the Company to Reach More Clients

    According to Northwestern Mutual, “the best client service and financial industry leadership starts with creating a diverse team and an inspiring, inclusive workplace where everyone can be, and do, their best every day.” A diverse workforce is what will help them deliver the financial solutions their clients need.

    Having diverse advisors on your team enables the company to increase its reach, influence, and appeal to a wider range of customers.

    While it could be comforting talking to someone who has a similar background to you, representation matters. It can lead to impactful business relationships and work environments.

    Ability to Bring Your True Authentic Self to Work

    Everybody still wants to bring their authentic selves to work. This means no matter what race, ethnicity, sexual preference, or demographic you represent you feel confident in showing your colleagues, boss or manager, and the customers you work with who you truly are.

    Shannon Redmon, Director of Recruiting at Northwestern Mutual, discussed why being accepted and supported at work is important to him.

    Through learning sessions and coaching programs about allyship and inclusive culture, the D&I council, and employee resource groups, Northwestern Mutual fosters a place where Shannon can be his true self. As a result, he feels proud of the work he is doing and the company it is for.

    Supporting Diversity in the Community

    There is no end to the lengths Northwestern Mutual will go to ensure they are championing diversity and creating a company where employees can truly be themselves and reach their goals.

    In fact, Northwestern Mutual has made several monetary contributions to communities and entities outside of their organization emphasizing their desire to create a truly diverse world. Here are just a few of their charitable acts:

    $26M invested in under-served neighborhoods

    $20M invested in startup companies founded by women 

    $6M in grants for nonprofits nationwide

    $1.6M to strengthen education and career opportunities

    Why Northwestern Mutual?

    Whether it’s their initiatives, the resources they provide, or the direct contributions they make, Northwestern Mutual is a place fostering diverse minds while encouraging representation.

    There are people just like you who need help planning and reaching their financial goals, will you be the one to get them there? Head over to Northwestern Mutual’s company profile to learn more about the company and for information on open roles!

    Northwestern Mutual Financial Representatives are Independent Contractors whose income is based solely on production.

    Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with the titles “Financial Advisor” or “Wealth Management Advisor” are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide advisory services.

    Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM) and its subsidiaries in Milwaukee, WI. More

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    Learning & Development, Soft Skills, Cybersecurity & More: Talk Talent to Me July ’23 Recap

    Catch up on the July 2023 episodes of Hired’s Talk Talent to Me podcast featuring recruiting and talent acquisition leadership who share strategies, techniques, and trends shaping the recruitment industry. 

    Learning and development with Christina Pinheiro, VP of People at Sibros
    Soft skills with Stephane Rivard, CEO & Co-Founder of HiringBranch
    Why cybersecurity is so important for individuals and companies with Jane Frankland, Cybersecurity Expert and Founder of The Source
    The difference between talent attraction and talent acquisition with Victoria Myers, Global Lead for Talent Attraction at Amdocs

    1. Christina Pinheiro, VP of People at Sibros
    In this episode, Christina discusses what sparked her passion for helping people and creating a positive employee experience, which ultimately led to a career in HR. She shares her thoughts and views on the impact of learning and development, and what that looks like at Sibros through their Lunch and Learn sessions. She tells listeners about her favorite session on Interview Bias, and what she thinks about anonymizing parts of the interviewing process. 
    “I really emphasize on the benefits of continuous learning and [how] attending these sessions contributes to personal and professional growth.” 
    Listen to the full episode.

    2. Stephane Rivard, CEO & Co-Founder of HiringBranch
    Stephane shares how his company HiringBranch is revolutionizing hiring by creating a platform where candidates can showcase their abilities in real-time simulated scenarios. He highlights the importance of soft skills and explains how HiringBranch’s assessment works, breaking down the types of skills they assess in candidates. Plus, hear his insights into the AI recruitment revolution, which may just be paving the way for a more accurate and effective way of finding the right talent.
    Related: ChatGPT in Recruitment: How to Unlock its Power & Increase Efficiency
    “What [the HiringBranch platform] does, especially for high volume jobs, [is give] you a standardized way to evaluate everyone.”
    Listen to the full episode.
    3. Jane Frankland, Cybersecurity Expert and Founder of The Source
    Jane is a tech entrepreneur, author, speaker, advisor, and founder. She has identified several discrepancies in the hiring process and in this episode, she shares her advice for ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace from the get-go.
    “We have a real problem with wellbeing [in the cybersecurity industry]; with mental health, with brain health, with stress and burnout. It’s absolutely horrific. It’s at a higher level than healthcare workers at the moment.”
    Listen to the full episode.
    4. Victoria Myers, Global Lead for Talent Attraction at Amdocs
    In this episode, we dive into the fascinating field of segmented recruiting marketing. Victoria explains Amdocs’ forward-thinking, long-term approach to talent attraction and acquisition and how they are bringing it to life through their newly-developed AI-driven talent marketplace. After listening, you’ll understand the difference between talent attraction and talent acquisition, what a successful proactive sourcing model looks like, and why you should always try to do work you love!
    “At the end of the day, the best experience in the world is giving someone an offer and them saying, ‘Yes, I accept.’ That is rewarding work right there!”
    Listen to the full episode.
    Want more insights into recruiting tips and trends?
    Tune into Hired’s podcast, Talk Talent to Me, to learn about the strategies, techniques, and trends shaping the recruitment industry—straight from top experts themselves. More

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    in Career Hacks

    Looking for flexibility, personal growth, and competitive compensation? You can have it all at Northwestern Mutual’s industry-leading Internship Program

    Those who take on athletics and extracurriculars in college are individuals with incredible drive who become intensely motivated by their passions and their desire to pursue them. Over the years, Northwestern Mutual has come to understand that these types of people thrive and find success as financial representatives. 

    Whether it’s their desire to make a lasting impact or the ability to have a flexible schedule, there are several reasons why athletes and people involved in nonscholastic activities do so well as financial representatives.

    Recently, we interviewed a couple of college financial representative interns who are also involved with athletics and extracurriculars to understand why the job is so perfect for people like them.

    Complimentary Skills and Characteristics

    While athletes tend to have incredible amounts of drive and motivation, those involved in Greek life and clubs are typically very people-oriented. These traits are particularly beneficial to have as a financial representative because of the self-starter attitude and the communication skills that are essential to the job!

    Phillip Li, a varsity baseball player at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, provides his team with quick hands as an infield baseman in addition to holding down a .429 slugging average this past season. During this time, he also helped a couple plan their retirement. 

    Phillip went on to discuss how the drive he has towards training for a successful season was similar to the efforts he put forward with his clients. He visualized his goal, put together a “game plan,” worked with his teammate (senior partner), and saw the objective through to completion.

    Picking Out Your Own Schedule

    As most students know, especially those involved in athletics, college schedules can get really busy. Academics and social life already take up a large percentage of your time but when you start committing to athletics and nonscholastic activities it often seems impossible to do anything else.

    Northwestern Mutual’s college financial representative intern role is unique because it is built to accommodate the hectic lives of college students with busy schedules. Take Jack Thompson for example, a Division 3 lacrosse player at Union College. In our conversation with Jack, he spoke to us about how his mentors at Northwestern Mutual worked with him to make sure his professional life was fitting well with his college life.

    Maybe you have a big test coming up, practice, or a week-long lacrosse tournament in Austin as Jack did. As a financial representative intern at Northwestern Mutual, there is no need to fret. Northwestern Mutual understands that you have other things going on in your life. This being the case, Northwestern Mutual consults with you to find a balance that works for everyone. 

    Real Game Time Experience

    If you are on a team, you don’t want to be sitting on the bench. The same goes professionally when you’re working at a job! But in order to get game time ready, you need to practice.

    When you’re just getting started as a financial representative, a senior representative will have you shadow them on real client calls, gradually getting you more and more involved. The work you do is the same as if you were a full-time financial representative, but you have the support and mentorship from leaders along the way. 

    After a few times, the training wheels come off and you will be on your own making financial recommendations for clients!

    While there is a short shadow period during which you learn the ropes with a senior employee, this only lasts for a little while until you’re on the field getting real experience with real clients.

    Ambitious Minds Thrive Here

    One trait a lot of athletes and those involved in extracurriculars have that makes them particularly successful at Northwestern Mutual is their ambition. Whether it’s waking up early for practice or just the internal desire to grow and better yourself, these types of people are made for the college financial representative intern position.

    In our conversation with Sayawni Lassiter, a Division 1 Women’s College basketball player at the University of Rhode Island and college financial representative intern, she recounted how she connected with her recruiter and how he expressed that ambition is a key ingredient in being successful as a financial representative.

    If you’re a current college student and want to start experiencing real-life work as a financial professional, take a look at Northwestern Mutual’s industry-leading college financial representative intern position.

    Northwestern Mutual Financial Representatives are Independent Contractors whose income is based solely on production.

    Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with the titles “Financial Advisor” or “Wealth Management Advisor” are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide advisory services.

    Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM) and its subsidiaries in Milwaukee, WI. More

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    HelloFresh: Solving a Global Talent Challenge with Upskilled Talent Engagement

    HelloFresh is a global meal kit delivery company that operates in 18 countries. This gives them a unique challenge when it comes to talent acquisition: they need to find local talent with niche skills to support their complex distribution and logistics.
    In this article, we’ll explore how HelloFresh has solved this challenge by upskilling their talent engagement team. We’ll also share five actionable tips from Carolina Guillen, Head of Global Talent Marketing and Engagement at HelloFresh, on how you can engage your own talent team in employer branding.
    The Talent Challenge of Global Logistics
    HelloFresh is headquartered in Berlin and New York, but they operate in eighteen countries worldwide. The core business model of delivering meal kits remains the same from country to country. However, the logistical problem of storing, packaging, and shipping ingredients so that they arrive fresh at a customer’s door in all of these different markets creates a unique hiring challenge for Guillen and her team.
    Different countries have different regulations governing food safety, food storage, shipping, and so on. This means that HelloFresh needs to fill roles locally in supply chain, fulfillment, and technical specialist areas to meet these requirements in each market.
    “We often need to find local talent that comes with a very specific skill or certification,” says Guillen.
    In short, there’s a lot of work to be done in talent acquisition and talent engagement. And that got Guillen thinking: could we engage this team to activate our employer brand?
    How HelloFresh Upskills Their Talent Engagement Team
    The talent engagement team at HelloFresh comes from a background in traditional sourcing and recruiting. However, Guillen has started to upskill them with marketing and project management skillsets.
    “Our main goal is for them to be delivering 360 solutions for top-of-funnel needs,” she says. This means that they’re responsible for developing event, talent community, and referral strategies. They’re also involved in developing strategies for reputation management and social media marketing.
    This approach creates alignment between Guillen’s employer branding team and the people who put it into action throughout the recruitment and hiring process. Talent acquisition has a say in what they’re being asked to do and also participates in developing strategies for employer branding.
    Moreover, upskilling these employees into comb-shaped experts with new skill sets gives them more flexibility to grow into the career they want at HelloFresh.
    In the episode, we asked Guillen for some actionable tips you can use to engage your recruitment team in employer branding work.
    Here are her 5 Ideas for Recruitment Team Engagement:

    Create a content strategy with talent acquisition in mind. Your talent acquisition team members have very direct control and influence on the candidate journey, so they can help you build pieces that are aligned with your employer brand.
    Fall in love with your candidate, not your brand. We put a lot of energy into developing an employer brand, but sometimes that makes it difficult to take a step back and see what’s working. “From my point of view, it’s much more beneficial to be a critic of your brand,” says Guillen. Instead, fall in love with your audience and build content that is made just for them.
    Don’t be afraid to reuse content. Developing quality content takes energy and focus. But when you’ve got something that works, how can you be sure it’s getting in front of the right people? And how can you get the most ROI for your efforts? Guillen recommends rehashing and recycling your campaigns and the pieces of content you create. You can get a lot of extra value by changing formats or platforms. One thing they’re doing at HelloFresh, for example, is transcribing videos they made earlier to use as the basis for new series of blog posts.
    Every good story needs a hero. Use stories about real people to tell the story of your company and to connect with candidates on a personal level. “When you can tell a story that is authentic and relatable, it really resonates with people,” says Guillen.
    Build for scale by making “recipes.” This will help you document your processes and make it easier to replicate them in the future. “We’ve created a lot of playbooks and templates that we can share with our team,” says Guillen. “This helps us to scale our efforts and make sure that everyone is on the same page.”

    To follow Carolina Guillen’s work on employer brand, follow her on LinkedIn. For help creating data-driven, actionable strategies you can use to make real change in your company, talk to us.
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