What are Companies Looking for Today?

What qualities does a company look for in a candidate? Here at Quest Groups we have a unique insight into this question. Every company/startup has different requirements and necessities.

Companies generally look at a candidate’s educational background and previous work experience. In the startup community this information is essential. Employers must be confident that a candidate knows what they are doing and has experience doing it. Employers also look at the longevity of each position a candidate has held and whether they are familiar with the startup community. A company needs to be able to count on a candidate to be there to help it grow and succeed. These companies also look at every candidate's skillset. They look to see what extra skills a candidate has that can be of some value to the company.

Companies also take into consideration a candidate’s work ethic and how eager they are to work with their product/service. They look at the culture of their company and decide whether it would be a good fit with each personality. A candidate must possess excellent communication and be a team player. These are not all the qualities a company looks for in a candidate but they are some of the most important. For advice on how to build your resume to pass the “glance test,” refer to our previous blog. https://questgroups.blogspot.com/2016/08/what-recruiter-sees-in-your-resume.html

Are you a Good Leader?

In the recruiting world, leadership is essential to maintain lasting relationships and to train new hires. I asked our recruiters what they considered the number one quality of a great leader. Here are some of their responses: 

“Be a Problem Solver”

A good leader should look at problems and find the solutions. make sure they look at problems and find the solutions. Instead of focusing on the problem, good leaders focus on the solutions and how to fix it for the future. Strong leaders always look to the future and what can be improved.

“Lead by Example”

Leaders should hold everyone to the same standard. A leader should hold themselves to a higher standard. They need to make sure everything they say and do is on the next level to help motivate and elevate their team.

“Listening and communication”

Leaders must take the time to listen and communicate with each other and their teammates. Communication is a key fundamental in life. Everyone should be able to express what they like, what they don’t like, what is being done well and what needs to be improved upon. Listening goes hand in hand with communication. A good leader needs to listen to their teammates and colleagues. This shows compassion, understanding and engagement.

“Empathy”

Good leaders need to be able to put themselves in other people’s shoes. Having empathy allows a leader to help their employees and colleagues. It is always helpful to look at the world through another person’s point of view. This allows leaders to understand what is going on and how they can be supportive/help.   

“Vision”

Leaders must have a vision. They must know where they would like to go and be able to paint that vision in their employees’ minds. Knowing the vision of the company and their team allows motivation and success to be limitless.

“Accountability”

Being accountable is one of the highest qualities that a leader must possess. A leader needs to hold themselves to higher standards and be dependable. Their team must be able to depend on them for help, inspiration and feedback.

A leader must possess these qualities and many more. Leadership is: constantly growing personally and professionally, helping others around you to grow and encouraging them to be the best that they can be. Do you have what it takes? 

What Rookies Need to Know

What advice would you give a rookie in a sales position? This is a question that every company should ask themselves and their management. Our partners and managers had the opportunity to answer this question and here are some of their responses:

"Be Persistent"

Things take time, so don't give up after a month. Impressive things take years to do. Trust in your team, they will teach and guide you to be the best. Do not ride the highs too high or the lows too low. A lot of careers depend on the economy and fluctuate in revenue and sales. Be persistent and the rest will follow. 

"Be a Sponge"

Soak in everything happening around you. Stay focused and utilize what you have learned from your team and other teams. The more you can absorb throughout your career the more valuable you are.

"The Phone is Money"

The dial tone is the sound of money, especially in sales. Be on the phone and immerse yourself in the market. Know what you are talking about and if you don't know, research it. Find the answers to the questions people are asking you and the questions that you have. Know where the market is at now and how you can use it to your advantage. 

"Stay Organized"

Make sure you answer every email as quickly as possible. Stay focused on the task at hand. If you jump around too much you will miss things. Work smarter not harder. Though it may get busy, pace yourself and make sire you are not cutting corners. 

"Relationships"

Make sure you are taking the time to build lasting relationships. You need to know your consumers and what they want. Relationships are built around trust. Listen to them and offer them the things that will suit their needs. 

If you utilize these tips you will become a master in any sales position. Most jobs are overwhelming. Make sure you stick to the basics and focus on helping the customer, not yourself. 

Where is the Silver Lining in a Tech Market Correction?

In the technology market today, the term “unicorn” is on the decline, according to an article on Techcrunch. These privately funded businesses that are valued at $1 billion dollars or more, are turning out to be overvalued and making an impact on the market. Many people have spoken about a market correction coming. As recruiters, we capitalize in this type of market. It helps us to partner with strong emerging companies, in the tech sector, by building lasting relationships and confidence.

A market correction is a great opportunity for any company to shine. Unemployment is the lowest it has been in years, making this a candidate’s market. Candidates can pick and choose where they want to go and negotiate their salary and benefits. Since companies are after the same talent, they must differentiate themselves from everyone else. This is where we step in and generate the best experience for both parties involved. We add value by knowing what each candidate and company needs and wants, as well as matching a company’s culture and a candidate’s personality. We then deliver on their requirements.

If there is a market correction in the technology sector this will allow the true tech companies to stand out. It will help get rid of companies that are just hype or vaporware leaving the real technology in its wake. Recently there has been a lot of excitement around artificial intelligence, machine learning, augmented reality, etc. Once the hype has slowed down for these technologies, the companies that deliver real results are the ones that will survive. As recruiters, we love this type of environment! It helps us to bring opportunity and talent together to create longevity for the candidate and company.  There is always a silver lining in any market correction and we are here to ensure the future for everyone.

References

Teare, G., & Glasner, J. (2017, July 12). The State of the Unicorn. Retrieved from: https://techcrunch.com/2017/06/02/the-state-of-the-unicorn/

What Apple Upgrade Will You Take Advantage Of?

What are the new updates to the Apple macOS and the iPad? In Apple’s release this week, Tim Cook covered 6 big announcements including changes to the Apple macOS and iPad Pro. What are these updates and how will it benefit the current users?

The current Apple Mac has the operating system “Sierra”. Apple has since upgraded macOS to “High Sierra”. The newly renovated macOS includes video auto play blocking when visiting different websites as well as tracking prevention. The tracking prevention uses machine learning to stop outside sources from tracking your purchases and from trying sell to you it in the future. Photo editing and imaging were also upgraded. It now has facial recognition to help sort and file your memories as well as improvements to the editing structure. Now you can modify colors in a selective range and all your edits automatically sync to your library when you exit. The new OS will also have the Apple filing system as the default and upgrades to Virtual Reality. The graphics and support for the VR has helped to make it a game changer for Apple. You can change your virtual world, while in it with your controllers and play within minutes. Plus, the graphics are unbelievable. Are you ready to upgrade your macOS system?

The release of the 2017 iPad Pro came with many improvements. Apple increased the iPad Pro screen by 20%. It went from 9.7 inches to 10.5 inches. By increasing the size of the iPad they are able to display a full-size onscreen keyboard as well as being able to attach to a smart keyboard. Even with the increase in size the iPad Pro still weighs only 1 pound. The iPad still has the same 10-hour battery and holds the same camera as the iPhone 7. The new update for iPad, iOS 11, has a lower dock that can be filled with apps. From there you can pull up an app on top of another and put it into slide over view for multitasking. There is a new app switcher as well as multi select drag and drop feature. The new keyboard for the iPad has a swipe feature that will allow access to numbers and punctuation on the main keyboard. Are you willing to pay up for the newest iPad?

There are many updates to Apple products this year, far too many to mention in this article. The overhaul of the Mac OS and the iPad are phenomenal in themselves. For more information on the updates or to see the full Keynote, click on the following link:  

https://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2017/

Who are the Newest Professionals in our Office? Meet Them Here.

Meet the Newest Members of QG!

This is Samantha “Richie” Richardson. She is the newest member of the Silicon Valley Engineering team. Samantha worked at Cradlepoint, as an account manager before joining the Quest Groups team. She has a degree in Organizational Communication from ISU. Samantha is from Idaho and enjoys crafting, lifting and flag football. One thing that most people do not know about Sam is that she saved a life while floating the South Fork of the Payette River.

Our other new arrival is Dani Butts who has joined our New York Product and Marketing team. Dani is originally from Idaho and has lived in Texas for the last five years. Before finding her new home here at Quest Groups, Dani worked as a Director of Program Services. She earned her degree in IT Management from Boise State University. She loves being outdoors, mountain biking, snowboarding, river rafting and yoga. She enjoys trying new things and taking on different projects, currently in her off time she is fixing up 2 houses. One thing people do not know about Dani is that she has sang at 3 different weddings. Welcome to the team ladies! We are excited to have you.

Who's Growing in Technology?

What Tech Hubs are Rising to the top?

What are the current hot spots for startups? The top 20 places to launch a tech startup are found all over the world according to The Global Startup Ecosystem Report 2017. The US was able to solidify five of the top ten spots in this report. It is no surprise that Silicon Valley is number one on the list. Silicon Valley has an average of 14,000 startups that are active right now in the tech sector, with an average of 45 days to hire talent. New York came in second on the list with an average of 7,000 active startups. In New York the average time to hire is half that of Silicon Valley, 24.

Boston came in fifth in the world with 3,500 active startups. Boston is known for its high density of talent in the engineering and science areas but struggles with a global reach. Coming in at number nine is Los Angeles. It is home to around 4,000 tech startups. L.A. was named the Top Digital City in America. Here they have a strong number of startups and talent in engineering but they suffer with bringing in new talent, startup experience and their market reach.

Last, but not least, coming in at number ten is Seattle. It Is home to more than 2,300 tech startups. Seattle has some of the best technical talent and has one of the highest marks for technology experience. I am sure there are a lot of other places in the world and throughout the US we can think of as emerging technology hubs. If you are looking to launch a startup or you are looking to begin a career in the tech industry, you make take a moment and read the report cited above to see what location works best for you.

What is Trending in Tech & Where?

California’s Trending Tech         NYC's Trending Tech
àArtificial Intelligence                                   àArtificial Intelligence
à Machine learning & Deep learning             àVirtual Reality 
àRobotics                                                        àFintech 
àIoT                                                                àIoT
àFintech                                                          àAugmented Reality

*Catch us next month when we dive into what it takes to launch a startup.