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.

  

Holding Strong, Always Pushing Forward

     

       Way to go New York Product and Marketing team! The latest reviews on Quora for Quest Groups. If you are looking the best experience with knowledgeable recruiters look no further! We are here for you. We work with the hottest emerging companies, and an elite candidate pool. 

Written Feb 9

I worked with Red at Quest to find a new job. She had wonderful energy and worked very quickly to help me seal the deal at my new company. Job hunting is incredibly stressful but Red helped ease the stress. She’s incredibly knowledgeable, reliable, and enthusiastic. I would 100% recommend her!

Written Feb 8

★★★★★

I had a great experience with Red Guerri! She was prompt getting back to me, understood the position she was sourcing, was continually checking in and providing advice and information. Before interviews she would wish me luck via email. That doesn’t happen too often in my experience. And, best of all, I got the dream job. Really a wonderful experience and a genuinely nice presence. Appreciate all her help.

Written Mar 21

Working with Amy over at Quest Group was great. She reached out to me via LinkedIn and we connected shortly after. I had interviews that same week and a new job a couple weeks later. I highly recommend these folks especially in comparison to the myriad of other agencies I’ve worked with over the years.

Oh Boy.......

2016 was a great year. We went through many challenges and changes, remaining opportunistic the whole way. What a better way to end the year than with a little bundle of joy! Jeff has been with Quest Groups for two years and has excelled in the Product and Marketing division in California. Earlier this year Jeff and his wife Katie found out they were expecting their first child. Wanting to be surprised by the gender of their child they decided to wait until the baby was here. We are proud to announce that Jeff and Katie had a little boy named Simon on Dec. 30^th 2016. Simon weighed in at 9lbs 9oz and is the sweetest little man. Congratulations Jeff and Katie! Welcome to the world Simon! See you soon.