Brightwing’s Mini Summit Tracks Progress on Year’s Goals

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Brightwing's Mini Summit Tracks Progress on Year's Goals Checking in on the progress you’ve made toward accomplishing set goals is just as important as setting those goals in the first place. That’s exactly what Brightwing’s first annual Mini Summit set out to do.  Our full-sized Annual Summit takes place in January; this event includes two days of annual meetings, SWOT analyses, goal setting, and team building activities. The Mini Summit has a similar agenda, just in a half-day format.  This year’s Mini Summit Agenda included: 
  • Our Quarterly Meeting 
  • A tie-breaker game to decide the winner of July’s Link Up Cup, our Q3 storytelling contest focused on “relationshipping”
  • An all-company viewing of Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk on body language with smaller breakout groups for discussion
  • An AI experiment 
  • Lunch 
The Annual Summit in January underscored the importance of involving all employees in company strategy, preparing the environment for open and honest communication, maximizing feedback quality with group discussions, acting on solicited feedback, and having fun. These same lessons did not go unreflected during the Mini-Summit.  The idea of the event itself came from team feedback. Numerous employees expressed their desire for a small-scale summit sometime in the summer months as a way to keep the momentum from the Annual Summit alive and to assess progress made on goals set at the beginning of the year.  And, as the Summits always go, the Mini Summit served as a good dose of fun. After a review of our Q2 performance and financials, our team got to witness an epic Link Up Cup competition showdown.  Brightwing’s “Link Up Cup” is a competition focused on “relationshipping.” At Brightwing, relationshipping is about creating lasting and meaningful connections with others every day, and understanding that relationships = opportunities. The Link Up Cup asks Brightwingers to share the best relationshipping stories from the month, whether they did the relationshipping themselves or they witnessed it. We were divided into teams, and each team submitted their relationshipping highlights.  During the first round of the Link Up Cup, two teams submitted the same story (each from a different perspective). Since there can only be one winner, both teams had to compete head-to-head in a modified version of “The Newlywed Game,” where one teammate had to predict a choice another teammate would make. The two teams battled neck-in-neck to the bitter end, when one overtook the lead with a correct answer to the tie-breaker. Our last activity of the day included AI-experimentation. Brightwingers were separated into teams and asked to create a Brightwing theme song using the artificial intelligence chatbot of their choice. While some teams rose to the occasion and successfully navigated the nuances of AI to create beautiful, heartwarming compositions, other teams fell flat. Needless to say, when teams reconvened to share their theme songs, there was no shortage of laughter.  If this Mini-Summit proved anything, it is that our Summits, big or bite-sized, boost morale, team cohesiveness and the drive to finish the year strong. Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

How to Use Take Your Kids to Work Day to Build a Stronger Company Culture

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How to Use Take Your Kids to Work Day to Build a Stronger Company Culture Brightwing hosted its first annual Bring Your Kids to Work Day on August 17th. National Bring Your Kids to Work Day is traditionally celebrated on the fourth Thursday of April, but Brightwing decided to host its event on August 17th, during the summertime, to maximize participation. The lineup of activities for this event included something for every age, an important component considering the age range of attendees: 3 years old to 15 years old.  All in all, the event ended up being a massive success. Hosting a Bring Your Kid(s) to Work Day can produce a host of benefits, many of which we experienced firsthand:

1. Start nurturing kids’ professional potential early 

It may sound tongue-in-cheek, but the reality is: it’s good for kids to get exposure to different kinds of workplaces, early and often. Many children don’t have a good understanding of what their parents do all day at work. Bring Your Kids to Work Day gives them a chance to see their parents in their professional element and learn more about the different types of jobs that exist.  The first planned activity for Bring Your Kids to Work Day was an office tour. Each department was a destination on the tour, and the kids got to learn a little bit about what each department does. Trivia and prizes were interspersed throughout this activity too.

2. Retain and Attract Top Talent 

Hosting an event like this can be a sign that an employer sees their employees not just as workers, but as whole people. It can play a part in a larger strategy of helping hardworking teammates to feel fulfilled in many facets of their lives. Brightwing prides itself on fostering a family-like atmosphere and this was especially evident during the arts and crafts session, where the amount of children in the room easily doubled the amount of parents in the room.  Of the three craft stations, one included coloring pages with the faces of each child’s parent, another with rocks and paint pens, the third with materials for gluing onto construction paper to make a jellyfish.

3. Build Relationships Among Employees 

When employees bring their children to work, it gives them a chance to bond with their colleagues over their shared experiences as parents. This can help to create a more cohesive and supportive work environment. Brightwing’s Bring Your Kids to Work Day definitely helped forge even closer bonds among the team. After all, there’s no better way to really get to know someone than by spending time with their families.

4. Boost Employee Morale and Engagement

Employees appreciate it when their companies recognize and support their families. Allowing employees to bring their children to work can help to create a more positive and supportive work environment. This is especially true when you take into account the joy a Bring Your Kids Day to Work can bring. Laughter relieves stress and spurs creativity, collaboration, analytic precision, and productivity. Laughter also boosts engagement and well-being. Whether laughing at a silly joke a kid made or recounting funny stories about raising your own kids, your employees are reaping the benefits. The day ended with pizza and ice cream, which parents and their children alike enjoyed after a busy morning. Brightwing’s first Bring Your Kid(s) to Work Day was a smashing success that received rave reviews from the kids, their parents, and even employees who enjoyed seeing some new, younger faces in the office. Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

Brightwing Named Crain’s Best Place to Work in Michigan 2023

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Brightwing Named Crain’s Best Place to Work in Michigan 2023

Family-like atmosphere. Open-door communication. Employee growth.

These are the main reasons that Brightwing has been named the overall 10th (out of 100) best place to work in Michigan. In the small company category, Brightwing was named the 5th best place to work. Of all the listed aspects that make Brightwing the best place to work, one reigned above all others: employee growth.  In the words of one Brightwinger, “A lot of companies invest in their people – offering up great budgets for training and development. Brightwing does that, but actually goes a step further. Leadership actively coaches us through scenarios that come up day to day to help us approach things differently and better. I’ve found mentors in many of our leaders, in fact – not just in my own boss. Compared to the other companies I’ve worked for, Brightwing’s commitment to instilling leadership skills in each of its people goes unsurpassed.” Brightwing’s President, Jeff Genovich, shares this sentiment: “We value internal development above almost all else. Every employee comes to Brightwing with potential, and our goal is to take an individualized approach in order to cultivate and realize that potential. We want our employees to take risks, learn, and continue to get better.”  Though employee growth was the top-cited aspect of Brightwing that makes it a great place to work, family-like atmosphere and open-door communication are just as significant factors.   As one Brightwinger put it, “People want to work at Brightwing because of the culture and the people. The culture is one that promotes flexibility, work/life balance, collaboration, and employee development. I know these are stereotypical things to say about your workplace, but when it comes to Brightwing these things are true. Brightwing is a people-first organization in the way that, as much as the company values productivity and performance, it values the health and happiness of its employees above all else.”

About Crain’s Best Places to Work

To be considered a best place to work, companies had to participate in Crain’s Best Places to Work in Southeast Michigan Program. This program involves a two-part survey process. The first part consisted of evaluating each nominated company’s workplace policies, practices, philosophy, systems, and demographics. The second part consisted of an employee survey to measure the employee experience. The combined scores determined the top companies and the final rankings. Best Companies Group managed, analyzed, and used the data and their expertise to determine the final rankings. Crain’s Detroit Business unveiled the rankings of the 2023 Best Places to Work in Southeast Michigan in a special section on August 28.

About Brightwing

Founded in 1973, Brightwing is a recruiting and staffing agency dedicated to championing human potential. Brightwing serves engineering/design, information technology, finance/accounting, and human resource positions. Brightwing is headquartered in Troy, MI with offices in Plano, TX and Davie, FL. Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

Don’t Fall for This Interview Trap

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Don't Fall for This Interview Trap Engineering Talent Expert Mike Gourley shares his thoughts on a common interview trap: I’ve talked to many people that say, okay, the interview was scheduled for 30 minutes. It was a virtual call, and the candidate felt like they had a lot of questions. They were very sensitive of the time. They didn’t ask those questions because they thought to themselves, “This will only last 30 minutes.” No one said that, it was just on the calendar for 30 minutes. Don’t think like that, right?  

Making assumptions can be dangerous, especially when interviewing for a job. 

  This is your opportunity. This is just as much for you as it is for the company and for the manager. So take advantage of it. Keep asking questions. Let them tell you, “Hey, we don’t have enough time to answer all these. We’d love to talk with you again.” Maybe they’ll want to bring you on site again.  Don’t let that time frame, or again things that aren’t communicated to you, hold you back from getting what you need to out of the interview. Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

How to Avoid New Job Regret in Automotive Engineering

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How to Avoid New Job Regret in Automotive Engineering Engineering Talent Expert Mike Gourley shares a hot take:

Prepare questions for your interview like the job description doesn’t exist.

  Changing jobs is a huge decision for you — for just in life in general, for your family. And I hate hearing that you wound up in an opportunity that you regret. So a good example would be a power electronics engineer that I’ve recently worked with and placed at a client of mine. We ultimately support a lot of the tier one and tier two suppliers that are out here in Metro Detroit. So this person had reached out to me. He had joined an OEM six to seven months prior to our conversation and realized at that point that while he assumed, based on the job description, that he’d be working in design and development of those power electronics, after six or seven months, he realized that it was nowhere in the near future at all. It just wasn’t going to be possible for him to do that kind of work that he was really looking to do to build his career in the way that he wanted to.

Don’t let assumptions based on the job description get in your way.

  It’s asking the right questions. It’s understanding when you’re interviewing that the more concrete, specific questions you ask, the better your chances are of making the right career move for you. It’s your time to learn and take that opportunity to ask about where are you in the program. Are you in DV or PV stages of this process for this product? Ask about the team structure. Ask about how many other engineers are you working with locally. Oftentimes, a good question to ask on the supplier or OEM side is where is this development and design work actually done. You might be surprised. Again, just if you’re only basing it off the job description, you might be misled. The managers are never going to hold that information back from you when you ask a direct question. So learn about it. Ask about it. Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

Brightwing Named a Top Rated IT & Engineering Staffing Firm

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Brightwing Named a Top Rated IT & Engineering Staffing Firm Brightwing has overcome the “recruiter stereotype.” The stereotype that characterizes recruiters as pushy, selfish, and deceitful (among other things). On July 18th, 2023 Brightwing was named a top rated IT and engineering staffing firm by Great Recruiters.  Great Recruiters is a candidate experience and management platform that solicits and measures feedback from tens of thousands of candidates from hundreds of recruiting firms across the country. Brightwing earned this distinction by demonstrating success in the following areas: 
  • Capturing real-time feedback from candidates, clients, and placed talent
  • Automating instant action on feedback
  • Measuring & improving organizational performance
  • Promoting success stories and building social proof to elevate their online reputation
What’s more, Brightwing demonstrated this recruiting excellence amid a flooded talent market. IT and engineering companies are in the middle of an arms race for top talent, but abrupt layoffs in the tech sector have flooded the market, making it more difficult to find the most desirable talent.  “Providing top-notch experiences for our candidates is something Brightwing has, and always will, pride itself on. Great Recruiter’s recognition of this is so gratifying,” said Brightwing Chief Operations Officer Mick Narusch.   “It is such an honor to be recognized as one of the top IT and engineering staffing firms,” added Jeff Genovich, Brightwing’s President. “We plan to continue to use the Great Recruiters platform to continue to improve our processes.”

About Brightwing

Founded in 1973, Brightwing is a recruiting and staffing agency dedicated to championing human potential. Brightwing serves engineering/design, information technology, finance/accounting, and human resource positions. Brightwing is headquartered in Troy, MI with offices in Plano, TX and Davie, FL. Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

Don’t Miss This Red Flag in Your Recruiters

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Don't Miss This Red Flag in Your Recruiters Engineering Talent Expert Mike Gourley lays out 2 easy decision trees to help you rule out bad recruiters:
  • Less than 95% of the intro conversation is about YOU → It’s a pass. Don’t work with them.
  • Your go-to recruiter has never told you NO → Hard pass. Don’t work with them anymore.

Gourley identifies more recruiter red flags…

  If more than 5% of your first conversation with a recruiter is about the JOB, that’s a very bad sign. That first call should not be about the job. It should be about you. This is what it looks like when recruiters do their job right: 1.   They know you. Ex: They understand what makes you different from the next engineer who has similar experience and skills. 2.   They know the opportunity. Ex: They understand what makes one automotive supplier different than another, even if they look the same on paper. 3.   They are honest (and considerate) enough to tell you “no” if it’s a bad fit.

Why Good Recruiters Sometimes Say “No”

  “I think it’s a huge red flag if you’re working with a recruiter that doesn’t tell you ‘no.’ I was speaking with a candidate recently that had seen a job that we had posted. Really interesting, very high-level technical role. He obviously really wanted to learn a lot about this opportunity. I provided a lot of information for him. But I also got to know him quite a bit during that time. And it was very, very clear to me that while he was out there exploring, learning about other opportunities, his real motivation was about accomplishment. And his pursuit of that in his current team, building his team. He’s already on his way. He’s already doubled the size of it. There’s still a lot of work to be done there, and it doesn’t look like anything’s going to be slowing that down. I think it was also really important to push back on that and tell him: As much as I think this is a fantastic opportunity for the right person, I don’t think that this is the right time for him. Because his company is going to keep going. And the sense of accomplishment that he’s going to feel after two or three years when they launch their product is going to be so much greater. So I took that back to him, and I think he was really surprised to hear that and to not move that forward. But I do think he really respected that. And he was able to tell me that by the end of the conversation. We left on good terms. We’ll keep in touch. And certainly if something fantastic pops up, we’ll talk with him about that. There’s many people (recruiters) out there that would rather just see the deal go through. And I think I’ve often created much better relationships by being able to push back and tell people no at times. And give them a strong explanation as to why that is.” Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

5 Lessons in Employee Engagement from the 2023 Brightwing Annual Summit

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5 Lessons in Employee Engagement from the 2023 Brightwing Annual Summit Data from the Corporate Leadership Council suggests that employees who are engaged at work perform 20% better and are 87% less likely to leave their current company.  Despite early signs of power shifting back to employers, employees still are more likely to quit—or “quiet quit”—than pre-pandemic. Losing an employee is costly, as is replacing them.  The more engagement opportunities you offer your employees, the better:
  • Making employee engagement a key part of your strategy
  • Allowing employees’ insights to inform organizational strategy
  • Giving people time and space to make good relationships
  • Providing opportunities for employees to learn and grow
This is one of the core motivations behind Brightwing’s Annual Summit: a chance to engage, motivate, and inspire the team by involving all employees in goal setting for the new year.  With a workforce distributed across three cities—not to mention increased hybrid work since the pandemic—it’s rare and unheard of for our entire workforce to be in the same place at the same time.  That’s why for the second year in a row, Brightwing prioritized bringing everyone together for a retrospective on the year, planning for the future, and team- and culture-building exercises. Here are some of the key lessons we learned from this year’s Summit.  

1. Involve all employees in company strategy

  Generally, only 30% of employees feel like their opinion matters at work. If you want to buck this trend, you need to go above and beyond in the opposite direction.  One of the specific objectives of the Summit was to gather the whole team together in a conference-like setting. There were a number of reasons for this approach:
  • We truly believe that every team member’s opinion matters, and want to hear from all perspectives
  • Different people have different communication styles—a variety of activities is necessary to draw out quality feedback from everyone
  • Our employees aren’t just cogs in a machine—we wanted to provide opportunities for fun and engagement, especially since they’ve never met some of these colleagues face-to-face
Organizations serious about employee engagement should take note: every person on your team has a valuable perspective.  This is especially true among recruiters, salespeople, and other frontline employees. They’re the ones who are out there talking to your customers. They have their “ear to the ground,” as it were. If you don’t listen to your whole team, you’re going to miss signals—both internal and external—that something needs to change. This could put your business at risk.  

2. Prepare the environment for open, honest communication

  Let’s face it: most employees don’t feel comfortable speaking up at work. And believe it or not, that’s not a problem with the employee—but with leadership. The reason people struggle to speak up is because they don’t have a sense of psychological safety.  That is, employees feel they can take risks, express concerns, ask questions, and admit mistakes—without fear of consequences or retribution. So if you actually want employees to be open and honest in their feedback, you need to establish a psychologically safe environment:
  • Encourage risk-taking and even failure
  • Be upfront admitting your own mistakes
  • Praise employees who ask questions or express concerns
If you want feedback from the team to drive strategy, then you need to prepare the environment so everyone feels safe being open and honest. As you can imagine, this legwork can’t happen overnight. This requires months, even years, of trust-building with your team. For Brightwing, this has been a core part of our culture for 50 years. And at the Summit, we saw the results of that work—our team felt free and safe to share their open, honest feedback.  During the company-wide roundtables, employees and management discussed some topics important to the organization:
  • Celebrating small wins
  • Overcoming hurdles and roadblocks to avoid burnout
  • Leadership without a title
  • Cross-company communication to improve how teams collaborate
Without a track record of encouraging honest communication, our team likely wouldn’t have had the psychological safety to engage in these conversations. However, we did, and our organization will be much better because of it.

3. Maximize feedback quality with group discussions

  Every organization has their extroverts and introverts. Most of the time, getting the extroverts to talk isn’t a problem.  But the quieter, more introverted people on your team have valuable insights to share. Part of your employee engagement process should be finding ways to get them involved in the conversation. During the Summit, we used a group, roundtable format to do just that. Over the course of the conversation, each person built on the ideas of the other, which created high quality feedback.  We found that 6-8 people per roundtable was the ideal size to have a good conversation. Large enough that people could bounce ideas off each other, but not so large that it jeopardized the team’s psychological safety.  

4. Don’t just solicit employee feedback—act on it

  A lot of companies claim they value employee feedback. But unless you actually act on it, it’s an empty promise.  During last year’s Summit, we gathered many ideas, suggestions, and general feedback. We surveyed the team post-Summit to get an understanding of how they prioritized solutions. And here was one issue that leapt to the forefront: Going hybrid – working some days at home and some at the office each week – had helped Brightwingers see the special strengths of in-person work, and they wanted to double down on them. They spotted room for improvement and wanted the office to become a place they could collaborate more easily. In response, over the first quarter last year, we renovated underused office spaces and turned them into meeting rooms. And we built a new kitchenette, fully stocked with snacks and drinks. Collaboration happens so much more easily when you’ve got the right space and a full stomach.
This year fell into a similar mold. The Brightwing team made it a priority post-Summit to put the feedback we received into motion:
  • Meeting with team members to identify ways to celebrate small wins
  • Working to address failures in a positive, opportunity-focused light
  • Creating cheat sheets to define industry-specific acronyms & holding onboarding trainings on “inside-baseball” terminology
Additionally, each department performed SWOT analysis with their team to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within each team. Leadership is already using this information to plan for the year ahead. To be clear, not every piece of feedback requires action. Leaders need to be discerning in what they choose to apply. But if you have your whole organization saying that XYZ change needs to happen, and you don’t act on it, you’re sending a clear message: you don’t actually care what they have to say. Good luck keeping them on board.  

5. Don’t forget to have fun

  Your employees aren’t just employees. They’re people. And unless you’re a workaholic, you don’t work all the time and always. That’s why, for decades, Brightwing has prioritized a positive company culture where employees genuinely connect and enjoy spending time with each other. We’ve got some pretty cool people on our team, and it would be a shame if we missed that because of an all-work-no-play mindset.  During the Summit, we made sure to not just have serious conversations about the future of the company, but also have some fun. So we decided to do a Nailed It! style cake-decorating contest. Different teams used icing, food coloring, and various cake toppings to create a design that was original, neat, and colorful. Then—and this was the best part—they had to “pitch” the cake to Brightwing’s CEO, Aaron Chernow and former president, George Opitz.  The theme was “dynamic duos.” And the winners of the competition did a stellar cake-depiction of Abbott & Costello’s “Who’s on First?” skit. It was a total riot! Everyone had fun, and we all walked away with a better understanding of each other—not just as teammates, but as people. 

Final thoughts on the Brightwing Annual Summit

  If you want employees to feel bought into the organization, you have to involve them in decision-making.  This means asking for feedback, preparing an environment where they feel safe to be open and honest, and actually using that feedback to make strategic decisions. Brightwing’s Annual Summit is proof that engaging employees and valuing their opinions is key to a solid culture and long-term retention. We hope the lessons we’ve learned along the way will be helpful to you. P.S. If you want a sample of some of the fun that was had at Brightwing’s Summit, check out these videos:   Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

How to Write a Cover Letter That Will Set You Apart

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How to Write a Cover Letter That Will Set You Apart

How to Write a Cover Letter to Stand Out

Cover letters are a vital component of job applications. But before you consider how to write a cover letter, you need to understand why they are so important. They provide the opportunity to explain why you are interested in a position and help employers better understand your strengths, experience, and qualifications for a role. In a cover letter, you can emphasize unique skills and highlight your knowledge and experience that makes you stand out from other applicants. Not only do cover letters give potential employers insight into who you are as a person, but they also demonstrate professional communication. By providing a cover letter, you have an opportunity to express enthusiasm and genuine interest in a job, which helps make relevant connections between skills and experiences and the job requirements. Having a cover letter also presents a professional image that reflects positively on you and shows your initiative. It takes time to craft a thoughtful and engaging cover letter, but by putting in that effort you are one step closer to standing out to potential employers. 

Letter of Introduction for a Job

A cover letter is a document sent along with a resume when applying for a job. It should be tailored to the specific position for which you are applying and demonstrate a link between you and the stated position. When writing a cover letter for a job, you should introduce your qualifications, highlight the core points of your application, and illustrate how your skills can benefit the employer. Cover letters should also include your qualifications, interests, and relevant experiences.  Additionally, consider what potential employers may want to hear by showing not only why you’re a good fit for the job, but also why you’re passionate about the company. Cover letters act as a bridge between a resume and an application, allowing you to further explain and clarify your qualifications and experience. They also act as a summary of why you are the ideal candidate for the job. Overall, cover letters should address the specific requirements for a role and incorporate the necessary elements of a job application.

How to Start a Cover Letter

Cover letters are a critical component in applying for a job, but they can be notoriously difficult to write. It’s difficult to strike the perfect balance between being confident in your work and qualifications, while not sounding arrogant or self-absorbed. Additionally, it can be a challenge to stand out from the crowd in a concise form. A cover letter has to be convincing and demonstrate why you are the ideal candidate without being overly long or redundant. Crafting a compelling narrative that establishes who you are, your qualifications, and your fit for the job takes a great deal of thought and effort.  When addressing how to write a cover letter, there must be synergy to attract the attention of the hiring manager. You have to capture their attention in the most concise way possible, almost as if you’re telling a story. Furthermore, you have to have impeccable spelling, grammar, and sentence structure; this is the first impression you make and it needs to be good. Cover letter writing is not an easy task, but with patience and care, you can create something that stands out. So, if you’re trying to figure out how to start a cover letter, here are some things to consider. 

Cover Letter Introduction

When assessing how to write a cover letter, you should absolutely start with a strong introduction. First, you should directly greet the hiring manager. You can look up the relevant department head within the company you’re applying to and directly address them within your letter. This will immediately show commitment and attention to detail in your letter of introduction for a job. As you transition further into your cover letter introduction, the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you want to grab attention. Hiring managers are potentially sorting through hundreds of cover letters, so make yourself stand out. An excellent way to do this is to start with two to three of your top achievements that are relevant to the position. 

Body of the Cover Letter

Within the body of a cover letter, you should provide as much evidence as you can that you are the perfect candidate for the position. An excellent way to start is by reviewing the job description and responsibilities. By properly understanding these job factors, you can tie in your most relevant experience and mirror the company’s language. This will, once again, show attention to detail that will impress any hiring manager.  Additionally, you want to tie in why you’re a good fit for the company as a whole. Employees leaving companies due to a poor cultural fit can cost their organization between 50-60% of the person’s annual salary. To prove you’re a fit for the company, you’ll have to do a bit more research. Look at the organization’s products, services, and About page to see what their business stands for. 

Cover Letter Conclusion

As you consider how to write a cover letter conclusion, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, make sure you’re wrapping up the most relevant information from your previous paragraphs. Make sure you’ve proven that you’re the best person for the job. Next, take the time to be courteous and thank the hiring manager for their time. And, lastly, finish off with a call to action. This is the space where you should encourage the hiring manager to reach out with any questions or to schedule an interview. 

Rely on Brightwing

If you’re actively seeking out new opportunities, relying on talent experts like ours at Brightwing is an excellent idea. Since its opening in 1973, the Brightwing team has been connecting candidates with the right employers. So, let our recruiters help you in your job search journey. Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

The Benefits of a Personalized Letter of Recommendation

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The Benefits of a Personalized Letter of Recommendation

Is a Personalized Letter of Recommendation Beneficial?

References are one of the best ways for employers to understand the character and skills of job applicants. While listing contact information for references on your resume is useful, there are many benefits of using a personalized letter of recommendation instead. In many ways, the right letter of reference could be the key to getting the job of your dreams! 

Benefits of a Professional Reference Letter

When a company looks to hire someone, they often receive many applications and resumes. If there is anything you can do to make your resume stand out, you need to do it! A professional reference letter is a great way for an employer to notice you. It also saves them a phone call or any difficulties contacting someone listed as a reference. In many cases, hiring managers do not have the time to call every applicant’s references, so this ensures they see a job reference that vouches for you. Not only that, but you also get to know exactly what your reference says about you. If you ever worry that the references on your resume won’t offer the most relevant information or might not share what you hope they will, asking for a professional reference letter can help them know what is important to you. 

Who Should You Ask?

One of the most important things to decide when seeking a personalized letter of recommendation is who to ask. When you are considering people, make sure you look for someone who knows you well enough to write something personal. This could be a former coworker, employer, teacher, professor, or someone you have worked with closely. This person should be able to say something about your work ethic, personality, and character. People you should not ask to write you a letter of reference are people like parents, siblings, cousins, friends who you have not worked with, or people you do not know. If you ask a family member to write your recommendation, they might seem biased or not knowledgeable about your work. Choose people who have influenced you, who know about your past successes, and who can share important things about you. This makes a difference!

Different References Share Different Experiences

If you are intending to ask someone for a reference letter, ask more than one person. Different people will share different aspects of your work and character, so seeking out varying perspectives can only benefit you. Most employers look for a letter from someone who managed or supervised you, such as a coworker, and perhaps a teacher or other character witness. If you can get a letter from someone who directly supervised you, they would be the best reference for a new job. One of the reasons why letters of recommendation can be difficult to get is that sometimes you don’t want the people at your current job to know you are looking elsewhere, and hiring managers understand that. However, if you are moving or leaving the company for another reason, take advantage of that time to ask for a personalized letter of recommendation. 

What Should You Ask For?

When you ask someone for a personalized letter of recommendation, they might ask you what you want them to put down. There are several things you can ask for that will impress hiring managers. Letters of recommendation should include: 
  • The name, job title, and contact information of the person writing the recommendation.
  • Your full name and reference to the job title you held when you worked with the person writing the recommendation. 
  • How long the person has known you? This shows consistency and also relevance to your current job and title. 
  • Whatever the person would like to share about your work, character, and any other relevant information, like awards. They can also share personal stories that highlight times they recognized these characteristics in you.
  • They should share what sets you apart from other candidates. If they hired you, why did they do that? Things like this are very useful. 
  • The person should sign the letter as well. 
This is not a complete list. For certain fields, hiring managers want to know about specialized work. For example, if you are a programmer, your job reference can share that you are a specialist in coding languages and how you used them at your former job. Noting any special skills is a great way to highlight your individual quality. 

Your Resume

When seeking letters of recommendation, make sure your resume matches the information in your letters. If you have a letter from a former employer, but you didn’t list that job history on your resume, the hiring manager might be confused and unsure about how you got the letter. Or if in one of your letters of recommendation, your recommender mentions you are a great computer programmer, but that isn’t on your resume at all, that doesn’t make much sense. Ensure your resume is a representation of you, so it matches the information people share about you in the letters. You want to show consistency when you are looking for a job. No matter what field you are in, your resume is important and should reflect what you can do.

Cover Letters

If you don’t have much job history or you haven’t worked with many people you can ask for a job reference. a cover letter can be a great way to stand out as well. You can write a generic cover letter, or you can write personalized letters for each job you apply for. Either way, it is a great way to stand out as well.

Letters of Recommendation and You

Remember, you don’t have to have a letter of reference to get a job, but it certainly helps. Having someone to vouch for you is always beneficial. Finding the right job can be difficult, but having the tools you need to succeed is the first step! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

How to Prepare for Starting a New Job

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How to Prepare for Starting a New Job

Ways to Prepare for Starting a New Job

Starting a new job can be nerve-wracking. You might not know exactly what to expect on the first day. Getting new job jitters is normal. You want to learn the ins and outs of your new job as quickly as possible to get into a routine. Plus, you probably want to feel acclimated to the new work environment too. All of the nerves aside, starting a new job is also exciting. You get a fresh start at a new place, where you understandably want to start with your best foot forward. You might be feeling a lot of pressure ahead of your first day. That’s why it’s important to prepare yourself beforehand. To help you approach your new opportunities, here are some tips to help you when you’re nervous about a new job.

How to Prepare for Starting a New Role

The first thing you have to do before you start your new job is to celebrate yourself. Congratulations! You just landed a role at a new company. That’s something to be proud of. Obviously, since you were hired, the company already sees you as an asset. Now, a little bit of self-confidence goes a long way on your first day of work. Try to do something to treat yourself the day before or the morning of your first day. Get yourself that special drink from the coffee shop by your house. Not only do you deserve it for starting a new chapter in life, but creature comforts can help ease any worry prior to starting your new role. 

The First Day of Work

When you’re nervous about a new job, planning can help put your mind at ease. Start by planning out your first day. Pick out your outfit the night before. First impressions matter, so you might want to put some thought into your first work outfit. Make sure to choose something that is both appropriate for the work environment but also comfortable for you. Then you’ll want to plan your route. Of course, it goes without saying that you don’t want to be late on your first day of work. But sometimes directions can get confusing or parking becomes a nightmare. Give yourself extra time to get there so you’re not in a rush. This really can go a long way in easing your nerves. The most important thing about your first day in a new role is to keep yourself open. It goes without saying that you won’t know everything. That’s why you should be interested in your surroundings, including your co-workers. Asking questions is a great way to learn more about the ethos of your company. Plus, it also shows your employer that you are taking your role seriously. Try to learn as much as you can about the company, the work environment, and your job responsibilities. It also helps to explore and find out where things are in the office. When you’re nervous about a new job, the best thing to do is to put yourself out there on the first day. 

Nervous About a New Job?

While this might not help put you at ease, it’s true that first impressions matter. That’s probably why starting a new job comes with such intense emotions. A lot of anxiety can bubble up about job performance and developing rapport with co-workers. Take it day by day and try your best. The best advice you can follow is not to shut down or shut yourself away in your own space. Throughout the first week, try to get to know the people you’ll be working with. You’ll be seeing a lot of your co-workers, so it’s important to establish a base relationship with them. Some questions you can ask to get the conversation rolling include:
  • How long have you been with the company?
  • What are your current projects?
  • Is there anything I should know about the company culture?
  • Can I help you with anything?
You’ll want to listen twice as much as you ask questions. When starting a new role, you are like a sponge and the office is the ocean. Learn the culture of the company and figure out its structures. Search for opportunities to get involved and ways to take initiative. The most important part of starting a new job is to learn your responsibilities and take care of them. While this is your priority, all of the other little things that go into the company’s culture also matter. We believe that the most important thing for you to do is to keep yourself open to new things. Establish yourself as someone who isn’t afraid to ask questions and will get the job done right. 

Brightwing Talent Experts

Starting a new job can be a whirlwind of emotions. You might be excited and anxious at the same time. The important thing to remember is that most workplaces will welcome you with open arms. Since you’ve been vetted through the interview process, your employers and teammates know that you have something valuable to offer the company. When beginning a new role, always think on the bright side. Staying positive will keep you resilient, even if it can feel tough at first.  If you’ve just started in a new position, look at our other blog posts. You’ll find answers to important questions about the workplace. Plus, you’re sure to gain some helpful tips about problems you might be facing in the workplace. If you are currently looking for a new role- check out these jobs. We are a team of skilled recruiters and salespeople looking to match candidates with companies. Our top areas of focus are engineering, IT, financial services, and operations. We mainly serve the metro Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, and south Florida areas. If these industries and locations are on the list of your preferences, contact us today. We can help you find exactly what you’re looking for. Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

How to Negotiate Your Salary

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How to Negotiate Your Salary

Ways to Negotiate Your Salary

When you’re ready to interview for a job, you’ll probably have a lot of questions to ask your interviewer. The questions can regard company culture, job expectations, and much more. One of the most common and, arguably, most important questions you’ll want to ask pertains to what your salary and benefits are. Starting a job at a new company allows you to leverage your skills and experience for a better salary and better benefits. On the other hand, you can also negotiate your salary at your current company if you’ve taken on more responsibility. In this article, we’ll detail how to negotiate a job offer in ways that will help you when you’re interviewing for a new job or want to be recognized at your current company. Learning how to negotiate your salary is an invaluable skill.

Negotiating Salary

Negotiating salary can seem daunting because you may feel like you have to accept the first offer. However, getting hired by a new company is an agreement for both the new employee and the company, meaning that the parties involved in the hiring process have to agree to the terms of employment. This includes liking and agreeing to your new salary and benefits. To negotiate your salary, you’ll want to be prepared. Of course, you’ll want to be paid more than your previous job since you’re bringing new skills and experience to your next employer.  To negotiate your salary, you can do some research online to see what other people in your prospective position make, including in the area you live. You can also find out how many years of experience correlate with what range of salary. This way, during the interview, when salary negotiations occur, you are aptly prepared to discuss the facts of why you’re presenting the salary you are. When you speak with recruiters or hiring managers in a calm but confident way, you’re helping them listen to you and your valid salary negotiation points!  There are many suggestions when it comes to salary negotiations. Next, we’ll describe other helpful salary negotiating tips for when you negotiate your salary.

Salary Negotiation Tips

These salary negotiation tips will help you communicate what you’d like out of a job offer. As you negotiate your salary with the hiring manager, how they respond can also give you a clue as to how the company’s personnel approaches such discussions. Their attitude can help you determine if the company is the right fit for you, which is another part of the interview process. Nevertheless, let’s continue with more salary negotiation tips.

Be Approachable

When you negotiate your salary, you want to be approachable and not aggressive in any way. By showing the facts behind your desired (but reasonable) salary calmly, your hiring manager  more likely to hear you out. By illustrating the experience you have and showing that people with similar jobs and experience make a certain salary, you are presenting your case objectively. You should also affirm that you’re highly interested in the position regardless. Otherwise, you risk the hiring manager not wanting to hire you if you seem like you won’t take the job because of their offer.

You Can Compromise

It’s possible that the hiring manager can’t offer you the salary you had in mind. It’s important to work within their budget. However, a job offer also includes benefits, such as paid time off, healthcare, a sign-on bonus, sick days, and stock options, all of which you can negotiate for. If a hiring manager can’t match the salary you’re looking for, perhaps you can ask for more paid time off, a higher sign-on bonus, or better stock options. Out of all of these benefits, think about what’s most important to you, and ask if there’s room to increase your benefits instead of your salary. The hiring manager may respond positively to this suggestion since they can’t match your ideal salary. When you show that you’re open to these negotiations, your hiring manager might be as well.

Respect Their Budget

Unfortunately, businesses sometimes have tight budgets that hiring managers can’t adjust for potential candidates. If a hiring manager expresses this when negotiating salary, it’s critical that you remain respectful and listen to why the company can’t offer a higher salary or better benefits. You can ask if the company offers cost-of-living adjustments or promotions, both of which include an increase in salary once you’ve worked in the new position for a period of time. Remaining respectful is key for the hiring manager to still consider you for the job even though they can’t match your ideal salary and benefits. As you consider these salary negotiation tips, remember that it is a delicate topic, as people often avoid talking about their salary and money. However, it’s important to be rightly compensated for a job. Next, we’ll describe how to negotiate a job offer, even after you’ve accepted it.

How to Negotiate a Job Offer

One of the best times to successfully negotiate a salary is when you receive a job offer, especially if a salary discussion didn’t occur during your interview. If you didn’t discuss your salary and benefits during the interview, knowing that the company wants to hire you is one way to boost your confidence to negotiate your salary and benefits. Transparency goes a long way, as long as you illustrate why you need to renegotiate your job offer. As you talk with your hiring manager or recruiter, remain calm and keep confident to figure out how to compromise with them. However, there is a slight risk when it comes to negotiating your salary.

Risk of Salary Negotiation 

How do you negotiate a job offer when there might be a risk of losing the job offer? You’ll want to remain polite and assure the hiring manager that you’re looking forward to starting your work while remaining firm in negotiation details. Being patient and offering a reasonable salary range and benefits is important for the hiring manager to consider your negotiation while still offering you the job. Now, how do you negotiate a job offer after you accept it?

Negotiating an Accepted Job Offer

Negotiating your salary after you’ve accepted a job offer can be difficult, which is why it’s best to negotiate a job offer either during the interview or once you have an offer, but before you accept it. You can ask for a raise after you’ve accepted a job offer and worked at your company for a while, though especially if you’ve taken on more responsibility than what is in your job description. To ask for a raise, you’ll have to ask your manager, who might involve additional management and human resource employees to make a decision. When you ask for a raise, you can explain that you’ve gained more experience and that you’ve taken on more responsibility. By remaining calm and patient, your superiors might hear your side and give you a raise.  Negotiating your salary may seem daunting, whether you’re interviewing for a position, discussing the details of a job offer, or asking your manager for a raise. However, there are ways to go about increasing your salary to accurately reflect your skills and experience. By using these tips to negotiate your salary, you can effectively obtain the salary and benefits that align with your credentials. At Brightwing, we help our candidates find a position that acknowledges what they bring to a company. Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

When to Look for a New Job

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When to Look for a New Job

How Do You Know When to Look for a New Job?

Whether you’ve been at your job for a decade or you’ve recently joined a team just to find out it’s not the healthiest working environment, you may find yourself considering when to look for a new job. But where do you start? Luckily, in today’s digital age, there are many fast and efficient ways to look for a new job to seamlessly transition from one position to the next, including talent acquisition firms such as Brightwing. In this article, we’ll describe more signs that you need a new job, the best time to look for a job, and what to look for in a job, so you enjoy your next adventure!

Signs That You Need a New Job

Even if you enjoy where you work, seeing what open positions there are in your field can help you decide if you’d like a change. As we see soaring inflation, one way people have been mitigating its effects is by finding a new but similar job that pays more. Beyond this example, if you’re considering when to look for a new position, here are some other signs that you need a new job:

No Upward Movement

You can love your role, but if your current company doesn’t recognize your talents and won’t promote you, then perhaps you should start looking for your desired promotion elsewhere. If you’ve gotten used to your usual workload and you’re ready to take on more of a challenge, and the pay raise that comes with it, consider getting hired somewhere that acknowledges your skills and experience. This way, you can enter the next chapter of your career feeling appreciated and seen. 

Your Job Is Unfulfilling

Depending on how long you’ve worked at your current job, it is normal to realize that what you’re working on may not align with your interests anymore. This is another sign that you need a new job, and one you look forward to doing! If you’re uninterested in your work, the workday may feel much longer than it is. However, you can explore your interests and see what positions are open to transfer your already-acquired skills. When you work in a field that you enjoy, you’ll often feel happier!

Management Is Disorganized

A healthy workplace environment requires good management, one that employees can trust for effective leadership. When your management is disorganized, it might be time to look for a new job. Disorganized management could look like frequent changes in leadership or inconsistent feedback. Hostile work environments can lead to decreased productivity. Employees thrive in a positive and consistent environment, not when management is in disarray.

You’re More Stressed Than Usual

Everyone gets stressed. It’s normal, especially when some fields have high-volume times of the year, such as retail around the holidays or accounting firms during tax season. However, if you notice that you’re more stressed than usual, this is another sign that you should look for a new job. It could be that you had to take on more work, or your workplace is toxic. Feeling more stressed than usual isn’t fair to you. Consider taking the time to see what other positions are open and if they have a better workplace culture. 

The Best Time to Look for a Job

There are specific times of the year that might be the best time to look for a job! Sooner is better than later, especially if you’re recognizing the signs that it might be time for a new job, but you can also coordinate your job search to the times more employers are hiring. The best time to look for a job is in January and February. For most companies, businesses finalize their budgets for the new year in Q4. With a new budget for Q1 at the start of the year, these companies are looking to fill the positions that they’ve budgeted for.  There are also certain days of the week that are the best times to look for a job. Look for job postings near the beginning of the week, like Monday and Tuesday. There are a high volume of job postings on Tuesday. You should also plan to apply to jobs midday around 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. when the day’s new postings are the freshest. Now you know when to apply, but what should you look for in a job?

What to Look for in a Job

You made the decision to find your next job. This gives you a great opportunity to think about what’s important to you in a new role and company. Here is what to look for in a job as you begin applying:

Salary and Benefits

Of course, when you look for a new job, you can use this time to negotiate a higher salary and better benefits than what you have at your current job. Benefits include a signing bonus, better health coverage, more paid time off, stock options, and hybrid/remote working options. 

Onboarding Process

As you interview for jobs, another aspect of what to look for in a new position is what a company’s onboarding process entails. Some onboarding processes can take a long span of time, potentially upwards of a week or month. During this time, your hiring manager or other team leads will train you on company policy, client accounts, and your job requirements. You’ll be able to meet your team and learn more about your new role. While this gives you a dedicated time to learn, this process can be lengthy.  Other onboarding processes aren’t as lengthy. Companies may hire you, provide a short time of training, and allow you to get working full steam ahead. While this type of onboarding process is fast, it requires swift learning. Depending on your preference, either process can work and has its own set of pros and cons.

Company Culture

Also during your interview, you can inquire about what the company culture is like. Questions such as “What is the work-life balance of your employees?” or “What’s the typical workday look like for someone in my position?” will clarify what the company culture is like. If you don’t enjoy the sense of the company culture from your interview, don’t worry! When you look for a new job, part of the search is to find a company that matches your expectations! When you start to look for a new job, you should consider companies’ onboarding processes and cultures, as well as similarities to your current job that led you to look for a new position. Going forward, you can use Brightwing’s online job board to optimize your job search. As you apply and interview at new companies, be sure to use your skills and experience to find the best fit and maximize your new salary and benefits. At Brightwing, we ensure that our talent experts match qualified candidates with top employers! Share This Post [social-share] More Like This

How To Fill Jobs In Your Automotive Supplier Business

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There’s fierce competition for employees in the automotive supplier business, but this industry is booming with great jobs of all ranges.

Read more

What Types of Interviews Are There and How Can You Prepare for Them?

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Learning the different types of interviews and how to prepare for them can help you land your desired position.

Read more

Find Great Employees for Your Engineering Team

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Find Great Employees for Your Engineering Team

How to Find Great Employees for Your Engineering Team

Creating an effective engineering team is all about choosing the right members. Just like any job, who you work with makes a huge difference. Engineering is a field where the engineering talent of your team can affect every aspect of your growth, output, and production. Finding the right candidates to join your engineering team takes time and effort, but it is definitely worth it to find the right person. This is why most engineering companies use experienced recruiters like Brightwing to bring the talent to them.  

Attracting Engineering Talent in 2022

Building a team of talent in 2022 can be difficult in some ways and easy in others. In 2021, millions of Americans quit their jobs in search of new opportunities. At this point, there is a large gap in opportunities vs. candidates, which means that the job market for hiring is competitive; however, there are a lot of good candidates to be found. Creating a solid team in 2022 is very possible as a lot of people have left their jobs even after years of working for their prior companies. Finding experienced workers and newly graduated students alike is relatively easy, but attracting them to your engineering firm may be a little easier said than done. 

Job Offers

Creating a unique job offer to appeal to engineering talent is essential in today’s hiring scene. What does a unique job offer look like? There are a few ways to make your offer the best one on the table: 

Competitive Salary

Obviously offering a competitive wage is important, but including things like bonuses and room for pay raises and growth will help you stand out among the crowd. Millennials especially tend to take a job that will promise them a career path and scheduled raises rather than a high-paying job where they can’t grow. Offer salary vs. hourly, whatever may work best for you. A competitively priced job offer isn’t just important in this market, it is absolutely essential. 

Benefits

Offering benefits will help your employees know that you care about their health and welfare. Most large firms are offering benefits like health insurance, dental and vision, and 401ks. Make an effort to offer a benefits package that will be interesting and worth it to your new hires. If you offer a plan that doesn’t cover the basics or has an extremely high deductible, that detracts from your offer. Employee benefits are also tax-free to employers, which can help your business in return. 

Perks

Fun, exciting perks don’t always have to be fancy or over-the-top. You can offer monthly competitions with modest prizes. Have casual Fridays! Have special gifts for birthdays! Find a way to bring something you enjoy into the workplace, like offering a gym membership to each employee or renting out a theater twice a year for a premiere. Sometimes something simple and enjoyable can make your job stand out over another and often turn the tide for an employee trying to decide between two firms. 

Show them Your Spark

Help people know that you offer a problem to be solved or a challenge to face in your field. Show your engineering team that you work on something worthwhile and interesting! Engineering is sometimes seen as boring or stagnant. When you have a project that piques the interest of your candidates, you have a great reason for them to choose you over a firm that just isn’t as interesting. If you specialize in something, tell your applicants. Show them what they would miss out on if they didn’t take your offer! 

Building a Team of Talent 

Creating an engineering team doesn’t mean just finding one good individual and building a team around them, it has to do with recruiting members that will work together as a whole. What makes a good team player in an engineering team? 

Team Players are Leaders

On some engineering teams, younger or less experienced engineers may feel left out or like they can’t make comments, offer criticism, or otherwise contribute beyond expectations. When teams have rigid hierarchies, non-team leads or juniors may self-censor. You certainly don’t want that – you want a team where everyone can rise to the occasion as both formal and informal leaders. Creating a team of leaders helps people to take charge and work together. 

How to Find the Perfect Match

Many engineering firms have a difficult time finding the engineering talent they are looking for to fill their teams. Engineers are busy and work on many different kinds of projects, and each firm may experience something different when hiring. Using a recruitment agency for engineering hires is a great way to go about building a team of talent. A renowned recruitment agency with a long-standing engineering focus like Brightwing attracts engineering talent along with other workers in design and manufacturing. Recruiting takes significant time and effort, especially when the recruiting process is optimized to get to know each applicant’s goals, strengths, and weaknesses. 

Easier for Employers

Creating a team has a lot to do with knowing each member, and it’s hard to go about building a team of talent if you don’t know the talents involved. Self-assessment is notoriously inaccurate, and worse, not everyone is completely honest on their resume. If someone says they are organized and collaborative but they really aren’t, it can have a ripple effect that interferes with your projects, timelines, and budgets. Using an engineering-focused recruiting agency to build engineering teams will save time, money and energy for employers because recruiters are experts at bringing engineers’ true soft and technical skills to light. 

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The Costs of Job Tenure: Why You Shouldn’t Stay in a Job Too Long

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The Costs of Job Tenure: Why You Shouldn't Stay in a Job Too Long There are generally two kinds of job seekers: those who’ve had ten jobs in five years, and those who’ve spent the last ten years in the same role. Now let’s ask: if you’re entering the job market, which is the worst situation to be in? Most people would probably say that it’s worse to be a job hopper, and they may be right. But according to research on Forbes.com, staying in a role for more than two years could mean that you earn 50 percent less than those who leave. This figure shouldn’t be surprising. Most employees will only receive a 3-5% salary increase each year within a single organization. But when you go out into the market to negotiate your salary, you may end up asking for 10-15% more than what you’re currently earning. If you do this every 3-5 years or so, you can see how these increases could compound. So having a long job tenure comes with its own costs. Read on to learn more about how this could impact your current and future job prospects.  

Is Job Tenure Actually Hurting Your Career?

  One of the hallmarks of a great professional is their ability to divide loyalties. While you should have some loyalty to your employer, you also have a responsibility to yourself. If you don’t own your own professional development, no one else will do it for you. So while your loyalty to your employer may prompt you to stay in a job over the long haul, it’s important to seriously consider what this means to your career long-term. When many recruiters and hiring managers look at lengthy tenures, it can give them the sense that:
  • You aren’t motivated or driven to achieve
  • You’re too comfortable with the familiar and unable to adapt to a new job, leadership style, or corporate culture
  • You don’t have a diverse enough skill set to thrive in a modern company and economy, simply because employees gain perspective about best practices as they move from one company to another
If you earn a promotion (and a real promotion, not just a job title change) within a company, that can help to soften the blow. In fact, vertical growth is a good sign, because it shows that you’re willing and able to take on new responsibilities and challenges. But overall, while job tenure comes with significant advantages, there are costs involved. The costs just happen to be long-term; you won’t notice them until you have to get back out and search again.  

How Long Should You Stay at a Job?

  So that leads us to the million dollar question: how long should you stay at a job? According to 2018 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, here are some of the most common trends:
  • Workers in management, professional, and related occupations had a median tenure of 5.0 years
  • 22% of workers had tenure of 1 year or less
  • Younger workers were more likely to have a short tenure than older ones; only 9 percent of workers aged 55 to 74 had a tenure of less than 12 months
  • Median tenure for employees aged 55 to 64 (10.1 years) was more than three times that of workers aged 25 to 34 (2.8 years)
In general, three to five years in a job without a promotion is the optimal tenure to establish a track record of success without suffering the negative consequences of job stagnation. Of course, that may vary depending on your specific industry or role.  

3 Signs You’ve Stayed in a Job Too Long

  Not every problem can be solved with a job switch. Sometimes you need to stick it out and take advantage of all the opportunities that you have in your current organization before moving on. But staying in a job isn’t always the solution either. There are many good reasons why you should move on to another organization or role. If any of the following red flags pop up, that’s a good sign that it’s time to think about a change.  

1. Your job no longer challenges you.

  If you end the day with time to spare, that means that you’ve almost certainly mastered your current responsibilities. While it’s great to be confident and knowledgeable, staying there won’t help you grow.  

2. There’s no risk associated with your job.

  No one likes being on the boss’s bad side. But if you find that you can make a mistake without consequences, odds are that you either are too good at your job, or you’re working for an organization that doesn’t value growth and excellence. Either way, remaining in those environments will cause you to stagnate.  

3. It’s hard to justify sticking around.

  Health insurance, vacation, and retirement contributions are all important benefits, but they shouldn’t be the sole reason you stick with a job. Other companies offer those same benefits, and they may be able to give you a job that challenges and fulfills you.  

Final Thoughts: Is it Time for a New Job?

  If you’re wondering whether you should consider a new job, you’re certainly not alone. The market is filled with people who are looking to improve their situation. There’s a good chance that you should join them. Our recruiters have placed thousands of candidates in great-fit jobs & contractor roles. We would love to help you find your next best opportunity. Click here to get in touch with a Brightwing recruiter.

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Job Hopping vs. Job Clinging: Which is Better for Career Advancement?

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Job Hopping vs. Job Clinging: Which is Better for Career Advancement? Complacency kills careers. That’s why career advancement is a top priority for most professionals. But what is the best way to move your career forward: hopping to a new job, or growing within your current organization? That’s the question a lot of people are facing right now, especially as the Great Resignation continues in full force. A record 4.4 million people quit their jobs in September, and the number of unfilled positions stands at 10.4 million. There are a number of reasons why people want to make a change:
  • Better hours & more flexibility (especially if switching from direct roles to contracting)
  • Advancement in responsibility & leadership
  • Learning new skill sets
  • Greater compensation & benefits
  • Ability to manage & execute more complex projects
If any of these are important to you, this blog post will walk you through whether job hopping or sticking with your current job is the best way to achieve them.  

Why Career Advancement Matters

  Thinking about career advancement is one way that you can set yourself apart from the crowd. Many employees focus only on their current job, or maybe are just looking ahead to the next promotion. This kind of short-term thinking won’t help you. As you move up the ladder there are fewer opportunities available. Which means that if you want to have an upward career path, you need to intentionally take action to get there. Now, this doesn’t mean you should always have your eye on the horizon and neglect your current responsibilities. Quite the opposite, actually! Having clarity on where you want your career to go will help you put your current work in context. Being excellent at where you are now will only set you up for success later down the line. It also can help you figure out how to leverage your current role to grow any skills (both hard and soft) that you may be lacking.  

The Career Advantages of Job Hopping

  There are a few advantages that are most accessible when you job hop. Here are just a few of them:
  • Moving into a new role where you can gain new skills
  • Taking on more leadership responsibilities in a bigger organization
  • Finding a new boss or supervisor who’s willing to invest in your career advancement
  • Moving from a mid-level firm to one that’s more prestigious and has national (or international) brand recognition

 

The Career Advantages of Longevity

  On the other hand, here are some of the growth opportunities that come from staying within your organization:
  • Internal promotion opportunities
  • Moving laterally within the organization or taking on more responsibilities
  • Building rapport with your current boss and developing a mentoring relationship
  • Taking the initiative to demonstrate leadership potential without the need for a promotion or advancement

 

5 Questions to Help You Choose the Best Path Forward

  Now that we’ve walked through the benefits of both job hopping and longevity, here are some questions to ask that will help you figure out the best path for you.  

1. Have you hit a plateau?

  A sure sign that you should seek out a new job is if you’ve hit a plateau in your professional growth. Generally, this looks like the following:
  • You’ve become so competent at your job that it no longer challenges you
  • There’s no room for advancement within the company
  • You’ve been doing the same job for more than five years
  • You find yourself growing bored and dissatisfied with your work
Note that a plateau rarely happens early in your tenure. But if after several years you’re realizing that there are no opportunities to grow, you probably are better served by a new company and role.  

2. Have you pursued internal growth opportunities?

  If you haven’t made an effort to pursue internal growth opportunities, you may be jumping the gun by pursuing a new role. Here are some things you should try instead:
  • Job shadow other employees in the company to broaden your skills
  • Explore opportunities for lateral moves that broaden and deepen your experience
  • See if you have a professional development budget to attend classes, workshops, and training sessions
  • Seek mentorships from more senior employees
  • If you believe you’re ready for added responsibility, proactively seek a promotion
Companies that value you as an employee will find a way to offer at least some of these opportunities. If not, then it’s a good sign that you need to move on to grow yourself and your career.  

3. Is the problem with the company, the role, or you?

  Searching for open positions on job boards can be a great knee-jerk reaction when problems at work arise. But if the problem is actually with you, then moving on isn’t going to solve anything. You’ll just take the problems with you. So get real with yourself and ask: is the problem with the company, the role, or you? If there’s anyone you trust inside or even outside the company, ask them for their advice. Getting an outside opinion is always a good idea.

 

4. What strategic opportunities can another company offer?

  Don’t just leave your job for kicks and giggles. If you’re going to go to another company, make sure that it strategically moves your career forward. This is where you need to spend some time figuring out exactly what is lacking in your career right now. Is it pay? Or is there a particular skill gap you’d like to close? Maybe you want to take on more leadership responsibility? Whatever it is, get clear and use that as your North Star as you sort through job openings. This is going to help you weed out poor fits and find the best option for your career moving forward.  

5. How will this choice impact your career long-term?

  You should always consider the impact that your choice may have on your career long-term. Of course, there’s no way to know for sure what’s going to happen, but it still is important to think about. For instance, job hopping with only a couple years’ tenure in a role can be a negative sign for future hiring managers. However, staying within the same role for more than five years comes with some financial downsides.

 

Final Thoughts: Stay Growing, Stay Active

  Even if you choose to stay in your current job, you need to always be seeking new opportunities to grow. After all, like we said earlier, complacency kills careers. Keep finding opportunities to take on new responsibilities in challenges. Keep your LinkedIn profile and build up your personal brand online. Not only will these benefit your own career, but they can serve as an added boon to your current company. Most importantly, you should have an idea of where you want your career to be in three, five, or even ten years. Then start considering which steps you need to take to get there, and put one foot in front of the other. To get started on your career growth, fill out the form below and a Brightwing recruiter will reach out to advise you on the best next step.

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More Meetings Than Ever? 10 Ways to Make Them Better

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More Meetings Than Ever? 10 Ways to Make Them Better New research found the typical professional has ~5 meetings per day, up from ~3 per day prior to the pandemic. So we conducted a poll asking: “How does the number of meetings you have now compare to before the pandemic?” Here were the results:
  • 54%  —  Way more meetings
  • 30%  —  About the same
  • 16%  —  Fewer meetings
With so many of us experiencing a sizable uptick in the number of meetings we endure throughout the day, it’s important to do what we can to make them better. These tips may be straightforward and even obvious, but they require discipline. Even in the most familiar and comfortable situations, structure and clarity will help you to optimize your time, respect your colleagues’ time, and ensure your meeting invites don’t provoke a chorus of groans. In other words, meetings are assumed to be a waste until proven otherwise… WHEN IT’S YOUR MEETING, THE BURDEN IS ON YOU TO PROVE IT WAS WORTH IT.  

Without further ado, here are 10 tips to make all your meetings better:

 
  1. Choose the right format.  In-person or remote? Sitting or standing? Video or voice? Whatever you choose, don’t let it be by default.
  2. Keep your invite list tight.  Every meeting attendee should NEED to be there. If you’re thinking of inviting someone just so that they can be looped in, don’t. Share information with them another way.
  3. Share an agenda ahead of time.  Outline what you want to accomplish, including why it’s important in the larger context. Even if your agenda is one sentence long, better to get your attendees in the right headspace beforehand than to leave them guessing.
  4. Prepare your evidence.  When you own the meeting, you’ve got the largest advantage: you know exactly what needs to be done. Come prepared with data that will help along decisions!
  5. Start with the bigger picture.  Why is what you’re meeting about important – in the context of the organization’s long-term version and of each individual’s role? Even when the meeting is not a waste of anyone’s time, it can feel that way if the greater purpose isn’t clear to everyone.
  6. Beware meeting scope creep.  The beauty of a well-crafted agenda is that you know what’s NOT on the table for discussion. Enforce it.
  7. Encourage participation.  Someone not chiming in? Direct an open-ended question their way.
  8. Do not let who is responsible for what be ambiguous.  Wrap-up by sharing takeaways out loud. Consider putting them in an email to everyone after the meeting to avoid any doubt.
  9. Know when to end it: on-time or early.  Just because you set aside 30 minutes doesn’t mean the meeting deserves 30 minutes. If you accomplish what you need to before time runs out, put an end to it! If you’ve hit the end of your slated time but you’ve got more to do, still end it. Schedule a follow-up to finish.
  10. Don’t burn yourself out: schedule similar kinds of meetings in clusters.  Recent studies have shown that fluctuating rapidly from feeling powerful at work to feeling powerless causes stress and reduces well-being. So: “consider reviewing your calendar from the past week to identify the types of experiences (meetings, tasks, etc.) that prompted you to feel more and less powerful. In the future, try to schedule tasks in clusters according to how powerful or powerless they tend to make you feel. For example, cluster tasks like giving advice or meeting with a subordinate on the same day of the week if possible. Similarly, consider grouping tasks on your calendar that are likely to make you feel unimportant and powerless — like asking for help or talking to your supervisor.” (HBR)

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Job Hopping: Will it Help or Hurt Your Career?

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Job Hopping: Will it Help or Hurt Your Career? Given the plethora of job opportunities in the market right now, it’s natural to consider making a career change. However, you may be thinking: “I don’t want to be a job hopper.”  We get it.  For years, we’ve all been warned about having short stints on a resume. The pressure to stay with a single organization for more than a few years is strong. But this current environment could afford you the opportunity to advance your career in the direction you want. You don’t want to miss that.  So let’s walk through the pros and cons of job hopping to see if it’s worth it. 

 

Be clear about why you’re making a change. 

  If you’re wondering whether someone will look askance at a short-term position on your resume, the answer is complicated.  According to recent survey data from Robert Half, a majority of workers — 64 percent, to be exact — favor job-hopping. That number is 22% higher than a similar survey just four years ago.  What’s more, the average number of jobs held by workers over a two-year period is 1.3, while over five years is 2.3. Given that we’re in a post-COVID world, it’s not unreasonable to assume that these numbers have increased in recent months. It is true, however, that the average tenure does increase depending on your sector, according to an Economic News Release from the Bureau of Labor Statistics:  
  • Workers in management, professional, and related occupations had the highest median tenure (4.9 years)
  • Workers in service occupations had the lowest median tenure (1.9 years)
So if you have a tenure that’s less than five years, odds are the question will come up during the interview. The key here is to have a solid reason why you’re making a change.  Employers value loyalty, certainly. And that’s why having a longer tenure can be valuable. However, good employers also want people who are growing in their careers, not stagnating. Thus, making a change because you’re ready for a new opportunity will come across as a positive development, rather than a negative one. 

 

Younger employees tend to job hop more. 

  The gap in employment currently is generational in nature. The median tenure for workers ages 25 to 34 is 2.8 years, while for employees ages 55 to 64 it’s 9.9 years.  Additionally, of all the workers who switched jobs last year, only 33% identified as Gen Z, and 25% as Millennial, according to a new study from IBM’s Institute for Business Value. However, it’s important to note that job hopping isn’t a function of generation so much as it is of age. Take Baby Boomers born between 1957 and 1964. According to a Bureau of Labor Statistics report, they have held 12.3 jobs on average, but nearly half of them have been when they were between ages 18 and 24.  On top of that, data from Steven J. Davis from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and John Haltiwanger of the University of Maryland indicate that job hopping has been on a decline since 2000. This may seem to indicate that, compared to other generations at the same age, Millennials and Gen Zers are job hopping less than their counterparts.  The fact that employees tend to job hop in their younger years shouldn’t be a surprise. There are a number of reasons to do so:
  • Building up different skills that will serve your career long-term
  • Trying different positions to find the best fit
  • Gaining experience working at different kinds of companies among different kinds of teams
However, once you start to build up experience, you’re more likely to take on positions that require more strategic planning and thinking. This naturally requires a longer tenure.  Plus, if you’ve spent all that time figuring out what you really want to do, once you find it you probably won’t want to leave! All this to say: if you’re a younger employee, you’re probably safe making a change. And if you’re an older employee, odds are you have some respectable tenure in your work history, which makes job hopping less risky now. 

 

Job hopping may result in greater compensation. 

  Staying in a job long-term may be good for stability. But in terms of long-term financial earnings, job hopping is a better bet. A 2019 study from ADP found that when you stay at your current job, you’re likely to receive a 4% pay increase. However, switching jobs leads to a 5.3% salary increase.  In fact, staying in a job too long may be a detriment to your long-term compensation. According to research from Forbes.com, employees who remain in companies too long (in the article, he says that it’s longer than two years) get paid 50% less than their counterparts who leave and start somewhere else.  And for every year after the two-year mark, that number continues to go up.  But we should be careful not to over-glamorize job hopping. No matter your reasons, starting over with a new job means…well…starting over. That could mean that you lose your banked vacation time, potential retirement income, or insurance coverage, requiring you to switch doctors.   As a result, although there’s plenty of upside, be smart about how you make these decisions so you don’t end up making your situation much worse

 

Final thoughts: Be sure to gather advice. 

  A decision as big as a career change should never be made alone. So if you’re looking for a new job in 2021 or 2022, you need someone in your corner to help you make a smart decision. When you work with Brightwing, our team provides unique insights into the market to help you find the best possible candidate, ace your interview, and set yourself up for success in your new role. To set up an introductory call with our team, fill out the form below!

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