When is the Right Time to Hire Employees? 5 Workforce Planning Tips

Figuring out when to hire employees is a challenge. It’s even harder amid ever-shifting market dynamics. But workforce planning is a challenge every organization must tackle head-on, or risk misallocating resources, decelerating pipelines, and missing opportunities.

Brightwing has 50-plus years of hiring and workforce planning under our belt. Our experience runs the gamut from engineering to operations to finance and other high-skill industries. From that experience, here are some tips for figuring out when to time your employee hires. 

What is workforce planning?

Workforce planning is the strategic process of ensuring you have the personnel needed to meet your business goals and plans. Essentially, it’s the approach you use to figure out when to hire employees for your business.

This graphic illustrates many of the key stages of workforce planning, including strategic planning, workforce analysis, gap analysis, and execution. 

Workforce Planning Model

Image source: Monday.com

Top mistakes people make when timing employee hires

According to a recent report from Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, 73% of business leaders claim to have missed key objectives due to poor workforce planning. This isn’t surprising. Workforce planning is a complex process, and it’s easy to get it wrong. 

In our experience, here are some of the most common mistakes organizations make when hiring new engineers, IT professionals, operations managers, and other high-skill talent. 

Hiring too quickly

At the first uptick in growth, many leaders jump the gun and want to hire as fast as possible. While the motivation is understandable, hiring too quickly presents several risks:

  • Increased likelihood of a bad hire, which not only hurts your organizational performance, but you have to pay to replace them
  • Decreased team morale, as you add the wrong people onto the team
  • Failure to verify whether the business can support the new hire and whether they’re a value-add

 

Hiring too slowly

On the other hand, being too perfectionist and methodical in your hiring processes—or lacking internal recruiting resources—comes with its own risks:

  • Missed business opportunities and projects because you didn’t have the team to support them
  • Decreased team morale as they’re missing deadlines and working overtime
  • Dissatisfied customers as you fail to meet their expectations
  • Negative work environment may cause you to lose the top talent you already have

 

Only pursuing active job seekers

If you’re only pursuing active job seekers, you’re missing out on over two-thirds of the job market, according to data from LinkedIn. 

What’s more, top performers are only in the job market for a short period of time. While the number varies depending on which source you view, most top performers are on the market for as few as 10 days. 

This makes sense. Top performers don’t have to spend months on end or submit hundreds of resumés to get interviews and offers. Their record, network, and experience speak for themselves.

And while some top performers may currently be in-market, many aren’t. Targeting only active job seekers means you’re going after a small percentage of top performers, and you might miss out on someone who’s an excellent fit for the role. 

Not hiring for soft skills or cultural fit

Yes, it’s important to hire for hard skills. No question. But hard skills alone don’t translate to team synergy. To do that, you need a combination of soft skills and cultural fit. Failure to consider these factors increases your chances of internal friction post-hire. 

Top signs it’s time to hire more employees

The key to success in workforce planning and expansion is timing. You want to hit the Goldilocks zone: not too quickly, not too slowly. So as you go about your workforce planning initiatives, here are clear signs it’s time to make it a priority. 

1. Missed project deadlines

If you have a team filled with high performers but your projects are consistently behind schedule, that’s a sure sign you don’t have enough people on board. Missing deadlines not only hurts internal team morale, but erodes client trust and stymies future growth potential. 

2. Employee burnout

Among the high-value talent that Brightwing places, burnout is far more common than it should be. 46% of engineers report team-wide burnout (only 34% of executives reported the same). 40% of tech workers are overworked to the point of burnout. 

While overwork is one cause of burnout, poor culture and employee experience also contribute to it. So hiring more employees without considering culture and soft skills may do more harm than good. Keep this in mind when planning out your workforce.  

3. Ambitious growth goals

If your organization has ambitious growth goals—significantly above and beyond what you’ve accomplished in the past—you’ll likely exceed your current team capacity. A mandate for growth means a mandate to hire more employees. Otherwise, your sales pipelines will start to bottleneck quickly. 

According to Brightwing President Jeff Genovich, “When your growth goals exceed your team capacity, that’s a sure-fire sign you need to find outside help. A staffing partner can help you identify who to bring in, then will go out and find those people for you.” 

4. Accelerating sales pipelines

Once your sales pipelines start to accelerate, that’s a surefire sign you need to hire more employees. Otherwise, you won’t be able to service all that new business you just attracted. 

The problem is that as quickly as sales accelerate, they could very well decelerate. Obviously we’d prefer sales to keep on growing. But market downturns, sudden customer churn, and other factors can cause unexpected losses. You need to hedge against those risks. 

That’s one reason why many organizations will hire contractors for short-term projects. If sales keep coming in, you can rehire those contractors. And if they don’t, you’re not saddled with a team your business can’t support. 

“A popular option among our candidates is contract-to-hire,” says Genovich. “When expenses are tight, people want to reduce their risk of sales pipeline misses. Or, adopt a fractional recruiting model to hire talent at the scale of a recruiting firm without the typical expense.” 

FAQs on hiring employees

What are the warning signs of a disgruntled employee?

Disgruntled employees often give clear warning signs and red flags. These include vocal complaints, chronic exhaustion, poor attendance, frequent absences and tardiness, and more. 

How can you tell if an employee isn’t a good fit? 

If you have a strong company culture, it’s easy to tell if an employee isn’t a good fit—especially within the first 90 days. New employees should come out the gate hot and showcase their best habits early and often. 

Key warning signs include performance issues, lack of alignment with company values, negative impact on team morale, and unhappiness during work. 

What are the four stages of workforce planning?

The four stages of workforce planning include: 1) analyzing your current workforce, 2) determining your strategic business goals and the workforce needed to support them, 3) identifying gaps, and 4) developing talent acquisition strategies to close those gaps. 

Final thoughts on when to hire employees

Figuring out when to hire employees is a tough game. There’s certainly an element of risk involved. That’s why it’s a good idea to run your workforce planning strategies by someone who has extensive experience and knows all the mistakes to avoid. 

Brightwing’s hiring process is strategic in nature. We not only hunt down candidates, but help you figure out what talent you need and when. So if you’re struggling to time employee expansion right, consider partnering with us and we’ll help ensure your success. 

What is a Technical Recruiter & How Do You Hire One in 2024?

Technical recruiters are responsible for sourcing, screening, interviewing, and extending job offers to engineers and other tech workers. At Brightwing, we go a step further by building inroads with passive talent to provide a passive pool of successful, top-tier technical talent.

If you’re looking to hire a technical recruiter, read this article to know what to look for in both candidates and your professional hiring agency partner. 

What is a technical recruiter?

Technical recruiters find and fill open technical positions, including engineering, software, and product roles. Examples of these roles include software engineers, network architects, QA specialists, technical writers, and more. 

When you hire a technical recruiter, you’re not just hiring someone to post job descriptions, review resumés, and schedule interviews. You’re hiring someone with experience and industry knowledge. What’s more, technical recruiters have insights and connections that can help accelerate your hiring process. 

Some day-to-day responsibilities of a technical recruiter include:

  • Working with clients to understand their open positions and the skills (hard and soft) needed 
  • Building inroads with passive, high-performing talent to expand and improve the quality of their candidate pools
  • Networking and attending industry events to keep their ear to the ground on trends
  • Coaching candidates to improve their success in the interview and hiring process overall

 

Brightwing has always had a strong bench of technical recruiters. Over the years, we’ve found the skills needed to succeed as a technical recruiter include networking and relationship building, high curiosity and eagerness to learn and grow, and a strong work ethic to take the initiative to expand their talent base. 

Does this sound like you? If you’re interested in becoming a technical recruiter, check out Brightwing’s career page to see if there are any opportunities available. Or submit your resume here. 

What roles does a technical recruiter hire for?

A number of roles fall within the broad umbrella of “technical” positions. While some technical recruiters may specialize in particular roles, most have experience placing the following positions and more. 

Software engineers

Software engineers spend their days using programming languages, architectures, and platforms to develop applications and systems. They also maintain, test, and improve existing software.

Generally speaking, software engineers fall into one of two categories: systems engineers and application developers. Systems engineers built the networks and computer systems applications need to function. Application developers, naturally, build the applications that run on both those systems. 

Network architects

Network architects are responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining computer networks across an organization, vertical, or department. This role often involves collaboration with other IT professionals—network engineers, system administrators, security experts, etc.—as well as a clear understanding of business requirements and network performance KPIs. 

Product managers

Product managers are always in demand, both as part of IT and engineering organizations. Growing product complexity, larger buying units with more decision-makers and stakeholders, and accelerated project timelines all require more hands-on management. 

Product managers are responsible for the strategic planning and execution of projects. This includes defining the product vision, developing roadmaps, communicating requirements to team members and stakeholders, managing production schedules, and tracking progress to ensure the team meets all required benchmarks, KPIs, and deadlines. 

QA specialists

Quality assurance (QA) is a critical part of the technical product development lifecycle. QA specialists help to ensure all systems meet their stated functional and technical requirements through a combination of testing, analyzing, and troubleshooting. 

Mechanical engineers

Whether you’re building automotive (we’re based in the metro Detroit area, after all), robotics, electrics, or other machines, mechanical engineers can be hard to come by.

Part of the reason for this is the combination of diverse skills mechanical engineers need to be successful. These include mathematical and analytical skills, problem solving, materials knowledge, knowledge of manufacturing processes, and more. 

Technical writers

Complex systems, whether hardware or software, require in-depth explanation for people to understand how they work. Technical writers, then, are critical to ensure widespread, successful user adoption across all customer segments. Technical writers are responsible for creating:

  • User documentation
  • How-to guides
  • Integration guides
  • Operation guides
  • Product specification descriptions

 

The challenge in finding a technical writer is that the role requires the best of both worlds: good communication and writing skills, and deep technical knowledge of the product in question. That’s one of the reasons they can be so hard to place—because good technical writers are often well-incentivized to stay in their current roles.  

Data engineers

We live in a data-first world, which means having data engineers or some other form of in-house data expert is a must-have for most companies. Data engineers are responsible for building and maintaining the organization’s data infrastructure. 

These key responsibilities include designing data systems, building pipelines, maintaining data quality, implementing security best practices, analyzing trends, and surfacing relevant insights to help inform business decisions. 

One of the challenges in hiring top-notch data engineers is the sheer breadth of knowledge needed to be successful. SQL and NoSQL databases are a must. They must also be familiar with tools like BigQuery, Snowflake, Databricks, Amazon Redshift, and more. 

Why should you hire a technical recruiter? Where’s the value? 

As you can see from our descriptions above, hiring technical roles is easier said than done. These roles are all highly in-demand, which means getting callbacks is hard enough, let alone finding quality placements. 

Some of the challenges hiring these roles include:

  • Talent scarcity—simply put, software engineers are hard to come by
  • High demand & competition—software engineers are always in-demand and require competitive offers and benefits to land (and keep)
  • High cost of hiring—it takes a great deal of effort just to get these candidates to call you back

 

Whether you’re looking for a full-time, in-house technical recruiter or partnering with an agency like Brightwing, here are some reasons why that’s a good decision. 

Passive talent

When hiring a technical recruiter, the first question you should ask is about passive talent. Namely, do they have a strategy for finding and landing passive talent? If not, you’d be hard pressed to find they bring much value to your organization. 

But the truth of the matter is that passive talent is far more valuable than active talent:

  • High-performing people are highly incentivized to stay at their current role, while low performers are constantly pounding the pavement
  • People with long tenures at previous jobs are more likely to have long tenures in future jobs
  • If a candidate isn’t in active “job seeking mode”, they’re less likely to go through the motions and provide more authentic responses and feedback
  • Because passive talent are often placed in high-performing companies, they can sometimes provide insight into market trends and demands to help the recruiter do their job better

 

A typical employment staffing agency with a transactional recruitment process (basically a clearing house for resumés) won’t have taken the time and energy to build these inroads. 

Skills assessment

It’s one thing to cross-reference a resumé with a job description. Anyone can do that. In fact, AI resumé screening is the norm in 2024. 

But when it comes to technical recruiting, skills assessment is about more than checking boxes. It requires the ability to suss out whether the candidate actually knows what they’re talking about, as well as their general problem solving, systems thinking, and creative thinking abilities.

Market insights & trends

Technical recruiters spend their days talking to candidates, employers, and other people in the market. They know the key trends inside and out. They know which hiring strategies are working and which one’s aren’t. 

Perhaps most importantly, they know how you, as an employer, can best position yourself to be competitive in today’s job market. Given how in-demand the roles mentioned above are, this strategic intelligence and insight is table stakes for an effective hiring strategy. 

Supplement internal & HR-drive recruitment efforts

Within many organizations, technical recruiters don’t compete with internal HR teams. In fact, when you structure the partnership in the right way, they can become HR’s best friend.

The main reason for this is that while HR personnel are the experts in people management, they’re not as well-versed with technical work. Sure, they can read a resumé and check it for key terminology, but it’s hard to know whether someone will actually be successful in a technical role without that key experience.

This is where the technical recruiter can provide significant value. By working with HR as a true partner—rather than a transactional vendor—technical recruiters can fill the gap in HR’s knowledge and help them more quickly and effectively identify and qualify key talent. 

Technical recruiter FAQs

Why do tech companies use recruiters?

Tech companies use recruiters to find engineering, software, and product talent that a traditional agency or HR team can’t find themselves. One advantage of choosing a high quality recruiter is access to passive candidates. This can expand the size and quality of your talent pool. 

How do you find a recruiter for a software engineer?

The best way to find a recruiter for a software engineer is to find a professional recruitment agency with a track record in finding and placing software engineers. 

Is it hard to recruit software engineers? 

Recruiting software engineers requires a unique blend of skills, both on the recruiting and technical side. If you want to increase your chances of success in the hiring process, an experienced technical recruiter can definitely be worth it. 

Are technical recruiters worth it? 

Absolutely, technical recruiters are worth it. You may pay a higher rate than a transactional agency, but the speed to hire and candidate quality will be dramatically higher if you hire a technical recruiter. 

Final thoughts on technical recruiters

If you’re hiring any IT or engineering talent, technical recruiters are a must have. Without them, you’ll be hard-pressed to get in the door with high quality candidates. Worse, you may end up mishiring, which comes with its own costs. 

Brightwing is proud to be a Top Rated IT & Engineering staffing firm with experience going back 50 years. We know our markets—whether the automotive scene in Detroit or the growing tech scene in Dallas-Fort Worth—and we can get you on the phone with some pretty stellar technical personnel.

Ready to fill those niche positions with candidates who actually fill all your qualifications? Reach out to Brightwing to start working with us today. 

From Referral to Reality: Finding My Passion

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”29032″ img_size=”100×100″ css=””][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text css=””]BY ZIAD OROW
Recruiter / Sourcer[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]About four months ago, I started a new role as a Recruiting Sourcer with Brightwing. I posted about my new position on LinkedIn and in the comments, amidst well wishes and congratulations, I was met with a bit of surprise. 

Surprise is to be expected, though. I went from 26 years in the automotive industry to the staffing industry. That’s quite a switch. 

When I have told people about my career change, they usually want to know how and why I made this switch.

So I figure it’s about time I answer these questions. Let’s get into it, shall we? 

How did I discover Brightwing? 

To tell this story, I need to go back in time about 3 years to when I first met Mike Gourley. An old coworker of mine submitted me as a candidate referral to Brightwing, and from there I was put in contact with Mike, the Senior Recruiter on Brightwing’s Engineering Team. We worked together to find a new opportunity, but we couldn’t find a perfect match at the time. 

While working with Mike, I realized he was much different than any recruiter I had met and worked with previously. It was clear that Mike didn’t want to just find me a job, he wanted to find me the right job. Whereas I always felt pressure from other recruiters to take the opportunities they presented to me, I didn’t feel this with Mike. 

We kept in contact over the years, Mike keeping me in mind for any job orders he was working on that matched my resume. Mike would also call me, asking if I had referrals or if I knew someone he was interviewing at the time. We’d always end up checking in and catching up with each other during these calls.  

And that’s how the relationship I built with Mike carried on for a couple of years. 

Why did I choose Brightwing? 

The COVID-19 Pandemic served as a time of reflection for me, as I know it was for many others too. 

During this time of reflection, I began to realize something key. I wanted to find a new opportunity that aligned with what I had discovered my true passion was: developing people. It had been fun and exciting to work on various projects over the years, but what I really enjoyed was developing and coaching the individuals on my team. This truly excited me and had me leave work each day feeling fulfilled. 

At the point of this realization, I knew Mike well enough that I felt comfortable floating an idea I had by him during one of our check-in calls. 

The idea? I wanted to become a recruiter. 

And not just any recruiter, but a Brightwing recruiter.

I could tell from my experience with Mike that the recruiters really, truly cared about their candidates at Brightwing. I wanted to be someone’s career advisor, helping them land the job of their dreams or the job that took their career to the next level. I wanted to do what I knew would make me feel fulfilled, like I was serving a bigger purpose. 

So, I floated this idea by Mike when we were chatting one day. He was hesitant, and understandably so, given the degree of career switch I was proposing. 

But I was persistent. Every few months I would ask Mike to give me a chance, just to put me in front of the Brightwing leadership team. I pitched myself, emphasizing my work ethic and how my professional background (especially in engineering) would be a value-add to the team. I told Mike all about how I wanted to follow my passion and how I could do that as a recruiter. 

Eventually, Mike did give me the opportunity I was asking for. Our relationship had been built on a mutual understanding of trust and transparency and it was this foundation that persuaded him to give me a chance. 

I went through about three different interviews with various Brightwing team members. During these interviews, I discovered what I had already come to suspect: that Mike wasn’t an anomaly. Every Brightwing team member prioritized relationships and demonstrated the importance of communication, care, and consistency in their interactions. I also found that Brightwing’s team and leadership value the same things I do: professional development, flexibility, and a “create your own destiny” mindset.  

And the rest, as they say, is history. 

How I’m Doing Now

It’s been more than 3 months since I’ve joined the Brightwing team. While not an easy transition (no career change is), there’s something to be said about the relationship I had with Mike and how that foundation made my transition so much easier. 

Recruiting is a highly collaborative job. I now work closely with Mike. We already knew a lot about each other, how the other thought and communicated, and we developed rapport, which allowed our relationship as colleagues to form rapidly. Even the initial conversations I had with other recruiters during my interviews made me feel more comfortable and settled, as if I was already fitting right in with my team. 

I’m excited to continue to combine my passion with my everyday work in aligning great companies with exceptional talents. I’m looking forward to bringing my 26 years of experience in the automotive world to the table in creating the right partnerships.

Looking for a job? Connect with me! Looking to hire? Send me a DM![/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

You Don’t Need Another Professional Hiring Agency. You Need This Instead.

,

Most so-called “professional hiring agencies” are little more than clearing houses for lackluster resumés. Which is fine—if you want to read resumés all day, every day. But if you want to fill your backlog of open positions with high-value talent, you need a different approach.

Every industry has its hard-to-place roles. In IT, these are your cloud architects, DevOps engineers, and Generative AI & machine learning engineers. In engineering, these are your electrification and autonomy experts. In finance, these are financial analysts or risk managers.

These people aren’t submitting 50 job applications a day. They’re probably not even looking for new jobs. They’re too busy crushing it in their current roles. And they’ll keep doing that until someone comes along and offers something better.

Many staffing agencies just send resumé after resumé because that’s their recruiting strategy. On the other hand, successful professional recruitment agencies target high-value, passive candidates—and get different results. Here’s why you need the latter type of partnership.

In recruiting and staffing, “more” isn’t always better

No one can manage 100+ vendor relationships. It’s not possible. Which means these agencies you’ve “hired” don’t have the insight into your staffing needs to effectively serve you. Adding just one more won’t change that.

This is especially the case if you want to hire high-value professionals. Because these top candidates aren’t out there looking for jobs. In fact, it’s the opposite: top talent is incentivized to stay in their current roles.

For example, a large segment of Brightwing’s talent and client base is in the Detroit, Michigan, area, the beating heart of the automotive industry. General Motors (including Cadillac, Chevrolet, Buick, and GMC), Ford, J.D. Power—they’re all in our backyard.

And you can bet that they’re all competing for top automotive talent with every resource at their disposal. This is especially the case for talent with high-demand focuses like electrification, autonomy, AI, cybersecurity, etc.

Let’s assume you don’t have millions of dollars on hand to invest in talent acquisition. So what can you do to attract this talent?

Well, we can tell you what not to do—and that’s a bunch of transactional strategies that most people, especially high-performing professionals with busy lives, end up ignoring anyway:

  1. Automated outreach
  2. Canned messages (which in reality are just job postings in email)
  3. Rinse and repeat

Just doing this over and over again isn’t going to work. So if you use an employment staffing agency that follows this rote approach, you won’t make much headway—because odds are you won’t even connect with the right talent base.

What should you look for in a professional hiring agency?

1. Strategic partnership

Resumés aren’t the same as hires. If you have an agency that sends you 100 resumés but none of them materialize into placements, are they actually helping you?

Too many professional hiring agencies focus on outputs—how many emails they send, how many job postings they send out, how many resumés they bring in, etc. This is the exact wrong approach. Instead, you should be focusing on outcomes—actually delivering results and value to your organization. 

When an agency focuses on outcomes over outputs, they’re able to be strategic and thoughtful in how they work for you. Which means you get some benefits a typical hiring agency may not offer.

One example we’ve seen in our experience is the integration of our hiring team with internal HR. An internal HR organization may be excellent at placing entry-level, more transactional roles, but is struggling to find specialized, hard-to-fill, highly technical and advanced talent. Where most companies will try to supplant the entire operation, a strategic partner (like Brightwing) will come in and find the weak points and focus on filling those.

2. Proactive discovery process

It’s impossible to figure out whether a candidate is “good” within a 15-minute phone call. So why do most recruiters use that method? Because they’re crunched for time, most likely. And, frankly, because too many recruiters see candidates as commodities, and don’t want to disqualify a bad fit and make themselves look bad.

But a quality professional hiring agency knows that deep understanding not only of candidates’ skills and background, but who they are as a person, is table stakes. So yes, it’s an investment on our part. But it’s the reason why we’re able to deliver outsized results for our clients.

We’ll use the Brightwing discovery process as an example. Any high quality professional hiring agency will follow a similar process:

  • Understand candidate background, including past, present, and ideal job
  • Identify what the recruiter is seeing in the market and share insights with the candidate
  • Cross-referencing recruiting insights with what the candidate is seeing
  • Understanding the recruiters’ previous self-submits, interviews, relationships with staffing companies, and other insight into their job search thus far
  • Figuring out where they can help the candidate

When you look for a professional hiring agency, ask: what is the process you use to onboard and learn about your candidates? The shorter that process, the less likely they’ll be able to find what you’re looking for.

3. Constant feedback and communication

For those 100+ agencies we mentioned above, how many are you actually in regular contact with? Because if you never hear from them, they’re not going to do a good job for you.

Constant feedback and communication is critical for a professional hiring agency to attract the right candidates. If something isn’t working, you should be able to reach out, identify the mistake, and fix it going forward.

The inverse is also true. If you have an agency that stands by their process and track record of success, they’ll be able to tell you if you’re the problem—which can improve not only your relationship with that one agency but with other professional hiring agencies you employ.

This two-way street of communication is critical. Without it, misalignment happens, and friction between you and your agency hinders both sides’ ability to succeed.

4. Deep talent networks developed over time

When choosing a professional hiring agency, longevity is key. This is especially important given the world of post-pandemic recruitment upstarts—people who’ve been recruiters less than two years.

But no matter how talented or hard-working any one recruiter or agency may be, building genuine, trusting relationships with talent cannot happen overnight. It requires years of consistent communication and relationship-building—often without a single penny of commission.

The truth is: high-value talent isn’t in the job market very often. And if they’re truly in-demand, they’re in for a limited window. Our recruiters understand this. So they aren’t looking to force-fit a candidate into a role immediately. Instead, they want to be the first person that candidate calls when they’re ready to make a move.

Just hiring another professional hiring agency won’t work

If you just keep doing the same thing over and over again, you’ll keep getting the same results. If you truly want to place those positions that have been open for 6+ months, you need to try something different.

Everything we’ve talked about in this article is exactly what Brightwing does. Our recruiters have spent years (sometimes decades) building relationships in IT, engineering, financial services, and operations. If you want to place hard-to-reach talent, this team can help you find what you’re looking for.

Contact the Brightwing team and get started today.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How to Hire the Wrong Employment Staffing Agency

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]No, that’s not a typo. If you follow the four steps listed below, the next employment staffing agency you hire will certainly underperform.

Most hiring managers know this pain all too well. It’s the reason they end up with 100+ agencies in their back pocket. Because each one, at some point, has failed to meet expectations, resulting in:

  • Business-critical roles left open for 6-12 months
  • Accrued overtime as your team fills in the gaps
  • Delayed projects and slow revenue pipelines
  • Failure to meet dependencies that ripple out to hurt the rest of the business

If those sound familiar, it’s probably because you’ve made or are currently making one of these mistakes.

But here’s the good news: if you just do the opposite, you’ll hire an employment staffing agency that doesn’t send you resumés. Instead, they’ll make quality placements happen.

Why is it so easy to hire the wrong employment staffing agency?

Hiring quality talent is harder than ever. According to ManpowerGroup, 70% of U.S. employers are struggling to fill positions. The top reason: they can’t find people with the necessary skills—both hard and soft.

At first blush, this may seem surprising. According to JPMorgan, the job market is growing at its slowest rate since January 2021. What’s more, the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployment has increased over the last two years. So with fewer jobs and more job seekers, it should be easier to fill positions, right?

It depends on how you look at it. A recent Gartner study shows record increases in HR investments—including in compensation, training & development, and leadership development. In other words, organizations are invested in retaining their top talent. From what we’ve seen, it’s working. So if you want high performers, you should prioritize these passive job seekers.

But that’s the opposite of what most staffing agencies are built to do. If you go with one of the typical players, you may get resumés, but won’t find high-performing candidates to fill those roles.

Instead, you need an employment staffing agency that does things differently:

  • Knows your industry and job requirements (hard and soft skills)
  • Works to understand your staffing needs and form a true partnership
  • Has a deep talent pipeline to draw from—they’re not just posting and emailing jobs to cold lists
  • Matches your culture and can attract talent who will do the same
  • Stands by their process and is willing to say “no” when they know something isn’t feasible

What are common mistakes when hiring an employment staffing agency?

As you hire another employment staffing agency, don’t make the same mistakes that put you here in the first place. Instead, go against the grain and try something different. Here are the four biggest mistakes to watch out for.

1. Going with the lowest rate

Sure, you want to do due diligence and make sure you’re not spending dollars unnecessarily. But going with the lowest rate, ironically, is costly.

In our experience, if you’re not willing to pay the industry standard, you’re not going to get the results you want. In fact, paying anything less will most likely end up with an offshore staffing solution. 

Let’s use an example from our Dallas-Fort Worth office. In recent years, many major technology companies have relocated their headquarters here. So if you’re competing against Microsoft, Salesforce, Intuit, Texas Instruments, AT&T, etc., do you really think you can skimp on talent acquisition?

And consider this: as long as your business-critical roles remain open, you’re slowing growth and stagnating your pipeline. By putting a little bit upfront to hire a competitive, effective employment staffing agency, you’re almost sure to make back those dollars in business growth.

2. Hiring a generic, non-industry specific agency

Every industry has its own priorities, interests, and trends. Highly technical industries—engineering, automotive, finance, operations, etc.—have them in spades.

Top candidates who are deeply immersed in these industries have a strong B.S. meter. They know when someone is pretending to know the industry, but in reality they don’t. If recruiters don’t have the necessary industry experience, they’re going to get fewer callbacks.

One way to test an employment staffing agency’s industry experience is to look at recruiter tenure. At Brightwing, our recruiters have above-average tenure compared to their peers. They’ve put in the time to learn their industry, build relationships, and develop authentic connections within it. That’s why our candidates trust and respect them.

3. Hiring a transactional recruiting firm

A typical employment staffing agency will just flood your inbox with resumés—and they think they’re doing you a favor.

In reality, now you have to sift through hundreds of pages and figure out which candidates to interview—which is what you hired the agency to do in the first place.

This is just one example of how transactional staffing agencies have become. Landing top talent requires a more strategic approach. And a winning staffing firm will understand that:

  • Going beyond the hard and soft skills to understand what a successful hire looks like
  • Building a plan to fill not just your immediate placement needs, but the next 10, 20, and 30 down the line
  • Creating a strategy that identifies the right employment category for the role (e.g. full-time perm vs. contractor)

4. Not asking about your agency’s talent pipeline

As mentioned above, most top performers aren’t looking for work. Their employers have offered them plenty of incentives to stay where they are.

So if you want to nab them, you need an “in.” Transactional recruiters don’t offer that. Instead, find talent experts who’ve put in the time, effort, and patience to build relationships with their top talent.

I’ll be blunt: most staffing agencies don’t do this. Mainly because it takes a lot of time and resources—with no guarantee of success. But that’s the reason an employment staffing agency like Brightwing can get callbacks from passive talent and open doors that for most agencies are locked shut.

Is it worth it to hire an employment staffing agency?

So we’ve told you how to hire the wrong employment staffing agency. Now, just do the opposite of those four steps, and you’ll hire the right one.

Brightwing prides itself on being different from the competition. Although we’re a bit pricier than the transactional agencies, we offer deep experience in our target industries, talent pipelines that our recruiters have spent years building, and work to build strategic partnerships with all our clients. If you’re ready to stop wasting time with the wrong employment staffing agency and want to start building or rebuilding your talent base, contact us and let’s see if we’re a good fit.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Hiring a Marketing Manager that Meets Your Team’s Needs

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]Adding new members to your business team is a daunting task. Hiring a marketing manager can feel especially tough because it may be hard to find someone who knows how to appeal to your target audience and who connects with the rest of the team. With the right tools at your disposal, however, finding the right marketing professionals does not have to be difficult. 

This article will cover how to find the right marketing hire for your company. 

Hiring a marketing manager: When are you ready?

When it comes to hiring a marketing manager in today’s market, it is important to be prepared. When you plan to hire a marketing team that will fit the needs of your business and support your objectives, especially as a startup, take these steps to ensure that you are ready:  

How Much is There to Handle?

Bringing on a full-time marketing hire is a big decision, especially for a company that has not worked with a marketing team in the past. You must take all facets of your business into account. Are you hiring a marketing professional simply to alleviate workload? Or because a marketing professional will be able to understand certain processes and issues that you don’t? 

If you feel your business is lacking marketing support, and that hiring a marketing manager would truly be a value-add, consider moving forward with your decision to look for a new hire. But you must scope the responsibilities of what a marketing professional or marketing team will be expected to do before hiring. 

Making a Recruitment Plan

Putting together a recruitment plan is the best way to prepare yourself to hire a marketing manager. Here are a couple of essential steps to help you find the right marketing hire: 

Identify Your Ideal Candidate

Before you hire a marketing manager, make sure you know exactly what you are looking for. Set clear expectations for the type of person you are hoping to add to your team. The definition of your ideal candidate will impact your budget, marketing strategy, and more. If you are looking to add someone to your marketing team for a full-time position, that will look very different than looking for temporary or part-time employees. Clearly outline the position’s requirements, keeping in mind company culture as well. Your ideal candidate will not only succeed at the job itself, but also effectively blend with the rest of your team.  

Budget Recruitment Costs

Recruiting always has a cost. If you have documentation of your previous costs-per-hire, you can work to reduce that average figure. This requires streamlining your hiring process. 

Some of the highest costs in recruitment come from advertising, branding, and background checks. Bad hires can also result in large expenses; the cost of a bad hire can be as much as a third of that employee’s salary. Working with an employment staffing agency like Brightwing is a great way to reduce recruitment costs.  

What to Look for in Marketers for Hire

Knowing what to look for in a marketing hire is pivotal to finding the right fit for your team. Here are some traits to look for:

Understanding of the Customer

One key trait of a good marketing team is an understanding of the customers your business serves. Knowledge of target demographics and audiences will help your marketing team excel. During the interview process, ask your candidates what they know about purchasing behaviors for specific audiences your business is targeting. 

Multichannel Experience

With so many ways to reach consumers in the 21st century, make sure your marketing candidates have an understanding of and experience with multiple marketing channels. Social media, email, print sheets, targeted advertisements, and other forms of media are all key to reaching your audiences. Ensure your prospective marketing candidates know how to properly allocate budget and strategically market to different target audiences across multiple platforms and channels. 

Creative and Scientific

Hire a marketer who understands that marketing is both an art and a science. A marketing professional should be creative and know how to create visually engaging campaigns. They should also understand that trends are driven by data and research. The right marketer should be both creatively and strategically motivated, creating strong marketing campaigns through proper analysis of media and trends. 

Work with a Staffing Agency

Staffing agencies work to match candidates with hiring companies and minimize the search time for both parties. Find a marketing professional for your team utilizing a staffing agency like Brightwing in order to relieve yourself of candidate-searching stress and find the best additions to your team. Additionally, agencies make it much less costly to find the right marketing hire. Cut back on initial hiring and advertising costs, and reduce the risk of turnover costs. 

Brightwing is committed to finding the best candidates for your available positions. That means matching you with marketers who are committed and intentional about their work. Professional recruiting agencies like us increase employee retention rates because of the quality of our candidates. 

For a better recruiting experience, contact us today! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Managing the Hiring Process Through a Staffing Agency in Detroit

,

If you’re a company looking for new hires to join your team, you know firsthand that finding the right talent can often be a complicated and stressful process. One of the best ways to make your hiring process easy and stress-free is by working with an employment staffing agency – in Detroit or the city in which you are based.

This article will discuss the benefits of working with staffing agencies in Detroit to find your ideal candidates, as well as what makes a good staffing agency, and how you can appeal to candidates in popular fields. You may find that Brightwing’s location in Metro Detroit could be the right fit for you. 

Benefits of Working with Recruiters in Michigan

As a business looking to fill open positions, there are many benefits to working with a staffing company in Detroit. Below are just a couple of reasons to consider working with a recruiting agency:

Financial Benefits

Staffing agencies, in both Detroit and across the country, offer significant financial benefits to companies looking to fill job openings. A recruiting firm will find you candidates without any promotional costs out of your pocket; you do not have to worry about promoting an open position online. Recruiting teams also reduce your HR costs, as you do not have to put together an in-house recruiting team. Additionally, recruiters reduce your risk of turnover costs. Recruiting professionals help you hire the right candidates the first time around, saving you the cost of a bad hire.

Quality Candidates

In addition to the financial benefits of partnering with a recruiting firm, a Detroit staffing agency will also be able to give you the highest quality candidates for the job. As a hiring business, you are likely to have a number of requirements and credentials for your potential candidates. When you work with a recruiting firm that has expertise and experience in your field, you can trust them to find the right candidates. Brightwing’s recruiters have found their niche and grown into specialists in that niche, thus garnering a large network of candidates related to that industry specifically. Partnering with any recruiting firm that specializes in a specific industry means that those recruiters know exactly what type of talent you’re looking for.

Recruiting agencies like Brightwing dedicate a significant amount of time to screening resumes and finding quality candidates for your jobs, resulting in higher employee retention rates overall. 

How to Choose a Detroit Staffing Agency

Before reaping the benefits of working with a recruiting team, it is important to find the right staffing agency for your business. A quality recruitment team is not only going to find talent, but is also going to delve deep into your company’s culture in order to find the best people who fit your team. Here are a couple of key elements to keep in mind as you search for recruiters in Michigan: 

They Have Expertise

The right staffing agency should have expertise in your field. A recruiter who knows the ins and outs of your industry will be a much better fit for your company than a recruiter who does not. When a staffing agency specializes in your industry, they are able to find the highest quality candidates available. They will have an understanding of your company and what your company needs concerning both job responsibilities and company culture fit. A recruiter with expertise can help you find good candidates who will play a role in setting your company up for future success and growth.   

They Advocate For You

The best staffing agency for your company is going to be the one with a team of recruiters who know how to listen to your wants and needs. At Brightwing, our mission is to help job seekers and hiring companies alike. We want what is best for your business, and we look to help you excel. Quality recruiters will listen to you and never try to undercut your success. Partnering with a staffing agency means a team effort on both sides to find the right candidates and help your business expand. 

Finding Workers Through Recruiters in Detroit

The Detroit area may be known for the automobile industry, but many other industries thrive as well. Brightwing’s professional recruitment agency in Detroit specializes in information technology, engineering and design, finance and accounting, and operations positions. These positions are available throughout Detroit, and our recruiters in Michigan have decades of expertise in helping companies find the right candidates. 

This is not to say that there aren’t opportunities within the Detroit automobile industry. It’s quite the opposite, actually, especially for engineers. When it comes to finding the right engineering employees, the search for candidates can seem difficult. The talent of your engineering team has a major impact on the output, growth, and production of your company as a whole. In addition to helping you find the right candidates, Brightwing’s Detroit staffing team can help you make your company more appealing to potential new hires. We help companies create job descriptions that pique the interest of potential candidates. These descriptions include competitive salaries, employee benefits, or other exciting perks that come with working at your company. Show your prospective hires that your company has something special. We can help you craft the perfect pitch to attract the right workers to your team. 

Work with Brightwing

With competition for critical talent becoming fierce, finding the right candidates to join your team is essential. At Brightwing’s staffing agency in Detroit, we are dedicated to supporting your business however we can. 

Not located near Detroit? No problem! With locations in Metro Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, and South Florida, our teams are stationed among the heart of industries where we can help you thrive. We commit ourselves to efficient placement, hand-selecting the top two or three candidates for your job. We drive bottom-line results for your company and your industry. 

Work with us today and experience the Brightwing difference! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How to Hire a Human Resources Specialist That Meet Your Company’s Needs

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]Finding the right human resources specialist for your workplace can feel like a daunting task. HR plays an essential role in every company’s operations, so filling those roles can be a difficult task. With the right strategy, however, it does not have to be.

This article will discuss how to hire human resources experts for your team. It will cover the different steps in the HR hiring process, what traits to look for, and why Brightwing may be right for your staffing needs. 

What is a Human Resources Specialist?

Human resources specialists focus on various aspects of personnel management for a given organization. Sometimes, they operate within larger departments, or work for a separate, outsourced HR agency.

Key responsibilities for a typical human resources specialist include:

  • Recruiting & staffing: Sourcing and interviewing candidates and facilitating the overall hiring process
  • Employee onboarding: Training new hires and acclimating them to the employer’s culture
  • Compensation & benefits: Managing compensation structures, benefits programs, and ensuring compliance with all federal, state, and local employment regulations
  • Employee relations: Addressing employee concerns and supporting a positive work environment

Why Should You Hire a Human Resources Specialist?

There are a number of reasons to hire a human resources specialist for your organization. For starters, they often possess specialized knowledge in recruitment and personnel management, which can improve the quality and retention rates of your hires.

What’s more, human resources specialists can proactively manage employee experiences, addressing conflicts as they arise and ensuring a positive work environment. This can be critical to maintaining an overall positive company culture.

Often human resources specialists are well-versed employment laws and regulations. This makes them a critical resource in maintaining compliance with labor laws, benefits administration rules, and workplace safety standards.

And if you hire a strategic human resources specialist, you can bring on someone who can help align your HR policies with broader business goals. This can include analyzing workforce and market trends, developing more competitive compensation packages, and implementing performance management systems.

How to Start Your HR Hiring Process

Identifying your ideal candidate is one of the first steps in any recruitment plan. Knowing exactly what you are looking for from a human resources specialist will make the hiring process much easier. After you understand your ideal candidate, you can get started with the first few steps in your hiring process. 

Write an Accurate Job Description

When you plan to hire human resources professionals, make sure that your ideal candidate is reflected in your job description. Clearly outline the responsibilities of the position, as well as any desired requirements and qualifications. Accurately describe your company culture and brand so that candidates know whether they might be a good fit. The more descriptive and clear you are in the job description, the better applications you will receive. 

Advertise and Recruit

After you’ve written the job description, the next step is to begin outreach. Publish your job opening and advertise it. Post on social media, attend job fairs, and even ask your employees to evaluate their personal networks for potential candidates. You could also work with a recruiting firm like Brightwing. Recruiters match clients with candidates who fit your job description and company culture.  

Analyze Resumes and Applications

Before you begin the interview process, be sure to carefully analyze the resumes and applications that you receive. You can enlist the help of other HR professionals who already work with you to help review resumes, or you can use AI programming methods to select the resumes that best match your job description. 

Once you’ve selected the resumes that best match your job descriptions, move forward to the interview process. If you decide to work with a staffing agency like Brightwing, resume matching and initial interviews will be taken care of for you.

What to Look for in a Human Resources Specialist

There are a number of reasons why you may be looking to hire a human resources specialist. Human resources personnel handle many different tasks, like supervising payroll or maintaining development programs for employees. No matter the reason you need to hire an HR professional, there are a few factors that make for an excellent new HR hire.  

Organization

When you hire human resources team members, one key attribute to consider is organizational skills. Being detail-oriented and on top of your work is an essential trait for any HR professional. There is a great deal of information to keep track of, including federal and state employment regulations, company policies, employee benefits, and more. Some HR professionals are in charge of interviewing job applicants, so having an understanding of the company’s needs when it comes to hiring is also important. 

Communication

One major element of human resources is staying in touch with the rest of a company’s employees. Good communication skills are a must. The better an HR hire is at communicating effectively, the fewer misunderstandings or conflicts will occur. For smooth company operations, everyone must be aligned with goals and expectations. Human resources plays a large part in that understanding. 

Empathy and Kindness

Conflict resolution is a common part of HR’s responsibilities and empathy, kindness, and understanding are essential for fulfilling this responsibility. Discussions surrounding workplace arguments or poor treatment, layoffs, and other issues can arise. Having empathy and a kind approach in these situations can help an HR employee do their job well. 

How to Hire the Right Human Resources Specialist

When it comes to hiring a human resources specialist, stick to your recruitment plan. During your interview process, ask leading questions that pertain to both company culture and potential situations that may arise for a human resources professional. Consider a second round of interviews if necessary. The human resources team member must fit the current needs of your company as well as the company’s future objectives. 

The BRIGHTview Process

The BRIGHTview process is the tried and true recruitment process created by Brightwing to match clients and candidates for the ideal employer/employee pairing. The process is extremely thorough and works best when employers and job seekers alike are ambitious, disciplined, and committed to reaching their full potential. 

This process allows the Brightwing team to gain a deeper understanding of their clients and candidates. Gaining deep insight leads to better matching strategies. Better matching strategies lead to reduced cycle time, higher retention rates, and higher employee productivity from day one. BRIGHTview helps the team at Brightwing offer employers a carefully selected, short list of candidates who fit the job description to a T. The goal is to make both the job search and the employee search easier and more successful. When you are looking to hire human resources team members, you can trust the BRIGHTview process to match you with your ideal candidates. 

Work with Brightwing

Human resources hiring is made easier with Brightwing. With the BRIGHTview process, you can rest easy knowing that the ideal candidates for your human resources position are being selected for you. Whether you’re in Metro Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, or South Florida, Brightwing is here to help you find the best candidate for the job. 

 Work with Brightwing today to find your new hires! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Recruitment Trends: Staying Ahead of the Curve with Brightwing

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]The job market is always evolving. Understanding the recruitment market is essential for job seekers and employers alike. For employers, this is the best way to attract desirable candidates; for job seekers, it’s the best way to gain an advantage over others and to understand the goals of prospective employers. Whether you are an employer looking for new ideas, or a candidate trying to understand the market, this article provides insight into current recruitment trends. 

AI and Technology

The reality of our world is that artificial intelligence is here to stay. Many people speak about AI as if it is something we should be scared of, a concept that should scare job-seekers and businesses alike. Instead of living in fear, the power of AI can be utilized to help your business. Recruitment trends illustrate growth in the use of AI for hiring purposes. Different types of AI programming can sort resumes and cover letters by keywords or experience. Others can make job openings more accessible to potential candidates.

AI operates best when properly trained. Incorrect programming can lead to biases in recruitment, which is harmful to both business and opportunity. Ensure that your team understands the basics of AI training and usage before implementing it into your recruiting system. 

AI is not the only new technology to make its way into recruitment. Other forms of technology and automation like personality surveys and predictive analytic programs have brought us into the future of recruiting. Personality surveys have emerged as a way for recruiters to find candidates who will fit in with a company’s culture. Analytics and data processing have assisted HR departments in discovering hiring trends within their company. 

Hybrid and Remote Work

Forbes’ article on 2024 recruitment trends discusses a surge in hybrid and remote jobs. Since 2020, there has been a rise in remote work that is here to stay. A majority of job seekers are looking for flexible schedules and, at the very least, a hybrid position. One of many successful recruitment ideas has been to embrace these hybrid and remote opportunities. Jobs in content writing, editing, IT, accounting, and others can all be accomplished remotely, at least in part. 

As a result, this rise of remote and hybrid job opportunities has created a shift in in-office work. The physical workplace now requires more intention to draw employees in. Business leaders and HR roles are shifting to include job responsibilities that involve creating meaningful moments for workers to come together as one. Face-to-face connection and conversation in the office must be done with more purpose. 

Virtual Recruiting

Technology has created a future of recruiting where in-person job interviews are becoming a rarity. Onboarding and hiring trends have illustrated that almost 70% of hiring companies complete at least some of their recruitment processes virtually. Completely virtual recruiting trends are on the rise. 

Virtual recruiting can take many forms. One common form of virtual recruitment comes in the form of video interviews, such as a live video call between a candidate and a recruiter. Other video interviews prompt the candidate with a question, which they must film themselves answering. 

Targeted Ads and Job Marketing

Finding critical talent right now is like finding a needle in a haystack: nearly impossible. Many businesses are looking for recruitment ideas to aid them in reaching these potential candidates. Marketing open positions at your company is one of the best ways to attract talent to your business. 

To market your company’s open positions you must define your ideal candidate, clarify the benefits of the position and your company, and cast your net out into the world of job seekers. Submit open job postings to websites like Indeed, or make position announcements on LinkedIn. You can also create SEO-optimized content and targeted advertisements that will bring more candidates to your company. 

Empathy and DEI

Recruitment trends point to job seekers having a strong interest in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at their potential new workplaces. Care and respect for the individual, as well as diversity and an unbiased workplace, are key to bringing in new hires. The future of recruiting means embracing these concepts, which are built to better your company as a whole. Candidates want to feel cared for and respected as human beings. Showing them this respect can truly open doors for recruitment opportunities, especially with young candidates. When you search for recruitment support outside of your own business, search for recruiters who can also embody empathy. 

Why Brightwing?

At Brightwing, we are focused on people. We work in depth with employers to understand their needs, their workplace, and their history in order to offer recruitment ideas and match them with their ideal candidates. We get to know job seekers and stay in conversation with them as we help them with their job search. Brightwing is committed to excellence in our focused markets of IT, finance, engineering, and operations. Contact us today to learn why you should choose Brightwing. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Think Your 100+ Vendors Are Helping Your Recruiting Efforts? Think Again.

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Throughout my career, I’ve heard lots of opinions on how to best engage a recruiting agency. One common fallacy seems to always rear its ugly head:[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]“The more recruiting agencies we engage, the more—and better—candidates we’ll attract.”[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]On the surface, it makes sense. But it actually demonstrates shallow thinking and a lack of strategic direction.

In reality, you can’t manage 100+ recruiting agencies. You can’t even manage 50, 20, or 10. Not if you actually want to get value out of those individual relationships. Which, let’s face it, is the whole point of engaging them in the first place. 

So rather than go broad, the solution is to go deep. Identify the gaps in your recruiting process. Then strategically engage agencies who are laser-focused on filling those gaps—and see why that specialization is often worth a larger percentage. 

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715199005018{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Why companies don’t optimize their recruiting agencies’ value

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The hard truth is that it’s far too easy to commoditize a recruiting agency. And since most pricing models don’t charge until after talent is placed, there’s no risk to have 100+ agencies “working” (so they say) on your behalf.

But those agencies are really only working for their most engaged (read: high ticket) customers. So the seemingly passive recruiting network is nothing more than an illusion.

This problem only gets worse the more vendors you engage. Once you pass 10+ agencies, you really only have time to blast out job postings, cross your fingers, and hope one or two come back with a candidate.

This leads to some serious problems:

  • No shared direction or strategy, so recruiters aren’t aware of the best ways to add value
  • Misaligned incentives between the party engaging the vendors (HR) and the hiring manager who’s feeling the pain of a lagging hiring process
  • Squeezing margins and pitting vendors against each other leads to a commoditized, non-strategic engagement
  • No clear outcomes means no clear measure of success—which means you can’t optimize your recruiting strategy

When recruiting agencies fail to perform under these conditions, the typical solution is to hire another agency. So the vicious cycle continues. 

Commoditizing your recruiting agencies exposes you to serious risk. Namely, lost revenue as high-value, mission-critical roles remain unfilled.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715199067548{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

The alternative: a true recruiting partnership

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Thankfully, there’s a better way to engage recruiting agencies: a true partnership. While this approach is slightly more costly (think 25%+ per placement) and only works with a small number of strategically chosen vendors, it’s more effective in the long run.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715199373819{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Clear, strategic value

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Often recruiting agencies are seen as competing with your internal recruiting team. For strategic partners, however, this isn’t the case.

For example, your internal recruiting team may not be positioned to find and place highly technical, expert automotive engineers. Perhaps you especially need electrical or autonomous engineers, but your internal recruiters have no experience in that area.

In that situation, it’s a good idea to find a recruiting partner who can place those specific positions, but doesn’t step on your internal recruiters. When you clearly define value for every party, everyone can stay in their lanes and see success.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715199615527{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Actively market the roles

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]True recruiting partners don’t just read job descriptions, run a quick search in their ATS, and move on. Instead, they’ll find out everything they can about the role and what it takes for someone to be successful in it. 

Then, armed with that information, they’ll go out and actively market and sell the role. This process also includes selling the company, manager, culture, growth opportunities, and alignment with the candidate’s values and priorities—leading to more callbacks and faster placements.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715199667096{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Open, honest communication

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]I often tell potential clients here at Brightwing: if a recruiting partnership isn’t going to work, we’ll tell you. 

Partly because we don’t believe in lying to prospects. But also because if we’re not a good fit, it’s a waste of everyone’s time and resources. 

So when we start an engagement, we ask a ton of questions to get everyone’s expectations out into the open. We learn about their needs. And we only engage where we know we can provide value—not just short-term, but over the long haul.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715199709082{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Slow down to speed up

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]There are no hacks to recruiting highly skilled, in-demand specialists. Especially in engineering, finance, and operations. 

For most of our recruiters, it takes years to reach the point where they can place talent fast. They spend that time: 

  • Learning the industry
  • Learning about specific skill sets
  • Learning how to screen candidates for those skill sets
  • Learning about specific candidates and their needs and wants
  • Learning about open positions and finding alignment with their networks
  • Building relevant talent pipelines and referral networks

In some cases, recruiters will talk to a candidate for 5+ years before finding a job for them. 

During that time, they’re proactively building the relationship and offering as much support, guidance, and value as they can. So when those candidates are looking for a new job, who do you think they call first? 

This degree of loyalty isn’t something you’ll find with an agency that charges 15%. It takes time and resources to build these relationships. But the value and ROI is well worth a higher upfront price.

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1715199771256{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Final thoughts on building a recruiting partnership

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Life’s too short not to maximize your recruiting partners’ value. And you can’t do that when you’re constantly commoditizing them. Instead, adopt a clear recruiting strategy, and only engage those professional recruitment agencies that add strategic value. 

Sure, it may cost slightly more in the short-term. But not only will you save time placing candidates, you’ll build a relationship that will continue delivering value—often in ways you don’t expect. 

At Brightwing, we’re looking to build strategic partnerships for the long haul. If you’re interested in how we can help, let’s get started today.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Responding to Brand Impersonation: What to Do

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]We’re all no strangers to scams and phishing attempts. We receive them on a daily basis in texts, emails, phone calls, and even traditional mail. Some are easier to spot than others. It’s become necessary to take a hard look at any and all incoming messages in order to protect your privacy and personal information. 

The recruiting and staffing space is no stranger to scams, phishing, and brand impersonations, amongst other cyber crimes. Many of our counterparts in the industry have faced these challenges – and now it’s hit home. 

We’ve recently received multiple reports at Brightwing of brand impersonation and phishing attempts. Here’s how we’re handling them. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Respond to reports

Someone posing as a Brightwing recruiter, using the same name each time, was reaching out to people through text messages offering open job opportunities. A handful of well-wishers had the foresight to reach out to us after feeling skeptical about the messages they received. The reports were consistent every time. We ruled out a security breach since none of the incidents involved candidates in our database.

Through a stream of reports, we realized that someone was impersonating the Brightwing brand.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Traceback their trail

If these incidents are taking place through email messages, we recommend doing some detective work. You may be able to identify the email server they’re using and report them to the server; this will flag and shut down the account.

While it’s more challenging to trace back through text message attempts, there are ways you can do to get in touch with the impersonator. If you have access to the phishing attempts, respond to the impersonator and play along with them. See how far they go, and how much information they can reveal in order for you to report them. Dare to even confront them.

Lastly, remember to report these as cyber crimes on credible sites like the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Keep an active log

We’re keeping an active log of all attempts in a spreadsheet with names of individuals who reported incidents, contact information, and a copy of the messages received. The more information you collect, the better you can respond to concerned stakeholders and develop a response plan to this issue.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Communicate what is happening with internal stakeholders

Collect information on the incidents and let your leadership team know what is happening. Some things we looked into at Brightwing when sharing these incidents with leadership are the state where the reports have occurred, the phone number, the name of the fake recruiter, whether or not any candidates in our database were affected, etc. The goal is to look for patterns that help you narrow where to look and how to respond.

Visibility across your greater team is important as well. We notified our recruiters and business development team so they’re aware of what’s happening and how we are responding. It’s also good practice for recruiters to set expectations with their candidates on what channels they plan to use for communication.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Communicate with external stakeholders

Communicate to your professional network on what is happening. Transparency with our network is important, so we released a statement on our LinkedIn page and our Contact Us page warning about the phishing and brand impersonation attempts happening in Brightwing’s name. We communicated that we are diligently working on this and that this doesn’t harm existing candidates or clients.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”29003″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

 

Looking Ahead

It’s an uneasy feeling to know someone is out there using the name you’ve spent decades building. This is an active and evolving process. We’re actively responding to this and looking for ways to prevent future attempts.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Why a Talent Network Can Be a Secret Weapon in Your Staffing Arsenal

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]The companies and candidates that have prevailed through all of these job market changes have had one secret weapon in their arsenal when it comes to hiring and finding a job: a well-developed talent network. 

Sure, any agency can post jobs and send resumés around, it takes a special talent (no pun intended) to build connections with high-quality, highly skilled candidates. When looking to partner with a recruiting firm, this should be a top priority on your list.

Let’s walk through how an employment staffing agency with an established talent network can help you place candidates faster and with greater retention rates. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]

Career Advisors to Candidates

When working with candidates, the ideal scenario is to always land a placement. In the cases where we’re unable to find a good match, Brightwing recruiters will continue to support candidates on their journey. The advantage of working with an established talent and recruiting partner is that our recruiters lean into the networks and the relationships they’ve built over time to introduce candidates to the right people that align with their goals.

With Brightwing, our talent network extends beyond candidates to employers looking to hire. We know the employers we work with just as well as we know our candidates, so our recruiters confidently share intel to prepare candidates for their interviews.   

We don’t shy away from encouraging candidates to lean into us as a resource. Resume reviews, interview preparation, and feedback have been part of our day-to-day for over 50 years. We’re happy to lend that expertise in preparing candidates for other interviews, looking over resumes, etc. We provide insights into best practices and recommendations, amongst other advice that will set candidates up for success. 

In general, recruiters also share their general job market knowledge with candidates. Whether discussing things like compensation or what and where to look for jobs, sharing expert knowledge is another advantage recruiting and staffing firms provide to candidates. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]

Talent Advisor to Clients

Partnering with an established talent partner translates into a well-connected network of candidates. As a professional recruitment agency, we’re here to aid HR and talent teams in their search – never to compete. We align processes to help identify the right talent for the job within industries we have well-developed networks in – IT, engineering, operations, accounting, and finance. 

Brightwing boasts interview-to-hire ratios that are well above the industry average, mostly due to our deep pipelines and extensive candidate network.

Our general interview-to-hire ratio is 1:1. But for each industry we work in: 

We offer this low interview-to-hire ratio to our clients through a combination of our recruiter expertise and their deep networks. Many Brightwingers have been working with Brightwing for 14 years (nearly 10 times higher than the average tenure in this industry). In the time our recruiting team has been with Brightwing, they’ve found their niche and grown into specialists in that niche, thus garnering a large network of candidates related to that industry specifically. Partnering with any recruiting firm that specializes in a specific industry means that those recruiters know exactly what type of talent you’re looking for.

Many recruiters have long-lasting relationships with candidates in their niche industries, so they know personalities, wants, needs, goals, and qualifications that match with what an employer needs and wants. And when they don’t know a candidate who is a perfect match, they know people who will – offering a referral program that incentivizes candidates to spread the word. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]

Tap into Brightwing’s robust talent network

Working with a trusted talent partner, whether you are a candidate or a client, puts you at an advantage in the job market. When partnering with Brightwing, the impact of those benefits is amplified, better. We’ve been in business for more than 50 years, and throughout those years, our focus has always been on people and building relationships with them. 

Simply put, we’re experts in a people-centric business.

Looking to hire? Looking for a job? Contact us today! [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How to Hire Engineers with the Most Efficiency

, , ,

It’s no secret that the engineering world, along with many other industries, is experiencing rapid changes on a nationwide and global scale. Interdisciplinary work and experience are slowly becoming a need rather than a nice-to-have. With international companies and remote work, organizations can now compete for talent on a global level. Modern-day challenges ranging from environmental and sustainability concerns to digital transformation initiatives and rapidly changing consumer expectations, demand for programmers, data analysts, and cybersecurity engineers is increasing. No matter where you look, companies are in search of the right, skilled engineers for the job. Finding and attracting top-tier talent is no easy feat – so how can you hire engineers with the most efficiency? Below are some best practices to help improve your hiring practices specifically for the engineering field, plus how a talent partner and recruitment agency like Brightwing can help. 

Inside the Steps to Hire Engineers

To recruit engineers, as with any skill hire, you’ll need to understand the depth of the position, the technology or space you’re in, and the skills necessary in order to be successful. Targeted recruitment strategies are required in order to help you expand your brand’s reach. Specialized professional recruitment agencies like Brightwing have dedicated teams with deep networks and insights in their respective industries. Our engineering recruiters leverage their 50 plus years of combined experience to attract, find, and hire engineers for the right job. Recruitment works best when you treat your recruiting agency as a partner, collaborating on job qualifications, responsibilities, and expectations – aka defining your engineering hiring process. 

What Do You Need?

Before posting any ads or fielding any candidates, you must first identify what you need. Define the job role and skill requirements. 

  • What type of engineer is needed for the job/project? Software engineer, electrical engineer, etc? 
  • Does the engineer for hire need to hold specific certifications or have certain skills?, Knowledge of programming languages, hands-on professional experience, or is this an entry-level position? 
  • What educational background is necessary for this role? 
  • What soft skills do you expect this engineering hire to have? Identify which soft skills will guide how you hire engineers. You may not post all of them in your job description, but knowing whether you want your engineer to have excellent communication skills or leadership capabilities will heavily shape your final choice of candidate.

Crafting the Perfect Search: From Engineer Job Description to Recruiting Technology

To hire engineers with the talent and skills you’re looking for, you need an engineer job description that is clear and informative. 

  • Emphasize the unique aspects of the job and what your candidates can expect to do on a strategic high-level and on a daily basis. 
  • Be transparent about salary estimates and benefits packages. 
  • Incorporate inclusive language that resonates with diverse groups. 
  • Capture growth and advancement opportunities. 

Above are some practical approaches to crafting effective engineering job descriptions. A talent partner and recruitment agency like Brightwing can help you capture all these details and more to find and hire the right fit for the job. 

Interviews and Onboarding

The final step in hiring engineers is interviewing and onboarding. In a traditional hiring process, you might structure your interview to evaluate both technical aptitude and synergy with the workplace culture and ideals. However, if you’re trying to hire with optimal efficiency, using a recruitment service like Brightwing helps streamline your HR hiring process. Engineering recruiters take the time to get to know individual client teams, their needs, and their overall company. This “getting to know you” phase paired with intuition that never fails us allows our engineering recruiters to identify the best-fitting engineers. No more sifting through a stack of hardly vetted resumes and second-guessing your decisions – qualified, talented, and available candidates are your options. 

Priming the Company for Successful Searches

While having established HR hiring processes and the best recruiting resources in place – recruiting and maintaining top talent all comes down to one thing: your employer brand.  Your company’s values, work culture, and employer brand reputation will ultimately determine your success in hiring – and retaining – engineers. If you haven’t already, get a pulse about how past candidates have reviewed your organization. If you’ve received difficult feedback, it may be time to introspect as an organization and possibly promote your employer brand through social channels. 

The Employer Brand

At the heart of your employer brand are the values you drive. Does your recruitment marketing material align with your brand values and what you look for in candidates? Do you have employee stories sharing their experiences working at your organization? Industry-wide awards, recognitions, and certifications of excellence add additional rapport to your employer brand. Additionally, taking on relevant social initiatives adds an emotional connection and loyalty to your brand. Lastly, keep your brand active and top of mind for active candidates. Make yourself present at industry events, job fairs, universities, etc. 

Setting Expectations 

Oftentimes the engineering recruitment process misses details about the nature of the job, salary, and benefits. When this miscommunication happens, the candidate may turn down the offer at the end of the process.

Engineers Trust Brightwing

Brightwing’s engineering recruiters know the industry inside and out. Our locations in Metro Detroit and Dallas-Fort Worth are comfortable navigating the nuances of industrial engineering, manufacturing engineering, process engineering, and more thanks to years of experience working with high-profile clients to place candidates with specified technical expertise. With thousands of job placements under our belts, the Brightwing team understands the latest developments in the field. That knowledge is an enormous advantage that not every employment staffing agency can offer. That’s why our interview-to-hire rate exceeds the national average by nearly 40%. If you are looking for cutting-edge engineering candidates, contact Brightwing today. 

Managing Finance Recruitment in Your Company

,

Finance is one of the most dynamic industries in today’s economy. With so many specializations, it often makes finance recruitment a challenge in many organizations. Fortunately, there are reliable strategies out there for optimizing financial services recruitment into a seamless workflow – talent partners. Dedicated finance headhunters and recruitment firms can help you attract and hire the right talent where it’s needed. To get the right talent for the job, we need to take a few steps back and understand the nature of the industry we’re in. First, we get a lay of the land, then we dive into the tactics of some of the best finance recruiters out there and how recruiters play into your work.  

Defining the Finance Industry

It’s no secret that the finance sector, like many others, has many branches of services and business models, therefore demanding a diversity of different finance roles. Some of the top-producers in the industry are:

  • Banks form the basis of a majority of financial services, as the institutions around which most savings, lending, and storing of funds are based. 
  • Investments deal with stocks, bonds, and brokerage to manage portfolios. Insurance services provide protection from liabilities, property damages, and physical harm, forming a massive subset of the industry. 
  • Tax and accounting services help keep financial entities in line with federal laws and widely-accepted healthy financial practices. 

Industry Standards

Each of these branches contains countless subsets and positions, some of which are highly regulated and are binded by industry best practices and standards. In addition to a wide-array of specializations, evolving areas in finance require increased knowledge and backgrounds in areas such as federal law, data science, and advanced mathematics. At times, recruiting for these specialized roles feels like you’re looking for a diamond in the rough – Brightwing finance recruiters are no strangers to that feeling, and meet it with success. The standard hiring practice of posting a job to various job boards and letting candidates apply, open recruitment, presents several challenges in a finance setting. Casting a wider net for roles that are more specialized makes it challenging to parse through candidates. 

Additionally, it’s difficult to identify skill gaps when sifting through hundreds and thousands of resumes. Highly specialized roles require backgrounds in areas such as data science that existing finance professionals may not have the proper training on. With fast-paced innovation, adapting new technology, and making sense of big data, finance professionals are challenged to keep their skills and knowledge up to par and employers are challenged to find the right talent, and provide the proper training programs where required. Lastly, finance continues to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the United States economy. High-pay jobs are in demand and the job market here remains as competitive as ever. 

How Do Finance Recruiters Help?

Finance recruitment balances the navigation of finance industry demands and trends with the job market ebbs and flows. Jobs in the finance sector use industry-specific criteria since there are so many subfields of expertise. Finance headhunters are on the front lines of seeing what pay ranges, benefits, and specifications get key talent placed in the right roles. Aside from assessing the rapidly evolving standards required in every sector of the finance industry, finance recruiters must navigate regulatory requirements. Each job might require a heavy set of legal clearances and requirements depending on the sensitivity of the data involved and the access to classified governmental information. Considering all these factors could take up a lot of resources for organizations to into their hiring workflow. This is why it is helpful to partner with a professional recruitment service that will take care of the details so your company can focus on what it does best.

Finance-specific requirements aside, finance recruitment follows most of the conventions found in recruitment across industries. The financial services recruitment process involves the usual bevy of technical skill assessments, soft skill and cultural fit evaluations, long-term relationship development, and balancing of the talent acquisition screen. Thanks to the adapting world of recruiting, finance headhunters have access to increasingly efficient technologies to accomplish their work. For example, applicant tracking systems, vendor management systems, and recent developments in AI-driven technologies are all reliable tools in a finance recruiter’s tool belt that improve the efficiency with which they can manage recruitment. Some of the best finance recruiters are those who can leverage technology without missing out on the human, personal connection that continues to be the heart of relationships – it’s a balance we pride ourselves in at Brightwing. 

Strategizing for Successful Finance Recruitment

A finance recruitment service should feel like a sturdy ally in the battle to recruit reliable talent for your business. In order to make the best use of your relationship with your finance recruiters, you should create intentional strategies and approaches that will place your company in the best position not only for current hiring practices, but also for your talent acquisitions in the future. One fundamental way to accomplish this is through a targeted recruiting strategy. Targeted recruiting, as opposed to the aforementioned open recruitment, refers to the practice of restricting open positions to applicants of specific demographics, skill sets, or locations to improve your organization’s ability, talent pool, and societal relevance. In the kaleidoscopic and niche industry of finance, financial services recruitment has several targets to choose from. 

Are you hiring into a company specializing in taxes, accounting, and foreign currency conversions? Are you hiring into the compliance department at an investment firm? Open recruitment may get you a qualified candidate perfect for the job, but targeting a specific subset of finance candidates will not only net you a larger number of candidates in the specific field you need but also will do so with fewer resources spent on unqualified candidates. Keep in mind that there is a cost in recruitment, especially in a dynamic field such as finance recruitment – the cost of training and turnover. Hiring an imperfect candidate who then leaves in a matter of months can cost a company thousands of dollars compared to finding the perfect fit the first time and retaining them. 

Finance Recruitment Specialists, At Your Service

Brightwing is a finance industry favorite for recruitment. Years ago, we started placing candidates into positions where they were sorely needed. Now, thousands of successful placements later, our method continues to exceed all industry standards in retention rates. Our BRIGHTView process involves three stages of qualification not only for our candidates, but also for our clients. So, if you are ready to take your recruitment to the next level with thoroughness, effectiveness, and sheer human potential, contact Brightwing today. 

From Collaboration to Transformation: The Evolution of Business Partnerships with Brightwing Recruitment Agents

, , , ,

The world is changing rapidly. 

The world is changing at the fastest rate in history. 

The pandemic accelerated technology and innovation by years. 

The above are just a few of the common headlines we’ve all been witnessing in recent years. It’s no secret that the world is changing, and that translates to changes in all facets of our lives – and most importantly, our work. But what does that mean for us? 

With changes on a global scale – international companies, remote work, and new technologies – it becomes imperative to understand the talent market and what that means for your organization. The world of work is evolving. Additionally, the world of talent is evolving. The world of recruitment is evolving, too. Now, more than ever, having a reliable and credible talent and recruitment partner on your side will help you navigate uncertainties in a constantly evolving world. Over 50 years of serving clients and candidates, we know a thing or two about navigating change. Our recruiters have decades of experience and on-demand networks that will offer recruitment help and keep at modern-day pace. 

An Ever-Changing Landscape

Any partnership with a recruitment outsourcing company is bound to evolve in order to adapt to constant change on a global economic scale. Businesses worldwide adopted agile business models to stay more flexible in the face of uncertainty. At the same time, increased regulatory scrutiny and globalization have led to many companies widening their scope to previously untapped markets. The increasing prominence of the gig economy fundamentally changed the way individual job candidates opt to find their work. Similarly, remote and hybrid work schedules embedded themselves permanently into the array of options for job candidates who prefer the benefits of a work-from-home environment.

We haven’t even mentioned the increasing digitization across industries, the rise of big data, the exponential growth of e-commerce, a new focus on sustainability and inclusion, and other key components of the economy in recent years – all of which are changing how we do business. Companies are investing heavily in data security as they take bigger and bigger risks, and amidst all of this change, a supply of hand-picked, talented personnel is more necessary. We know correlation doesn’t equal causation, but looking at the recent past, it’s likely that things are only going to get more exciting and fast-paced moving forward.

The Function of a Recruitment Outsourcing Company

Traditionally, recruitment agents worked as intermediaries in the economy to source candidates and match them with open positions at client companies. Hiring agencies assess candidate skills, query references, and run all relevant background checks. While the average recruitment outsourcing company provides support during the onboarding process, few expend the energy to uplift their candidates. That’s because effectively fitting a candidate to the job – and helping ensure the job provides growth and opportunities – requires that recruiters truly understand the candidates and the clients. Without taking the time to get to know candidates on an individual basis, it will be challenging to place them into a position that is perfect for them.

The Here at Brightwing, we’re forging relationships that give our clients valuable skill sets and our candidates long-lasting jobs. A great recruitment outsourcing agency stands with you as a partner, and forges great relationships on your behalf – it’s why our recruiters prioritize the people element and get to know our clients and candidates in a meaningful way. Our work goes beyond matching people to jobs: It’s providing people with fulfilling work and providing teams with the right skills to set them up for success. 

How Will Recruitment Help Look in Future Years?

AI and data are irreversibly shaping the landscape of work, and that includes recruitment help. Data-driven frameworks and models designed off of enormous datasets grow more sophisticated by the day. AI tools can currently screen resumes, match candidates to fitting positions, and interact with candidates on a cursory level. Recruitment agents in coming years must learn to balance the advantages of this technology with the human heart at the center of their industries. While Brightwing is, and always will be, invested in technological innovation, we believe the human element of this work is irreplaceable. Our recruiters will continue to navigate the use of technology with the nuance and subtlety it deserves.

Where Do Brightwing Recruitment Agents Start?

We like to say that our recruiters know how to go from zero to best friend in sixty seconds just by their ability to ask the right questions and say the right things to make candidates feel comfortable. We make it clear that we are here to offer recruitment help, and it’s why we’re able to build and maintain deep networks of top-tier talent. Our recruiters’ tenure surpasses the industry benchmark, giving us access to developed networks of talent that we’ve already established trust and rapport with. 

The Difference a Brightwing Recruiter Can Make

Business partnerships with recruitment agents don’t just create work, they create a difference. Our first-year trajectory aims to give our agents a core curriculum of industry-specific skills quite unlike anything other hiring agencies have to offer. Our agents understand the nuances between IT work and electrical engineering, financial analysis, and project management. This is the result of one year of training with Brightwing – and most of our team has been here for much longer than one year. Working with a Brightwing agent means accessing a depth of expertise that is unparalleled in the rest of the industry.

We have three offices in Metro Detroit, Dallas-Fort Worth, and South Florida, though we are no strangers to recruiting for remote work. Our Florida location specializes in mid to executive-level IT, while our other two locations focus on staffing the full range of our target industries. The key difference between average hiring agencies and partnerships that will last a lifetime is that the latter develops from the ground up through intentional recruiter practices, networks, and experiences. Only a focus on genuine human potential beyond the standard names and numbers can get you there. This is the Brightwing difference. Contact us today to find out more about our Brightwing difference!

Innovate or Stagnate: Brightwing’s Role in Fostering Innovation in Your Workplace

, , ,

Fostering innovation has been at the forefront of conversations for many business leaders in recent years. In the fast-paced environment of modern-day business, a commitment to embracing innovative ideas is required to keep you ahead of the curve. By harnessing a company culture that makes employees feel heard and taken care of, employees will feel empowered to contribute to company growth and culture. That can be easier said than done – so where do you start?

Defining Innovation

We can describe innovation at work in much the same way as we describe innovation in the market, by differentiating between incremental innovations and disruptive innovations. Incremental innovations, also known as sustaining innovations, consist of improving your existing offerings in fostering loyalty towards your brand. Disruptive innovations consist of new ideas, products, and adopting cutting-edge technology; this type of innovation usually takes on more risk. These patterns hold true when fostering innovation in the workplace. Assess where you are at: You can either take the existing workplace culture and drive it towards an ever-refined goal or dive into a new status quo with big exciting changes. Let’s consider some variables at play in developing workplace innovation ideas.

If you’re looking for innovative ideas in the workplace, a good place to start is with the talent pool itself. Your workplace culture and standards begin with people having ideas, and those ideas develop and change as more people get to interact with them. In other words, improving your current talent improves those ideas. Incremental innovation at work may involve internal promotions, training, and opportunities for your employees to refine their skill sets and better themselves. Disruptive innovation may involve the creation of new workplace traditions, initiatives, and rewards for your employees, or even introducing new incentives, benefits, and partnerships. You may even introduce new positions to your organization and recruit new talent that is dedicated to innovation and exploring new technology. These are just some examples of ways to demonstrate to your employees how you as an organization are committed to innovation and welcome their contributions to those initiatives. 

Innovation at Work: Leadership and Employee Engagement

When it comes to introducing and fostering innovation, team alignment is key. Leadership must be clear about their goals and solicit employee engagement. On the other hand, employees should be expected to participate. Leadership should prioritize rewarding creativity and welcome opportunities for feedback that can improve the organization. Getting feedback from employees is an excellent way to encourage engagement and learn what areas would benefit most from workplace innovation ideas. For innovation at work to function, everyone has to meet in the middle in a top-down and bottom-up approach. Opening the floor for structured risk-taking empowers your employees to go out on a limb and offer input they might otherwise not. Brainstorming sessions and the aforementioned strategies of open feedback and improving training opportunities grow confidence in your employees, blazing the way for them to drive workplace innovation ideas that were previously out of reach. The real takeaway is to find out what your employees really want and assess whether it will improve your business. Putting your people first will go a long way in motivating them to bring their absolute best to their work every day.

Adapting to Change and Innovative Ideas in the Workplace

The landscape of work in the United States is radically different today. Workplace standards and ideas that would have sounded whimsical and out of place just ten years ago are within reach today, and better yet, they make the workforce happier, more creative, and more productive. Keep an open mind to new practices –  they might be true innovations at work. Some features of the modern workplace pertain to policy and procedures. Contemporary employees often look for parental leave, hybrid or remote work, and other benefits as key indicators for flexibility. Introducing them into your workplace will not only aid recruitment but also retention.

However, other key components of a flexible workplace have less to do with those concrete work policies and more to do with attitude. Devote resources towards staying on top of the latest developments in project management and adjust your management training appropriately. We recommend hosting these trainings regularly and openly. If you maintain the stance that no one in the company is left behind when information changes, your veteran employees will continue to feel valued and included. Most of what we’ve covered so far might fall under the umbrella of incremental innovation, or relatively safe disruptive innovation. We haven’t gone in-depth to discuss one of the strongest disruptive tools for fostering innovation: recruitment.

Recruiting as a Tool for Fostering Innovation

As mentioned above, ideas originate from and are refined by people. Hiring is an essential aspect of running a business and always will be. So why not leverage it as a tool for fostering innovation? When you take your focus off of hiring, you leave talent, innovative ideas, and your future on the table. Working with a recruitment agency is an excellent way to optimize your potential talent to this end. Recruiting agencies specialize in finding the right fit for the job, developing long-lasting relationships with key talent, and increasing the pool of readily available skilled labor. Without having to focus on these aspects of hiring, your company can balance other aspects. This may include developing a respectable brand, building stellar products and services, designing exceptional workplace practices and culture, etc. Depending on the industry, a recruiting agency can give you an even bigger leg up. After all, the readily available workforce may be minuscule. Why waste time when you can easily hire the cream of the crop?

Brightwing for Better Innovations

Traditional job postings do work to find new and innovative employees – most of the time. But if you want your talent pool to be far above average, work with Brightwing. With some of the highest retention rates in the industry, our approach has a proven track record of success. We hand-pick everyone we work with, both candidates and clients. Brightwing specializes in hiring for IT, engineering, financial services, and operations work. Contact us today to start innovating in your hiring processes.

Brightwing Celebrates 50 Years in Business

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]50 years ago, Brightwing was founded with the idea that people deserve fulfilling work – and we’ve been doing just that ever since. Through multiple rebrands, new office locations, and expanding into new industries, we’ve strategically grown our business over the last 50 years. Throughout those years, we’ve had one common denominator that we attribute our ongoing success to: people. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28930″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

Championing Human Potential

Brightwing’s goal is to champion human potential by finding opportunities for people that are better than what they already have – this begins with our internal team members. 

We have a long history of developing our people from within. Brightwing’s former president, George Opitz, began his career as a recruiter in our Texas office. Jeff Genovich, who began his career as a Sales Associate, stepped in as Brightwing’s new President when George retired in 2022. Mick Narusch joined us 25 years ago as an Account Manager and has grown to lead as Brightwing’s COO. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28486″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

 

This commitment to growing and developing our own people has played a large part in the accolades Brightwing has earned over the years: 

  • Named a Best Place to Work by the Dallas Business Journal 
  • One of INC. Magazine’s Top Small Company Workplaces
  • A Nationally-ranked Best and Brightest Place to Work 
  • 3 time recipient of a spot on Metro-Detroit’s 101 Best and Brightest Places to Work list
  • 9 time awardees of Crain’s Cool Places (recently rebranded to “Best Places”) to Work 

Most notably, this past year Brightwing was named the 5th Best Place to Work in Southeast Michigan. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28933″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

 

People Are Our Business

Building relationships with our candidates and clients is at the core of our tenure.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28931″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Brightwing is made up of a team of people who take our mission to champion human potential to heart, put people at the forefront, and understand that career-matching shouldn’t be a transactional business.

Simply put, Brightwing knows there’s a human element to recruiting that cannot be ignored. Every recruiter at Brightwing has been a jobseeker themselves at one point; we understand that careers are for a long time. Therefore, new job placement is not a decision that we take lightly. 

This ideal is reflected in the praise we’ve received from Great Recruiters over the years. 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 has been “Great Recruiters Certified” for multiple years now and was named a Top-Rated IT and Engineering Staffing Firm in 2023. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28934″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

 

Furthermore, our salespeople know how instrumental a good hire can be. We have a long tenure with many of our clients and love hearing about how candidates we’ve placed have heavily influenced the organization.

On the other hand, we also know how detrimental a bad hire can be. That’s why we leverage our relationships with our candidates and clients to understand exactly what both parties are looking for. With this understanding we’re able to fill critical vacancies, reduce bad hires, and position new team members for long-term productivity. 

We deliver on these promises time and time again because we’re surrounded with a network of people – our team, candidates, and clients – who understand the importance of people at every step of the journey.  [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]

Looking Forward

You don’t last long in an industry if you’re only thinking about today and tomorrow. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28929″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Over the past 50 years, Brightwing has established itself as a proven, trusted, and time-tested staffing and recruiting solution. By creating a recruiting agency that values people – starting with the internal team – Brightwing is able to provide exceptional experiences for the people they serve.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28935″ img_size=”large” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]

 

Looking forward, Brightwing plans on continuing to grow its people and create opportunities for our candidates and clients that maximize potential. With emerging technology and continuously evolving market conditions comes uncertainty and change – factors we are no strangers to after 50 years in business. Brightwing has and will continue to leverage technology to enhance the client and candidate experience. There’s one thing we know for certain: human interaction, personal connection, and relationship-building isn’t going anywhere for us. [/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How is AI Affecting Jobs? And How Do You Future-Proof Your Career?

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]When ChatGPT exploded onto the scene in late 2022, everyone scrambled to answer the question: How is AI affecting jobs? Is generative AI going to put my job at risk? 

Concerns surrounding automation and labor displacement are nothing new. But as artificial intelligence (AI) grows in capability and popularity, the concern is becoming more prominent and is impacting many different industries, job levels, and professional fields. 

So as we dive deeper into the impact of artificial intelligence on recruiting, let’s address the elephant in the room: how is AI affecting jobs actually? Which jobs and careers are actually at risk? And what can you, as a job seeker, do to AI-proof your future prospects? [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637965720{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Understanding the two branches of AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Before we dive into the implications of how AI is affecting jobs, let’s discuss the two branches of AI and how they impact recruiting: 

  • Predictive AI makes predictions or forecasts based on patterns and historical data. Think personalized shopping reocmmendations or spam filers. 
  • Generative AI creaes new data that resembles the patterns found in training data—like text generation, deep fakes, etc. 

Although there’s the risk of overgeneralization, predictive AI will mostly impact low-skill work, while generative AI will impact high-skill work. This is part of the reason why generative AI caused such a stir among high-skill professionals—because it was the first window into the fact that these jobs could be at risk.

Among the purported victims of generative AI, depending on which articles you read, are lawyers, writers, artists, videographers, coders, software engineers, customer service agents, journalists, financial positions, etc. In other words—a wide swath of the economy.

However, as we will discuss below, reports of the death of the modern professional have been greatly exaggerated.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1700085644762{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How AI will change expectations of high-skill professionals

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Despite the bleak claims that AI will replace high-skill professionals, your job isn’t at risk—so long as you adapt to the new reality. Rather than replace the modern professional and high-skill employees, AI-powered tools, when leveraged correctly, can help you achieve the same results as before with greater speed and efficiency. 

But that’s good news, right? It means that employees can provide the same value and work product, but in less time. Shouldn’t this open the door to shorter work weeks, more flexible scheduling, etc.? 

Well, we’ve done this song and dance before—in fact, every time there’s a major technological advancement, people start talking about the utopian upsides. AI is just the latest in the series.

The great economist John Maynard Keynes, writing nearly a century ago, anticipated that technological advancements, the workforce would become more advanced and, as a result we would all be working 15-hour weeks. Of course, we all know how that worked out—it didn’t!

The reason: Keynes underestimated the human desire to compete. Rather than work a mere 15 hours, we’d rather keep the same 40 hours and increase our output, thus making ourselves more valuable to the employer. It’s hard to imagine this tendency changing in the face of AI.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699638070160{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

The shift of core competencies: from technical to strategic

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]But as AI develops, will human employees continue to be necessary? The short answer: yes, but human core competencies will need to change.  

Especially in highly tech-forward fields, AI can’t function on its own. It needs a human being to operate it. There are a number of reasons why that’s the case. 

First, data hallucinations are real. AI doesn’t have a perfect track record when it comes to generating information, and it can be difficult to pin down a typical accuracy or error rate. Knowledgeable human users will need to sift through generative AI outputs to determine which is accurate or not. Indiscriminately accepting AI outputs can lead to error and, by extension, business risk. 

Additionally, AI is limited in its capabilities by virtue of its functionality. To understand why this is the case, we need to dive a little deeper into how exactly AI works, specifically the difference between machine learning and deep learning: 

  • Machine learning is based on algorithms that are trained on data. These algorithms detect patterns and learn how to make predictions and recommendations by processing preexistent data and experiences.
  • Deep learning uses neural networks—based on the ways neurons interact in the human brain—to ingest data and process it through multiple iterations that learn increasingly complex features of the data. 

Considering both of these concepts at their base level, it’s clear that AI’s functionality is dependent entirely on the data fed into it. It can only anticipate scenarios it’s already been exposed to or can extrapolate from existing data. 

So while AI will likely become more than capable of designing, optimizing, and testing individual components, professionals’ key differentiator will be in how they think about systems more broadly. Traditional tasks will give way to more strategy, high-level thinking.

The specifically implications of this reality, of course, will vary across industries and fields: 

    • Engineers will be less experts in individual components, but more broadly in systems and use of AI-powered tools to achieve more complexity in design
    • Finance professionals will be able to achieve risk assessments, fraud detection, and forecasting more efficiently than before, able to focus their time on customer care and creative solution-building
    • Administrative professionals will be able to streamline customer service, process automation, schedule optimization, and more, and can focus on more personal, human-centric tasks

These, of course, are merely examples. Different industries, disciplines, and organizations will apply these principles differently. But the broad change is that humans will leverage AI to achieve more menial, rote tasks, and can focus on more complex, creative work. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1733956037038{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How is AI affecting jobs? What can job seekers do?

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]So as a job seeker, what steps can you take to future-proof your career? Here are a few that you can start implementing now:

  • Educate yourself on AI in as much detail as possible—specifically looking at how it relates to your work
  • Understand your role in building and managing systems, not simply in becoming an expert in individual components 
  • Don’t look for niches where AI hasn’t gone already—look for niches where AI can’t go

This may involve some minor pivoting—or major pivoting, depending on your situation. But at the end of the day, responding proactively to AI is going to be a much bigger benefit to your career than simply crossing your fingers and hoping it goes away.

If you’re unsure of what specific steps you should take or niches you should consider, it’s helpful to have someone in your corner who knows you and can be a trusted advisor for your career. Contact Brightwing to start a conversation with one of our recruiters.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How is AI Affecting Jobs? And How Do You Future-Proof Your Career?

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]When ChatGPT exploded onto the scene in late 2022, everyone scrambled to answer the question: How is AI affecting jobs? Is generative AI going to put my job at risk? 

Concerns surrounding automation and labor displacement are nothing new. But as artificial intelligence (AI) grows in capability and popularity, the concern is becoming more prominent and is impacting many different industries, job levels, and professional fields. 

So as we dive deeper into the impact of artificial intelligence on recruiting, let’s address the elephant in the room: how is AI affecting jobs actually? Which jobs and careers are actually at risk? And what can you, as a job seeker, do to AI-proof your future prospects? [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637965720{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

Understanding the two branches of AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Before we dive into the implications of how AI is affecting jobs, let’s discuss the two branches of AI and how they impact recruiting: 

  • Predictive AI makes predictions or forecasts based on patterns and historical data. Think personalized shopping reocmmendations or spam filers. 
  • Generative AI creaes new data that resembles the patterns found in training data—like text generation, deep fakes, etc. 

Although there’s the risk of overgeneralization, predictive AI will mostly impact low-skill work, while generative AI will impact high-skill work. This is part of the reason why generative AI caused such a stir among high-skill professionals—because it was the first window into the fact that these jobs could be at risk.

Among the purported victims of generative AI, depending on which articles you read, are lawyers, writers, artists, videographers, coders, software engineers, customer service agents, journalists, financial positions, etc. In other words—a wide swath of the economy.

However, as we will discuss below, reports of the death of the modern professional have been greatly exaggerated.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1700085644762{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How AI will change expectations of high-skill professionals

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Despite the bleak claims that AI will replace high-skill professionals, your job isn’t at risk—so long as you adapt to the new reality. Rather than replace the modern professional and high-skill employees, AI-powered tools, when leveraged correctly, can help you achieve the same results as before with greater speed and efficiency. 

But that’s good news, right? It means that employees can provide the same value and work product, but in less time. Shouldn’t this open the door to shorter work weeks, more flexible scheduling, etc.? 

Well, we’ve done this song and dance before—in fact, every time there’s a major technological advancement, people start talking about the utopian upsides. AI is just the latest in the series.

The great economist John Maynard Keynes, writing nearly a century ago, anticipated that technological advancements, the workforce would become more advanced and, as a result we would all be working 15-hour weeks. Of course, we all know how that worked out—it didn’t!

The reason: Keynes underestimated the human desire to compete. Rather than work a mere 15 hours, we’d rather keep the same 40 hours and increase our output, thus making ourselves more valuable to the employer. It’s hard to imagine this tendency changing in the face of AI.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699638070160{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

The shift of core competencies: from technical to strategic

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]But as AI develops, will human employees continue to be necessary? The short answer: yes, but human core competencies will need to change.  

Especially in highly tech-forward fields, AI can’t function on its own. It needs a human being to operate it. There are a number of reasons why that’s the case. 

First, data hallucinations are real. AI doesn’t have a perfect track record when it comes to generating information, and it can be difficult to pin down a typical accuracy or error rate. Knowledgeable human users will need to sift through generative AI outputs to determine which is accurate or not. Indiscriminately accepting AI outputs can lead to error and, by extension, business risk. 

Additionally, AI is limited in its capabilities by virtue of its functionality. To understand why this is the case, we need to dive a little deeper into how exactly AI works, specifically the difference between machine learning and deep learning: 

  • Machine learning is based on algorithms that are trained on data. These algorithms detect patterns and learn how to make predictions and recommendations by processing preexistent data and experiences.
  • Deep learning uses neural networks—based on the ways neurons interact in the human brain—to ingest data and process it through multiple iterations that learn increasingly complex features of the data. 

Considering both of these concepts at their base level, it’s clear that AI’s functionality is dependent entirely on the data fed into it. It can only anticipate scenarios it’s already been exposed to or can extrapolate from existing data. 

So while AI will likely become more than capable of designing, optimizing, and testing individual components, professionals’ key differentiator will be in how they think about systems more broadly. Traditional tasks will give way to more strategy, high-level thinking.

The specifically implications of this reality, of course, will vary across industries and fields: 

    • Engineers will be less experts in individual components, but more broadly in systems and use of AI-powered tools to achieve more complexity in design
    • Finance professionals will be able to achieve risk assessments, fraud detection, and forecasting more efficiently than before, able to focus their time on customer care and creative solution-building
    • Administrative professionals will be able to streamline customer service, process automation, schedule optimization, and more, and can focus on more personal, human-centric tasks

These, of course, are merely examples. Different industries, disciplines, and organizations will apply these principles differently. But the broad change is that humans will leverage AI to achieve more menial, rote tasks, and can focus on more complex, creative work. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1733956037038{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How is AI affecting jobs? What can job seekers do?

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]So as a job seeker, what steps can you take to future-proof your career? Here are a few that you can start implementing now:

  • Educate yourself on AI in as much detail as possible—specifically looking at how it relates to your work
  • Understand your role in building and managing systems, not simply in becoming an expert in individual components 
  • Don’t look for niches where AI hasn’t gone already—look for niches where AI can’t go

This may involve some minor pivoting—or major pivoting, depending on your situation. But at the end of the day, responding proactively to AI is going to be a much bigger benefit to your career than simply crossing your fingers and hoping it goes away.

If you’re unsure of what specific steps you should take or niches you should consider, it’s helpful to have someone in your corner who knows you and can be a trusted advisor for your career. Contact Brightwing to start a conversation with one of our recruiters.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Recruiting & the Future of Work

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]People talk about the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution as if it’s something in the future. But the reality is that AI in recruiting is already here, and the possibilities it holds are immense.

But beyond the impact in the process and work of talent acquisition, AI will change something more fundamental: the nature of work itself. This shift will have major implications across industries and disciplines—including IT, engineering, automotive, etc.

Whether or not your particular industry or area of expertise will be enhanced by AI in recruiting, read on to see how you can’t avoid being impacted by the AI revolution. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636928026{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

The primary problem with AI in recruiting: we’re having the wrong conversation

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]If you do some Googling on the impact of AI in recruiting, you’ll come up with no shortage of titles like the following: AI is…

     …coming for [X industry]

      …eliminating jobs / putting people out of work

     …going to displace [X number] jobs

     …going to kill [X job]

While good for clickbait, these headlines are wildly misleading as to the actual impact of AI. For starters, AI isn’t something that’s “coming.” It’s already here, as professionals in IT, engineering, automotive, etc. already know:

  • 33% of tech, media, and telecom employees use AI as part of their work
  • 38% of companies expect more than 20% of their employees will need to be reskilled as a consequence of AI
  • On the other hand, a mere 18% of companies anticipate reducing their workforces by 10+% in response to AI displacement

What’s more, according to the same McKinsey report referenced above, 78% of high AI-performing companies expect to reskill 30+% of their workforce over the next three years.

It seems, then, that according to the most recent data—which is always subject to change—the biggest change AI will bring to the industry is that of reskilling, not replacement or displacement. This is a very important reality that employers and job seekers need to keep in mind. The conversation we’re having should be about: how will the nature of work change (or stay the same) as AI becomes more ubiquitous? [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637011293{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

But what is AI, exactly? And what are the different branches?

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Still, people are nervous about this new technology. Decades of cautionary tales from Hollywood and the news media haven’t helped. So let’s break down what AI actually is—especially the difference between predictive AI and generative AI.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637132590{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Predictive AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Predictive AI, as the name implies, makes predictions or forecasts based on patterns derived from historical data. It involves using machine learning (ML) algorithms, particularly supervised learning and regression techniques, to analyze data and predict future outcomes or classify inputs into specific categories. 

Examples from everyday life include:

  • Personalized shopping recommendations
  • Virtual assistants
  • Spam filters
  • Predictive text and autocorrect

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637178694{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Generative AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Generative AI is concerned with creating new data that resembles the patterns found in training data. One of the most popular methods for generative AI is the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), where two neural networks, the generator and the discriminator, compete against each other. The generator creates synthetic data, and the discriminator tries to distinguish between real and generated data. 

Through this process, GANs become proficient at generating highly realistic data, such as images, audio, and text, that closely resembles the training data. 

Examples from everyday life include:

  • Text generation (like ChatGPT)
  • Deepfake videos
  • Virtual avatars & characters
  • Music generation

Most of the time, when we’re talking about how AI is changing the future of work, we’re looking at the latter category. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637232904{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

AI and the future of work

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]With all that in mind, how should you consider the impact of AI on your own career development? Or, if you’re an employer, how should it change your recruiting and staffing strategy? [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637264395{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How employers should think about AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]One of the ways we like to think of it is to treat AI like a promising new hire. For our purposes, let’s use Sales as an example. No one hires one salesperson at a time—instead, you hire two. The goal is to create an environment where there’s both comradery and competition. When you hire just one rep, you put all your eggs in one basket, which is a risky proposition.

Similarly, one of the risks of AI adoption is transitioning too fast without a clear idea of where it adds value (and, conversely, where it subtracts value). 

And one of the things we’ve noticed is that AI doesn’t have to be revolutionary. In fact, many of the ways that we’ve seen AI positively influence hiring and talent acquisition are quite subtle:

  • Automating manual tasks to free up team members for more strategic and creative work
  • Speeding up execution and time to market for new products—without sacrificing QA
  • Gathering information more efficiently to provide more holistic insights in key areas of inquiry

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637352203{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How job seekers should think about AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]For talent, it’s also important to think about how AI is going to impact your career. More likely than not, you’re going to need to develop some familiarity with AI-powered tools specific to your field. For example, many systems engineers are using AI-powered modeling and simulation programs to spend less time physically testing new components, speeding up time to market and overall team productivity.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637387839{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Final thoughts on AI in recruiting and staffing

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Here’s the bottom line: AI is here to stay. The more familiar you are with AI-powered tools, the better you’ll be positioned to succeed:

  • Employers will not only improve their talent acquisition strategies, but also equip their employees to maximize performance by providing access to state-of-the-art tools, platforms, and resources
  • Job seekers will position themselves as on the cutting edge of their field by demonstrating competence with innovative technologies that improve their ability to perform

At the end of the day, it’s not AI vs. not AI. It’s good use of AI vs. poor use of AI. The difference, then, is entirely up to you.

If you want support and help in integrating AI into your career growth and development, contact a member of our team today. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Recruiting & the Future of Work

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]People talk about the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution as if it’s something in the future. But the reality is that AI in recruiting is already here, and the possibilities it holds are immense.

But beyond the impact in the process and work of talent acquisition, AI will change something more fundamental: the nature of work itself. This shift will have major implications across industries and disciplines—including IT, engineering, automotive, etc.

Whether or not your particular industry or area of expertise will be enhanced by AI in recruiting, read on to see how you can’t avoid being impacted by the AI revolution. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636928026{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

The primary problem with AI in recruiting: we’re having the wrong conversation

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]If you do some Googling on the impact of AI in recruiting, you’ll come up with no shortage of titles like the following: AI is…

     …coming for [X industry]

      …eliminating jobs / putting people out of work

     …going to displace [X number] jobs

     …going to kill [X job]

While good for clickbait, these headlines are wildly misleading as to the actual impact of AI. For starters, AI isn’t something that’s “coming.” It’s already here, as professionals in IT, engineering, automotive, etc. already know:

  • 33% of tech, media, and telecom employees use AI as part of their work
  • 38% of companies expect more than 20% of their employees will need to be reskilled as a consequence of AI
  • On the other hand, a mere 18% of companies anticipate reducing their workforces by 10+% in response to AI displacement

What’s more, according to the same McKinsey report referenced above, 78% of high AI-performing companies expect to reskill 30+% of their workforce over the next three years.

It seems, then, that according to the most recent data—which is always subject to change—the biggest change AI will bring to the industry is that of reskilling, not replacement or displacement. This is a very important reality that employers and job seekers need to keep in mind. The conversation we’re having should be about: how will the nature of work change (or stay the same) as AI becomes more ubiquitous? [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637011293{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

But what is AI, exactly? And what are the different branches?

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Still, people are nervous about this new technology. Decades of cautionary tales from Hollywood and the news media haven’t helped. So let’s break down what AI actually is—especially the difference between predictive AI and generative AI.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637132590{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Predictive AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Predictive AI, as the name implies, makes predictions or forecasts based on patterns derived from historical data. It involves using machine learning (ML) algorithms, particularly supervised learning and regression techniques, to analyze data and predict future outcomes or classify inputs into specific categories. 

Examples from everyday life include:

  • Personalized shopping recommendations
  • Virtual assistants
  • Spam filters
  • Predictive text and autocorrect

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637178694{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Generative AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Generative AI is concerned with creating new data that resembles the patterns found in training data. One of the most popular methods for generative AI is the use of Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), where two neural networks, the generator and the discriminator, compete against each other. The generator creates synthetic data, and the discriminator tries to distinguish between real and generated data. 

Through this process, GANs become proficient at generating highly realistic data, such as images, audio, and text, that closely resembles the training data. 

Examples from everyday life include:

  • Text generation (like ChatGPT)
  • Deepfake videos
  • Virtual avatars & characters
  • Music generation

Most of the time, when we’re talking about how AI is changing the future of work, we’re looking at the latter category. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637232904{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

AI and the future of work

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]With all that in mind, how should you consider the impact of AI on your own career development? Or, if you’re an employer, how should it change your recruiting and staffing strategy? [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637264395{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How employers should think about AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]One of the ways we like to think of it is to treat AI like a promising new hire. For our purposes, let’s use Sales as an example. No one hires one salesperson at a time—instead, you hire two. The goal is to create an environment where there’s both comradery and competition. When you hire just one rep, you put all your eggs in one basket, which is a risky proposition.

Similarly, one of the risks of AI adoption is transitioning too fast without a clear idea of where it adds value (and, conversely, where it subtracts value). 

And one of the things we’ve noticed is that AI doesn’t have to be revolutionary. In fact, many of the ways that we’ve seen AI positively influence hiring and talent acquisition are quite subtle:

  • Automating manual tasks to free up team members for more strategic and creative work
  • Speeding up execution and time to market for new products—without sacrificing QA
  • Gathering information more efficiently to provide more holistic insights in key areas of inquiry

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637352203{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How job seekers should think about AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]For talent, it’s also important to think about how AI is going to impact your career. More likely than not, you’re going to need to develop some familiarity with AI-powered tools specific to your field. For example, many systems engineers are using AI-powered modeling and simulation programs to spend less time physically testing new components, speeding up time to market and overall team productivity.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699637387839{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Final thoughts on AI in recruiting and staffing

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Here’s the bottom line: AI is here to stay. The more familiar you are with AI-powered tools, the better you’ll be positioned to succeed:

  • Employers will not only improve their talent acquisition strategies, but also equip their employees to maximize performance by providing access to state-of-the-art tools, platforms, and resources
  • Job seekers will position themselves as on the cutting edge of their field by demonstrating competence with innovative technologies that improve their ability to perform

At the end of the day, it’s not AI vs. not AI. It’s good use of AI vs. poor use of AI. The difference, then, is entirely up to you.

If you want support and help in integrating AI into your career growth and development, contact a member of our team today. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How Generative AI Requires Engineering Companies to Evolve their Talent Strategies

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]Generative AI in engineering is prompting widely varied responses. Employers have taken to a number of tactics in response, ranging from going “all-in” to ignoring it and hoping it goes away.

But here’s the reality: generative AI is here to stay. Which means that, if you want to be competitive in the future, you can’t ignore it. Rather, you need to be clear-eyed about what AI does better (and worse) than humans. Then you can adapt your talent acquisition strategies to apply the best of both worlds—human and AI—to your engineering processes.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1733956591602{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

The broader impact of AI in engineering

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Artificial intelligence (AI) is a game changer; in fact, it already has been. But AI has been around, believe it or not, since the 1950s. Machine learning has been undergirding popular software for over a decade (e.g. Google’s search algorithm). So what’s changed in recent years to bring AI to the forefront of the conversation?

Like any phenomenon, it’s multi-faceted. But a key move was the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI. Although ChatGPT didn’t really feature any new capabilities—companies like Jasper were already offering LLM-based software—it elevated public awareness of the software, illuminating just how far it had come. 

But just as with any public phenomenon, there’s the challenge of separating the hype from reality, fact from fiction. What exactly is generative AI going to do to traditionally “safe” career roles? How is it going to change how we think about “work” in the future?

For engineers, specifically, we already have a number of examples that are already in play. Let’s look at how AI in engineering is impacting these familiar use cases. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636117188{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Design optimization

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Generative AI can ingest vast quantities of design data, using the insights generated from that experience to generate multiple virtual models with different configurations. Then, that same AI can evaluate the designs based on specific criteria—like maximizing strength while minimizing weight—and select the optimal design to meet the criteria. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636127697{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) generation

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Also known as text-to-design, generative AI can take high-level specifications, requirements, and prompts provided by engineers to generate CAD models. The engineer, then, can tweak and adjust the design as needed. CAD can be a significant time saver and provide design ideas that a human engineer may not have otherwise considered. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636146669{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Simulation-based design

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Pressure-testing complex systems requires extensive testing. When done in the physical world, this can be costly and time-consuming. 

AI-powered virtual modeling, on the other hand, enables engineers to simulate and analyze system behavior under a range of conditions. These conditions can help drive further design iteration that optimizes for factors like stress distribution, fluid flow, or heat dissipation. 

What’s more, AI simulations can run at a fraction of the speed of physical testing. As such, you can gather more performance data in a much shorter time frame. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636158143{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Additive manufacturing (aka 3D Printing)

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Many complex geometries for 3D printed components can be difficult for humans to envision, although they’re robust in practice. Generative AI can help to optimize geometries and push them to print immediately, saving time and enabling more fine-tuned outputs. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636166358{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Material discovery

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]One often overlooked benefit of generative AI is the discovery of new materials with desired properties. By predicting and modeling material behavior based on known chemical data, generative AI can discover new alloys and compositions that would take humans too long to do. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636175780{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How humans can out-maneuver AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Now, looking at the examples above, what are some common threads we can trace among them? Here are few that jump to mind:

  • AI is faster than humans. By sheer force of computing power, AI can perform tasks in less than a fraction of the time it takes a human to perform the same task. 
  • AI is more comprehensive than humans. AI can accumulate a much wider range of information, building its body of knowledge faster than any human could.
  • AI can perform more iterations than humans. By accounting for variables that humans don’t think about, AI can iterate faster and more extensively. 

As such, many engineering companies are rethinking the value of human talent in the future. There is already talk about engineers having to move into more editor-like roles in the future. 

However, if you jump to AI too quickly, you risk misunderstanding what it can (and can’t) do for you. If you don’t understand the risks, you’ll fall for the shallow, trendy promises and hurt your business. 

Because for all AI’s advantages and benefits, there are some things that only human beings can do. And these, above and beyond mere technical competence, are the traits you should hire for now and in the future. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636192523{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Creative thinking

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]AI is limited by the scenarios and data it’s encountered before. Humans, on the other hand, can approach challenges with fresh perspectives and devise innovative solutions to technical problems. While AI can implement those solutions more efficiently, only humans have the creativity to pioneer new technologies and methods that lead to a competitive edge. In other words, humans are better at figuring out what to build and why, while AI figures out how to build it. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636199677{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Systems thinking

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]For the most part, generative AI output is limited to the quality of the prompt. The AI isn’t designed to think about the system as a whole and account for unintended consequences—rather, it provides the best possible output based on the prompt it has received. 

As such, humans are uniquely positioned to provide a holistic perspective, considering interconnections, potential ripple effects, and orchestrating AI tools to account for these complexities. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636208126{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Innovation

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]By virtue of their operations, AIs are always going to be two steps behind. In a highly evolving field, this is a costly lag you can’t afford. Human engineers are better equipped to adapt to change, stay ahead of the curve, and direct AI tools to bring more novel and competitive concepts to market. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636215654{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Intuition

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Intuition: it’s that X factor that humans have and AI doesn’t. Developed through experience and expertise, intuition empowers human engineers to make quick decisions when data is incomplete. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636223230{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Emotional intelligence

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Finally, AI can’t manage teams or people. A lack of emotional intelligence prohibits the technology from effectively orchestrating and communicating technical ideas among multidisciplinary teams. 

Human engineers are essential to maintain positive relationships and working conditions among all team members, which are both essential to efficiently driving project outcomes. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1733956525005{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

AI in engineering: how should it impact your hiring strategy? 

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Technical expertise still matters, but it matters a little less than in the past. Now, human engineers will need not only a solid background in AI-capable tools, but also in other soft skills that AI just can’t reproduce.

This means that your hiring processes need to account for these changes. Often it’s difficult to identify soft skills on paper, and only slightly less difficult to do so in an interview.

To avoid the high cost of a mishire, it’s important to have an in-market expert who knows what to look for. Better yet, find a professional recruitment agency with a bench of talent that they have long-term relationships with—who they’ve already validated. 

Get started with a Brightwing representative, and we’ll help you navigate the changing tides of talent acquisition in an AI-dominated industry. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

How Generative AI Requires Engineering Companies to Evolve their Talent Strategies

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text css=””]Generative AI in engineering is prompting widely varied responses. Employers have taken to a number of tactics in response, ranging from going “all-in” to ignoring it and hoping it goes away.

But here’s the reality: generative AI is here to stay. Which means that, if you want to be competitive in the future, you can’t ignore it. Rather, you need to be clear-eyed about what AI does better (and worse) than humans. Then you can adapt your talent acquisition strategies to apply the best of both worlds—human and AI—to your engineering processes.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1733956591602{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

The broader impact of AI in engineering

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Artificial intelligence (AI) is a game changer; in fact, it already has been. But AI has been around, believe it or not, since the 1950s. Machine learning has been undergirding popular software for over a decade (e.g. Google’s search algorithm). So what’s changed in recent years to bring AI to the forefront of the conversation?

Like any phenomenon, it’s multi-faceted. But a key move was the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI. Although ChatGPT didn’t really feature any new capabilities—companies like Jasper were already offering LLM-based software—it elevated public awareness of the software, illuminating just how far it had come. 

But just as with any public phenomenon, there’s the challenge of separating the hype from reality, fact from fiction. What exactly is generative AI going to do to traditionally “safe” career roles? How is it going to change how we think about “work” in the future?

For engineers, specifically, we already have a number of examples that are already in play. Let’s look at how AI in engineering is impacting these familiar use cases. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636117188{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Design optimization

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Generative AI can ingest vast quantities of design data, using the insights generated from that experience to generate multiple virtual models with different configurations. Then, that same AI can evaluate the designs based on specific criteria—like maximizing strength while minimizing weight—and select the optimal design to meet the criteria. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636127697{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

CAD (Computer-Aided Design) generation

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Also known as text-to-design, generative AI can take high-level specifications, requirements, and prompts provided by engineers to generate CAD models. The engineer, then, can tweak and adjust the design as needed. CAD can be a significant time saver and provide design ideas that a human engineer may not have otherwise considered. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636146669{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Simulation-based design

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Pressure-testing complex systems requires extensive testing. When done in the physical world, this can be costly and time-consuming. 

AI-powered virtual modeling, on the other hand, enables engineers to simulate and analyze system behavior under a range of conditions. These conditions can help drive further design iteration that optimizes for factors like stress distribution, fluid flow, or heat dissipation. 

What’s more, AI simulations can run at a fraction of the speed of physical testing. As such, you can gather more performance data in a much shorter time frame. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636158143{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Additive manufacturing (aka 3D Printing)

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Many complex geometries for 3D printed components can be difficult for humans to envision, although they’re robust in practice. Generative AI can help to optimize geometries and push them to print immediately, saving time and enabling more fine-tuned outputs. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636166358{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Material discovery

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]One often overlooked benefit of generative AI is the discovery of new materials with desired properties. By predicting and modeling material behavior based on known chemical data, generative AI can discover new alloys and compositions that would take humans too long to do. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636175780{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

How humans can out-maneuver AI

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Now, looking at the examples above, what are some common threads we can trace among them? Here are few that jump to mind:

  • AI is faster than humans. By sheer force of computing power, AI can perform tasks in less than a fraction of the time it takes a human to perform the same task. 
  • AI is more comprehensive than humans. AI can accumulate a much wider range of information, building its body of knowledge faster than any human could.
  • AI can perform more iterations than humans. By accounting for variables that humans don’t think about, AI can iterate faster and more extensively. 

As such, many engineering companies are rethinking the value of human talent in the future. There is already talk about engineers having to move into more editor-like roles in the future. 

However, if you jump to AI too quickly, you risk misunderstanding what it can (and can’t) do for you. If you don’t understand the risks, you’ll fall for the shallow, trendy promises and hurt your business. 

Because for all AI’s advantages and benefits, there are some things that only human beings can do. And these, above and beyond mere technical competence, are the traits you should hire for now and in the future. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636192523{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Creative thinking

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]AI is limited by the scenarios and data it’s encountered before. Humans, on the other hand, can approach challenges with fresh perspectives and devise innovative solutions to technical problems. While AI can implement those solutions more efficiently, only humans have the creativity to pioneer new technologies and methods that lead to a competitive edge. In other words, humans are better at figuring out what to build and why, while AI figures out how to build it. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636199677{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Systems thinking

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]For the most part, generative AI output is limited to the quality of the prompt. The AI isn’t designed to think about the system as a whole and account for unintended consequences—rather, it provides the best possible output based on the prompt it has received. 

As such, humans are uniquely positioned to provide a holistic perspective, considering interconnections, potential ripple effects, and orchestrating AI tools to account for these complexities. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636208126{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Innovation

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]By virtue of their operations, AIs are always going to be two steps behind. In a highly evolving field, this is a costly lag you can’t afford. Human engineers are better equipped to adapt to change, stay ahead of the curve, and direct AI tools to bring more novel and competitive concepts to market. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636215654{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Intuition

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Intuition: it’s that X factor that humans have and AI doesn’t. Developed through experience and expertise, intuition empowers human engineers to make quick decisions when data is incomplete. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1699636223230{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Emotional intelligence

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Finally, AI can’t manage teams or people. A lack of emotional intelligence prohibits the technology from effectively orchestrating and communicating technical ideas among multidisciplinary teams. 

Human engineers are essential to maintain positive relationships and working conditions among all team members, which are both essential to efficiently driving project outcomes. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1733956525005{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

AI in engineering: how should it impact your hiring strategy? 

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=””]Technical expertise still matters, but it matters a little less than in the past. Now, human engineers will need not only a solid background in AI-capable tools, but also in other soft skills that AI just can’t reproduce.

This means that your hiring processes need to account for these changes. Often it’s difficult to identify soft skills on paper, and only slightly less difficult to do so in an interview.

To avoid the high cost of a mishire, it’s important to have an in-market expert who knows what to look for. Better yet, find a professional recruitment agency with a bench of talent that they have long-term relationships with—who they’ve already validated. 

Get started with a Brightwing representative, and we’ll help you navigate the changing tides of talent acquisition in an AI-dominated industry. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Yes, the Job Market is “Rebalancing.” No, Employers Shouldn’t Rest on Their Laurels.

,

[vc_row gap=”20″][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_single_image image=”27035″ img_size=”100×100″][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][vc_separator css=”.vc_custom_1623697841834{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_empty_space height=”10px”][vc_column_text]BY JEFF GENOVICH
President[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”20px”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1585081315933{margin-right: 20px !important;margin-left: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]Right now, the U.S. job market is, in the words of some experts, “losing steam.” After two years of overheating, things seem to be calming down, or rebalancing, as it were.

But if you’re looking to hire high-quality, specialized talent, you can’t rest on your laurels, sit back, and wait for them to come to you. You have to be out there fighting for each and every placement. Read on to find out why. [/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1697037373893{padding-top: 40px !important;padding-bottom: 40px !important;}”]

From Great Resignation to Great “Rebalancing”

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Just two years ago, the headline news was that we were in the middle of a talent shortage. Whether you called it the Great Resignation or Great Reshuffle, the reality was the same: mass resignations and great demands from job seekers meant many companies had trouble landing and retaining quality talent.

Today, the job numbers seem to indicate the opposite trend. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, July 2023 saw a decline in job openings, and August saw a slight uptick in unemployment, although nowhere near comparable levels in 2021. These are all telltale signs of a shifting job market—no longer candidate-centric, but employer-centric.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28866″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1697036617205{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]If you only read the surface-level statistics, you’d no doubt come to that conclusion. However, the numbers only tell half the story. Ignore the other half, and you risk making poor hiring & firing decisions that can put your firm at serious risk. Given that we’re experiencing the makings of an economic recession, the risk is greater than ever.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1697037334614{padding-top: 20px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

Ask yourself: who is getting laid off?

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]At Brightwing, we work with some of the leading engineering, IT, automotive, and financial services companies in the Detroit area (not to mention nationwide). Just in the past few months, we’ve heard of thousands of layoffs in the metro Detroit area. However, in conversations with our partners, we’re finding that companies are having more trouble filling critical roles, not less. 

To answer this question, you can’t just look at how many people were laid off. You have to ask the deeper question: who is getting laid off? 

With every executive and HR department we work with, the answer is resounding across the board. Companies aren’t laying off their top performers. In fact, they’re holding onto that critical talent with an iron fist. Instead, it’s the poor performers that are being let go. 

There’s a certain logic to this move. As companies are squeezed for resources, it makes sense to keep the people who, for lack of a better term, deliver the most bang for your buck. Not to mention that quality people are difficult to attract in the best of times, not to mention when times are more difficult. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28865″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1697036673931{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]So although the talent market is flooded with warm bodies, the number of qualified Java developers, embedded systems engineers, data scientists—these haven’t increased all of a sudden. Rather than looking in a scarce market, hiring managers are now forced to hunt down needles in haystacks—a haystack that’s become much bigger. 

Changing dynamics in specialized talent acquisition

 

What’s more, the way to attract top tier talent has evolved, even over the last two years. I’ll give you a case study related to the arms race of electric vehicles in automotive.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28864″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Three or four years ago, many leading companies started “e-mobility” groups. Despite unclear objectives and focus, these groups collected talented people to work on the problem of electrification. Now, the critical talent has become even rarer: the coveted EV experts that also are experts in a Tier 1 supplier’s proprietary technology.

Because the intersection of these two skill sets is exceedingly rare, these suppliers are increasingly reliant upon them just to function as a business, much less innovate and grow. Often, the fate of a supplier rests in just one person’s hands.

If one of these engineers decides to leave, often the employer will bend over backwards to retain them. With one company we’re working with, this has led to senior leadership getting involved. It’s not uncommon for companies to offer retention bonuses to this talent. I’ve personally seen an incredible amount of counteroffers for this talent.

This is not the kind of behavior you expect to see in a cooling market. It is the kind of behavior you expect to see in an ongoing shortage of qualified, experienced talent—a shortage that will continue no matter how many low performers get laid off. 

The pressure on hiring managers

 

When it comes to finding top tier talent, high performing companies are actually investing more in talent acquisition, not less. In the automotive industry, for instance, leadership is giving hiring managers an increased budget to make critical hires.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28863″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]Hiring is an expensive decision in the best of times. But right now, companies have little tolerance for low performers on their teams. The stakes are high, and the risk of a poor hire is greater than ever.

As a result, hiring managers need to work with recruiters that they trust, and who are trusted by top talent in turn. They need to partner with people who’ve taken the time to make inroads with the candidates. This is the only way to mitigate the risk of a bad hire and make the best of increased recruitment spend. 

The way forward

 

The biggest mistake hiring managers can make in this time is to rest on their laurels as the market cools and rebalances. Rather, success in hiring requires approaching your talent acquisition strategy with the same sense of urgency and fire that you had in 2021, when quality talent seemed a dime a dozen. Because, in a sense, it still is.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”28862″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1697036764748{padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”][vc_column_text]You need to find candidates that have the right combination of high technical competence plus the intangible skills that make someone successful in your organization. This isn’t rocket science—it just requires hard work, persistence, and the patience to build inroads and generate quality connections. 

Hiring managers who execute the fundamentals well will find themselves doing just fine, even if we end up in a recession or economic downturn. Those who make excuses and are unable to adapt will not. Which camp will you be in?[/vc_column_text][vc_separator][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/4″][/vc_column][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”75px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row css=”.vc_custom_1585078267198{background-image: url(https://brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/yellow-rectangle-scaled.jpg?id=27545) !important;}”][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1639429065564{margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;padding-bottom: 5px !important;}”]

let’s talk

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1571085449280{margin-top: 0px !important;margin-bottom: 0px !important;border-top-width: 0px !important;border-bottom-width: 0px !important;padding-top: 5px !important;padding-bottom: 20px !important;}”]

SEND US A MESSAGE

[/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2″][wpforms id=”27272″ title=”false” description=”false”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/4″][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space height=”55px”][vc_row_inner][vc_column_inner][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]