HR Strategies: Maximizing Business Potential with the Right Talent Partner

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Human resources departments are the lifeblood of every organization. With intentional HR processes comes top talent, better brand reputation, and efficiency. While sourcing talent internally is certainly an option that works for many, unclear processes, finding key talent, and lack of efficiency can lead to unforeseen challenges in the recruitment process. Partnering with talent and recruitment experts like Brightwing will help you optimize your human resource planning – bringing clarity, precision, and efficiency to your recruitment process and getting the right people in the right places at the right time. The right talent partner brings their years of industry expertise to help you optimize your HR strategies.

Industry Insight and Trends

The first step to optimizing HR strategies is understanding the state of the industry in which you work. No two industries are the same, nor are their developments and ongoing trends. However, lessons learned from one industry can be transferable to others. At Brightwing, we leverage our expertise in IT, finance, engineering, and operations to better our recruitment efforts across industries. We have dedicated teams with deep networks in their respective industries, insights that keep us on the cutting edge, and intel that keeps us informed about which organizational strategies offer the most pull for recruitment candidates at all levels of work.

Strategic Workforce and Human Resource Planning

Strategic workforce planning is an HR strategy that sets up your organization for future success by proactively identifying talent needs. It refers to the idea that an organization should take a measured approach to assessing its current and future workforce and the staff and skills it needs and will need. One of the main problems strategic workforce planning attempts to counteract is overstaffing. Experienced recruitment partners like Brightwing understand that sometimes the right pick in the recruiting stage can eliminate unnecessary hires down the line. As partners and advisors, we help you identify your needs and fill them with the right talent.

Talent Pipeline Development

The standard hiring procedure is as follows: open position, recruitment efforts, hiring, and onboarding. The secret to attracting qualified talent and increasing efficiency in the recruitment process is through consistently building and nurturing a talent pool. That means you’re promoting your employer brand even when you’re not hiring. There are some practical organizational strategies to help accomplish this. 

  • Keep active files on suitable candidates even if you do not hire them 
  • Check-in on candidate job statuses periodically
  • Maintain a newsletter that keeps you top of mind with candidates 
  • Create an email list of past candidates (with their consent) to share open job positions

As a recruitment company, Brightwing fosters active relationships with talented and qualified candidates by implementing the above strategies at scale. By working with Brightwing, you gain access to recruiting teams that have deep networks of talented candidates.

Organizational Strategies for Employer Reputation and Branding

Your employer brand plays a disproportionate role in getting job candidates interested in your company. Branding is more than just the HR strategies you take to your marketing team. Your company brand is present in every step of the recruitment process in a tangible way. Candidates should feel that your hiring process is streamlined, professional, and technologically competent. Online forums and websites are flooded with reviews and ratings on products and services in almost any industry you can think of. Therefore, organizations must prioritize the candidate experience when hiring.

One practical way to approach this is by automating simple, repeatable steps. At a relatively small upfront investment in hours, you mitigate the risk of missing small, but enabling, tasks that keep your HR processes streamlined. With automations in place, you’re able to focus on the human part of recruiting – communicating with your candidates frequently with honesty and transparency along the way. If changes like these feel out of reach with your existing HR processes, it may be time to consider upgrading your HR systems to increase capacity and flexibility. 

The Role of the Internet

As mentioned above, the internet plays an ever-growing role in candidate research on a company. Word travels fast and a strong reputation makes the difference between a lack of hiring prospects and a bottomless talent pool. Even though workplace crises are often unavoidable, there is always a choice in how to respond to them. Approach your solutions people-first. Do right by your veteran employees and your newcomers all the same, and commit to standards of equity and inclusion so your employee base feels seen. These are the building blocks of a desirable reputation.

Brightwing helps with this aspect of human resource planning. Our reputation in our industries of expertise comes from our obsession with understanding our employees, clients, and candidates to make the best placements possible for long-lasting retention. We make it clear to our candidates that we hand-pick our clients as we hand-pick our people. We like to work with clients who value people as much as we do. A partnership with Brightwing opens doors to a highly skilled candidate pool that aligns with your values.

Innovative HR Processes and Technologies

Several recent technological developments are proving useful for creating more efficient and effective HR processes. One is employing a chatbot as a first line of response. Chatbots, and other automated outward-facing systems, have the potential to be a double-edged sword. Some customers will always have reservations towards new technology. However, implementing intention and care can greatly increase the efficiency of your responses. Think of a chatbot as your support – it’s there when you’re not and is available to respond to things like FAQs – but it doesn’t replace you. Human intuition and communication are critical components to implementing successful HR strategies.

Another helpful technology and tool belt of organizational strategies is the use of augmented writing technology which employs machine learning to give advice when phrasing written materials and job advertisements. This is an invaluable tool for widening potential demographics and improving the reach of a job post. Brightwing can help amplify these effects. Our familiarity with our talent pool helps us target your job posting toward whatever skill sets and demographics you seek to prioritize. While augmented writing technology might help with your human resource planning, only an experienced, expert recruiting agency can bridge that gap between your job position and the ideal candidate.

How Brightwing Supports Your HR Potential

Picture this: you have narrowed a hiring pool down to the final two candidates but they both seem evenly matched. The deciding factor in such a narrow decision is often human intuition and experience. At Brightwing, this is exactly what we prioritize. Our recruiting teams are committed to bridging our clients’ talent needs with our candidates’ desire to have fulfilling work. Our 50-plus years of working within finance, IT, engineering, and operations give us foresight into each industry we work in. When it comes down to that final decision, our HR and hiring processes, hand-selected resumes, and intuition all come together to select the right candidate for the job.

How Long Does a Pre-Employment Background Check Take?

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Employers and job seekers alike might be wondering, how long does a pre-employment background check take? Let’s take a look.

Read more

6 Recruitment Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

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6 Mistakes to Avoid When Recruiting

Recruiting is not merely a function of HR, it’s essential to the success of your organization. Without a well-defined strategy for recruiting talent, you run the risk of making inefficient and costly hiring decisions—up to $17,000 in lost productivity, compromised work quality, and turnover.

To ensure better hires, you need a targeted recruiting strategy that will help identify high-quality candidates who align with the requirements of the position and the corporate culture. Avoiding these six recruitment mistakes can help streamline your hiring process so you can make more reliable hiring decisions that will elevate and enhance company performance.

1. Hiring in desperation mode

When you’re desperate, you can often make hasty decisions that can have long-term (often negative) consequences for your organization. This is as true in hiring as anywhere else.

That’s why it’s essential to approach the recruitment process proactively, not reactively. Building and maintaining a pipeline of potential candidates, even when you’re not actively hiring, ensures that you always have a pool of pre-vetted, talented individuals to choose from.

This will reduce time pressure and help improve the quality of your hires.

Here are some steps you can take to build a talent pipeline:

  • Regularly attend networking events
  • Engage with potential candidates on social media and other digital platforms
  • Partner with a professional hiring agency that already has a pipeline in place

2. Failing to validate traits

Resumés can be misleading. Everyone naturally puts their best foot forward and, as a result, often overstates their previous experience and success. In fact, Forbes published a startling report last year, claiming that 70% of workers lie on their resumés.

As a result, validating each candidate’s values, aptitudes, passion, behaviors, and skills is absolutely critical. You can do this through a series of screening activities, including tailored assessments, reference checking, and more.

The more you validate candidates early in the hiring process, the less turnover you’ll have.

3. Not tapping into your personal network

Referral hires are 40% more likely to remain with an employer after the first year than non-referral hires. So if you aren’t leveraging your personal network in the recruitment process, you’re missing out on high-value opportunities.

4. Skipping the pre-screening phone call

You don’t want to waste time on a candidate that will never be a good fit for the role. Pre-screening phone calls, then, are an essential time management tool for your recruiting team. During these calls, you can quickly get a sense of the candidate’s:

  • Communication skills
  • Professionalism
  • Genuine interest in the position
  • Knowledge of the industry and their own trade

By screening out obvious bad fits, you can ensure your recruiters (internal or external) are only spending time with candidates you might actually hire.

5. Hiring based on instinct

Sure, intuition plays a role in the hiring process. But relying on your gut too much can lead to biased and inconsistent decisions. Instead, it’s important to have some kind of standard hiring process to enable evidence-based hiring decisions.

Brightwing has a time-tested process that involves multiple stages of assessment and strategic planning to ensure we’re finding the best candidates for your needs.

6. Speaking before listening

To the best of your ability, you should avoid telling applicants what the ideal candidate looks like before you find out who they are and what they can do.

By opening the conversation to explore their intrinsic motivations, problem-solving skills, and perspectives, you gain insights that would otherwise go unnoticed. This approach not only respects the individuality of applicants but also enriches your understanding of how they might contribute uniquely to the team.

Avoid these recruitment mistakes with a dedicated talent partner

It can take a great deal of time and energy to avoid these recruitment mistakes. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a talent partner in your corner that can take the reins of the hiring process. Learn more about Brightwing’s tested process here.

Quitting Your Job? 5 Things to Consider

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Quitting Your Job? 5 Things to Consider

 

Quitting your job is a big move that, if done right, may be beneficial to your career. However, make sure it is the right time and for the right reasons. With such a big change, it’s crucial that you are strategic when quitting your job, to position yourself to move forward in your career rather than being stuck in unemployment. Although frustration creeps up in all of us, you don’t want to find yourself in a place where you’re struggling to get your career back on track. Here are five things to consider before quitting your job:

 

1. Check Your Finances

For most, if not all, money is the greatest motivator that will keep you in a job or push you to a new one. Quitting your job may seem impossible if you’re not financially stable. However, this shouldn’t be the reason you stay at a job you hate. Plan ahead with your finances, and save some money to use as a safety net. This will give you the liberty to take some time in finding your perfect job without feeling pressured to go back.

 

2. Start Your Job Search

Sometimes those who are already employed, make the best candidates. Don’t close yourself off to new opportunities. Begin the job application process before quitting your job, to make the transition from one job to another easier, and less stressful.

 

3. Keep It To Yourself

Although it’s okay to talk to other companies while you are employed, keep it to yourself. You certainly do not want this information to reach management, resulting in burnt bridges. When the time comes, be discreet when you quitting your job.

 

4. Stick With Your Main Reason

When you quit, you will need to provide your boss a reason as to why you’re leaving. Remain professional, respectful and don’t hurt your reputation. Your next employer is likely to call for a reference, and you don’t want to leave them with a bad impression.

 

5. Be Your Best Until The End

Once the end is in sight, it is so easy to slack off– Don’t! Stay focused and continue to work hard to accomplish all the tasks needed. This will leave your employers with a great impression, maintaining relationships that may pay off in the future. Make the transition for your coworkers and boss as smooth as possible.

How to Negotiate a Job Offer

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How to Negotiate a Job Offer

 

Negotiating a job offer begins the moment you start your job search. The key is to be prepared by researching similar positions in the industry. Doing your homework will help you make smarter, more reasonable decisions and establish a negotiation strategy. The most important factor in negotiating a job offer is confidence – confidence in your skills, talents, experience, and education. The way you hold yourself and present your capabilities will help convince the hiring manager that you will be a valuable asset to the organization. Learn the dos and don’ts on how to successfully negotiate a job offer with these three articles:

 

How to Negotiate A Job Offer

Learn great tips and strategies from Forbes on “How To Negotiate A Job Offer“. This article will guide you on every step of the process from the beginning stages of your job search, to the final negotiating stages. Not sure what to actually say during the negotiation? This article also provides a word-for-word example on what to say and what responses to expect from the hiring manager.

 

 

Don’t Make These 8 Mistakes When Negotiating Salary

Preparation is key to negotiate a job offer. Avoid these “8 Mistakes When Negotiating Salary“, as discussed in U.S. News. From lying about your last salary, to playing games, find out what may be causing you to loose the job offer completely. Don’t let these mistakes become experiences you are forced to learn from! They may cost you a great job offer and a great position.

 

 

How To Negotiate Salary: 37 Tips You Need To Know

According to The Muse, most people avoid negotiating their salary out of fear. Overcome this fear, and become a better negotiator with their article “How To Negotiate Salary: 37 Tips You Need To Know“. The article gives tips on every stage of the process including:

 

  • Getting Prepared
  • Starting The Conversation
  • Making the Ask
  • Getting An Answer (and Dealing With the Aftermath)

6 Career Fairs Brightwing is Attending This Fall

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One of our favorite times of the year is upon us – it’s career fair season! This year, Brightwing plans to attend 6 IT and/or Engineering career fairs.

 

Cutting-edge, exclusive opportunities you can expect to see at the fairs include Software Development, Project Management, Big Data Analysis, Electrical/Mechanical Engineering, and more! To see a complete list of our current openings, visit www.brightwingbdev.wpenginepowered.com/jobs.

 

Brightwing Career Fairs
Thursday, September 17 – Ohio Northern – Graduate/Professional School Fair (OH)

 

Tuesday, September 22 – Oakland University – Engineering/IT Career Fair (MI)

 

Thursday, October 1 – Wayne State University – College of Engineering Career Fair (MI)

 

Wednesday, October 14 – ITT Technical Institute (Richardson, TX) – Fall Career Fair (TX)

 

Friday, October 16 – Saginaw Valley State – Employment/Networking Fair (MI)

 

Monday, November 16 – Engineering Society of Detroit – Engineering/Tech Job Fair (MI)

 

Want Brightwing to visit another college/association career fair? If so, please let us know! To better prepare yourself for career fair season this year, visit our Self Improvement Tips.

Brightwing Is Hiring Recruiters

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To us, a successful recruiter is someone who is a part-time detective, salesperson, career counselor, and consultant. We believe a recruiter’s success is not only defined by the number of submittals, but by the quality of the hires and the relationships that are built with candidates. To put it simply, we look for professionals who love what they do and find fulfillment in helping others. If this sounds like you, you might be just the recruiter we’re looking for. We’re hiring recruiters with experience placing professional level candidates, preferably within the information technology and engineering disciplines.

 

To give you a sneak peek at what it’s like at Brightwing we put together a brief video clip. So watch the video, get to know us a little better and if you’re still interested, submit your resume.

 

More about Us

At Brightwing, we are motivated by a sincere desire to help others. We have been aligning professionals with the right organizations for over 40 years. We do this by learning what motivates our candidates and makes them unique. Once we get to know them, we leverage our client relationships and connect them to the right opportunity – a place where they can contribute and shine. We typically have contract, contract to hire, and direct opportunities available within Information Technology, Engineering and Design, Accounting and Finance, Human Resources, Executive/Management, Marketing and Sales, Supply Chain/Logistics, and Administrative.

 

Looking for a deeper dive into our culture? Check us out on Facebook.

How to Provide Real Value in Talent Acquisition

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Today’s world of talent acquisition or “recruiting” seems to have some very confusing measurements around what represents value. The market is trending towards more outsourced solutions: RPOs, MSPs, automated resume parsing and screening, as well as off shoring some, or all of the initial contact with potential candidates. This trend seems to represent a quicker delivery (in most cases) of resumes to the hiring managers or client delivery team.

Real Value In Talent AcquisitionFor hiring managers combating a real talent shortage, is the quicker, faster delivery of resumes really the best answer? In my career the focus has always been on working towards finding the best hire, not on the delivering resumes within a 24 hour period.

The sad reality is that there are HR organizations that seem to drive the same concept of value whether they are recruiting for themselves or outsourcing the work to recruiting organizations. The selection process is essentially driven by a commoditized procurement model rather than a value/success driven talent acquisition model. I am convinced that the commoditized procurement model falls short in helping to support hiring managers. Forcing a usually overworked hiring manager or executive to review numerous resumes (we refer to this as a resume blizzard) in the hopes of finding that one aligned and ideal candidate is a recipe for failure.

I discussed this theory with a manager at a major airline a few years back. He had already gone through a hiring process 3 months earlier to hire 2 senior people on his team. Of the initial 2 hires, one eventually didn’t show up and he was getting ready to release the 2nd due to performance issues. The manager reached out for support from the existing HR partner and wouldn’t you know it, he received 60 resumes within 2 days. I asked him about his plan for the 60 resumes and he said; “probably take them home and read them over the weekend.” This gentleman had a wife, a new born, 3 other children and was already working 10 to 12 hours a day. He eventually admitted he would probably only get to look at 10 to 15 of the resumes.

When did quantity of resumes delivered in 15 minutes or less represent success and value to hiring managers over delivering quality and finding the “right” candidate? Managers forced to staff under these circumstances sometimes never get to see the best available candidate. Ultimately, the organization ends up accepting the best of the mediocre submitted candidates. On the other hand, high performing organization’s focus on their talent acquisition process.  They insist that their recruiting or HR professionals streamline the acquisition process for the hiring manager. The lesson is this; a monkey can pull scores of resumes off of Monster or Career Builder, the real value of a recruiting partner is their ability to evaluate hundreds of resume submittals and find the 2 -3 most ideal candidates.  In addition, they also help managers review resumes and guide candidates through the recruiting and hiring processes. This leads to a better representation of the organization as well as a more informed manager and ultimately congruence when offers are eventually made.

I believe it’s time to put the human element back into the recruiting processes as a matter of practice as opposed to the exception.

I look forward to hearing what other professionals think. Let’s start a dialogue.

Author: George Albert Opitz

How to Join the Workforce When You’re Short on Experience

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What do you do when you’re starting out? What do you do when you’re switching industries, or rejoining the workforce?  While every situation is different, many companies are looking  for people with experience.  Here are a few ideas for students, professionals switching industries or those rejoining the workforce:

Students leaving the nest

  • If you are a current student or a recent grad, you may have a few advantages…
    • Internships are usually reserved for students or recent grads. If you are a junior, senior or just graduated, you may have a very good chance at scoring an internship that will essentially be a business school education and your base for an entry level position.  Look for an area and companies that interest you and apply/network like crazy. When you land said internship, be a sponge. Soak up everything you see, hear, habits that successful people have and the way that successful people carry themselves.  Take notes, ask questions and at the end of it, you will have a lot to add to a resume.
    • Clubs and projects are a part of the everyday. You can gain “ideal world” experience that may not be what you actually do in the “real world”; however, the project management skills, planning and presentation experience you gain are invaluable.
    • Networking opportunities are constantly made available. Talk with your peers, professors and guest speakers about their ambitions, where they had success, mistakes they made or tips on how to be successful are all information that you will need.  These people may also help you land a job or internship.
    • College centers can help you market yourself! Never be afraid to go to your college center and have them format your resume, give you interviewing tips or a heads up on volunteer or internship opportunities. It’s their job to help you find opportunities for employment; use them.

Changing Industries with Work Experience

  • Assess the pros and cons: The New York Times quoted John A. Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, who suggests, “For mid-career people, it’s risky to make a wholesale career switch. Unless they are at the beginning of their working lives, many people can’t afford to give up the time and the income required to develop entirely new skills.” If this description fits you, then applying your learned skills to a new industry may be the most economical and fulfilling choice.
  • Research and compare your skills to those of your potential colleagues. Robert Hawthorne, president of search firm Hawthorne Research suggests, “Compare your accomplishments and skills to someone in a similar job who has been working in the industry you’re targeting. That will give you a better read on your chances and help you figure out how to position yourself against incumbents.” This can also help you see the way that industry experts talk about their skills and experiences. You can catalogue your existing skills, and find where you may need more research or experience.
  • Network, network, network! Do research, learn the lingo, see any forecasts for successes or challenges in the industry and then hit the networking circuit. Attend events that are either industry specific or position specific, listen, learn and ask questions. The people you meet here may be able to help you directly, or know someone who has employment needs. If getting a job is about who you know, then go out there and meet people.

 Re-Entering the workforce

Stay-at-home parents, those coming off of extended sick leave, or those coming out of retirement please do not get discouraged. Any volunteering during your time off and past work experience (years ago), can be relevant if you are able to present them in a way that shows you are keeping up with your industry. Our resident interview expert, Karen Melvin, had insight as to how a company may look at an extended leave candidate’s experience:

“First and foremost, if you have been on extended leave you may want to research companies who value a work/life balance. Those are the kinds of companies that are more likely to keep an open mind about extended leave, as opposed to companies that view employees as a number. Before interviewing I would suggest researching the industry to show that you are up on trends, review your resume to refresh your memory about how you acted/ re-acted in certain situations and network to find out any inside industry knowledge.”

As a last resort, or if you are seriously wanting to not only re-enter the workforce, but switch industries and/ or professions altogether, you may want to look into going back to grad school or college. Remember what Christopher Robin said, “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” You can do it!

How to Write a Realistic Job Description

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If you’ve ever visited one of the popular online dating sites and taken the opportunity to review the profiles of those seeking the “right” person for what they consider an “ideal” relationship you’ll notice a common theme on many of them.   The profile of the person they seek is perfect…literally perfect.

The list of things they’re looking for goes on and on with all kinds of requirements, interests, and qualities.  Do people like that really exist?

Probably not.

What if these folks approached their search with somewhat more realistic expectations, and just included of a few of the non-negotiable must have’s instead of listing out every little thing that would be “ideal”?  What if they included a little bit of info on what’s truly important to them (their values), and why those things matter?  What if they stuck to the “must have’s” and allowed for someone to learn/develop certain interests or qualities over the course of a relationship?

If they were to sit around and wait for someone who met all their “ideal” requirements they could be waiting a very long time, and interact with very few people.  At the end of the day, they might actually keep themselves from meeting someone really great; someone who has qualities they never expected or thought to ask for in a person.

Attracting Talent in the workplace is not all that different than attracting the right person for a personal relationship…a wider net gives you a larger pipeline, more choices, and offers opportunities to include those with unique skills and experience.

The “attraction” process often begins with a simple job description.  Much like the online dating profile, many job descriptions are loaded with requirements; full of ideal qualities and skills, and ultimately pretty limiting in terms of whom might actually be “right” for the job.

The most effective job descriptions are those that stick to core requirements—what is absolutely essential to performing the functions of the role.  Including an outline of how performance will be measured also provides a standard for both the individual and the manager.  Allow for some of the “ideals” or nice-to-have skills to be learned and developed along the way.  Often those “nice to have” skills change as the business changes.  Good job descriptions also include something of the core values and the behaviors that exhibit those values.  The potential for success in a role is much greater when you seek to match the core skills and values rather than focusing strictly on the never ending list of technical skills and experience requirements.

Here are some simple rules for writing a realistic but effective job description; one that is likely to apply to a range of different individuals who can perform the job, and without limiting the possibilities for potential in the role:

  • Outline the primary, or core responsibilities of the role.  This will also assist managers by providing clear objectives and standards for the role.
  • Stick to “must have” requirements—what skills are absolutely necessary to performing the job outlined?
  • How will performance be measured in the role?
  • Include a couple of the company core values as well as the key behaviors that exhibit these values.

Core requirements…simple, straightforward, and clearly outlined.  Effective, realistic, and applicable to a wider range of potential talent.  Now that’s absolute perfection.

How to Stay Creative in the Workplace

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Staying creative in the workplace can be challenging, even if you work in a creative environment all day long. I was recently asked in a marketing meeting what websites, books or blogs I read for inspiration and creativity and my list wasn’t that long, in fact it was downright pathetic. I never made time for surfing the web to view other designer’s work or reading design blogs mainly because I felt I couldn’t give myself permission to take the time away from my daily job duties. So I challenged myself to find interesting design websites, blogs and articles to view or read several days a week, such as Pinterest.  Once I gave myself that permission, I opened myself up to a whole new world of creativity, excitement and a fresh perspective on ways I can be more creative.

The article “5 Ways to Ignite Creativity” by guest author, TJ Philpott states, “In order to promote our own ability for thinking outside the box and spawn the creativity we seek within ourselves deliberate measures sometimes need be taken”. One of his suggestions is to separate yourself from the work environment which is usually a very structured environment with triggers that limits one’s ability to create and causes one to focus more on the issues and functions of that environment. Our marketing department is following this suggestion. We have decided that each month we will focus on a new creative medium and choose a day to do a mini field trip to explore that medium. For instance, March is Interior Design, April is Television & Movies and June is Culinary. The idea being that exploring different forms of creativity and getting “away from our work environment” will open our minds to be more creative in what we do on a daily basis.

So what do you do if you don’t work in an extremely creative field or department? What if your job is more technical? How do you stay fresh, come up with new ideas and think outside of the box? I collaborated with Brightwing Recruiter Angela Crooker to get her perspective on staying creative in the recruiting field.

Being a Recruiter is more of a technical job but you can also be very creative! When you are looking for candidates for a position, sometimes you have to get creative.

Bianca Male, in the article “10 Creative Recruiting Strategies to Hire Great People”, states “…many companies are embracing creative recruiting.”  Recruiters these days have to think outside of this box. Some of the ideas that this article suggests are some Angela uses every day, like utilizing obscure social networks. Angela also likes to meet with candidates after work hours in a group setting to discuss things such as resume and cover letter building. This brings her a lot of referrals.

By staying creative in your career, you will have greater success. Being creative doesn’t always mean painting a picture or sculpting something, it’s as simple as the dictionary describes it – the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods and interpretations. This can mean just thinking outside of the box, making use of creative thoughts and problem-solving like Angela does when looking for new ways to find candidates. Something as simple as day dreaming is considered to be a constructive way to help foster new ideas and to open your mind to creative thinking. So anyone at any type of job can find a moment to step away from their usual setting to do something that will open themselves up to more creativity.

Authors: Carol Koskyn, Angela Crooker

How to Stay Creative in the Workplace

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Staying creative in the workplace can be challenging, even if you work in a creative environment all day long. I was recently asked in a marketing meeting what websites, books or blogs I read for inspiration and creativity and my list wasn’t that long, in fact it was downright pathetic. I never made time for surfing the web to view other designer’s work or reading design blogs mainly because I felt I couldn’t give myself permission to take the time away from my daily job duties. So I challenged myself to find interesting design websites, blogs and articles to view or read several days a week, such as Pinterest.  Once I gave myself that permission, I opened myself up to a whole new world of creativity, excitement and a fresh perspective on ways I can be more creative.

The article “5 Ways to Ignite Creativity” by guest author, TJ Philpott states, “In order to promote our own ability for thinking outside the box and spawn the creativity we seek within ourselves deliberate measures sometimes need be taken”. One of his suggestions is to separate yourself from the work environment which is usually a very structured environment with triggers that limits one’s ability to create and causes one to focus more on the issues and functions of that environment. Our marketing department is following this suggestion. We have decided that each month we will focus on a new creative medium and choose a day to do a mini field trip to explore that medium. For instance, March is Interior Design, April is Television & Movies and June is Culinary. The idea being that exploring different forms of creativity and getting “away from our work environment” will open our minds to be more creative in what we do on a daily basis.

So what do you do if you don’t work in an extremely creative field or department? What if your job is more technical? How do you stay fresh, come up with new ideas and think outside of the box? I collaborated with Brightwing Recruiter Angela Crooker to get her perspective on staying creative in the recruiting field.

Being a Recruiter is more of a technical job but you can also be very creative! When you are looking for candidates for a position, sometimes you have to get creative.

Bianca Male, in the article “10 Creative Recruiting Strategies to Hire Great People”, states “…many companies are embracing creative recruiting.”  Recruiters these days have to think outside of this box. Some of the ideas that this article suggests are some Angela uses every day, like utilizing obscure social networks. Angela also likes to meet with candidates after work hours in a group setting to discuss things such as resume and cover letter building. This brings her a lot of referrals.

By staying creative in your career, you will have greater success. Being creative doesn’t always mean painting a picture or sculpting something, it’s as simple as the dictionary describes it – the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods and interpretations. This can mean just thinking outside of the box, making use of creative thoughts and problem-solving like Angela does when looking for new ways to find candidates. Something as simple as day dreaming is considered to be a constructive way to help foster new ideas and to open your mind to creative thinking. So anyone at any type of job can find a moment to step away from their usual setting to do something that will open themselves up to more creativity.

Authors: Carol Koskyn, Angela Crooker

Brightwing Takes Flight at HR Southwest

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DALLAS, TX — September 22, 2009

With a growing client base in Dallas, companies are lining up to discover how a custom learning solution can enhance their business.  Brightwing provides innovative solutions to training such as mobile learning – the ability to access training from a cell phone – or more tailored solutions that can combine instructor led training and web-based modules.

Brightwing will be showcasing their comprehensive, custom training solutions at the HR Southwest Expo (Booth number 1218) on October 14-15, 2009 at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The business division’s leadership team will be on hand to answer questions throughout the expo: Debra Gann, Managing Director; Stan Siebenthal, Director of Corporate Services; Travis Furlow, VP/Managing Director; and Vicki Biddy, Senior Recruiter. Each member of the team has over 20 years experience in their field of expertise.

Brightwing Technologies is headquartered in Troy, Michigan with a sister location in Weston, Florida. Brightwing was established in 1973 and today is comprised of over 550 consultants and 100 clients nationwide.  Industries served include Healthcare, Manufacturing, Retail, Hospitality, Telecommunications, Energy and Utility, Information Technology and Finance.

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For over 35 years Brightwing has focused its efforts on becoming a global leader in providing Recruiting and Learning Solutions. Brightwing is truly invested in the success of your organization and people by aligning Talent, Values and Performance.