Every quarter, we sit down with different consultants across the business to get their insights on what hiring trends they are noticing in their markets. Recently, we sat down with two consultants in the Midwest. Principal Recruitment Consultants Jennifer Del Rivero and Vivanne Dang. Jennifer focuses on research and development engineering and program management sectors, while Vivianne concentrates on quality assurance.
Left to right: Jennifer Del Rivero & Vivanne Dang Principal Recruitment Consultants for Real Staffing
Here is what they had to say:
What trends have you noticed happening in your market/region currently?
Jennifer: This is a candidate-driven market, and clients are moving quickly to secure this niche talent. As a result, clients who tend to have a longer interview process lose out on candidates. Additionally, candidates have many opportunities and are typically in numerous interviews at once. With many options, clients need to come up with competitive offers.
Vivianne: The market has been hotter than ever. After COVID slowdowns, companies are ramping up new product development projects and needing extra headcount to manage the workload. Although recruitment usually takes about three weeks, it’s even hard to keep candidates on the market for more than five business days.
What are the current job demands in your market?
Jennifer: There is a very high demand for Program Management Talent in the midwest market, specifically Program Managers who have a Software medical device background. Additionally, many devices now have apps attached, so there is a demand for talent who can aid with app development.
Vivianne: Design Assurance - companies are ramping up new product development projects, so they need design assurance engineers. Unfortunately, this skill set is very niche, so challenging to secure talent as the demand is high.
As a consultant, you help clients find talent. What are some of the common mistakes you see clients make when finding talent?
Jennifer: Clients tend to make the interview process quite lengthy, and with how quickly the market is moving, this can turn a lot of candidates from wanting to proceed with the opportunity. Therefore, clients need to move as swiftly as possible and decide when they want to hire a candidate.
Vivianne: Not having flexibility in work schedules. Since the beginning of COVID, the talent pool has been used to remote or hybrid working. Not having that option puts you at a disadvantage in the market. On top of this, some clients are making life harder for themselves due to how they deliver an offer. Some clients still email out offers to candidates, which is a poor way of doing it. Making sure candidates are aware of and understand their standard benefits is an essential aspect that some clients do not get right before delivering an offer.
As a consultant, you also help candidates get jobs. What advice would you give candidates in the process to put their best foot forward and get the job?
Jennifer: Be open and honest when you are working with a recruiter. It is easiest for me to help candidates find the right opportunity when I know exactly what their strengths and areas of development are and transparency with the processes they are in at the moment. The more I know, the more I can help seamlessly get my candidates through a process.
Vivianne: Prepare for your interviews by understanding the company’s product line, understanding the role of the interviewers, and giving evidence-based examples as to what value you can bring to the table.
What value does Real Staffing bring our clients? What makes us different from other staffing agencies?
Jennifer: At Real Staffing, we take the time to get to know our candidates and clients, allowing us to make suitable matches for the roles we recruit for. Additionally, each recruiter focuses on a niche vertical, which will enable us to technically qualify each candidate to ensure they are a good fit for the role. This helps us save our clients time and increase the chances of securing ideal candidates.
Vivianne: Real Staffing has structured our business to have a vertical specialist in each skill set. As a result, what we offer our clients is much more than providing resumes. Our consultants understand the market and can consult on the critical drivers for this talent pool, how to be competitive in the market, and what skill sets are realistic to secure right now.
How are you making a difference in the life sciences industry?
Jennifer: I am making a difference by connecting candidates and clients in the medical device industry who are highly passionate about the work they do developing life-saving and life-enhancing products for patients in need.
Vivianne: Our teams take pride in helping amazing clients fill business-critical roles. We love what we do and add our energy and market knowledge to our clients' processes. This helps them secure great people who help make a big impact on their company culture and their mission to improve patients' lives with unmet medical needs.
If you are searching for a new job or looking to hire talent, reach out to" target="_blank"> Real Staffing today, or if you are in the Midwest, Jennifer and Vivianne directly!