For Employers: Six Hot Hiring Topics in 2020

December 27th, 2019 by ifi-admin

Phoenix Partners wishes you a Happy Holiday and a prosperous New Year. We thought we’d round up some hot topics in hiring to watch for in 2020. Read the rest of this entry »


New Year’s Resolutions for Job Seekers

December 27th, 2019 by ifi-admin

Phoenix Partners wishes you a Happy Holiday and great new opportunities in the New Year. We’re also delighted to share a few tips so you can hit the ground running in January.

If you’re thinking about making a career move, don’t let the holidays sideline you. There are many things you can do to prepare for the next steps in your search. Use downtime to your advantage and “resolve” to put a plan into action in the New Year. Read the rest of this entry »


For Managers: Pre-Screening for Higher Yield on Your Applicant Pool Part 2

December 16th, 2019 by ifi-admin

In our last edition for Employers, we discussed ways to create a “lookalike” candidate pool by tracking and analyzing Quality of Hire metrics. In this edition, we’ll touch on ways that well-designed pre-screen testing can further refine your applicant pool.

Know What You’re Looking For

Before you design the right set of assessments for your potential applicants, it’s important to perform a job analysis to ensure that what you test for measures aspects that are relevant to critical work responsibilities and performance requirements.

That’s because testing can expose a company to litigation risks if a selection decision is challenged and determined to be discriminatory or in violation of state or federal regulations. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommends that tests used in the selection process must be legal, reliable, valid and equitable. Read the rest of this entry »


Five Ways to Incorporate Gratitude in Your Workplace

November 27th, 2019 by ifi-admin

First, I’d like to wish you a happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are able to enjoy a relaxing break from the regular demands of your everyday routine. In the spirit of gratitude, I want you to know that your relationship with Phoenix Partners means a lot to me personally. So thank you!

Given the nature of this holiday, I would like to share some statistics about the power of gratitude in the workplace. Whether you’re an employer or a candidate, infusing an attitude of genuine gratitude into your work life will help others, as well as help you. Givers gain! Read the rest of this entry »


Candidates: Who Should (And Shouldn’t) Use a Recruiter

November 22nd, 2019 by ifi-admin

In a tight employment market, you might wonder why anyone should work with a recruiter. After all, you likely receive auto-generated emails (like Glassdoor’s “We think you’d be a good fit for…”) and calls every day.

However, if you’re a talented, experienced technical candidate, you’re not just looking for “a job.” You’re looking for the right job, with the right company and the right environment for your career growth.

Who Should (And Shouldn’t) Use a Recruiter

Working with the right recruiter will save you time and give you valuable, actionable intelligence. It will also help you find the right fit for your next career move.

Technically speaking, independent recruiters are paid by the client company that hires them but the good ones work for YOU too. Read the rest of this entry »


Employers: How to Improve the Yield on Your Applicant Pool: Part 1

November 14th, 2019 by ifi-admin

Over the last decade, the amount of time employers spend on interviews of new employees has almost doubled, according to Glassdoor research. Companies spend more time — and money — recruiting quality candidates than ever before.

Many business pundits, like Peter Cappelli of the Harvard Business Review, argue that creating a smaller but better-qualified applicant pool will create a better yield.

Ways to Improve Applicant Pool Yield

In today’s environment where many applicants “ghost” prospective employers in the middle of the applicant process and where passive candidates may demand a king’s ransom, it’s an especially good time to reevaluate the creation and maintenance of your candidate pool. Read the rest of this entry »


Candidates: Knowing What’s Important to a Hiring Manager

October 29th, 2019 by ifi-admin

What do online dating apps and job seeking have in common? Ask anyone who has ever been “ghosted” despite thinking they were a perfect match.

In both cases, there’s more to a match than what you see on the surface. Call it the dark matter that creates a condition called “fit.”

More than Words…

Most talented tech candidates are aware of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that store their resumes and other information about them. The assumption is that winning an interview requires solid matching of keywords in their resume with those of the job description.

That’s true, but there’s a catch. Focusing solely on matching keywords in the resume with the job description can cause many qualified applicants to miss the mark because they haven’t adequately described their background. Read the rest of this entry »


Thoughts on The Role of Pay Transparency in Recruiting Diverse Candidates

September 26th, 2019 by ifi-admin


In the current labor market where technical talent is hard to find, your company may feel even less inclined to introduce more transparency in your pay scales. However, recent research from LinkedIn and a similar Canadian study suggest that pay transparency can instill trust, help level the playing field, and ultimately, help create the kind of company culture talented candidates seek. Read the rest of this entry »


Five Ways Conferences Can Help With Career Advancement

September 4th, 2019 by ifi-admin


Welcome to fall, the official opening of “Conference Season.” While you might dread the chicken dinners, delayed flights, and travel malaise that can accompany association conferences, don’t overlook the many ways that conferences can help advance your career, directly or indirectly.

Networking Opportunities

Many of the hiring managers who seek the assistance of Phoenix Partners to fill open positions place almost as much emphasis on soft skills as hard skills. While soft skills won’t help write the complex code the company may need, soft skills do help maintain collaboration across departments, facilitate clear communications, and allow technical professionals to engage in leadership roles, which is critical in the information age. And guess what? There’s no better place to practice your “soft skills” than networking at a conference. Read the rest of this entry »


For Employers: Leveraging the 70/20/10 Model To Build and Sustain A World Class Work Force

August 20th, 2019 by ifi-admin

It’s no secret that hiring managers face many challenges in the current tight labor market. Job openings are hovering at 7.3 million according to the August Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) JOLT report, and national unemployment remains at a low of 3.7%. Year-over-year wages for information workers increased by an average of 4.2% nationally to $41.65/hr., according to ADP’s July report.

So in times like these, how do you build, and sustain, a world-class work force? Read the rest of this entry »