In all the years of building the Mobile arm of The Staffing Exchange I have only been asked that question around a 1000 of times, but do you really know what it means to be Mobile?

We originally started with the word “Remote”, but who wants to be remote? What does that mean anyways…that I am operating deep on a island in the Caribbean? Or somewhere in the Rockies? We did not want this word to represent isolation, but more collaboration.

Mobile sounded interesting. At that time in my life there were certainly MOBILES (like the kind over a baby’s crib) on my mind as I awaited the birth of my twins. So, in this the Mobile CareerBroker was born and the twins lol. Yes, a great deal of the growth and building of this arm of the Staffing Exchange was done while looking after 4 kids under the age of 5, so in essence I was…oh no not that cliché…. “working from home”. You see this term “work from home” has its positive and negative reviews and we certainly did not want people to think being a CareerBroker was sitting in front of a computer in your pajama’s all day (albeit I would be lying if didn’t say SOME days are like that).

What I thought would be the most common misinterpretation of our new term only happened twice “Does that mean you do Mobile app development?” or “do you find people in the mobile phone industry?”

The big question…WTF is Mobile!?

Well, here it is….our definition of MOBILE is found by expanding the word. MOBILITY. That’s it. Mobility.

A Mobile CareerBroker is MOBILE…meaning they can build their business from anywhere. Anywhere there is an internet signal that is. Now, isn’t that the dream??? To be able to work from the edge of a dock, the top of a mountain or the parking lot of a client visitation. Well, it was always ours.

Going MOBILE means unchaining yourself from your desk, going to meet a candidate for a coffee, taking a client out on the links for the afternoon all while being CONNECTED to all your colleagues, candidates and job orders.

Does that mean Mobile CareerBrokers never go into an office? Hell no!

We have access to office space when we need it globally AND most importantly to our spectacular Corporate HUB on Bay St. in Toronto and our CareerBroker training HUB in Eastern Ontario conveniently located along the shores of the St. Lawrence River bordering Ontario, Quebec and New York State.

Even the best Mobile CareerBroker needs a place to get that “water cooler” effect or work and train in a real “BullPen” with some of the best in the business. So, if you want to unchain yourself from the desk, get out of the 9-5 and that awful commute…GO MOBILE!

When I played High School football many years ago, we had a regular routine as our team bus pulled into our opponents parking lot. Once the bus stopped you would hear someone yell “LOCK & LOAD!!” meaning put your helmets on and get ready!

You might be asking yourself…what does this have to do with headsets?? Well, spending most of my life in phone sales this became a part of the routine again and after a high-energy pre-shift I would shout out “Lock & Load!”

The alignment here is a psychological one to get yourself locked in and ready to make something happen. It was the “lock and load” state of mind that will give you the intensity and confidence to speak to new people and create opportunity. Much like we do in Headhunting every day.

So, here it is my headset review of 3 options I have used extensively. “What’s that you say?” “You don’t use a headset??” “Why not?!”

I think first off, if you are not creating a hands-free environment while you are calling you will suffer from longer duration between calls, momentum will slow and most importantly you will never feel that “Lock & Load” feeling to dial yourself in for the day. No pun intended.

So now you are thinking, “I need a headset!” Which one to buy??

1. Blue Parrot– If you know a trucker, this is the headset they swear by. With the intense rumble coming from an 18-wheeler, this headset surely flexes its noise cancelling muscle.

I have used this headset for over a year with great success. The noise cancelling is exceptional to the point where some people ask if I’m still there. Voice quality is decent and the adjustable boom microphone can be moved further or closer to your mouth depending on your environment. Where this headset falls short is on looks. If you are a “fashion forward out and about person” this headset can look a little silly around town.

The design has never changed and has the look and feel of one of those old headsets you had with your “Walkman”, yes I said “Walkman”, surely dating myself.

So, all in all the performance of this headset is exceptional, it just lacks the cosmetic appeal a lot of its competitors possess. Battery life is outstanding! No problem lasting a full day on the phone

2. Plantronics Voyager Legend HD UC – Now, this is a slick looking headset. It fits nicely on the ear (you can wear it all day) and is very discreet. So discreet that I think everyone at the grocery store thinks I’m that crazy guy that talks to himself and no one can ever tell if you are on the phone or not, which is common with all headsets to a degree.

Being truly “MOBILE” this headset has some nice features such as voice answering which is handy when a call comes through, it tells you who is calling and asks you “Answer or Ignore”, a truly great feature for heavy multitasking.

When it works that is! The CareerBrokers at my office regularly hear me screaming “ANSWER!” and a few swear words when I miss the call. This annoyance is outweighed on the convenience as this feature does work fine most of the time.

Noise cancelling is ok and it tends to be more susceptible to interference overall. It does have its bad days as well as great days. The sensors in this headset work great and you can answer calls just by putting it on and has an easy button to find for answering another line or hanging up.

If this sounds like the one for you I strongly advise getting the charging case with it as it has saved me a few times. One last thing, this model functions excellent across many operating systems and programs. I use it on a MAC, PC, Skype, Skype for business and GOTO Meeting.

3. Apple Wired Headset – The good old wired Apple headset! Hey, if it is good enough for Gary V then its good enough for me! Well. Sort of.

Don’t get me wrong sound quality is exceptional and you will never have pairing issues as you just plug it in and go. However, I did take a while to go completely wireless as I do a lot of speaking on webinars and such and my voice quality is most important factor to me.

When I finally did “cut the cord” it was literal, meaning I went through many headsets and phones from the cord being ripped out or me dropping my phone. You know what they say “motion creates emotion” and if you are a pacer you are probably better off with wireless solution. If you are quite stationary and voice quality is most important to you then this headset could be a great fit and it usually comes with your device so the costs is best as well and you never need to charge it.

That about sums it up! My main point to this is USE A HEADSET! It will change your game, make you more productive and give you the freedom to card a candidate at the grocery store, but be aware these devices have a downside as well, they can turn you into a workaholic.

Next Headset review will be the New Apple wireless. Have any of you tried it yet?

So, what did you do with your summer?

Did you kick back and relax? Or did you vacation at your desk while others were enjoying the sun? Or did you manage to close deals and write up new business all while sipping Mojitos off the end of the dock? Whatever you made of your summer, hopefully, you are not chasing your tail and behind the eight ball on all the new business you need to finish off with what’s left of Q3 and end the year with better billings then last year. If you are the latter well then “lock & load”, smile and dial and hopefully there are some scraps left for you! Those that enjoyed the Mobile lifestyle in the recruitment industry are surely already ahead of the game and ready to fill all those orders that they picked up over the summer. The end of Q3 will be filled with bells ringing while those chained to a desk are still hitting the bricks.

As we all get back into our routines I am not going to do my usual singing from the mountain tops about being Mobile because it is not complete without one other very important element…..we will get to that in a minute. The picture you see above was taking from the top of “La Roche” trail in Parc Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada. For years now I have been progressively exposing my children to more challenging adventures in nature AND no cellular signal, essentially, “off the grid”. Well, all the “mobility” in the world will not do you a lick of good deep in the Laurentians. Being “off the grid” in our world can be scary especially if you have deals still on the table and it is very common for us as CareerBrokers to close deals on our vacations because of the mobility we enjoy. On this trip, I was fortunate enough to close one of the largest deals of my career WITHOUT wifi or a cell signal.

How you ask?

Back to that other very important element which facilitated this billing opportunity…..COLLABORATION! Mobility is enhanced by collaboration. I can be the best Mobile/Remote recruiter but by myself I am just a “Lone Ranger” and will never really reach my true billing potential. That adage of “Many hands make for light work” couldn’t be truer in the world of headhunting. Having a strong team to rely on not only helps with that elusive 3rd candidate on a tough search or in my case, closing a deal while you are off the grid because you have a strong reliable team to lean on.

This will be my 10th year as a professional Head-hunter and 2 things still boggle my mind in this industry. 1. No barrier of entry (another topic for another day) AND 2. Lack of collaboration. There tends to be too many egos in this industry to create a truly collaborative environment. However, our collaborative community at The Staffing Exchange miss second to none. Our CareerBrokers collaborate every day to maintain an edge in our industry with 90% of billings happening by way of….COLLABORATION. I am inviting you to stay tuned for a series of information sessions I will be hosting in the coming weeks for our Fall training session in October. If you want to work smarter and not harder, “Get Connected!” and take yourself up to the next level by becoming a Career Broker!

Leaving the cubicle life behind for the freedom and fulfillment of home-based recruiting is refreshing. It allows you to ditch 99 problems, but still leaves you with one: back fatigue.

Extended periods of sitting, even if they are from the comfort of your own home, a tropical island, in an office, or off in some magical place, leave you with the opposite of pleasure and joy. Sitting can cause back issues, leg stiffness, increased poor posture, weakness in key muscles such as your legs and glutes, weight gain, or muscle tightness. None of that is any good.

Thankfully the world of ergonomic design has heeded these consequences and popularized the idea of a standing desk. As a recruiter you’ve done your time in the chair, and I’ve got some reviews to guide you through which standing desk model is best for your glorious glutes.

L-Desk Standing Desk with Programmable Adjustable Height Controls from Anthrodesk –

Do you change your home office as often as you change your sheets (which is a subjective timeline – so let’s go with the general recommendation of weekly)? Then you could use a versatile desk like this.

Anthrodesk’s L-Desk is adjustable in both height, angle and shape. Virtually all ways! It can be set to an 180 degree shape and line up against a wall and sit in the center of a room, or it can be made into a 90 degree angle for corner placement. All of these options make it an excellent choice if you move the placement of your office frequently.

This is definitely the desk Goldilocks would have chose, it’s not too tall, not too short, nor does it slant too much or too little. The adjustments for height and angle offer many options, allowing you to make it just right.

Another benefit of this desk is that it comes as a base without the top, or with a top for an additional cost. You can save money by reusing your old desktop or cutting material and making your own. A full standing desk comes with a full price tag compared to its add-on duplicates.

Adjustable Desk Converter – Quickstand.

If you’re not looking to commit to a new desk, love your old desk, or want to be a desk nomad, then an add-on makes more sense. Ugoburo offers one with a sleek design that takes up minimal space.

Converters are great because they allow you to stand or sit. This flexibility prevents the problems some users experience with standing desks. Just like their seated counterparts, standing desks can lead to problems. If you have poor posture it is magnified when you are on your feet all day. Additionally, the floor surface or type of shoes you’re wearing may lead to foot and back pain.

Either way, whether you want to stand full time or live the optional life with a sit down desk upgrade, the point is you need to choose what is best for you. Working from home allows you the freedom to make that choice. Your desk is your home office and it should be one that gives you optimal comfort, health and happiness.

6 one way, half a dozen the other. The world is full of intractable problems, or problems with no easy, clear, or singular answer. They are just a matter of preference combined with the variety of needs for each individual. Tricky stuff.

What works for one recruiter may be a disaster for the next. This is important to know. Your best bud might recommend Webex for video conferencing only for you to pay the fees and hate it. Or your boss may purchase Skype and drive you crazy. It all depends on who you are, what you like and what you need. They’re both good services, and they both have limitations.

This review doesn’t clearly choose which is better, but offers some insight into which is better for who and why. In the end, if you have a home office, you need to collaborate and use video conferencing. Period. End of story.

I can say definitively that you need a business tool and here are two of the options out there.

Webex from Cisco – Are you looking for a lot of versatility in your collaboration and video conferencing? Webex certainly offers variety.

Users of Webex love that they can share screens easily, connect through their computers or phones, and integrate their scheduling with Outlook. Webex provides a platform for webinars, video conferences, and regular face time for home based recruiters and their teams.

With all of that beautiful technology comes a downfall; whether you’re using Webex or some other tool there are always times when the connection gets fuzzy. Instead of the tinny crackle of a rotary phone (which was before my time by the way… kind of, sort of) there is buffering, blank stares, and repetitive “can you hear me nows?”. In the world of business where time is money, and the world of recruiting where reputation and rapport is everything, this isn’t ideal. Webex offers a highly usable chat option for times just like this when the connection is bad.

Webex like all things (except for me maybe) isn’t perfect. Users note that sign-in can be tricky and having to enter host room IDs every time without a save function is annoying. Another complaint is that although the 14-day free trial is robust, so is the pricing afterwards. The base plan is a hefty $24 per month and can be more than $60 per month depending on what options your business needs. If you need to incorporate many different users during your video chats and broadcasts, Webex can get pretty pricey.

Skype from Microsoft – Are you looking to reach a lot of people quickly and easily? Then Skype is a great choice because of its ease of access, large group collaboration and basic, but smooth interface.

Where Webex charges beau-coup bucks for adding members to the plan, Skype keeps it cost effective. With it you can include up to 250 attendees, and base plans for the business version begin at just $2 per month and top out around $5. But, those pricing options are hard to navigate.

With their beefier plans, Skype for Business has great upgrades including meetings scheduled via Outlook, ability to join from the web, remote control of attendees’ desktops and a lobby area for them to “hang out” in prior to joining the conference. Webex has many of these options with a more sophisticated and robust interface, but it has a bigger price tag and doesn’t include the lobby – which is a frustration some users of the Cisco software shared.

Although Skype offers screen sharing, it is basic and not optimal for many modern IT needs. Yet if you’re looking for general conferencing, that shouldn’t be a problem. Skype is great for those looking to chat, video conference and collaborate with face time. It also boasts video and recording within calls which is useful if you are doing interviews or want to go back to a conversation for later reference.

In closing, I can’t tell you which is better for you because I don’t know your unique needs. But, I can say you need something for your home-based recruiting. And if you’re doing webinars or conferencing more than once a year, then you need a handy headset to do it with. Check out my review of Blue Parrot, Plantronics Voyager Legend HD UC, and Apple Wired headsets.

While the North American Manufacturing industry is a cornerstone of economic vitality, identifying and hiring apt executive talent continues to be a challenge for many companies. Having 20+ years of hands-on experience in Manufacturing recruitment, our CareerBrokers have compiled 6 proven strategies that can help you hire the executive talent you need.

1) Expand Your Network and Industry Connections
Networking with industry professionals and passive candidates plays an important role in recruiting executives. In fact, this LinkedIn survey indicates that 85% of all jobs are filled through networking. Our experienced team of CareerBrokers has experienced this too.

Our team has also witnessed that qualified executive-level candidates like VP of Operations, Plant Managers, Production Managers, and Maintenance Directors are found through networking.

2) Collaborate with Executive Search Firms
If you want to save time and hire a qualified candidate, partner with an executive search firm. Executive search firms like The Staffing Exchange Inc. have robust networks of passive candidates which is why they can introduce you to the most eligible candidates.

A report by the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC) suggests that 60% of manufacturing companies use executive search firms to fulfil senior positions.

3) Develop Compelling and Visible Employer Brand
Having a compelling and visible employer brand is essential for grabbing attention of top-tier executive talent. Your employer brand builds trust amongst people. It also conveys your organizational culture to executive-level candidates.

A LinkedIn study shows 72% of job seekers pay attention to the employer’s brand even before even before applying to their job. In order to build your employer brand, highlight your company’s case studies, career progression stories of candidates, future plans and potential, employees’ testimonials, and industry awards.

4) Craft Irresistible Compensation Packages
Companies typically have salary ranges for almost all roles. However, it is imperative to craft irresistible compensation packages for senior roles. That also means you need to be flexible with compensation packages when you consider hiring for a senior role. To craft a competitive compensation package, it is important to have a comprehensive know-how of the market value of the role, market trends, and industry standards. Apart from this, consider doing a survey on perks, benefits, and bonuses. Using these steps, you can create a competitive compensation package for the right candidates.

5) Create Effective Succession Planning Strategy
Succession planning is imperative to attract qualified executive-level candidates. This strategy also helps candidates get “psychological safety” and can clearly see their growing career path. Besides hiring top talent, this strategy can help your company in many other ways, including mitigating leadership gaps, retaining top performers, and improving company’s performance.

6) Focus on Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion are important aspects of a hiring process. Keep your shortlisted candidates updated with status on their application throughout the process. With 20+ years of experience in the industry, we can say that this culture helps companies hire best-fit candidates for senior roles without making any biased decisions.

Conclusion
Hiring executive talent in the manufacturing industry requires a multifaceted approach. These strategies, supported by industry data and best practices, provide a comprehensive framework for successfully navigating the complexities of executive recruitment in the manufacturing sector. If you’re looking to hire proven executives for your team, please reach out to us at info@staffingexchange.com