Dawn St Louis - Firstpro360

Even with unpredictable weather and icy conditions on the radar, the job market doesn’t hit pause.

Hiring is still happening across Atlanta, and strong opportunities (and candidates) are very much in play. Keep moving forward—momentum matters.

Happy to support however I can!

Stalled out during the interview process?

This applies to both candidates and clients: when hiring grinds to a stop, it’s rarely about lack of interest — it’s usually about lack of alignment. Once expectations and timing are clear, decisions tend to follow.

Sometimes it’s just about getting everyone on the same page.

Lurk much? Tenacity in the workplace!

Before I stumbled into recruiting, I kicked around a few different careers. My first job straight out of college was working for a travel company that developed tours for senior citizens. It was a great job - I saw the world but I made pennies on the dollar and struggled to figure out who I was as a business professional. I made ALOT of mistakes. A move to Las Vegas and a knock on the door of a staffing company was my gateway to the career I have embraced for the greater part of my adult life. I tapped into a parts of my personality that require the ability to build relationships AND equally as important, learn how to be tenacious!

One of my co-workers is easily one of the most tenacious sales person I know. Once he has set his sights on an accomplishment he goes after it. While we joke about him "lurking about" until the job is done, he is able to succeed because he is tenacious without creating stress on his team. Tenacity is an overlooked quality and when it is done with grace and a dash of humility, it can be just the thing that helps you land that next job. Or that next great employee!

Tenacity is a MUST in the Recruiting world - not just for those of us in the industry, but candidates and companies as well. If you are out there in the market looking for a new role be tenacious! Reach out to your friendly neighborhood recruiter, apply for the job that you desire, dress to impress and get fully prepared for that interview! Tenacity does not just apply to chasing a job, it also applies to how you approach your job search, your thoughtfulness about the process when pursuing a job, how your prepare yourself for an interview and how you handle yourself once the interview process is complete and you are hoping for that offer!

Tenacity is also important for hiring managers as well - while a change in the market might be brewing, we are still living in an employee driven world. If you interview a potential candidate and you WANT that person on your team, be tenacious in your hiring! Move quickly! Be open to new salary expectations! Don't be afraid to sell all of the GREAT parts of your corporate environment to your candidate! Don't be afraid to really drive a candidate's decision to accept your offer over and above anyone else's! Employment decisions are made for a variety of reasons - tap into what matters to that candidate and once you have that sorted out, give it all you got and add that talented person to your team! (BTW, a good Recruiter can really help with that so don't be afraid to give us a call!)

BE TENACIOUS! Go after what you want - that great job, that great candidate...and if you need some assistance, don't be afraid to reach out! If you need me, please email me at [email protected]!

Are you ready to fall in love again??

As I celebrated my 12th Anniversary with firstPRO 360, I found myself sitting back and reflecting on my career path from college graduation to today. Oh boy, were there some twists and turns, failures (quite a few of those) and success (luckily some of those, as well). I am grateful to be part of a team that has supported me for the last decade! I recently made a leap of faith and moved out of the Recruiting side and into an Account Development role. It is a daunting challenge, but after 12 years with a company that I call home, I am ready to fall in love with my career again. Needless to say, the change has got my brain turning about the Recruitment process and the emotions involved in a job search, not just for the candidate but employers as well!

Making a career change, whether it is due to a layoff, a desire for career growth, a salary increase or new challenges on the job is SCARY! It is a little bit like dipping a toe in the dating pool! On the candidate side, you meet with a new company, interview for a new role and hope you make a connection that will lead to the job of your dreams. It is equally as challenging for an employer to take a risk and hire someone they have only met for a brief amount a time.

As a recruiting professional with over 20 years in the industry, my best advice (whether you asked for it or not) is to be as transparent as possible throughout the process, regardless of which side of the desk you are sitting on! Letting an potential employer/employee know WHY you are looking and what motivates you as an employee or a leader can take you to an opportunity that not only fits in the moment, but will bring you to a lasting relationship. On the flip side, if you step into the interview process and lean into what you THINK the person you are speaking with wants to hear, as opposed to what makes sense for both a potential employee and a hiring manager, the partnership is doomed to fail!

So while we navigate this extraordinary market, please take your time when either job searching or looking for that next great employee! Peel the layers back and make sure a role or candidate are the right fit for you! Job searches and hiring are truly an emotional process and you want to make sure when you are putting yourself out there, that you fall in love again!