I've looked at thousands of resumes since I joined SkyWater in 2022. Only one template consistently stands out as the best. I've also got great news: you don't need to hire a resume writer to get it. I'll share this resume template with you, share why recruiters like me love it, and give you some tips on how to make it your own.
What it Takes to Succeed in Technical Sales: Skills and Traits of Top Performers
As sales recruiters, many of our clients come to us asking for help finding a top-performing professional in technical sales. It can be hard to fill the position without a specialized recruiter as it demands deep technical knowledge, strategic thinking, and exceptional interpersonal abilities. The role of a technical sales professional is not just to sell a product but to act as a trusted advisor, bridging the gap between technical solutions and customer needs.
Honoring Our Veterans: Why Hiring Veterans Benefits Everyone
This Veterans Day, we’re reminded of the courage, resilience, and dedication that our nation’s veterans have demonstrated in serving our country. For their bravery and commitment, veterans deserve not only our gratitude but our support as they transition back into civilian life. One of the best ways we can honor their service is by offering meaningful career opportunities.
Veterans bring a wide array of skills and qualities that enrich the workplace. Their military experience instills values like discipline, teamwork, adaptability, and the ability to perform under pressure—traits that translate seamlessly to many industries. By hiring veterans, organizations can tap into a unique and highly skilled talent pool, while veterans benefit from a supportive environment where their skills and dedication are appreciated and put to valuable use.
Why Hire Veterans?
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Unmatched Leadership Skills: Veterans are often trained to lead by example, make tough decisions, and inspire others, even in challenging situations. Their ability to manage, motivate, and guide a team is a powerful asset to any organization.
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Commitment to Mission: Military personnel are accustomed to prioritizing the mission. This commitment to purpose and the ability to work with determination align well with corporate goals and can drive long-term success.
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Problem-Solving Abilities: Service members encounter unpredictable challenges that require fast, creative, and effective problem-solving. They are skilled at adapting to changing situations—whether in combat or logistics—and bring that quick thinking to the workplace.
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Diverse Skill Sets: The military trains individuals in various technical and interpersonal skills, from cybersecurity and engineering to logistics and medical care. Veterans have valuable expertise that is relevant across many sectors.
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Resilience and Reliability: Veterans are resilient and accustomed to handling stress. They understand responsibility and accountability, which can be a stabilizing presence in any team.
Ways to Support Veteran Hiring
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Create Veteran-Friendly Job Postings: Highlight specific qualities or certifications that veterans may have. This can help veterans see how their experience aligns with the role.
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Offer Training Programs: Transition training or upskilling programs can help veterans adjust more easily to civilian job roles. Mentorship programs are also an excellent way to support them as they settle in their new environment.
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Connect with Veteran Support Organizations: Several organizations, including Hiring Our Heroes and Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS), are dedicated to helping veterans find work. Partnering with these organizations can make your hiring process smoother and more impactful.
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Value Diversity of Experience: Veterans bring a unique perspective that can contribute to diversity and inclusion efforts within your company. Recognizing and valuing these experiences makes for a richer workplace culture.
Hiring veterans is not just a way to say “thank you” but a smart investment that can strengthen any organization. This Veterans Day, let’s show our appreciation not just in words but in action by creating opportunities that welcome our service members back into the workforce. They have served us well; now, let’s do our part to serve them.
To all veterans: we honor you, we thank you, and we support you.
Congratulations, Tim Snell on an extraordinary decade of success and leadership!
Introducing the SkyWater Search Partners 10 For 10 Award
When we achieve success or hit a major milestone at SkyWater Search Partners, we know who got us there: our team members. To celebrate our tenth anniversary as an organization, we wanted to say Thank You to the three extraordinary leaders who have been with us since the very beginning with a gift that was unforgettable, experiential, and completely designed by each recipient:
This Indigenous Peoples' Day, Discover a Great Minnesota Writer
You likely knew that last year, Minnesota joined fifteen other states in officially recognizing the second Monday of every October as Indigenous Peoples Day. You probably had a pretty good idea of what that meant, too: that rather than celebrating Christopher Columbus (who, in fact, had a history of committing atrocities against Indigenous People), our state would honor Native Americans instead.
There is so much more to understanding Indigenous Peoples Day than that.
Email Templates: Responding To A Lowball Salary Offer
If you have received a job offer but the salary presented does not meet your needs, the first thing you should to is get in touch with your SkyWater recruiter to discuss next steps. If you are without a recruiter in your corner, and are in need of a template to begin crafting your email response to a lowball salary offer, you've come to the right place. These email templates are meant to get you started in your response. If you have not yet determined your salary target, review my post titled "Lowball Job Offer? 5 Steps to Take Now (and 2 Huge Mistakes to Avoid)" |
Lowball Job Offer? 5 Steps to Take Now (and 2 Huge Mistakes to Avoid)
After clearing every hurdle in the long and winding path to your new job, you’ve just gotten the word: they’re making you an offer. What if the offer is lower than the salary range you expected?
You’ve been lowballed, my friend.
You’re probably shocked and disappointed, wondering if the whole process was just a waste of your time. It wasn’t. All is not lost.
Good employers sometimes make wrongheadedly low offers (even to perfect-fit candidates). If you take specific steps and avoid a few common mistakes, you have a good chance of bumping that offer up into a range that reflects the market value of the job and the value you bring to it.
Let’s start with those two common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Is There Really A Best Time To Schedule An Interview?
As a candidate, you want to perform to the best of your ability when invited to an interview. As the employment market becomes more buoyant you may find yourself involved in a number of interviews in a short space of time. Naturally, you’ll want to ensure you are the preferred candidate on each occasion but what exactly is the optimum timing to achieve this?
We know the typical weekly schedules of hiring managers, being the Minneapolis and Chicago executive recruiters that we are, and we are here with some advice for you to help you choose the best time to schedule a job interview.
How to Respond to Requests for Your Salary History
As part of the employment changes that were signed into law in the summer of 2023, Minnesota’s new pay history ban went into effect on January 1, 2024. This means that you can not be pressured to share your salary history during the job application or job interview process. That's right; you shouldn't be in the position to answer this question in the first place, according to Minnesota law.
However, it's okay to volunteer this information if you're comfortable doing so.
SkyWater Celebrates 10 Years of Walk a Mile for a Smile!
This month, SkyWater Search Partners celebrated our tenth annual “Walk a Mile for a Smile” event in support of Smile Network International, one of our favorite international charitable organizations.