SkyWater Blog

Why the concept of “Radical Self-Care” is the real key to healthy work re-entry.

As vaccinations become more widely available in MN, offices that have been operating with most, or all employees working remotely, are making plans to re-open their doors. In many ways, a return to a routine of leaving the house each morning for work is welcomed. However, for many of us, working from home presented an opportunity for greater self-care. 

As many of us prepare to re-enter the daily grind, how can we take what we've learned from our time at home with us back into the re-opening world?

If you’re a marketing professional in the Twin Cities, you’re well aware of the major industry reshuffling we’ve all witnessed this past year. It is staggering. In fact, Forrester recently estimated that the pandemic has caused more than 50,000 U.S. marketing and advertising professionals to lose their agency jobs.

While other industry experts and researchers ponder what this all means for the future of the marketplace, here’s the question I’d like to help answer here:

Try to schedule job interviews on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, between the hours of 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM or 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM.

Our recommendations for choosing the best time to schedule an interview are both based on our own observations and on solid research. In fact we've written on this topic before in our article "Is There Really A Best Time To Schedule An Interview?".

How will you help forge equality in the workplace?

If you are a leader in your organization or a manager of a team, there is a very good chance that your employees are more stressed out over the events of 2020 than they're admitting to you. Racial inequality, the pandemic, contentious presidential election, financial gaps between classes, the pressures of parenting, navigating education offerings, the list goes on. 2020 brought many challenges and placed them in the center of our living rooms.

You’ve just gotten word about a great job at a company you admire and, from everything you’ve seen so far, it’s perfect for you.  Next step:  submit your application, resume and cover letter.  Next step after that:  sink into a state of fear and paralysis.  Why?  Because, not long ago, your career hit an ugly little speed bump.  You were demoted.  And while the personal pain of that event has started to subside, you worry that it has put a permanent stain on your resume – and your career aspirations.  As an executive recruiter, I am often struck by how highly competent professionals can remain haunted by a past demotion.  While no one can whip out a magic eraser and undo what has happened, I can offer you something better.  I can tell you what works.  Here is a realistic strategy for dealing with a demotion on your resume, in five simple steps.

Experienced recruiters are expert relationship builders and career coaches. They have a skillset that allows them to connect their clients with top candidates that the client would never have been able to find alone. But how do recruiters do it? Well, every recruiter has their own special talents, but many of the most successful/efficient recruiters use an ATS to stay organized and speed their searches. Believe it or not, there is such a thing called an "ATS-friendly resume," and we'd love to share some tips on how to achieve this with yours.

And The 7 Steps You Should Take Instead

There are very few moments in a job search as thrilling as learning that the employer of your dreams is about to extend an offer.

And then, there are few moments as demoralizing as receiving that offer… only to discover that it is nowhere near the salary you thought it would be.

You’ve been lowballed, my friend.  And it happens more often than you might think (even to very strong candidates). We have a team of executive recruiters in Minnesota, and a team of executive recruiters in Chicago, and both teams will tell you that they have helped candidates craft professional counter offers many times over the course of their recruiting careers. We're here to explain why this happens, and what you can do about it.

Recruiting is a lot like dating and, like so many relationships, it’s complicated. In today’s super competitive labor market, every successful hire depends on your ability to find that right person, then woo them, get to know them, turn cartwheels to impress them, and simultaneously pluck up the courage to share the truth about your own shortcomings. And that’s before you try to make it official...

How to shake off the ridiculous myth that quitting = failure