SkyWater Blog

6 Critical Competencies You Can’t Afford to Ignore

During a recent episode of NPR’s Marketplace, David Brancaccio had a fascinating conversation with Amy Domini. If you’re like most professionals in the finance and accounting realm these days, you’re likely aware of her work in socially responsible investing – what we now call Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG). As they discussed the growing importance of ESG, they also touched on the growing difficulty that organizations face in trying to competently manage and report against ESG standards. As Domini put it, “the whole goal… is to assure that investors work toward a livable planet, inhabited by people who lead lives worth living.”

3 ways to protect your unfilled roles

In spite of national and state-wide continued strong job reports, worries about a potential slowdown are starting to show in some employers’ budgeting decisions. If you have been struggling to fill empty but critical roles within your organization, you may have heard rumblings about potential hiring freezes or worse, open positions being eliminated altogether.  

Permanent Placement and Contract recruiting both serve important functions. But beware of the firm that tells you they can do both.

Is it just me, or have you been sensing a little pessimism creeping into the “talent wars” conversation lately? For some hiring managers, the goal seems to be shifting away from building organizational bench strength, toward something that might appear more achievable: just fill the empty seat, asap.

It's a tempting pivot, particularly within the engineering, accounting and finance, and IT fields, where hiring battles run especially hot right now. I get the argument. If you give up on your hiring goal and engage a “contract recruiter” instead, you stand a good chance of having a temporary professional in that seat within a few weeks or even days.

But is switching to a contract approach a good idea? Sometimes. Before going there, though, consider the differences between a permanent recruiting firm and a contract one. Then ask yourself the 3 key questions I outline below.

You may be asking yourself: Is it worth it to pay a headhunter? 

Working with a recruiter to fill your company’s key roles and source the best available talent is a benefit that many employers recognize in today’s competitive employment market. How can hiring managers ensure they fully benefit from working with a search company?

If you’re like most employers, you might be underinvesting in this critical hiring and retention tactic.

According to a 2021 Gallup article, 70% of employees who would rate their new employee onboarding experience as “exceptional” also say they are in “the best possible job.” Yet, according to that same article, nearly 20% of employees say their recent onboarding experience was either poor or nonexistent. What do these statistics tell us? At a macro level, it seems obvious: employer onboarding practices are almost universally abysmal. But at the individual employer level, they point to a real opportunity. In this age of employee attrition, labor shortages, and general uncertainty about future staffing stability, these numbers suggest that there is a reason for optimism for any organization that is willing to invest in robust, multi-level onboarding practices.

According to a recent survey by Magnify Money, half of all full-time workers are expecting a year-end bonus this year.  That, just on its own, is a compelling statistic. But as we near the end of an incredibly busy, often unpredictable year of executive recruiting in the Twin Cities, I’d like to offer a few observations – and words of caution – to employers, starting with this:

This time last year, millions of Americans had lost their jobs. Millions more remained employed but fearful of what the future might hold. For employers, it was an equally strange and unpredictable time. Hiring managers routinely saw competitive offers rebuffed by candidates who might have been tempted but were ultimately unwilling to risk leaving the relative stability of their current positions.

A trend is emerging among mid-market, publicly traded companies that we'd like to share: The perfect candidate profile for a Chief Financial Officer is shifting. I'll explain who we're being asked to find, why, and how this impacts you...

While the events of the past eighteen months have driven major disruptions to hiring and staffing processes throughout the business world, few leadership roles have been as impacted as that of the CFO. Today, as organizational leaders continue to sort through the lessons learned from this challenging and unprecedented time, there is growing recognition of the importance and influence of the CFO position.

In a recent post, I talked about how the post-COVID economic recovery has intensified the battle for FP&A talent throughout the Chicago area. My focus was on how today’s successful hiring managers are moving decisively, rapidly, and engagingly to fill open positions, from the moment a top-tier candidate’s resume is received, through onboarding.  Those who don’t move fast lose out.

6 Elements of a Perfect New Employee Announcement

If you’re hiring, here’s something you already know: you’re competing with other top employers for a handful of superior candidates. 

But if you’re not currently hiring, here’s something you may not have considered:  you’re still competing.  Every day.  And the competition is fierce.  All of your employees, from new hires to old-timers want to feel welcome, engaged, challenged, successful, and appreciated.  Every day.  If they don’t, greener pastures are just a recruiter’s email away.