The Future is Flexible
When it comes to work trends, one thing is clear: the future is all about flexibility – but what does that really mean? Like many things, it tends to mean something different to just about everyone, as there is no ‘one-size-fits-all approach’ when it comes to applying it to the workplace. As many companies seek to craft their definition of adaptable work policies, CC Pace is in the middle of the crosscurrents in deciphering the right balance of flexibility, both for our staff and our team of consultants who are navigating various clients’ policies and expectations.
While we can’t tell you what policies are right for your organization, we can share some of the impacts we’ve seen these decisions have when it comes to recruiting. It should come as no surprise that companies with the strictest remote work policies are having the hardest time finding, and retaining, top talent. They’re having to dig deeper into their pockets to make a hire and are losing good employees to their competition at unprecedented rates. In fact, according to a recent poll, 54% of workers said they’d leave their current job for one that provided more flexibility.
Employers with varying ranges of flexibility (hybrid to fully remote options) attract up to an average of seven times more applicants than fully onsite positions (CareerBuilder). Job seekers have spoken, and they want flexible work options. So much so that, on average, they are willing to take a 14% salary decrease to work remotely, according to a recent survey by ZipRecruiter. Companies with flexible options are less likely to roll out the red carpet to get top talent and go into high-stakes salary negotiations compared to their inflexible competitors.
While employees mostly adjusted well to the changing landscape of this new work environment, companies (read: management), have had mixed results. We see continued refinements as hiring managers try to balance where the future is headed with how their positions stack up relative to the competitive alternatives that job seekers have. This often leads to misaligned expectations – job requirements that say, “completely remote,” to maintain a competitive edge, while managers casually mention to the recruiters that they’d ‘really like it if the candidate was within driving distance to the office’ so that they could ‘occasionally meet up.’ In other cases, all positions are hybrid roles, with no exceptions (although exceptions are made for the ideal candidate). This behavior is confusing and can contribute to a costly increase in turnover as current staff asks, “but what about me?”.
In our experience as a consulting firm, this newfound ability of clients to work with a hybrid/distributed workforce has allowed us to expand with clients that we would not have previously been able to support. Take a manufacturer who is located far from a major city; working with them to transform their IT department would have been cost-prohibitive in terms of sustained travel expenses. The happy middle ground here is spending some time face-to-face up front to establish the basic bonds necessary to be successful throughout the engagement. In this case, we need an employee who can ‘travel a little’ and would rule out anyone who cannot. Surprisingly, there are plenty of job seekers that remain adamant on being ‘fully remote’.
These observations don’t appear to be post-pandemic trends that will die out when the market shifts. In the world of technology services, we have seen that when the C-suite mandates ‘no remote work,’ it pushes away the top talent. After all, these are the same people logging in from home on the weekend when the system goes down, aren’t they? Beyond location, Europe’s 4-day workweek trial run in 2022 caught the attention of both employees and employers alike (albeit maybe for different reasons) and has inspired a lot of chatter stateside. Currently, Maryland has a bill on the table that, if passed, would offer major tax incentives to any businesses that scale back to a 4-day (32-hour) work week without employees losing any pay or benefits. It would be a major shakeup to the US workforce. But that’s for another post…
The bottom line is flexibility isn’t just good for your employee morale. It’s good for your bottom line. Companies with the right balance of flexibility save on upfront recruiting costs, employee turnover and can find higher-quality resources than their less-flexible counterparts. The haves and the have-nots have turned into the flexible and the inflexible.
All sides point to flexibility as a work trend that’s here to stay. In response to this trend, we’re creating an ease of coworking index offering to help organizations measure how easy it is for employees and teams to work together – particularly in remote and hybrid environments. Keep an eye out for this service to be released later in the year!
“Our people are our most important asset” is one of the phrases you will not only hear CC Pace CEO Mike Gordon emphasize frequently but is a belief that he has cultivated a corporate culture around. With that philosophy in mind, the Superior Performance Award (SPA) was created. This special award is a way for employees to recognize fellow employees, by nominating a team member who they feel has had a pivotal positive impact towards the success of CC Pace. For the recent performance period, the peer-to-peer SPA honorees are Laura Campbell and Jon Buckhout for their outstanding contributions.
LAURA CAMPBELL has had the lead role in developing our Client Success Program. The program is designed to increase engagement with our consultants and clients and has proven to be highly effective in producing additional value for both the client and CC Pace. Laura was praised by her peers for being a team player extraordinaire, who has made CC Pace better as result of her efforts contributions, and the immense value she brings to so many areas of the company.
JON BUCKHOUT has been a consistent top-performing consultant for CC Pace since joining us in 2008. A key player at a major client, Jon is a sought-after subject matter expert in the mortgage loan arena educating lenders across the country on addressing standards in the mortgage industry. He exemplifies the attributes we look for in consultants with his ability to convey this information in a cohesive manner and form so many lasting connections.
In addition to our SPA recipients, a Service Award was presented to LAUREN IEZZONI for celebrating her 10 Year Anniversary with CC Pace. Lauren is our Graphics Manager with the Midas touch where everything she produces turns to gold when it comes to CC Pace’s branding. Her sense of design and visual elements have taken our corporate branding to a new level. Lauren’s talents, willingness to help at a moment’s notice and constant enthusiasm are extremely appreciated by the entire CC Pace team.
Laid Off are words that carry a huge amount of uncertainty. The current economic situation in the U.S. is impacting a wide variety of industries, leaving many individuals unemployed and asking, what do I do now?
Coping with the emotions that come with the news of being laid off is hard and can make it difficult for you to focus on the details of what to address at that moment. This article You’ve Been Laid Off, Now What? Here are 3 steps to take if you lose your job, details some important items as to how you can protect yourself financially. In addition, as you begin your journey to finding your next career opportunity, check out CC Pace’s job postings and connect with our consultative recruiting team to see how they can be of help to you in your search.
LinkedIn is the #1 business networking channel right at your fingertips and is a must in the virtual world we are living in today. The love affair that CC Pace has with LinkedIn grows each day because it offers users so much each time you log in.
LinkedIn makes it so easy to follow colleagues, companies, and influencers to learn about new topics, industries, and brands daily. You can find a new career opportunity, reconnect with an old colleague, or learn about all the latest and greatest business news instantaneously. Looking for others who share your professional passion, no problem, simply join a LinkedIn Group featuring others who want to share their knowledge and know-how in that area. We could go on and on with our list, so we narrowed it down to share the Top 5 Things CC Pace Loves about LinkedIn:
Did you know that by spending just 5 minutes a day on LinkedIn you can easily stay relevant and connected – how great is that? We are curious what it is that you love about LinkedIn, take a moment, and please share with us what you enjoy most from this network? And, while you are logged in be sure to connect with CC Pace on LinkedIn.
Did you know nearly 50% of the world‘s population uses social media platforms? Social media is far-reaching, powerful and has become a necessary component of everyday life. It has certainly changed many aspects of our day-to-day needs, from the way we keep up with the news to the way we interact with our peers.
At CC Pace, we strive to use social media to tell our story, share industry knowledge, and connect directly with our clients, prospects, candidates, and team members. You can find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Our goal with all of these platforms is to provide a way for our followers to relate to us on a more personal level. A goal that has become particularly important to us as we have been forced to relinquish our much-appreciated personal connections, and transition to this mostly digitally connected world we are living in.
While we work hard to keep you informed of all our news, offerings, job opportunities, and thought leadership we also like to focus on the human aspects of CC Pace. We recognize how important it is to be able to put a name with a face, and to share a story at a personal level, which is why we revamped our YouTube channel! Now, when you visit our YouTube channel not only are you able to watch a webinar, and learn more about what we do, but you can also hear directly from many of our team members, join in the fun and see the lighter side of CC Pace. We invite you to take a moment and explore what our YouTube channel has to offer and, if you like what you see, become a follower and subscribe!
“This isn’t a time to postpone your job hunt…” Yes, hiring may be slowing down, but it is not coming to a halt. There are many fulfilling jobs out there and now is the time to prepare yourself for that next great opportunity! This quick read outlines 5 job seeking strategies that will help put you ahead of your peers when this health crisis normalizes.
Taking the time to invest in yourself and completing a small job hunting task each day, will position you for success when hiring emerges to its normal feverish pace. Stay safe and healthy my friends and remember… be patient, persistent and most of all be flexible. #weareallinthistogether
Are you a seasoned Agile Practitioner interested in expanding services beyond yourself while providing strategic guidance to a variety of clients?
CC Pace is currently looking for a dynamic Agile Thought Leader who is ready to make an immediate impact and drive our Agile transformation services. The ideal candidate is local to the DC metro area, is comfortable making decisions and implementing innovative ideas. CC Pace will provide a flexible working environment and support interest in growing a personal reputation in the global Agile community, in addition to a competitive, comprehensive suite of benefits.
What will an Agile Thought Leader at CC Pace do?
- Set the direction for our Agile transformation services, drive strategic imperatives, define Agile offerings, establish priorities and grow our Agile business
- Represent CC Pace at conferences, through independently orchestrated thought leadership and by guiding client engagements
- Provide strategic guidance to clients through enhancing, producing and delivering Agile training and coaching both in person and via alternative delivery modes
- Build and mentor a team of consultants to deliver the services both with internal staff and business partners
- Define and brand CC Pace while developing new relationships in the Agile community
Position Requirements:
- Current certified Agile credentials or equivalent level of experience
- Strong communication and presentation skills – must be versed at public speaking and a capable writer
- Proven experience leading Agile engagements, including developing training materials and coaching at both the enterprise and team level
- Ability to demonstrate leadership experience in IT delivery, including building and sustaining high-performing teams
- Strong leadership skills that will support setting the direction for our Agile practice, managing a team of resources and driving the Agile offering and delivery strategies
- Ability to provide ample thought leadership to further our footprint in the Agile community
- Strong business acumen that will assist in supporting the sales & marketing efforts involving Agile transformation services
At CC Pace we have a strong referral program and encourage not only our employees but even those who don’t work for us to take advantage of it – so if you know someone who would be a fit for this position please refer them!
For more information regarding this Agile Thought Leader position, please contact Rechelle Card, rcard@ccpace.com
We came across in interesting article on Tips for Interviewing Millennials (And What They Really Want from a Job). It discusses how, in the workforce today, there are 5 different generations of workers. How does an employer position themselves to be attractive to each of these generations?
The first step would be understanding what each generation is looking for in an employer and seeing how that fits within your organization. Millennials have quickly become the largest growing pool of candidates and interviewing them may be a bit different than previous generations.
The top items they want to hear about are equality, flexibility and growth. This article will give you some key questions to ask to ensure both you and the candidate are on the same page to create a perfect union.
On the first day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
update your resume quickly
On the second day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the third day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the fourth day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the fifth day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the sixth day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Schedule six meetings
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the seventh day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Here’s seven interviewing tips
Schedule six meetings
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the eighth day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Set up eight interviews
Here’s seven interviewing tips
Schedule six meetings
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the ninth day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Send nine thank you emails
Set up eight interviews
Here’s seven interviewing tips
Schedule six meetings
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the tenth day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
You have ten offers, accept one already
Send nine thank you emails
Set up eight interviews
Here’s seven interviewing tips
Schedule six meetings
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the eleventh day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Only eleven days until your start date
You have ten offers, accept one already
Send nine thank you emails
Set up eight interviews
Here’s seven interviewing tips
Schedule six meetings
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
On the twelfth day of Job Hunting
my recruiter said to me:
Enjoy twelve months of paychecks now
Only eleven days until your start date
You have ten offers, accept one already
Send nine thank you emails
Set up eight interviews
Here’s seven interviewing tips
Schedule six meetings
Spend five days networking
Research four preferred companies
Post your resume on three job sites
Take two days on LinkedIn
and update your resume quickly
Any business will tell you that retaining employees is important. The costs involved with the turnover of employees equals about a quarter of their annual pay. That takes into account the cost involved in: hiring, onboarding, the new hire’s learning curve and the ripple effects on the rest of the team. Every employer knows that the longer a person stays with a company, the more valuable and productive they become for that company.
At CC Pace, the retention rate for our staffing placements has been above 90% for the past 5 years. This article 4 Reasons why Employee Retention is Important (And 4 Reasons All Business Owners Should Use to reduce turnover) highlights why workforce retention is important, and strategies that can improve employee loyalty. A great deal of our success with our people is due to our commitment to provide our clients with the best candidates, based on this approach:
- We work with our clients as a partner, finding the right fit by taking the time to truly understand their business and technology needs.
- We are a consulting firm first – with full time business and technology experts available to help guide the qualification process and customized screening tools.
- Most importantly, we make quality a priority over quantity. Knowing people means assessing their technical knowledge, their soft skills, their cultural profile, and everything in between.
Now that you have read about what we offer our clients and how we find the right fit for each position, you must be wondering what’s it really like to work for CC Pace? Let our consultants tell you firsthand about their experience working with CC Pace.
“The primary reason for choosing to work with CC Pace AGAIN is that they have top notch people who will ensure that you are a great fit for the openings, as well as making sure that your values align with theirs.” – Travis R., Consultant
“At the client site, CC Pace has always made sure I succeeded in doing my job which only shows how much they care about their people and their clients. I particularly appreciated how management was available to answer any questions I had while working on the client’s projects. Even though I worked with CC Pace as a consultant, I should note that I was treated equally as an employee.” – Namgyel D., Consultant
“I’ve been involved with CC Pace as an employee, contractor and customer for more than 22 of my nearly 35 years in the working world. I can honestly say that there is no better employer, contract vendor, or business partner with which I have had the pleasure to be associated. The employee-centric culture, strong business knowledge and technical expertise, and an ethical standard par none are why I have remained associated with them over the years. CC Pace provided me with the experience and opportunity needed to launch my career. Now, so many years later, I’ve come full circle, rejoining them and leveraging all that they helped provide.” – Paul H., Consultant
Looking to make a change in your career? Think about joining us and check out our latest job opportunities.
Previously, in Part 1 of this blog series, we discussed how U.S. News and World Report stated that two-thirds of the candidates employees refer get hired and how companies benefit by hiring those employee referrals. Today, we want to address how to build your own personal network.
By creating a network, you expose yourself to unlimited opportunities to have doors opened for you when searching for a new position. And, in turn, you may be able to open some doors for others. So, how do you get started?
It’s easy: start by getting social! Create your profile in LinkedIn and/or Facebook. Depending on your area of expertise, a Twitter or Pinterest account may also be beneficial. Now start connecting with everyone you know! Here is a list of Top 10 Places to Find People to Grow Your Network:
- Associates in your current and past places of employment
- Customers/Clients (both current and past)
- Friends, family, friends of friends, and neighbors
- Professional organizations or associations
- The Alumni program at your alma mater
- Do you have children? If so, reach out to other parents, teachers, coaches, instructors, and scout leaders
- Fellow members of any clubs, organizations, church and community groups
- Get involved with your civic association or homeowners association
- Do you have a gym membership? Get to know some of your fellow gym members!
- Include those whose services you use, your hairstylist, mail carrier, doctor, house cleaner, pet sitter, baby sitter, repairman, etc. They all have built their businesses on referrals so they are a great resource.
The network you build will give you the ability to use these contacts to help you find your next position. Now when you apply for a new job you will use your network for a connection to get your foot in the door with a referral – remember the saying “it’s all about who you know”!
At CC Pace our Referral Program is open to everyone. It’s simple: refer someone to us for a position and, if they get hired, you get a referral bonu$! So take a minute, and check out our job postings and refer away! While building a network can seem like a lot of work, in the end the opportunities and professional gains that come your way will be well worth it!
Sure, the office seems nice, the finishes are modern, fresh and bright, but day-to-day what goes on within the walls of the office environment are what really matters. When you are seeking a new position you need to remember that not only are they interviewing you, but you are interviewing them as well.
Here are some key question to keep in mind: What is the ideal company culture for you? Do you succeed in a more casual or formal business setting? Do you like a hands-on leadership approach? Does this company share the same values you do in making sure things are done correctly versus just getting the job done?
How to Determine If a Company Is a Good Fit for You gives a great perspective on important factors you should consider before you sign your next offer letter. Remember—the interview process is just as important for you as it is for the hiring company.
We have all heard the saying, “it’s all about who you know”. Job seekers today find that to be truer than ever, with U.S. News and World Report stating that two-thirds of the candidates employees refer get hired.
What gives these candidates the advantage? It’s a pretty simple fact that word-of-mouth marketing for job opportunities has been going on, well…forever. That is why many employers offer referral programs within their companies.
Employees bring in high quality candidates and help to simplify the entire recruiting process. The referring employee does their due diligence and pre-screens the candidate against the set requirements laid out for a specific position. That makes things move along faster for both the recruiter and hiring manager. Another piece in the process that is considered, is the fact that referrals have a longer retention rate within an organization, and it actually makes for a better work environment as these new employees come in seeing a familiar face to help ease their transition period. These referrals save the company time and money.
At CC Pace we have a strong referral program and encourage not only our employees but even those who don’t work for us to take advantage of it – so check out our latest opportunities as often as you’d like and refer away!
Remember when you applied for a job, you would scan advertisements in the newspaper searching for a position that you were interested in? Then, you would submit a well-written cover letter and your resume to the address in the ad. If you were qualified, a recruiter or human resources associate would contact you as the next step to schedule an interview. If you were being considered for the position, the company would ask you for references. Once those references were checked out, and were to the satisfaction of the hiring company, they would then proceed by sending you an offer letter.
Jump ahead to 2017: you see a job posting online you would like to apply for, you submit a resume immediately through the website, or apply online. A recruiter or hiring manager will review your resume and then do a quick Google search to see if they can find your social media footprint. They want to see: How searchable are you? Who do you know? What level of engagement do you have on social media? Can they get a read on your personality, will you fit into the culture at this company? Do your initial credentials check out? Are there any red flags that come up in your search results?
Chances are all of this has happened before you even get a phone screening, so how do you strike the correct balance in managing your social media image? This article. Is your social media presence hurting your job search?, shares some great tips on how to navigate through your social media channels.
Well, actually, let’s go watch a baseball game! After our recent staff meeting, many CC Pacers climbed aboard a bus and we headed downtown to Nationals Park to watch the Washington Nationals play the Colorado Rockies. Upon arrival, we were rewarded with our very own Max Scherzer Bobblehead.
Although it was a hot and humid day, there was an abundance of refreshing beverages available. We also enjoyed lots of the traditional ball park food including; hot dogs, pretzels in the shape of a W, peanuts and cracker jacks! But let’s not forget dessert, the delicious Breyers’ ice cream that helped us cool down a bit.
Despite the hot day, it was a great event and we enjoyed spending time together, having fun and rooting for the Nationals. Our efforts paid off and the Nationals beat the Rockies 8 – 5, including a home run from one of our favorite players, Jayson Werth. What a great way to end the evening!
Happy New Year! Did you make a New Year’s resolution? Perhaps you’d like to spend more time with friends, lose weight, or maybe begin searching for a new career opportunity. Many people use this time of year to make personal and professional changes in their life; studies indicate more than 40% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, keeping those resolutions through the year is another story. Research by the University of Scranton indicates there is only about an 8% success rate for achieving these goals (Forbes, 2013). So how can you establish goals for 2016, and be successful?
Unfortunately, we can’t offer advice on weight loss or spending time with friends; you’re on your own for those resolutions! But, when it comes to managing your professional career there are strategies for setting realistic goals and achieving them. An article by Melody Wilding entitled, 3 Resolutions You’re Going to Break – and What You Should Resolve to Do Instead, talks about how to establish professional goals that create a successful outcome.
As we begin 2016, we encourage you to consider how you might incorporate these suggestions into your professional goals for the year. These tips just might help you achieve one of your 2016 New Year’s resolutions.
We’d welcome the opportunity to help you with your career this year, and encourage you to take a look at our current job opportunities. Happy New Year!