General

2020 Vision: Setting Your Sights on a New Decade

December 20, 2019 by Jesse Moryn 1 Comment

This post was written by Jesse Moryn, Marketing Coordinator at Keyot.

A new month, a new year, a new decade. Another opportunity for change, full of infinite possibility.

All things considered, each year isn’t necessarily different from any other one. The earth will turn and track along its orbit and in ~365 days, we’ll be back where we started. But focusing on the science of it misses the human context; it’s the events of our own lives that define the differences.

In the midst of these events, we have a habit of divvying up time into more palatable chunks. Always planning ahead, looking forward – what am I doing next week? What am I doing next month? The next five years? The next ten?

This desire to categorize and plan in discrete lengths of time is a natural human behavior; life is chaotic, and we need a semblance of control over our lives. And frankly, without this desire to plan, we’d probably accomplish a lot less anyway.

New Year’s Irresolution

On the other hand, there’s an insidious side effect to planning our goals around arbitrary dates. The clearest example of this can be seen in the New Year’s Resolution.

Every year at the end of December, without fail, people begin plotting out the ways they’d like to change their lives in the coming year. Maybe it’s quitting smoking. Maybe it’s finding a new job or new career path or developing a new skill. A common one is fitness-related goals e.g. “this is the year I’m going to get in shape!”

Let’s take a deeper dive on that last one. According to a 2018 survey by NPR, 44% of American Adults said they were likely to make a New Year’s Resolution, 13% of whom said it would be fitness related, making it by far the most common type of resolution. In fact, 12% (~1/8) of all new gym memberships occur in January. Of these new fitness memberships, more than 70% will stop going within 6 months.

At face value, that’s a pretty disheartening fact! Nobody likes to admit when we fail to achieve our goals. The truth is, it’s entirely human to fail, perhaps the most human thing of all. But it’s also human to learn from our failures.

Setting Good Goals

When you set a New Year’s Resolution, you’re admitting that there’s something in your life that needs to change. But change doesn’t happen by setting goals, it happens through action.

There’s an old saying that I think is pretty relevant here: “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your words, they become actions; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”

The reason I use this quote is it paints a good picture of the issue with setting broad goals, as is usually the case with New Year’s Resolutions.

First of all, these goals aren’t usually accompanied by any sort of plan. Most of you are probably familiar with “SMART goals” – an acronym for setting goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

This SMART framework is a great starting place when it comes to setting good goals. Even if you don’t plot out all the specifics, the mere act of planning and writing it out will make you much more likely to progress.

But let’s move beyond SMART goals, since there’s already a million articles about it.

Watching Your Thoughts

To use a cliché, the mind is a very powerful thing. If you want to change your life, you need to start with changing the way you think. I’ve met so many people that dismiss this concept as some sort of self-help guru mumbo-jumbo, but I’m not Tony Robbins and I assure you I have nothing to sell you.

Let’s go back to that quote for a second. It begins with “watch your thoughts.” What proceeds is a domino effect that cascades through your entire life, and it all begins with a single thought.

Unfortunately, these thoughts manifest negatively for far, far too many people:

“I’m not smart enough to get that job”
“I just don’t have the time to get in shape”
“I’ll never be able to afford that”
“I just can’t be in a relationship right now”

And most importantly: “I’ll be happy someday, but not today.”

Start Small

Just to be clear, being unhappy is not a fault. It’s just as human as failure. But constantly doubting yourself is an incredibly limiting way to go through life. Those 70% of January gym-goers who stop going within 6 months have a consistent failure point: they never change their mindset. They all go to the gym, they buy a membership, and they go for a few months, but at some point they say “I don’t need to go to the gym today” which eventually turns into “maybe I’ll get in shape next year.”

Your life will not be defined by what you do next year, it will be defined by what you think and what you do today.

This isn’t meant to discourage you. As they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day – in fact, it took 120 years just to build St. Peter’s Basilica. But you know what? They started with an idea, they built it brick by brick, and 400 years later it remains just as beautiful as ever.

So if you’re planning on setting a goal for 2020, or maybe even setting a goal for the next ten years, start by believing you can change your life, try to make consistent progress (but forgive yourself when you inevitably stumble), and I guarantee you’ll be well on your way to becoming the person you want to be.

Giving Back During the 2019 Holiday Season

December 2, 2019 by Jesse Moryn Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year again! The time when we get together with family and friends to exchange gifts, reflect on the previous year, and give back in our own small ways. To focus on our core value of Giving Time, Wisdom, and Resources, we wanted to thank our consultants for such an amazing year of giving and highlight a few of the ways the Keyot team has given back to our communities in 2019.

In May, Keyot consultants in Charlotte created cards with words of encouragement for the children of Levine Children’s Hospital and also collected items to donate such as toys, games, and books:

In August, Keyot sponsored the 2019 Wells Fargo TMPS Charity Golf Classic, raising money for The American Cancer Society, The Bennett Clayton Foundation, and Vail Place:

At the end of August, we packed 684 meals for Meals from the Heartland:

And in October, we packed 5944 meals for The Sheridan Story:

In mid-November, our Iowa Keyot Holiday Party wrapped gifts for Hawthorn Hill:

And at the end of November, our Minnesota Keyot Holiday Party wrapped gifts for Lifetrack:

To close out the year, in Mid-December we will also be wrapping gifts for a non-profit in Charlotte, NC called Gracious Hands. Can’t wait!

Other Give Back Ideas

We asked our back office team about some of the ways they like to give back! Check them out for more give back ideas this holiday season:

I love to volunteer at different places around the Twin Cities like Feed My Starving Children.

-Laura Jensen

I volunteer through the MN Society of CPA’s. Last year I worked with BestPrep and went to a local school to talk about taxes to Juniors and Seniors in high school. I am on their list if they ever get a request for someone to come speak about the CPA profession or a related topic.

My nephew also does gifts for the homeless in Mpls and St. Paul every year. We purchase necessity items and gifts cards, wrap them and then disperse to pass them out. The challenge is finding them in their actual environment and then having them accept the gift.

-Diane Brass

I give back through Big Brothers Big Sisters – spend a couple hours every month with my little sister of 7+ years

-Erin Byriel

We volunteer a lot for our church youth groups, foster care and a local food pantry stacking/organizing food.

-Aaron Stratman

I was recently a dog adoption coordinator at the Animal Humane Society. As a dog adoption coordinator, I helped customers connect with and learn about animals in our care to make good adoption matches. Volunteers would set up visitations with potential customers and share the behavioral and health histories of our animals. We also helped socialize the dogs and give them exercise.

AHS is a fabulous organization, and being an avid dog lover who can’t own a dog in my current circumstances, it was a great way to connect with and help dogs in need find their forever homes.

-Haley Madsen

These all sound like normal Delivery Manager things, but I’m referring to conversations with friends, family, connections, etc:

-Resume help / tailoring for specific job opportunities/industries
-Talking about what to prepare for in an interview
-Provide industry insights and updates to those looking to build their career
-Donate to local organizations and/or Make-A-Wish! There’s several organizations in our own city that support issues we often don’t even know exist!

-Andrew Reiter

One thing I like to do sometimes is pay for the person behind me in line, like at the McDonalds drive-thru, Starbucks, or for ice cream.

-Haley Meissen

As you can see, there are plenty of ways we can all get involved to give back. We want to thank our team once again for their generous spirits and a wonderful year of serving our communities. We can’t wait to see what 2020 holds and are looking forward to another great year!

Dispelling the Scary Myths of Consulting

October 31, 2019 by Jesse Moryn Leave a Comment

For those outside of the industry, there tend to be several myths and misconceptions about what it’s like to be a consultant. These myths can be attributed to several sources, but mostly come from outdated views on what the industry is like today. In this post, we’ll be dispelling a few of these myths and looking at testimony from Keyot consultants on what it’s like to work as a consultant with us.

Myth #1: Being a Number vs. Being a Person

The idea that recruiters are just trying to place consultants to make a quick buck couldn’t be further from the truth. At Keyot, our recruiting team works very hard to get to know our candidates and place them in roles we think they’ll love. Here’s a note from one of our consultants, Rachel D.:

“I always had the misconception that when approached by a recruiter, they’d only be in it for themselves and once they found me a new job I wouldn’t hear from them again. Something was very different about Keyot’s approach. Perhaps it was my circumstances that pushed me to continue conversations with them but the beauty of it is, the moment I chose to become a consultant, I have been supported since day one.”

Myth #2: Consultants are ‘Lone Wolves’

This myth is based on the idea that consultants don’t receive any support from the consulting firm once they start and won’t be contacted until it’s time to renew their contract. Keyot is not one of those firms!

Our Delivery Managers check in regularly with consultants to see how they’re doing and help resolve any issues that come up during the engagement. We also use what we call a “whole-person” approach to consultant support, as it provides support in three ways: individually, professionally, and developmentally. You can read more about it on our website here. Here are some thoughts from consultants about the support they receive:

“I love consulting for the amazing support provided by Keyot! It can be intimidating going into an organization as a new consultant, but my delivery manager has supported me every step of the way!” -Angela S.

“I enjoy being a consultant because I am still learning new things, acclimating myself within a large corporation and opening myself up to help people where I can. There have been some challenges getting off the ground running, but Keyot has been in my corner and working alongside me to find the right position that will allow my previous work experience to flourish and benefit the organization I am a part of.” -Rachel D.

Myth #3: If / When my Engagement Ends, I’m On My Own

Keyot works with our consultants before their engagements end to either get an extension with the client or find a new engagement. We want to support our consultants however we can, and this includes helping them find their next engagement. From Keyot Consultant Molly M:

“Well in advance of the contract end date, my delivery manager works with me and my onsite manager to determine next steps so that there isn’t any gap in work for the client or for me and to ensure that everyone is happy. If this means reassignment, the delivery manager assists in the search.”

A Few Other Pros of Working in Consulting

Rather than just dispelling myths, we also have testimony from our consultants on some of the ways they’ve benefited by entering the consulting world. Here are a few of them:

“Consulting has given me the opportunity to collaborate with new and different groups of people.”

“Consulting has contributed to my career advancement due to my exposure to new and different technologies, applications and methodologies.”

“I chose consulting because it is the perfect way to find out if a company truly lives by their values before committing yourself to that company.”

“Being an hourly employee (versus salaried) gave me pause, and it initially felt like a burden to track/submit. However, it quickly became routine, and I even prefer it now, knowing that I will be paid for all hours worked.”

“I think what intrigued me the most was knowing that I could have the potential of being assigned positions that I may not have otherwise applied for on my own.”

Final Thoughts

There are certainly more misconceptions that we could tackle, but those listed above are a few of the main ones we encounter. Also, there are still firms where you may experience what we’ve debunked as myths, but that’s not how we do things at Keyot.

If you have any questions or want to know more about the Keyot process, don’t be afraid to reach out to one of our recruiters or email us at info@keyot.com! Consulting really isn’t as scary as it may seem. Keyot wants all our candidates and consultants to be as excited as we are about everything this industry has to offer!

Go Phish: Keeping Your Organization Off the Hook

March 6, 2019 by Jesse Moryn Leave a Comment

This guest post is by Connor Rapp, Crew212 member. Thank you for your insight, Connor!

In 2018, roughly 53% of attacks resulted in loss of $500,000 or more. Every year, Cisco releases a Cybersecurity Report that aggregates the key data from other related studies. Pulled from their Security Capabilities Benchmark Study, which surveys over 3,600 respondents across 26 countries, it indicates just how substantial a breach in your technological defenses can be. Therefore, a question must be asked: is your company prepared for an attack?

What is Phishing?

The common definition of phishing is being contacted by an imposter disguised as a legitimate source in an attempt to withdraw sensitive data. I know what some of you reading might be thinking. Why is this called phishing? There are no aquatic fauna included in that definition. In truth, the name “phishing” is actually coined from the attacker having their target “on the hook” and reeling them in. In other words, you are the fish.

One Phish, Two Phish, Red Phish, Blue Phish

Much like there are different species of fish in the sea, phishing can be considered diversified as well. With the introduction and popularization of new technology, phishing has divided itself into multiple subcategories. For the sake of this article, we will focus on what I refer to as The Big Three.

For the categorical ordering of The Big Three, we will start with the most common form, Deceptive Phishing. As the name implies, the purpose is to mislead the target into supplying personal information or the access credentials that can lead to personal information. Typically, these attacks are mass-produced with no specific target in mind. An example of this is an email sent from “Apple iTunes” stating there was a purchase that just occurred on your account. Luckily for you, a direct link has been supplied from which you can sign into your account and verify the (fake) purchase. Most likely, the website that you will be directed to will look eerily similar to that of the actual iTunes website. When you “sign in”, your credentials (both username and password) will be shared with the attacker. Thus, you’ve literally handed them the keys to your account.
Almost identical in pattern to that of deceptive phishing, albeit with one exception, our second variation concentrates its attack to a limited, if not singular, target. Spear Phishing is personalized in its attempts, where the attackers often have prior knowledge of the victims before launching the attack. As such, it can be expected that this format will be the most common in terms of breaching security of a company.
There are little fish, there are big fish, and there are really big fish. Sometimes, Spear Phishing can be focused on a very high-ranking individual. Attacks such as this are known as Whaling. This variant of phishing is no small matter, as the attackers will typically conduct a great deal of research on their target and instigate with far more organization than other forms.

It should be noted that the three forms listed in this article do not encompass all forms of phishing. There are many niches of phishing and to list all would have made this article far too long. Instead, we will provide a basic anti-phishing education that, if correctly followed, should be able to defend from most attacks.

Finding the Hook

Using a little effort, one might find it’s actually quite easy to distinguish a phishing attempt. Simply looking for a few details can easily reveal a malicious attempt:

A large portion of phishing emails are sent from abroad. This means grammar and spelling are often sub-par and easy to notice for an individual that is fluent in English. It is highly unlikely that a major organization (your own included) will send out an email that is seemingly riddled with errors.
Who is this email from? Was it sent from outside the organization? Be sure to examine the domain name of the email address closely. Often you will see that the email will be from someone not typically in communication with you. If it is from someone you know and the message seems irregular by comparison to how they usually write, they could have very well been phished themselves and the attacker is now using their account to try to get to you.
When was this email sent? Did it appear outside of regular business hours, when it would usually arrive in your inbox within operating hours?
Check the CC’d field. Do you recognize the other recipients? Would it not seem odd that you are included in an email with a bunch of other strangers or people outside of your usual work environment?
Are there any attachments or hyperlinks? Be incredibly wary of attachments, as they can contain viruses. The same Cisco report revealed that 38% of all malicious file extensions were Office, 37% were Archive, and 14% were PDF. Should you examine everything else that I’ve listed for you and decide that this email is still legitimate, then proceed with caution. Otherwise, don’t risk it. Hyperlinks, on the other hand, are easy to check for legitimacy. Simply hover your mouse over the hyperlink (without clicking) for the connected web address. Is the address the same as what the email is promoting? In any case, it’s usually a good rule of thumb to not follow hyperlinks in emails. Typically, you will know what web address you need to go to and where to sign in. The hyperlink can easily be taking you to a website that mimics the original in an attempt to harvest your credentials.

Preparing Your Defense

If there is anything to be taken away from this post, it’s that the education of the work force is one of the most simplistic yet efficient means of defense against phishing. Fortunately, this can be done easily, and the results measured. Host a meeting or two detailing how to weed out malicious emails. Be sure to cover basic cybersecurity principles that all levels of employees can follow. At my previous employer, one way we tested whether these lessons hit home was to make fake internal phishing campaigns. We would author our own phishing emails to have them appear as legitimate as possible, with a few minor tweaks to arouse suspicion.

Should the user activate the provided hyperlink, they would be forwarded to a page that would provide details on how they have just fallen for a phishing attempt, what to look out for, and how to improve. With tests like this, the metrics of how many and which users have clicked on the link can be recorded.

A second security measure that can be integrated with ease would be incorporating an MFA (multi-factor authentication). An MFA is a security measure that has users supply additional means of verification for their access credentials. For example, a personal cell phone number or secondary email address. How does this do anything, you might ask? Say one of your employees had their access codes phished.

The attacker will clearly attempt to use them. However, the MFA will come into action at this point. When you try to log into a computer that is “unfamiliar” with your account, it will request that you provide the additional information that is tied to your MFA. So, if the attacker was not able to retrieve these bits of information, which is highly unlikely in a broad phishing attempt, they will not gain access to said account.

All-in-all, knowing is indeed half of the battle. Simply teaching your workforce how to recognize the characteristics of malicious emails will go far and is a cost-effective way to exponentially bolster your cybersecurity. Don’t let your organization be another statistic for Cisco to write about in their 2019 report.

Best of Keyot Awards 2018 – Care About You

February 20, 2019 by Jesse Moryn Leave a Comment

This article is part of a series. To read Part 1 on the Best of Keyot 2018 Overall Winner, click here.

To read part 2 on the Best of Keyot 2018 – “Drive to Win” Winners, click here.

To read part 3 on the Best of Keyot 2018 – “Lead the Way” Winners, click here.

To read part 4 on the Best of Keyot 2018 – “Give Time & Wisdom” Winners, click here.

To read part 5 on the Best of Keyot 2018 – “Love What We Do” Winners, click here.

Our final Keyot Core Value in the “Best of Keyot” Awards series is CARE ABOUT YOU. The two people being recognized exemplify this Core Value by leading with empathy and caring for our candidates and consultants in all they do. For CARE ABOUT YOU, we would like to recognize Jeanine Rickson (Director of Recruiting) and Annette Germann (Finance Manager). Congratulations, Jeanine and Annette!

First we will chat with Jeanine Rickson, Director of Recruiting:

How did you get started in recruiting?

Jeanine: Networking! A friend and former colleague was working for a small consulting firm and asked me if I had ever thought of recruiting. I had an operational leadership and HR background but had never considered it. I didn’t even know exactly what a recruiter did in a consulting firm, but I decided to be open to the possibilities. They took a chance on me and I started on a path that led me to Laura Kelly and the rest is history!

What do you love most about it?

I have always loved working with people. When you do something you love, it doesn’t feel like work, even when it is hard. I love that the business of consulting is intellectually challenging, always changing, and demands that you be on top of your game all the time. I love learning about the work talented people do and how they do it and the thrill of making the right match for a project and a role. I also love when I can be a part of changing someone’s life for the better, whether it is more money or a growth opportunity or flexibility or even a new direction to a role they can excel at.

Recruiting is a fast-paced role. How many candidates would you say you talk to in a year and how do you manage your time?

Hundreds! Thousands of profiles and resumes reviewed to find the right person at the right time for the right role in the right part of town for the right rate or salary with the right personality and cultural fit! Whew!

This is always a challenge. This work never comes nicely paced out and it doesn’t start at 8 and end at 5. Time management is something I have to work on all the time. I love trying new organizational systems with hopes I never drop a ball. I have had to learn I can’t talk to everyone as much as I would like to. I focus on top priorities for our clients and their needs while balancing working proactively for the unknown future opportunities. I would love to hear how others organize themselves and for any candidate I did drop the ball, please forgive me!

You’re Keyot’s veteran recruiter and we consistently hear about how great you are from candidates. Your authenticity and ability to find the right role for our candidates is inspiring. What do you think are the most important parts of finding a great “match” for each candidate?

Thank you!

I was blessed early on in my career with some wonderful mentors and role models who taught me that great work comes from a motivated team. Motivation is different for everyone and they taught me the importance of truly listening to what each person says, watch their body language, to hear their story and respect it. I work very hard on that. It isn’t that I discover the right match as much as the candidate tells me what their right match is and I hope to connect the dots.

Thank you for sharing Jeanine! Our recruiting team is fortunate to have you at the helm.

Next up is Annette Germann, Finance Manager for Keyot.

What does your role as Finance Manager entail at Keyot?

Annette: Payroll – make sure our employees and consultants get paid (most feel this is the most important)

Benefits – enroll employees into benefits and maintain all our benefits

Consultant Onboarding after hire – make sure all consultants have everything they need to record their time correctly with client and Keyot, as well as any client specific information they should have. I also make sure we have all paperwork in place to ensure we can invoice our clients. I verify all Pay Rates and Bill Rates are correct. For W2 employees, I make sure they have the benefit info needed to enroll in benefits and make sure they sign the Employee Handbook. For IC’s (independent contractors), I collect the proper insurance certificates.

Accounts Payable – make sure all our vendors get paid, including our ICs.

Accounts Receivables – collect timesheets from over 200 consultants, invoice our clients and make sure all invoicing gets done and money gets recorded correctly

Consultant Financial Reporting – create reports that help Partners and back office stay on top of our consultants better with how many hours they are working as well as financial reports regarding consultants for our Partners.

Contact Database Maintenance – make sure ALL of our databases are kept up to date with current consultant contact information

What’s your favorite part of your job?

Tough question because I truly love ALL that I do. I love working with numbers. Most find this boring and frustrating, but I just LOVE numbers. I never tire of them or get bored. I would have to say my favorite though is working with the consultants. I don’t get to do this as much as I used to, but I love helping them and talking to them when I get a chance. Someone at Keyot told me just recently that I am the only person at Keyot who has had contact at some point in the process with every consultant we have ever had. When I think about it, she was right! Nine years ago when I started, it was just me doing all of the back office duties and full onboarding along with the current duties I still do today. I guess I love that fact. I love that I have been a part of Keyot the longest and have been here to support them from pretty much the start. I love that I have been a part of the journey from having one consultant to now having over 200!! Wow how far we have come!!! I love that. As you can see, a favorite is tough to pick.

We hear about you from our consultants more than anyone else in the back office! Our consultants love you because you’re willing to help with benefits, ensure they get payroll and answer whatever other questions they might have. How do you manage to stay on top of things for more than 200 consultants? What advice can you give to any new consultants that might be navigating this landscape for the first time?

I am so happy our consultants feel that way, because I really do make an effort to show them Keyot cares about them. Making the effort is easy because I genuinely care about people in general. It is important to me that people feel comfortable and happy in my space. I have had great mentorship from our Partners to reinforce to me exactly how important that is. They have been great role models for me in all I do.

How do I manage my time you ask? Checklists!!! I am the checklist queen. I get teased a bit about my checklists, but for me they work well. With so many moving pieces to the puzzle of my job, I need them. They work for me. I have multiple very extensive checklists I use to keep track of all the little pieces. It’s like a puzzle sometimes to put everything together correctly and my checklists keep me on track.

My advice to consultants to navigate through our system is to take a few minutes to read through the information they are given. I know it’s a lot all at once, but the information they get is all very important to their new role. I feel if they take the few extra minutes, they will have a good understanding and feel better about how to navigate through our system. When they rush, they miss things and feel confused. I know it can be overwhelming with information, so we are ALWAYS here for them to answer questions. I do feel phone calls sometimes work better and are less confusing.

Thank you for sharing your insights with us Annette. Keyot and our consultants have been fortunate to have you all these years!

Best of Keyot Awards 2018 – Love What We Do

February 14, 2019 by Jesse Moryn Leave a Comment

This article is part of a series. To read Part 1 on the Best of Keyot 2018 Overall Winner, click here.

To read part 2 on the Best of Keyot 2018 – “Drive to Win” Winners, click here.

To read part 3 on the Best of Keyot 2018 – “Lead the Way” Winners, click here.

To read part 4 on the Best of Keyot 2018 – “Give Time & Wisdom” Winners, click here.

Our next Keyot Core Value in the “Best of Keyot” Awards series is LOVE WHAT WE DO. The two people being recognized exemplify this Core Value by always showing up with a smile and a positive attitude, while performing their jobs at an exceptional level and with true passion. For LOVE WHAT WE DO, we would like to recognize Jess LaValle (MN Office Manager) and Sean Anderson (Crew212 Recruiter). Congratulations, Jess and Sean, we’re happy that you love what you do and we love having you on the team!

First we will be chatting with Jess LaValle, our amazing Office Manager:

What are some of the reasons you love your job?

Jess: I love the people I get to work with and love the variety of things I do each day – helping others is something that makes me happy.

I understand you’re the proud parent of two pups named Bennie and Ox who you like to bring around the office occasionally. What’s it like to work in a pet friendly office?

Working in a pet friendly office keeps the stresses of a work day under control – how can you not be happy and feel a bit lighter when you get a puppy kiss now and then!

You’re the Office Manager for the MN office, help out with every other market, and are an executive assistant to three of the partners. You anticipate needs, take the initiative, and most importantly, you do it all with a great big smile on your face! You truly Love What You Do. Is there any advice you can give on staying positive in the workplace and effectively managing stress?

Show gratitude! Seeing the positive qualities in your teammates helps bring out the positive qualities in you…appreciate the little wins and smile… 😊

Thank you for sharing with us Jess!

Next up is Sean Anderson, a fantastic Crew212 Recruiter:

How did you get started in recruiting?

Sean: After graduating from the University of Iowa with a degree in Business Analytics, I knew that I wanted to pursue a role that utilized my communication skills while still leveraging my technical ones. After speaking with Cindy and the Iowa team, it was clear that a Delivery Coordinator/Recruiting role at Keyot would be a great way to start my career!

At Keyot, we pride ourselves on finding the right “match” between candidate and client. What do you look for when you’re finding that match?

When finding the right match, it is vital to clearly understand your client’s needs for each specific position. Which technical skills are necessary? How much experience is required? What is the working environment and company culture like? Who has been successful there in the past? These kinds of questions help you understand the characteristics of an ideal candidate and will lead to creating a great match.

You currently hold the Crew212 interview record at a whopping 35+ interviews performed in a single week. How do you effectively manage all your candidates?

When dealing with a large number of candidates, there are a few strategies I use to effectively manage them. First off, utilizing an Outlook calendar ensures that I never miss an interview and that I always call on time. Also, taking detailed notes before, during, and after the interview has aided my decision making immensely.

As one of the newest members to the Crew212 team, your coworkers have taken quick notice of your ability to network and always perform your work with a smile on your face. Do you have any advice on those looking to improve their networking skills? And what are some of the reasons you love your job?

For those looking to improve their networking skills I would suggest using social media as a tool to meet new people with similar interests and more importantly to maintain/grow current relationships. One of my biggest takeaways from networking is that if neither individual, or just one individual, maintains the relationship, it will fail. A successful relationship requires continuous effort from both parties outside of social media, don’t underestimate the impact of a simple cup of coffee.

As a new employee of Keyot, there are many things I love about my job! From Keyot’s values and company culture to its development opportunities like Scrum Master certification, my time with Keyot thus far has been incredible and I am extremely grateful to be a part of the team!

Thank you Sean, we’re grateful to have you on the team too!