REL Talk Maria Rodriguez, Michelle Elder and Keith Leonard

In today’s episode of RelTalk, Michelle and Maria talk to special guest Valerie Bowden, who is originally from Indiana and has experience working in HR. She shares her insights on sourcing talent internationally and why outsourcing is a smart move for filling critical positions. She also discusses her experience living in Ethiopia and working to help make it an outsourcing hub.
Valerie also talks about the benefits of remote work and how it can open up the talent pool to include international workers. She then joins our hosts in a discussion regarding the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and gaining new perspectives in order to better integrate diversity and inclusion policies in the workplace.
The Finer Details of this Episode:


Valerie’s experience living in Ethiopia
Helping to establish Ethiopia as an outsourcing hub
The benefits of remote work
Hiring internationally
The importance of getting out of your comfort zone 
Gaining new perspectives for diversity and inclusion in the workplace

Quotes:
"When you outsource internationally, you do have the opportunity to tap into a much larger talent pool and find people who have a different skill set or a different perspective."
"Living in Ethiopia and being involved in the outsourcing industry there taught me a lot about the value of different perspectives and different ways of thinking."
"Remote work can open up the talent pool to include people from all over the world, which is really exciting."
"Getting out of your comfort zone and gaining new perspectives can help organizations better integrate diversity and inclusion policies."
"Diversity and inclusion are important for so many reasons, but one of the key benefits is that it can lead to better decision-making and more creative solutions."
Links:
REL Talent: HR Consulting
Email REL Talent
REL Talent on LinkedIn

In this week’s episode of the RelTalk series, Maria and Michelle once again welcome AJ Vollmoeller. AJ is a tenured recruiter and current staffing agency owner. He’s also a resume writing and career services advisor and the author of ‘How To NOT Get Hired.’ If you’re looking for an insider perspective on recruiting, AJ is your go-to guy.
First, AJ starts by shedding some light on what a job recruiter’s role actually is. As he nicely puts it, recruiters are on your side - they want the best possible outcome for both you and the company. So, don’t pretend to be someone you’re not during your first interview. Be yourself and show your personality. Next, AJ shares some valuable tips for acing any first job interview with a company. According to him, you shouldn’t lie to get in for one specific role because the recruiter may have something else that’s even a better fit for your actual skillset. Finally, Maria, Michelle, and AJ address the current market environment and the real reason why companies are losing employees at a rapid pace.

The Finer Details of This Episode:


Recruiters are on your side
The importance of showing your personality
Tips for the first job interview
Being honest
Higher-level positions
Discussing the new environment in tech

Quotes:

“You never know waking up what you're going to get, what market shift is going to happen, what the new headline or the new trend or the new TikTok trend is going to be.”

“Recruiters, whether they're internal at the company you're applying directly to, or on the staffing agency side, they're on your side.”

“Don't lie. Don't fabricate. Be honest and truthful, especially to the recruiter.”

“It's not polishing a lie at all. It is stating what you're comfortable telling.”

“Sometimes people just don't connect. As long as you connect with that recruiter, you feel they're doing good; you get the warm and fuzzies about them, work with that recruiter and see where it goes from there.”

“When you have a transition like that overnight, there's going to be 5% of your staff, 10% of your staff that is not well versed or just can't grasp working from home.”

“If you're losing workers because you're still what I would consider to be an old-school type of culture, that's on you. The writing has been on the wall.”

Show Links:

REL Talent: HR Consulting
Email REL Talent
REL Talent on LinkedIn
AJ Vollmoeller on LinkedIn

In this week’s episode, Doug Levin joins Maria and Michelle on the RelTalk series. Doug is the Owner of JobStars, a platform dedicated to delivering top-notch career services for professionals of all industries and experience levels. He's also a certified professional resume writer and a career coach. Doug knows the ins and outs of resume writing, and he’s happy to share his wisdom with the world. 
First, Doug talks about the most common mistake that people make when writing their resumes. They overstuff it with graphics and unnecessary content. This can cause issues with applicant tracking systems that companies use to manage the flow of applications - so, make your resume ATS-friendly. Then, Doug continues to unpack some of the key tips for making your resume stand out. As he points out, you shouldn’t neglect the importance of structure and formatting when creating your curriculum. Finally, Doug explains why you need to first reflect on who you are as a professional before finding suitable jobs to apply for. Once you know what you bring to the table, it’ll be much easier to find your ideal position.
The Finer Details of This Episode:


Doug’s introduction
Making your resume ATS-friendly
The importance of resume structure and formatting
Knowing your values
How to convey your values
Getting your resume together

Quotes:
“The important thing to think about as a job seeker to remember is that these systems automate the process oftentimes of evaluating your resume. So before your resume ever gets to the eyeballs of a human being, it’s going through this applicant tracking system.”
“When you kind of try to pretty up the resume, it might look good to the human or viewer, but at the same time, it can cause issues with the applicant tracking system.”
“You want to paint the picture for the reader of what was this person's scope of responsibility.”
“Once you know those things, you know your seniority level, you know your functional role and you know the industry specialization. At that point, it's selecting the right keywords, the right core competencies, and the right kind of language to just align with those types of roles.”
“Definitely, it takes some work to have a conversation, explore things, ask difficult challenging questions, and then once you do that, oftentimes the client provides all this really valuable information, and we can formulate it into a powerful message. ”
Show Links:
REL Talent: HR Consulting
Email REL Talent
REL Talent on LinkedIn
JobStars Website
Doug Levin on LinkedIn

Join Maria and Michelle for today’s short REL Talk episode, where they discuss how things have quickly shifted from an employee’s market to an employer’s market. Much of this is due to predictions of an impending recession, but the fourth quarter also plays into it a bit. Where applicants could, during and immediately following COVID, make more demands of potential employers and even had their pick of multiple options, this is no longer the case. Now applicants need to stand out.

Today’s episode is the first in a series, where our hosts plan to spend 20-30 minutes on each step of the recruiting process. So don’t miss today’s episode of this new series! In each episode, Michelle and Maria will offer three to four tips to help applicants find success.

The Finer Details of This Episode:


Where demand is low, you must stand out
Look attractive on paper
Does your professional social media align?
Get past the screener
Should you hire a professional?

Quotes:

“Organizations are being overly cautious and we’re starting to see some layoffs.”

“This is a great time for everybody to get their resume in order.”

“You’re probably not going to get headhunted unless you are in a really critical position that’s hard to fill, or in senior leadership or executive positions, which are almost always hunted.”

“You have to look attractive on paper.”

“What are those key words you’re using to describe your experience and skill, and do they link back to the keywords that are part of the job description?”

“You also want to make sure that your professional social media… are aligned and have the same message that you are presenting through the applicant tracking system.”

“We highly recommend, if you’ve been searching aggressively for more than three months, that you seriously consider reaching out to a professional. Whether it is us at REL Talent, one of our partners, or people that we collaborate with, reach out to someone to get help either with your resume, the screening process, or the hiring process.”

“Find a way to talk to a recruiter to get feedback.”

“Even when…you’re not looking, this is a good time to sit with recruiters and get some insights.”

Show Links:
REL Talent: HR Consulting
Email REL Talent
REL Talent on LinkedIn

In this week’s episode, Maria and Michelle continue their RelTalk series about the workplace buzzwords, such as quiet firing, quiet quitting, Great Resignation, etc. We’ve been hearing about these buzzwords everywhere lately, but what is really happening? What is changing the world of work? And how can companies discover the root of the problem and stack the odds in their favor? Tune into this episode to get some helpful insight from Maria and Michelle.

They open up the episode by addressing the impact of current world affairs on the working world. From the global pandemic to the unprecedented rise in social unrest, there are many reasons why workers around the globe are deciding to put their foot down and finally walk away from toxic jobs. But unfortunately, some employers haven’t been able to deal with these challenges adequately, and they’ve only managed to dig the hole deeper through unfair stay bonuses and ultimatums. To help out, Maria and Michelle share some proven tips for leaders who want to turn the situation around. So, if you’re looking for some advice on how to become a desirable employer that attracts employees instead of chasing them away, make sure you tune into this episode today.

The Finer Details of This Episode:


The impact of current world events on the work environment
The mixed feelings after quitting a job
Why stay bonuses and employer traps are not a good idea
Digging the hole deeper as an employer
The purpose of unionization
Discussing the roles of the HR department and the leaders

Quotes:

“People are living through some pretty extreme conditions. And because of that, it's forced people to have to be able to sit in their lives, and in some cases sit in their house by themselves and the lives that they've created.”

“It's exciting and scary. So it's exciting because opportunities are popping up around the world. It is scary because there are lots of really talented people looking for jobs right now.”

“You're digging the hole deeper; they're already disengaged. They're already frustrated at the belief that they can't change their environment. They are already stressed out because they don't see development opportunities in their near future.”

“If HR has brought these items as areas of opportunities and attention to you, as they've been coming up, or in surveys and assessments, and you select not to do anything because of the financial constraints or risks to your organization, you have created this problem for yourself. And now it's going to cost you more money.”

“People are willing to work in a way that works for their life; they are no longer willing to work in one way. ”

“Here's the problem - most companies don't want to say they have a problem.”

Show Links:
REL Talent: HR Consulting
Email REL Talent
REL Talent on LinkedIn

Join Maria and Michelle today as they dive deep into another buzzword that has taken the business world by storm - quiet firing. If you haven’t been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably heard about the two popular workplace buzzwords: quiet quitting and quiet firing. But what do these two newly coined terms refer to? Today, we’re going to hear what Maria and Michelle have to say about quiet firing and what managers can do about it before it’s too late.

In this episode of the RELTalk, they start off by explaining these two concepts and where they came from. Next, Michelle explains why quiet firing is actually a sign of weak leadership and passive aggression. Instead of neglecting employees, managers need to find the confidence to have open and honest conversations with them. Michelle goes on to share a few useful tips for leaders who are struggling with disengaged employees. She recommends honest conversation as the number one strategy for tackling quiet firing. Let’s normalize open communication and get rid of toxic workplace cultures once and for all.

The Finer Details of This Episode:


Quiet quitting vs. quiet firing
Weak leadership
Why HR often gets a bad reputation
Common misconceptions about HR
Advice for leaders
The importance of open communication

Quotes:

“The idea of quite quitting is when someone gives the bare minimum, like, ‘I could do this much without getting in trouble, and that's how much I'm going to do when I come to work every day.’”

“The idea behind quiet firing is when you, as the leader, want someone gone, but you are not willing or able to actually terminate them. So instead, you create work situations that are so bad in their mind that they quit themselves.”

“Cutting someone's hours versus having a conversation, again, makes you a coward; suck it up and do your job.”

“That's the reason that HR gets a bad rap from employees is because in larger HR corporate environments, what they see is HR constantly supporting a manager in the company and not there to support the employee. It always feels like they are skewed to believe the boss versus what they're hearing from the employee.”

“We make recommendations on the fact that we see the big picture, and we have that knowledge. We don't tell people what to do.”

“If people would just have a conversation with someone about their performance, we wouldn't all be jumping to termination or quiet firing.”

Show Links:
REL Talent: HR Consulting
Email REL Talent
REL Talent on LinkedIn