The IQ PARTNERS Blog

In a text message world, our collective outlook on email has become increasingly casual. But this can have real implications in a professional setting, in terms of the practical dissemination of information, productivity, and perception. To help you simplify your life in 2015, here are 4 quick and easy reminders to help you write (and receive) more professional emails.

Preparation breeds success which is why finding employees who fit perfectly with a company’s goals and culture is the largest contributor to a company’s long term success. In this blog I will outline the top questions headhunters should be asking to find the best fit candidate for the job.

We are thrilled to be included for more than 10 years in Marketing Magazine’s annual Salary Benchmarks publication. Salary Benchmarks coverOn newsstands now, the article breaks down who’s making what in the marketing industry and why. It includes data and salary ranges for 89 key positions, with first-hand accounts and data from 21 high-profile industry-specific recruitment professionals, including IQ PARTNERS’ own Bruce Powell, Randy Quarin, Mark Rouse, and Maurizio Calconi. According to the article, “the result is a comprehensive snapshot of the modern marketing job landscape”.

As a headhunter, you recognize them almost as soon as you meet them. That rock star candidate who will stand out from the rest and be much more likely to be offered the job. Why? Because the top notch candidates, the ones with passion as well as prowess, share a number of common characteristics.

It just makes sense that the best talent in the marketplace want to work with the best companies… and they are never short on offers. This is, of course, because top performing groups of talent are really what drive positive business growth, and continue the cycle of attracting the best people, which leads to ongoing success in business.
As a company in a competitive market you want to make sure top candidates are drawn to you as a destination employer. How?

With so many search firms of all shapes and sizes out there (global or independent; retained or contingent) selecting a partner to help fill a critical vacancy can be challenging. However, there are simple questions you can ask a potential recruitment partner to help ensure a successful search.

As a headhunter, I screen and interview candidates regularly, so I know first-hand about putting candidates on the spot with difficult questions… and how stressful it can be! The only way to handle tough questions is to be as prepared as possible. In this post I’ve outlined the 13 toughest questions interviewers almost always ask, and provided guidance on how to answer them.

As a headhunter I give interview advice every day, and over four years in the business I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. Here are my top interview prep tips, with some very specific advice on how to set yourself up for success in an interview. Better yet, the advice is valid for any discipline and any level of seniority. Here we go…

As a headhunter, I often have A+ candidates who have gone all the way through the interview process with a client, only to have to turn them down toward the final stages – an often heartbreaking but necessary evil in the hiring process. My message to hiring managers and HR professionals is this: the way you go about letting someone down matters!

For anyone who has ever been turned down for an opportunity with a vague explanation like, “we’re going in another direction”, it can absolutely leave a sour taste in a candidate’s mouth, and jeopardize the opportunity to build a strong, ongoing relationship…