Proven Recruiting

21 questions to determine your candidate's past track record, present mindset, and future aspirations - all while uncovering whether they have what it takes to join your team.

In 2007 this woman quit her well-paying job to join a startup consisting of two former colleagues and a half-baked idea.    Marilyn had 3 kids at the time, her mother was suffering with advanced MS, and the new company wouldn’t be profitable for 5+ years.   But she saw herself reflected in the company - likely because it was made for people like her. The idea was simple enough; create a workplace where people like Marilyn could do good work without dealing with the corporate politics and endless red tape that drives so many workers to insanity. Make it easy for good people to excel, make money, and feel secure.    In the intervening 17 years, the company made a lot of mistakes. We failed repeatedly. The death of a founding partner, shuttered offices, millions of dollars lost. We said goodbye to great colleagues. Didn’t meet our sales goals. Struggled to scale.    These days we still fail, just less often and we’re better at hiding it (kidding - we broadcast all our setbacks for your enjoyment!).    Yet today we’re celebrating one of our biggest victories to date. This company was built so people like Marilyn could thrive - and as of this week, we rank among Inc. Magazine’s Best Places to Work. Of all our accomplishments, we're most proud of building a community where good people can do good work.   Marilyn still works here. She now has 5 grandkids and just returned from a sabbatical traveling through Europe. And if that isn’t the truest mark of Proven’s success, we don’t know what is.

Sourced from a combination of government reports, official surveys, and our own observations working with tech managers and professionals. Hopefully this quick-reference sheet will help clear up some of the headline-induced confusion!

We're joining forces with Athena STEM Women to help elevate the lives and careers of women in STEM and beyond - and last week we kicked off our partnership with a bang! No frowns were spotted, despite the fact that most attendees were looking to sharpen their interview skills following recent layoffs. Far from discouraged, everyone was in high spirits - excited to learn, almost as much as they were excited to embark on a new adventure. We're lucky to play a small part in their - and your - lives, and are looking forward to what's next alongside the Athena team! #STEMCareers #WomenInSTEM #WomenInTech

One of the biggest red flags we see: an unwillingness to discuss work/life balance, either by avoiding the topic or giving vague non-answers. If your interviewer can't be honest about workload and hours, how can you be expected to devote the next several years of your life to them? This isn't a topic for an initial interview, but it's definitely important to make sure you're on the same page. Any job red flags make you run in the opposite direction?

Funny how we're all expected to regularly post to LinkedIn, despite the fact that most of us are neither social media experts nor especially interested in posting professional-nonsense to an audience that is unlikely to engage. The more likely scenario is one or two colleagues like your post before it fades into obscurity. Still, "they" say the best way to level-up your career is to grow your network. And "they" are not wrong; personal references/networking remains a leading resource when job hunting. Next time you're struggling to post, try these 7 popular LinkedIn topics that'll hopefully strike the perfect balance between personal and practical, informative and delightful. 1. Industry Insights and Trends: Share ideas, analyses, and predictions about your industry. 2. Career Advice and Personal Development: Tips on advancing careers, improving skills, and personal growth stories are universally appealing. 3. Success Stories and Case Studies: Posts that highlight how you (or your company/team) have overcome professional challenges and learned meaningful lessons draw readers in with relatable and inspiring content. 4. Innovations and Tech Advancements: Updates on cutting-edge technologies, innovations, and their implications for your industry. 5. Networking and Community Building: Content that encourages collaboration or participation in professional communities fosters a sense of belonging and engagement. 6. Job Market Insights: Information on hiring trends and in-demand skills attracts professionals looking to navigate the job market effectively. 7. Event Announcements / Recaps: Sharing announcements about upcoming professional events, webinars, or recaps of recent events can generate buzz and foster goodwill. Tag us in your post and we'll turn your sad-single-like into two!

Two reasons to never share salaries among colleagues: - What if you learn they make significantly LESS than you? - What if you learn they make significantly MORE than you? And this information is extremely dangerous because… Don't ask us. In our book, that's really valuable data - if used responsibly. Not surprisingly, companies fear that people will draw comparisons where none should be made. Maybe the person making more works longer hours or brings some special experience to the table. If you use their salary to benchmark your own without knowing the full story, you’ll end up looking like an uninformed, demanding complainer. However, if you use the information to better understand your team’s budget – i.e. what they are willing to pay for a top player – then you can strategically position yourself to earn that coveted raise. We'd avoid creating arguments based on “so and so makes more”; instead, build a thoughtful case for what you bring to the table and why you believe the market rate for a performer such as yourself is X salary. Ask what you’d have to change to merit that raise and hold strong to your compensation goals. Moral of the story? If we all act like adults and use the information responsibly, then sharing salary data is really quite useful. It can help you understand your value in an organization and position yourself for future success. Is it a touchy topic? Absolutely. But transparency comes with its benefits - namely, knowledge. Have you shared your salary with a coworker before? Was it useful or disheartening?

Most people dread hiring. It's high stakes, extremely time consuming, and everyone on the team thinks they have the right to weigh in. Pressed for time and already spread thin, leaders go in without a plan. They know what kind of candidate they want but they lack the strategy to make it happen. This leads to unnecessary interviews, internal disagreements, and in the worst cases prolonged vacancies or bad hires. We're team "make hiring easier on yourself" - whether or not you choose to work with a recruiting agency. Simply having a plan and learning some basic sales techniques can really reduce stress and improve outcomes. Flip through our Hiring Guide & Best Practices for inspiration and reach out if you could use a helping hand!

A new study found that company-wide pay transparency - thought to help workers negotiate fair wages and eliminate bias - often results in lower average salaries for all. Funny how the best laid plans can sometimes backfire, eh? We've heard both sides - those who claim salary sharing is the only way to ensure equality, and those who believe it sparks inaccurate comparisons and baseless office drama. Do you share your salary and are you picky about who you tell? Do you worry the info will be used against you if/when a coworker references your pay during negotiations? P.S. If you're interested in that pay transparency study, you can check it out here: https://lnkd.in/ekMkjPBD

Remember our poll about the most hated jobs? We have a new "job" for the list... Scammers. Which brings us to our main point; if you’ve received a text from someone claiming to be a Proven Recruiting employee offering a job out of the blue – bonus if it’s littered with spelling errors – ignore it. Especially if they ask about your social security number, how you want to be paid, etc. It is certainly not us and we would hate for anyone to find themselves in a bad spot. P.S. We’re working to get this person stopped but the internet is a wild place. If you've been through something similar and have suggestions, we're all ears.