Despite facing domestic challenges and an unstable global financial landscape according to world economic reports from the International Monetary Fund, Continue reading “Growing Demand for Top Talent in U.S. Financial Sector”
Month: January 2020
Growing Careers in Florida’s Medical Cannabis Industry
With cannabis now legal for medical use in 33 states, the lawful marijuana industry is positively thriving. As of January 2019, the cannabis workforce in Florida reached new highs since its state legalization in 2016, totaling over 10 000 Floridians employed in 14 state-licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers and approximately 90 licensed dispensaries. If analysts’ projections from a report in The State of Legal Marijuana Markets is correct, medical marijuana in Florida will exceed $1 billion in 2020.
This exponential level of growth can mean only one thing for the Sunshine State and its residents – job creation. By the end of 2019, it was estimated that there were over 211 000 full-time workers in the cannabis industry across the US, which according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, created more new jobs than those by the manufacturing and utility industries, as well as the government. This number is expected to grow exponentially over the next decade.
While still a relatively young industry, the pull-power for career professionals from traditional industries is incredibly robust, with Accountants, Laboratory Workers, Marketers and Tax Experts comprising more than half of the new cannabis workforce. For businesses and start-ups rushing to take advantage of this blossoming industry, a strong and reliable workforce will be a competitive advantage helping to ensure higher market share occupancy and business growth.
For years, MSI Recruiting has played a significant role in sourcing candidates for new, little-known, rapidly-emerging and alterative industries, securing the best staff from entry to executive-level for our clients across the board. We fill positions related to standard business functions for legal cannabis companies, such as Human Resources, Finance, Marketing, Sales and Administration to name a few. We actively work to break the stigma and systemic biases around cannabis and its industry; educating top-tier talent who may have had prior reservations around the industry about its true nature and its rewarding professional prospects.
“The cannabis companies we have been retained by to perform search and placement work located in Florida have proven to be highly professional and corporate in their approach and image. They are high-tech in both décor and demeanor. Our experience with cannabis companies has been placing highly-educated professionals that fill roles in Accounting, IT, HR, General Counsel and Financial Analyses. This industry has the same potential in terms of growth and employment that the Tech Industry has shown over the last 20 years,” said Jody Moore, Founding Partner of MSI Recruiting.
As more and more professionals make the shift to careers in the cannabis industry, the competition for the best people will grow accordingly.
“Cannabis and related industries are areas where MSI Recruiting has seen tremendous activity in the last 24 months. The rules by which the industry is governed are constantly shifting, making it difficult in many cases for companies in the industry to make business decisions. That said, most of our clients in the space are hiring consistently and rapidly. MSI Recruiting has clients that are growers, distributors, real estate developers, and everything in between. From a hiring perspective, we expect the volume and pace to keep up through 2020 as we keep an eye on how the changing laws will affect the industry,” said MSI Recruiting’s Managing Partner Kellen Smith.
Secure a strong workforce today with MSI Recruiting. Through our unparalleled focus on effective staffing, we put forth the best people to help your business achieve success.
Personality Testing in Hiring More Important Than Ever
Some personalities just don’t mix. At some point, we’ve all experienced this firsthand. Out in the world, when disparate people recognize their inability to mix well, they have the freedom to refrain from interacting. But in the workplace, that isn’t the case. Personality mismatches in the workplace can, and will, affect business, especially if it results in friction between an employee and the business.
In recent times, the issue of ‘fit’ has become increasingly important as more and more organizations realize that the majority of failed hires are not always a result of an individual’s inability to perform their duties, but a consequence of poor cultural fit. This manifests itself in employee clashes, breaks in communication, tensions, poor attitudes and general unhappiness all around. Whether problems are immediate or simmer on a slow boil, they can decrease productivity and increase employee turnover, which in turn harms a company’s image and raises operational costs.
Personality testing has become one of the most effective ways of mitigating this problem; helping to ensure that the right people are selected for key roles. These assessment tools provide objective insights into the behaviors, values, thought processes, character traits and professional abilities of potential candidates. This, in turn, allows for more informed decisions about who best fits a job role and whether or not they will thrive in a unique business environment.
MSI Recruiting personality tests can reveal whether a person is introverted or extroverted, patient or impatient, meticulous or forgetful, open or resistant to new ideas, and so forth. When combined with our resume analysis and an in-person interview, these assessments make it easier to determine the most promising profiles and ultimately aid in hiring the best talent at the end. These tests can help with identifying character traits that are important for specific roles, (such as attention-to-detail for an Accountant or the ability to keep calm under pressure for a Neurosurgeon) eliminating any bias from the recruitment process and resulting in greater efficiencies for a company when ideal individuals occupy their job vacancies.
In addition to streamlining the hiring process, personality testing helps employers identify which existing employees have the capacity to thrive in Senior or Managerial roles when opportunities for staff promotion present themselves. As a result, decisions can be made around which individuals will help to boost productivity and business bottoms lines with greater accuracy.
These insights are also beneficial to employees in terms of self and career development as they bring strengths and areas for growth to one’s attention. Through this self-awareness, individuals are empowered to improve themselves in order to reach their career goals. Consequently, this ambition for professional improvement benefits the employer’s business as their employees work harder and develop into heightened versions of their professional selves.
“Personality is a scientifically-proven predictor of job performance and assessing behavioral tendencies in the workplace. At MSI Recruiting we understand the importance of making the right fit between a job seeker and an employer. The insights derived from our personality tests can be used as actionable hiring steps, offering more surety into hires, reducing employee turnover and expenses, fostering positive inter-employee relationships and improving management relationships,” said Jody Moore, Managing Partner of MSI Recruiting.
No matter the personality type of an applicant, or culture of a business, MSI Recruiting successfully makes the right connections between diverse companies and candidates on a daily basis. To find out more about how we can help your company with successful hires, get in touch with us today.
The Best Time to Recruit and Hire Talent
When it comes to connecting with the right talent, timing is everything. Ask any hiring manager. Getting the right people into the right roles at the right time is key to the success of any organization. But like most business functions, recruiting and hiring activity ebbs and flows. For businesses looking to increase (or meet) headcount for the year, understanding when candidate job applications are highest can make a world of difference when attempting to secure the best people.
A 2016 study conducted by LinkedIn examined job applications over each calendar month, as seen below.
As shown, between September and October there is an outpouring of job applications, leading to a hiring spike for companies in January the following year. Taking into account the duration of the recruitment process, multiple interviews, salary and package negotiations, as well as the possible one-month notice period, this suggests that most candidates are keen to start new jobs in New Year. To do so, they recognize that job applications must be undertaken months prior in order for their New Year’s career goals to be realized.
Interestingly, this behavior is in stark contrast to the ‘assumed consensus’ that individuals seek out fresh career opportunities in January and February, which per the table, is shown to have the lowest number of job seekers. This means that for businesses to meet their January staffing needs with a strong talent roster, recruitment endeavours must be implemented at least three months ahead of time.
From March towards the end of the summer, job application numbers show little fluctuation, but still an increase when compared to January and February. This steadiness means that there is rarely a talent drought as the weather warms up. What makes this period favorable for hires is the sense of urgency that career seekers have to start afresh. Their annual bonuses would have been received in December and their salaries increased at the end of the U.S. fiscal year that previous September. As a result, there is no financial loss on their part should they choose to move companies fast.
This is an empowering time for businesses of all scopes and sizes as faster hires means less time, money and resources spent to meet their company’s staffing objectives. Sooner than later hires also help to increase business production, speed up service delivery and shorten project turnaround times; as many hands make light work.
At MSI Recruiting, we consider these trends in addition to a range of other variables to ensure that you are adequately prepared when the time comes to hire new talent. Here are 3 simple and effective ways you can help to ensure that the best candidates are secured by your business.
Plan for the future.
Meet with an MSI representative to discuss your company’s workload and any potential recruiting requirements you foresee in the near future. This will allow us to determine an effective recruitment strategy ahead of time, collate the best resumes and headhunt talent that may not be actively seeking employment, but are open to moving companies if the offer is lucrative – all on your behalf.
Pay attention to the market.
If you foresee potential growth in the market or to your organization make sure you’re meeting with an MSI representative to discuss new talent for new job positions that could add tremendous value to your organization when the time is right.
Make your business the best place to work.
The new generation of employees have idiosyncratic needs that they require from their places of employment, needs explored further in Millennials in the Workplace and Generation Z: The Up and Coming Workforce. Meet with an MSI representative to discuss what new talent are currently looking for employment, and how your company can best accommodate these needs.
It’s extremely important to plan when discussing talent acquisition and retention. Plan now for 2020 and try to anticipate hiring needs based on growth, replacement, or if necessary, reduction in workforce.
Knowing your company’s culture and selling points are vital to attracting talent. If you understand these well, you can target the right type of candidates and be competitive in landing top talent.
Remember, in a job market with 3% unemployment, candidates have options. If they are interviewing with your company chances are they have two or three other options as well. Offer a fair wage, solid benefits, and opportunities for professional and personal growth. Our clients that follow this strategy have the best results in building an A team.
Striking the right balance between finding someone fast and finding someone great is possible when you have a recruitment partner that understands the nature of the market and the nature of your needs. Whether you require immediate hires or need to fill positions within the latter months, MSI Recruiting are the expert hiring professionals who get the job done, so you can do yours.