Monthly insights provided by the MRINetwork team of staffing professionals, talent advisors and recruitment experts. The new World of Work has compelled companies to take a fresh look at the way they do just about everything. And in the course of making necessary adjustments, they’ve come away with insights that will prevail well after the crisis has…

As a Research Manager at an Executive Search Recruiting Firm, I think a lot about talent acquisition strategies. My colleagues and I are consistently implementing and adjusting talent strategies as unique as our clients and as specialized as the positions on which we are recruiting. When we are thinking through talent strategies, we consider two…

With the arrival of COVID-19, we entered the world of video calls and meetings. As video conferences and meetings have become more routine and a more normal form of communication, we have compiled some tips on etiquette while on your next video conference. Arrive on time – this is the most important etiquette tip we…

Today’s unprecedented market presents unique challenges for recruiting teams. As companies begin hiring, they will notice a very different candidate market than even a few months ago.  Even in this unique market, sourcing passive candidates is a necessity for any effective recruiting strategy. Passive candidate sourcing in this market and environment requires a unique set of…

Monthly insights provided by the MRINetwork team of staffing professionals, talent advisors and recruitment experts. The coronavirus pandemic has placed heavy burdens on business leaders. The sheer size of the outbreak and its unpredictability generate fear among employees and make it challenging for executives to respond effectively. But during a crisis like COVID-19, people look to their leaders…

Monthly insights provided by the MRINetwork team of staffing professionals, talent advisors and recruitment experts. How will remote work affect the employee experience long term? Even as restrictions ease and businesses reopen, it seems almost certain that the workplace has been permanently altered. Although many people will physically return to their places of work, many…

LinkedIn is easily the largest social media network out there for professionals, and as a lot of us know, the first stop when beginning a search for a new career. We wanted to share some tips that were shared with us (and based on our experiences!) on how to spruce up your LinkedIn profile. Profile…

In this episode, practice leader Lynda Cooney discusses the different legal areas that her team supports within the energy industry. In-house Legal Energy Team:Lynda Cooney – Practice LeaderMary Jenkins – Associate RecruiterAlicia Coles – Administrative AssistantStephanie Krupp – Senior Strategy Director

Some people are currently under mandatory stay in place orders and others are staying home out of a sense of social responsibility, but everyone is probably wondering what they are going to do with their newly expanded free time. As great as it’s been to catch up on TV shows and movies eventually, we’ll reach…

There have been quite a few articles and blog posts about our collective abrupt shift to remote work. Many of these articles suggest creating a routine to help maintain some normalcy. We love that idea and want to dive a little deeper into the discussion of routine. When it comes to a work from home…

Digital interviews are a great way to keep the hiring process moving along during uncertain times. At Variant Partners we frequently help our clients and candidates prepare for digital interviews, so we thought we would share some insight. Ultimately, with a little preparation, digital interviews can achieve nearly all the goals of an in-person interview with fewer…

Monthly insights provided by the MRINetwork team of staffing professionals, talent advisors and recruitment experts. Three tips on effective remote interviewing to make that critical hiring decision Because the health and safety of the U.S. workforces and their families are at the forefront of everyone’s mind during the current Coronavirus outbreak, many companies have implemented…

Do you find yourself working from home and functionally quarantined during the COVID-19 pandemic? The combination of these isolating elements can be tough to get through without losing a bit of sanity. Even seasoned remote workers may start to feel trapped in this time of extreme social restrictions. Here are a few quick tips to…

In this episode, senior strategy director Stephanie Krupp, explains how we started working with attorneys and why they’re so great to work with! In-house Legal Energy Team:Lynda Cooney – Practice LeaderMary Jenkins – Associate RecruiterAlicia Coles – Administrative AssistantStephanie Krupp – Senior Strategy Director

In this episode, practice leader of the Energy Team, Lynda Cooney, introduces our in-house legal energy practice and explains who our clients are and who we recruit. In-house Legal Energy Team:Lynda Cooney – Practice LeaderMary Jenkins – Associate RecruiterAlicia Coles – Administrative AssistantStephanie Krupp – Senior Strategy Director

Posted by Gabe Murillo – Research Associate With all the buzz about remote and flexible workforces, a lot of people are wondering if they are well-suited to take advantage of these new work arrangements. Before you jump into the remote workforce or start interviewing for remote jobs, make sure you think through the following potential…

Posted by Gabe Murillo – Research Associate The future of work is here, and it’s not going away. Having an office environment that is conducive to flexible and remote working is crucial to attracting top talent in any industry. Unfortunately, remote and flexible working are new concepts to many in the workforce, especially in management…

Posted by Jim Miles, Director – Engineering and Research The Business Cycle – cycle – cycle Based upon the most recent Business Roundtable survey of CEOs, it looks like a self-fulfilling prophecy is going to take hold. Worries about the global economy have infected US business execs to a point that, despite strong order books and…

Miles’ Letter Q-1 2019 Posted by Jim Miles, Director – Engineering and Research 2019 is off with a thud. I must admit, I could not have imagined that in six weeks the general business sentiment could have gone from one of guarded optimism, with virtually all segments banging away robustly, to the current environment of uncertainty and skepticism. It…

From the desk of the Energy team: Lynda Cooney – Practice Leader, Michelle Metzger – Recruiter, Alicia Coles – Administrative Assistant, Stephanie Krupp – Senior Strategy Director Diversity Candidates and Diversity Spend So, your organization is pushing through cost-cutting measures right when you really need a specialist recruiter for your in-house energy legal role… Here…

Posted by Jim Miles, Director – Engineering and Research   Miles’ Letter Q-4 2018 Out With a Bang I have just wrapped up a quick environmental scan of the major market verticals.  I want to thank the roughly 150 technical and business leaders that took time to speak with me to provide this overview.  To summarize the…

The Questions I Ask – And Why I Ask Them So, you set up a phone call with me, you’re a law firm associate and I’m the external recruiter. I either contacted you or you actively applied to a position I am working on. We have thirty minutes. Here is what will happen – I…

Posted by Jim Miles, Director – Engineering and Research   Miles’ Letter Q3 – 2018 We are reminded of what is reported to be an ancient Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times” (first reported to the British Parliament in 1836 by diplomats returning from China). With the current administration seeming to be intent on…

What not to do on interviews: Episode 001. Can I work remotely?  No, you can’t. If you could do the job remotely, we would’ve told you that and skipped the detailed discussion about relocation. This is not a question to ask the HR person on the initial phone screen – or to ask later in…

        2017 Postings Analysis: Energy Industry Legal Roles As the only search group in the country devoted exclusively to in-house legal positions in the energy industry, we’re in a unique position to share insight from the expertise we’ve gained and cultivated over the last 15 years. One area where we can offer…

Thank you notes after an interview can set you apart or make you just one of the interviewees.  It’s not enough to send an interview thank you note, it’s critical to think about how the other person thinks of you when reading it. A one liner interview thank you note that says, “Hey, great meeting you,…

Staffing Cents is a quarterly newsletter that provides insights into the current candidate market and provides tip and tricks for employers to successfully navigate that environment. What do networking and banking have in common? Networking is a trendy topic. In fact, a simple google search for “networking best practices” yielded 7.5 million results for the…

As boutique recruiters with a unique and specialized niche, in-house legal positions in the energy industry, we have insight from many perspectives. One of the things we track is hiring trends for legal roles in our industry. We diligently track postings by practice area and level. To download a printable version of this post, please…

We were recently featured on Michigan Homes, one of the top sites for Ann Arbor, MI Real Estate. Check out the article here: Variant Partners Executive Search Firm Inspires Trust in Clients and Candidates.

Online resume critiques have become more and more common, and there are even a few that focus on legal resumes. Unfortunately, most of the comments we’ve seen are not worthwhile. We look at dozens of attorney resumes each day.  The purpose of a resume is to provide enough information about who you are and what…

It bothers me when I ask a client what the selling points are for the role or the company, and the answer I receive is: “I really don’t know.” According to a recent Staffing Industry poll, the top reason people are motivated to leave jobs is lack of advancement. That’s what we hear all day…

As boutique recruiters with a unique and specialized niche, in-house legal positions in the energy industry, we have insight from many perspectives. One of the things we track is hiring trends for legal roles in our industry. We diligently track postings by sector and level. 2015 Q4 analysis: One thing that is unique to legal…

3 key things candidates are looking for: A good benefits package with options. They want the ability to pick a plan that fits their needs. This is especially important for those with families. The opportunity to contribute; to make strategic decisions or implement something. A clear growth plan accompanied with a training/development plan. In other words, is…

Tips and Tricks—Getting Quality Candidates in the Door There is significant competition for top talent. Prospects have options (including staying where they are) and they will choose the role that is best for them. Companies need to sell their opportunities and ‘court’ prospective employees. The ‘courting’ process should begin before you even have a need….

Posted by Fred Keena Note: I don’t cover post-interview tips, or general interview etiquette (e.g. dress professionally and don’t chew gum), but I will cover those in a future post. Ok, you got the interview, but now you have to really impress the hiring manager, right? Wrong! Kind of…While it is not time to breathe…