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Chris Cruz, technical recruiter in Suna’s Rancho Bernardo, Calif. office, received a great compliment this week from recruiting and sourcing thought leader, Glen Cathey. The writer of BooleanBlackBelt.com acknowledged Cruz for his recommendation of Falcon, one of the tools mentioned in Cathey’s weekly post. Cruz’s recommendation demonstrates the dedication that all of Suna’s recruiters give to staying ahead of the curve in recruiting innovation, delivering only the top talent for our clients. Way to go Chris!

By Jamie Verdugo, Business Recruiter

With so many veterans reentering the work force in 2012 it is important that we all do our part to help these heroes land their next job.  In addition to actively recruiting veterans, wounded warriors, and Military spouses Suna is approaching employers to encourage them to join us in helping veterans get back to work.  As we have been working through this initiative with employers and candidates we have come to learn a lot about the benefits of hiring veterans:

• One of the biggest consistencies recruiters hear when working with veteran friendly companies is that veterans have a reputation for having a strong work ethic, high dependability, and discipline.
• So many times on a veteran’s resume there is a translation loss between a title for the role they had in the military and how that translates into civilian terms.  At Suna, we have been working with veterans to make their resumes translatable to hiring managers so their professional and technical training is not lost in translation.
• Due to the high level of security, the military goes through extensive background checks and have been cleared for certain security levels. This allows companies to know that the veterans they hire can be trusted.
• Tax Credits:  Employers can receive tax credits for hiring veterans.  The VOW to Hire Heroes Act of 2011 made changes to the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC). The Act added two new categories to the existing qualified veteran targeted group and made the WOTC available to certain tax-exempt employers who hire qualified veterans as a credit against the employer’s share of social security tax. The Act allows employers to claim the WOTC for veterans certified as qualified veterans and who begin work before January 1, 2013.

• Veterans are accustomed to diversity and inclusion as they have learned to work side by side with individuals regardless of race, gender, geographic origin, ethnic background, religion, and economic status as well as mental, physical, and attitudinal capabilities. They have the sensitivity to cooperate with many different types of individuals.

Veterans and their spouses are a talent pool that comes with many unique skills and here at Suna we are committed to finding more employers to utilize these skills.  Suna has been successful in getting veterans and their spouses back to work and we will continue to be a part of the solution.

By Matt Haver, IT Division Manager/Lead IT Recruiter 

Before I get into why you should work with recruiters, let me clarify a common misconception.  A good majority of people think that recruiters try to place people at jobs.  This is what I would call a push model; working with individuals and marketing them to positions.  That isn’t what the majority of recruiters do and it’s not because we don’t want to help.  It’s due to our business model.  Most recruiters and recruiting agencies work off a pull model; we work to fulfill the recruiting needs of our clients (both direct and contingent).  So even if you are the most talented amazing person in the world we may not have a position you are a fit for right now.  So what does that mean to you?  It means you should work with multiple recruiters, or at least don’t rely on one recruiter to find you a new position.

Now back to the question of why you should work with recruiters.  We are in a better position than you are to get you considered for positions with our clients.  We have built the relationships.  We have access to the hiring managers and HR.  We’re a more direct route to being considered for the positions we have to offer.  If conversely you decide to try to apply to a position directly as opposed to working with a recruiter you may miss out in a variety of ways.  Your resume could go to a bottomless pit of resumes received.  You could be misidentified by HR, an internal recruiter, or even the hiring manager and passed over.  Our job is to get you considered.  We help the client select and consider the most qualified individuals and we facilitate the process through to an offer.

You might say, “I’ve been burned by recruiters in the past.”  The truth is there are bad recruiters out there just like there are bad Real Estate Agents, Mechanics, Lawyers, etc.  There are a lot of good recruiters out there and they can help you with positions they have access to.  Also try to keep in mind that recruiters also have to work with the even changing needs of our clients.  We’re frustrated just like you are when we don’t get feedback or the position gets canceled in the middle of the process.

The take away here is that recruiters can help you get considered and placed at the positions they have available to them.  We are experts at facilitating the hiring process.  Help us help you and realize that we will place you if we can.  We love helping and it makes us happy when we can help you get hired!

By Sara Porter, Business Recruiter 

When it comes to soccer, Suna definitely has the advantage. The qualities that make the Suna/Vertex Soccer team a success are the same reasons that Suna Solutions has been blowing out the competition in the Recruiting/Talent arena.  So ask yourself, “Am I a player or a ‘must-play’?”  “Do I want to work for a company who is a player or a ‘must-play’?”  The differences between the two are communication, drive, perseverance, and tenacity.  Suna’s Staff possesses those qualities and if you need proof, it’s in the pudding!

The Suna legacy and massive 300% growth that has been seen over the last year has been equally demonstrated on the soccer field.  When the team first set out, it was comprised of many ‘must-plays’: the folks who were there to participate, socialize, and enjoy a little workout (which by the way was completely welcomed), but it was balanced out by the ‘players’ who helped the team to achieve much success. As the seasons continued on, and Suna’s internal and external staff expanded, the roster grew to include more ‘players’; the mentality of the team shifted and the competitive edge came out. Those factors all together brought Suna’s Soccer team to a record of 9 and 1 presently, and we are heading into the playoffs next week in 3^rd place, with hopes of coming out on top.

So, if you want to be represented by a ‘must-play’ who will be fun to chat with, might have some connections or resume suggestions, but isn’t in it to win it, then head to one of the big national firms. However, if you are looking to work with a recruiter who will tenaciously represent you, transparently communicate with you, and ultimately include you in the overall team dynamic, then Suna is your next employer!

***Now Accepting Any and All current and Past NCAA Soccer Players’ Applications***

For more information, please contact Sara at sporter@suna.com. 

By Brenda Casey, Vice President/Sales & Marketing

Well, we all know that during the last couple of years things have been tough.  With companies downsizing or even closing their doors, people losing their jobs and homes, gas prices going through the roof, it’s hard to look down that long tunnel to see the “light.”  No worries, there is a light. Look hard. It’s Suna Solutions.  Did you know, just to keep businesses moving along, 36% of companies will hire contract or temporary workers in 2012?  And that’s up 28% since 2009!  Now – do you see it – look hard – is the light getting brighter?  Yeah, you see it now.  You get it.  See from the employer’s perspective, hiring a temporary worker makes sense in many circumstances.

Companies have had a difficult time over the past couple of years, as well.  You see there are literally hundreds of employment law changes each and every month.  They may have been able to pay a worker as an independent contractor a couple of years ago; however, there is a major push by government and state agencies to audit companies who have 1099 independent contractors (IC).  If these agencies deem these IC’s as misclassified, that company will face major fines and will be forced to place a “flag” on their website stating they have misclassified workers!  That’s where Suna Solutions can help.  We can help with classifying the work function.  That gives our client companies peace of mind, that with one call, we’ve got their backs!

If you get to know Suna, you will see a group experienced industry professionals who are civic-minded and are involved in their communities.  I think being in touch and volunteering within our communities gives us an advantage over many same-type companies.  We care.  We take the time to care!  We take the time to understand our valued clients, and when this happens, the match between candidate and company is a win-win.

The spectrum of Suna’s client companies go from healthcare/medical, media/entertainment, broadcasting, life sciences, bio-tech, engineering, medical device manufacturing, property management, government contractors, and industrial gas companies, just to name a few!  We work hard to find the right candidate to fit their company and protect them from the ever-changing HR laws and regulations across the U.S.

So when you are out at a community event, look around.  You may see Suna playing soccer, volunteering to participate in a walk/run, manning the phones for the Wounded Warrior Foundation, giving blood, pulling a cable car or just reading to kids in the hospital. We know our communities, so we know you.

Now – do you see the light?

Call us today.  We are here to help.

 By Joshua Vosovic, Account Executive

In the 2004 NFL draft, as the first overall pick the San Diego Charges selected Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning.  Love him or hate him, he now has two MVP trophies and two Super Bowl rings, joining the likes of his older brother, Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman, who were also number one draft picks.

But this article is not about football, nor sports.  It is about, as Jim Collins so famously phrased it in his book Good to Great, “putting the right people on the bus” – and building the right team.

The most successful organizations are the ones who can attract, hire, train, and retain the best people.

Attracting the best people isn’t just about offering a fun and creative work environment for your existing employees.  It starts with the draft.  In Corporate America, the draft is the interview stage, where managers and HR teams recruit people to build their organizations.  This is also where companies often lose some of the best talent, because unlike the NFL draft where everyone gets to pick in a fair and orderly system, recruiting can often look more like the doors opening at Wal-Mart on a Black Friday sale.

The longer a company takes to extend a job offer, the less likely the candidate will accept.

And it is not a gradual curve.  The curve is steep and gets steeper very quickly.

Among sales professionals, there is an old saying that “time kills deals.”  That absolutely holds true when it comes to recruiting.  If it takes an organization three to four weeks to interview and then hire a new employee, then that company will lose out to the company who can do it in two weeks.

Think about it as if you were the candidate who is interviewing for the job – this should be easy to do, because at some point, we’ve all been the person who is interviewing for a new job.

Maybe you are unemployed, or maybe you are currently working and looking for a new opportunity.  You have two potential new employers.  One of them is excited, and telling you they want you and after a few interviews they make you the job offer.  The other company can’t seem to find the time because they are too busy to pull the bus over and allow the right people to get on.

(Note: anytime you don’t call someone back because you are “too busy”, the message you are really sending that person is, “you are not the highest priority right now”)

Most candidates, around 90%, will accept the first job offer they receive.

Would you turn down a job offer for a company that you have been interviewing with because another company might make you a job offer after another two weeks of interviewing?

Maybe if the economic market was stronger.  But right now, when many people are still just happy to have a job, candidates are less willing to take risks that could land them in the unemployment line.

Pro Tip:  When you are looking to bring on a new employee, take a few minutes to plan for interview times.  Put them on your calendar in pencil.  Make it a priority.  If something falls through, you can always use that time you’ve blocked off to do your regular 9:00 to 5:00 job.  But if your team cannot find the time to interview and onboard new talent, you will lose the best people to the companies who can.

Ask yourself would you rather have the #1 pick in the draft?  Or would you rather wait until everyone else has built exactly the team they want, and then try and build your own group out of what is left?

Is Facebook the Future of Recruiting?

By Matt Haver, CIR ACIR CDR, IT Division Manager / Lead IT Recruiter

Facebook announced a partnership with the National Employment Services and the US Department of Labor on October 20^th.  More information on the partnership is available at the Social Jobs Partnership page http://www.facebook.com/socialjobs?sk=app_233269053396896 with the goals listed below:

Partnership Goals

• Conduct in-depth survey research about the ways in which job seekers, college career centers, and workforce recruiters are using the social web.
• Develop and launch a central Facebook Page that will host specialized resources and content designed to help job seekers and employers.
• Explore and develop systems for delivering job postings virally through Facebook at no charge. Promote existing employment programs and resources offered by government agencies for job hunters.
• Distribute educational materials about leveraging the power of the social web to recruiters, government agencies, and job seekers.

While the program has the potential to reach and benefit many, what really stirs the imagination is the foreshadowing of what is to come in the future of recruiting.  With this significant step Facebook has taken into the realm of recruiting solutions it makes you wonder what the coming landscape of job boards and social media will look like and how closely they will be married. The lines of Social (Facebook) and Business (LinkedIn) applications are blurring, creating an open ended question of who may gain or lose as adjustments are made.  Facebook currently has 800 million active users, with LinkedIn coming in at around 100 million. Sheer numbers alone suggest a huge shift could occur within the job market.  Will future endeavors by Facebook cause the downfall of LinkedIn, outcompete social job sites such as Monster’s BeKnown, and decrease market share for Craigslist postings… ?

For more information and check out this article: http://www.ere.net/2011/10/20/is-facebook-about-to-offer-free-job-listings/