Don’t let a common recruiting mistake prevent you from hiring the right executive.

Any position is going to be difficult and expensive to fill in today's job market. And, unfortunately, it’s all too easy to make common mistakes throughout the process that can undermine your efforts.

10 Common Recruiting Mistakes:

Mistake #1. Failing to create an adequate job description.

It’s imperative that you find the right candidate for the job. In order to do that, you first have to be able to adequately describe what you’re looking for. That’s where your job description comes in.

The job description should include everything from the day to day of the position to the qualifications and experience you’re looking for.

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It’s time to stop making hiring decisions based on resumes alone.

Hiring can be tricky, and it’s especially difficult when your hiring for C-level positions, like CFO, CEO, CIO, or CTO. It’s also an expensive process that costs even more if you get it wrong. And, unfortunately, one of the easiest ways to end up with the wrong candidate is to hire based on resume alone.

5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Base Hiring Decisions on Resumes

#1. Resumes only focus on a candidate’s experience.

A resume is all about the candidate’s past experience — the jobs they’ve held, what their duties were in those positions, how long they held them, etc. And while experience can certainly be a good thing, it’s not everything. In fact, in some cases, a lot of experience can...

Our new book is live on Amazon!

"The Riderflex Guide: Inspiring & Hiring."

The REVIEWS are coming in!

"The author's depth of experience and knowledge jumps off the pages right from the start. His management tips and guides have proven enormously valuable to my organization. This book provides practical real-world advice on work-life balance that makes sense and is easily applicable to anyone. A very straightforward read that always gets right to the heart of a slew of issues facing every business owner, CEO, or manager. So glad I downloaded this book!!! Read it now!"

Our book presents 85 of the most useful tips from an executive recruiter with more than 30 years of combined experience in management, executive-level leadership, and...

This recruiter places million-dollar candidates!

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As the CEO of Recruiting Firm Riderflex, our job day in and day out is to find new candidates for companies that hire us. Our entire existence as a company is based on finding new people.

However internally, for our own team and base of recruiters, we try very hard to focus on tenure, employee retention, and team member appreciation. We try to provide a culture that people want to be a part of long-term.

On that note, I wanted to highlight Colleen Mayer today. She’s one of our Senior Executive Recruiters here at Riderflex and has been with us longer than any other recruiter. Over 5 years!

She joined us...

Move From Being Interviewed to Being Hired by Creating an Emotional Connection

How often have you considered establishing an emotional connection with the people you are meeting right from the start of the interview process?

Your resume and application have listed out the skills and experience of who you are. Your copy and presentation of skills have done their role, you have an interview. How do you stand above the competitive candidates that are also going for this role?

The reality is, they’re going to choose you for the role most likely based on whether or not they like you. I mean what if there’s five guys or girls in the interview and you all have the same qualifications? Well, who’s going to get picked? Well, I can tell you, the one that they, quote, like. And...

Hiring the wrong person costs more than you think.

Cost is the number one reason so many organizations choose to handle their own hiring needs rather than working with a recruitment firm, like Riderflex. However, that cost can quickly get out of control if the organization chooses to hire the wrong person and has to go through the process all over again.

The dollars and cents of hiring the wrong person vary widely depending on the position being filled. According to a study conducted by CareerBuilder, even an entry-level position has an average cost of anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000. The same study found that the average costs of hiring the wrong manager are closer to $40,000. Imagine how much more money is at stake when you’re hiring for C-level executive...

Preparing for your interview beforehand can help give you the edge you need to land the job.

Preparing ahead of time for your interview by doing some homework is a great way to stand out during the interview process.

The first thing to do is to make sure you’ve thoroughly read and understood the job description. If employers pick up on the fact that you didn’t read it thoroughly, they often eliminate you right away. Next, you should look up the person you will be interviewing with ahead of time. This will help you understand the person’s background and maybe even discover some common interests.

It’s easy for employers to tell whether or not you’ve done your research on them or their company before your interview. If you conduct your research...

Not all executive recruiters are made equal.

Finding candidates to fill C-level positions isn’t easy, and working with an executive recruiter can help to streamline the process and ensure that you end up with the right candidates to choose from. However, the kind of candidates you end up with is directly related to the recruiter you hire, and it’s important to realize that they’re not all made equal.

The executives you hire play such a huge role in so many different parts of your organization. There’s a lot on the line, and the last thing you want is to have to go through the whole process again because you hired the wrong person. But, finding the right candidate means finding the right executive recruiter.

Hiring a CEO, CIO, CTO, or CFO isn’t...

Do you struggle with calming your nerves during an interview?

Many times during an interview, nerves cause people to make mistakes in their answers, not answer clearly, or forget to say something important. Being nervous also causes people to change their body language, fidget, or even sweat. These tips from top executive recruiting firm, Riderflex, are meant to help minimize these effects and help you get through the interview comfortably.

–Prepare. Interview preparation includes studying the job, studying the company, creating questions for the interview, and any other step needed to be fully in the know about what you are interviewing for. This step reduces...

Move fast - Make decisions quickly. Get offers into candidate hands as soon as you can. If you don’t hire them now, your competition will.

Don’t be messy and scare the candidate -Be sure you don’t scare the candidate off with a messy interview process. Don’t miss meetings, cancel interviews at the last minute, etc.

Have an efficient interview process –Don’t create hurdles and barriers by having a long, complicated interview process. Meeting 20 people, taking 5 tests and coming back to the building three times will cause you to miss out on talented candidates. Create a more streamlined process for all involved.

Don’t make hiring decisions by committee – Stop waiting for everyone on the team to love the...

Want to recruit the top talent to your organization?

When you’re looking to fill a technical position, like a software engineer, a full stack developer, or an IT manager, you don’t want to settle for just any candidate. You want the best of the best, but how do you prove that you’re the right organization for them?

Attracting the top talent isn’t easy, and that’s especially true for tech positions, which are notoriously difficult to fill. Today, we hope to give you a little know-how into what you can do to attract the top talent to your organization.

How to Attract the Top Talent:

#1. Figure out what you’re looking for in a candidate.

Before you can go about attracting the top talent to your organization, you first have to have some kind...

Not every position requires the help of a recruiter to fill, and it’s important to recognize when working with a recruiter is the best option for your needs.

5 Signs That You Need Help From a Recruiter:

#1. You’re hiring for a difficult-to-fill position.

Some positions within your organization will be easier to fill than others. Positions like salesperson and customer service representative will be easier to fill because there are so many available candidates out there looking for work. However, tech positions, for example, like software engineer, full-stack developer, tech manager, etc., aren’t nearly as easy to fill.

When you’re looking to hire for tech positions, you need a tech recruiter on your side who can help you get it right. The right...

#1. Have an honest conversation about compensation.

If you’re leaving a position at an established company to work with a startup, you need to be prepared for the reality that you’ll make less money. However, you’re not sacrificing that income for nothing. You’re exchanging that potential income for equity in the startup. But, it’s still a sacrifice that will require a change in your living standards.

Going from making $100,000 a year to $40,000 is going to be an adjustment. It’s important that you have an open conversation about how you’re planning to make that adjustment.

Maybe your spouse recently got a raise or you’ve saved up to cover the limited salary in order to be a part of the startup. Whatever it is, be honest and talk about...

When you’re in the market for a new CEO, COO, or any other C-level executive, it’s critical that you find the right head hunter to work with. C-level positions are anything but simple to fill, and you need to know that you’ve found a head hunter who will help you get it right.

6 Things to Look for in a Head Hunter

#1. A Strong Reputation

Every head hunter will tell you that they are the best, but the truth is that not all head hunters are made equal. And, when you’re hiring for the upper echelons of your organizations, it’s critical that you find the right one.

So, how do you choose when everyone claims to be the best? Look at what their clients are saying.

What a head hunting firm says about itself matters a whole lot less than what its...

How to Help Your Head Hunting Firm Help You

#1. Get everyone on the same page before the search starts.

Everyone who will be involved in the recruiting process, from the hiring manager to the CEO, needs to be on the same page before your recruiting firm starts the search for the right candidate. That means that you need to have a good idea of what kind of candidate you are looking for, and you all need to be in agreement on what that is.

#2. Make your mandatory requirements clear.

When you finalize your wish list of what you want in a candidate, there are going to be some items on that list that are non-negotiable. However, there will also be some items that would be ideal, but not a necessary dealbreaker if a candidate is an...

When is the best time to apply for a job? Should you apply as soon as the posting goes up on Indeed or LinkedIn? Is there a better day of the week to apply?

Googling these topics will get many different opinions, surveys, stats, and data. Here are some tips from Colorado’s best head hunters for these questions to help you decide when the right time is to apply.

It seems that, by applying right away, there’s a higher chance to get skipped in a huge pile of resumes since everybody applies for new jobs at that time.

When should you apply?

Apply in the second wave of applicants. When you see a new job posting, wait for five days, then send in your resume....

The worst interview could end up being your best employee.

Sometimes, your worst interviews turn out to be your best employees. Yes, it happens.

You get that candidate in front of you, everything matches on paper. They have a great LinkedIn profile, a great resume. They meet all the requirements, their references check out, and they have a very stable job history. They’ve been fully vetted by the recruiter that you hired and presented to you; everything checks. Then, you meet them, and for some reason, it just doesn’t feel right. They’re nervous; the interview doesn’t go well; they missed a few key questions that you expected them to answer better; they met a couple of your team members, and the team members weren’t totally blown away. In turn, you pass on the...

The Importance of Thank You Notes

Today, I will be giving you some advice on correspondence, or in other words, thank you notes. Roughly 50 percent of candidates don’t send a thank you letter to the employer or recruiter post-interview.

It is recommended that you provide a quality, sincere thank you note either the evening or the morning after your round of interviews. You will also want to send a note to your recruiter as well. This will give you a much better chance of being pushed onto the next round of interviews, as many candidates fail to do this and it will help you stand out.

A simple gesture, such as a thank you note, goes a long way during the interview process.

For more helpful advice from our head hunter in Colorado,...

Job Candidates, when getting ready for an interview it is easy to remember to prepare how to talk about your own accomplishments, highlights and why you are the best person for the job. These positive attributes seem like mentionable no brainers to talk about. What is one important detail aspect that you might be forgetting?

To compliment, highlight and mention others!

All the people that have helped you deliver accomplishments and reach goals should be mentioned. After all, would the accomplishments have been made without those people? Most accomplishments are not just about one individual or obtained by one person.

This is especially important to remember when in a leadership role. Leadership Roles are often most successful when you have an...

5 Dos and Don’ts of Working With a Technical Recruiter

#1. Do choose your tech recruiter carefully.

The process of hiring for tech positions can be long, difficult, and expensive, and the last thing that you want is to get it wrong. If you end up hiring the wrong person, you’ll have to start the process all over again. And, only the right recruiter can help you find the right candidate.

The fact of the matter is that not all tech recruiters are made equal. There will always be those recruiters who just want to fill the position as quickly as possible so that they can move on to the next client.

But, working with a recruiter that will take the time to understand your organization and what you’re looking for, and that’s dedicated to finding the...

Recruiting a CEO can be a challenge for any organization.

Whether you’re looking to replace your existing CEO or hire one for the first time, you should know that it’s not like hiring for other positions within your organization. It’s a process that comes with many unique challenges that working with an experienced head hunter in Colorado can help you overcome.

5 Reasons Finding a CEO is so Challenging

#1. The best candidates may not be actively looking.

One of the most difficult aspects of hiring a CEO — or any C-level executive, for that matter — is that it typically involves recruiting people who aren’t actively looking for a new position. This is also what separates c-level recruiting from recruiting for most other positions within your...

Hiring a software developer isn’t always easy.

A software developer position is one of the most difficult to fill in any organization. There’s also a lot on the line when it comes to hiring a software developer. If you hire the wrong one, it can negatively impact every aspect of your organization.

For these reasons, the recruiting process can be long, tedious, and time-consuming, not to mention stressful. But, while every situation is unique, there are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind during the process.

How to Hire a Software Developer

#1. Figure out what you want in a candidate.

There are many different types of software developers out there. There are also many different types of organizations and team cultures....

Raises and promotions are important topics in your career. When it comes to raises and promotions, the bigger raises and promotions throughout a career come from what you ask for, push for, and are aggressive about.

Have you ever been in a situation where a different employee got a promotion you wanted, and you could not figure out why? Or, maybe you know someone who this has happened to. Did you mention that you wanted to move up or show the ambition to do more and take on more responsibility? This other employee was aggressive about what she wanted and showed it for a long period of time.

CEOs and supervisors are busy, and there’s not a lot of time in the day to go through and think about every individual need, especially in a larger company. So,...

How many times have you finished an interview and all day sat around thinking about the mistakes you made or what you could have said better?

The most common mistake interviewers run across is not being prepared to walk through their job history in an organized fashion. Here are five key tips on walking an interviewer through your job history:

1: Practice the walkthrough. This will help minimize your rambling. Making it a point to know what you want to say for each transition helps you remember the key points you would like to hit, ensuring you don’t have to rush and end up missing those points. Practice and watch your time management of how to answer the question, and only spend so much time on each job.

2: Be clear and decisive about why you left....

Work-Life Balance

Having a work-life balance is an important factor for many people when considering a new job. It allows us to have a life outside of the job and spend time with loved ones.

While it is an important factor to consider, we recommend staying away from that subject during a job interview. You don’t want to tell a potential employer that you left your old job because you’re looking for a company that provides a more adequate work-life balance. Employers understand that, deep down, there is a desire for this balance among people in the workforce, so it’s better to not bring it up at all during your interview.

Even if the company you’re interviewing for takes care of their employees through a good work-life balance, great culture, and great...

How LinkedIn Can Give You an Advantage

Today, I would like to emphasize how crucial your LinkedIn profile can be. Make sure your profile is updated and has a great photo of yourself. An updated profile has your career timeline, accomplishments, and scope of responsibility up to date. You can think of LinkedIn as your resume available to the public.

We had an experience at Riderflex where it was our job to present a CEO candidate to a company. This candidate checked the boxes when it came to his personality, skillset, and fit for the company. However, before looking at the portfolio we had sent him, the hiring manager saw the poor quality LinkedIn page and was already hesitant about the candidate before even meeting him. This goes to show how important your...