Uncategorized
4 Types of Company Culture
By Celeste Gable, Marketing Coordinator
There are many benefits to culture in business. Apart from creating higher revenue, culture can also improve teamwork and cooperation between employees. Not only is a strong company culture the foundation for retention, but it can help attract candidates as well. According to a statistic from Team Stage, 86% of job seekers avoid companies with a bad reputation. Below, we will breakdown the top 4 company cultures to help you identify your organizational structure.
Clan
Clan culture is a people-focused, “family-like,” collaborative environment. Companies who have a clan culture are action-oriented, embrace change, and have a flexible mindset. Leadership are advisors and mentorship opportunities are encouraged. In clan culture, relationships, participation, and company morale is at the forefront.
Adhocracy
Companies who have an adhocratic culture are innovators and risk-takers. Adhocratic culture creates an entrepreneurial environment for creative, energetic, fast-paced individuals. These companies are goal-oriented and visionaries with an emphasis on new ideas and individuality.
Market
If your company has a “winning” mindset, they probably operate under market culture. This high-pressure environment is focused on profitability and the “bottom line.” Companies with market culture are results-oriented, competitive, and have a growth mindset. Their success comes from their aggressive goals to be industry leaders.
Hierarchy
When you think of “corporate culture,” you’re thinking of hierarchy culture. This culture is structured, organized, and operates under a strategic set of procedures and policies. Within hierarchy culture, there is a clear chain of command and a vertical career advancement. Hierarchy culture is stable and reliable and employees who operate under this culture have a sense of security as expectations and working conditions are predictable in this traditional culture.
Culture has become an important topic for businesses. Company culture can be a valuable asset for both executives and their employees. Having a strong and positive culture attracts high-caliber employees and leads to a 33% revenue increase. Companies with strong cultures are associated with increased productivity, better employee engagement, and higher profitability. There are many more types of company cultures and neither of them are alike. Organizations who are building a strong culture at the forefront of their success plans may find that combining aspects may work best for their growth initiatives.
What Employers Want from Remote Employees
By Celeste Gable, Marketing Coordinator
Nowadays, many companies operate with a hybrid structure. While they may have an office where employees can go to work, there’s also an option to work remotely. According to a statistic from Owl Labs, 62% of employees aged 22 to 65 say they work remotely. When hiring for remote roles, your ideal candidate should demonstrate a variety of characteristics that indicate their suitability for the position. Below are traits you should look for in your remote employees.
Motivated & Confident
When working remotely, one must be self-motivated. It’s the employee's responsibility to make sure they are staying on task and getting things done. You’re looking for a self-starter. Someone who sets goals and follows through. The remote employee must be able to move forward without someone looking over their shoulder. With that comes self-confidence and the initiative to meet the role-specific goals and company deadlines without constant confirmation.
Communicative & Collaborative
Since you don’t share a physical space, strong communication skills are a must have in your remote employees. Through either synchronous or asynchronous communication, you may be collaborating through email or text, so having a remote employee with strong written skills is important since there is no context for body language and tone. When managing a remote employee its important to have frequent updates and check-ins to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Adaptable & Organized
Part of working remotely requires the employee to be independently organized. The ideal candidate will have strong attention to detail and time management skills. This will help them to adapt to any situation. The ultimate remote employee will be resourceful and adaptable. They will have a flexible mindset and problem-solving attitude.
Since 2009, the number of people who work from home has risen 159% and it continues to rise. Due to fast advancements in technology and the increased value on flexible work, remote work seems to be a permanent fixture of today’s workplace. Although a few hiring managers may have doubts about remote work, 85% believe that hybrid teams of remote and in-office employees will be the norm in the future.
Returning to Work After Parental Leave
April 28, 2022
By Christy Pashkovskiy, Director of Marketing
Returning to work after an extended leave can be a tough process. Those with the luxury of family leave time after the birth or adoption of a child may be out of the office and out of their work routine for months, so the transition back can be intimidating. With preparation and managing expectations with yourself, your supervisor and your team, returning to work can be a manageable and even rewarding experience.
Below we have outlined helpful tips for employees to make a happy, productive, and successful return to work after leave, as well as best practices for companies to assist employees in the transition back.
Employee Return to Work Basics
Start planning for your return to work at the end of your leave. While it may seem daunting, preparation is key to a smooth transition back to work. Below are six things to do before your first day back.
- Reach out to your HR department. In some situations, there may be paperwork to fill out, the need for a healthcare provider sign-off, and confirmation of the date you are starting back. Discuss any questions and/or concerns you have with your HR manager.
- Call your immediate supervisor. Instead of waiting until your first day back, give your boss a quick call to communicate when you will be returning, and share any changes to your schedule that may need addressed.
- Get in touch with members of your team. To ease yourself back into the work culture, have a few conversations with co-workers to catch up on current projects and any major changes that may have happened since you have been gone.
- Lock in your childcare plans. An obvious, but sometimes difficult task, deciding on the right care for your child may be one of the most important things to figure out before your return to work. Be sure to test out your options and line up back up plans. You also may need to write out important contact info for the childcare provider, and details about your child that are necessary to know (such as sleep and eating routines, allergies, etc.).
- Develop a plan for pumping if needed. Those who breastfeed may need to put together a plan and schedule to do so. Important points to cover with your employer are scheduled pump breaks and a private space to pump. If this applies to you, organize your intended process and make sure that you have a bag for your pump, storage for milk, water and brainstorm snacks to take into work.
- Go through a practice run. Maintaining a routine will help both you and your child to adjust to your return to work. Going through your new process as a trial run will give you the time to work out anything unexpected and help you develop the right routine for your family. Think about things like dinner prep and your personal work wardrobe. Anything that can be simplified will help you in the long run.
Employee Mental Health
Anyone who has gone on parental leave and returned to work will tell you that it has its challenges. Some adapt easier than others but being in a good mental state and getting the help you need to accomplish that is important for you to put your best foot forward.
- Manage expectations with your employer. Have a discussion with your boss and ask for flexibility if needed whether you need to work different hours, consider part-time or a different flexible arrangement.
- Reach out to others who are going or have gone through the same situation. Friends or co-workers who have also gone on leave and returned to work can be a great support system and offer helpful advice in successfully returning.
- Make time for yourself. If you are emotionally drained, returning to work will be even more challenging. Try to get rest when you can and take time to do something fun for yourself periodically, even if it is something small.
- Expect change. You may feel a range of emotions as you transition back to work. Give yourself grace and know that it may not feel the same as it did before. You will create new routines and habits that work best for you and your family.
Employer Best Practices
As outlined above, returning employees have likely been out of work long enough to have significant obstacles and challenges to overcome in their return. To ease the stress and have a better chance of retaining these employees, there are various steps employers can take to make their return to work a better process.
- Offer substantial leave. While there are numerous caveats surrounding parental leave, companies who offer an attractive leave policy have a better chance of retaining high-performing employees. A paid leave policy with plenty of time off is a great way to stand out among your competition as an employer.
- Communicate. Although people who are on leave may be busy with a new child, it is important for employers to check in periodically throughout leave to understand how the employee is feeling and where they are mentally. This communication should continue and increase as the return-to-work date gets closer. Even a running document of updates, new projects, team wins, and more is helpful to put together for a returning employee.
- Offer flexibility for those returning to work. As mentioned above, employees may be more comfortable with a flexible schedule, remote work or other work arrangements upon going back to work. Some companies even build in a transition period with returning employees working part-time for a number of weeks before going back to full-time. Employers who are understanding of new circumstances for their employees and build in flexibility will reap the benefits when it comes to retention and employee engagement.
- Encourage support and community. Many employees will go through a leave time period and return to work at some point in their careers. Employers can help to set up sharing groups between these employees to help them overcome challenges, exchange advice and have discussions.
Parental leave is an important topic to consider for employees at their current organization, those searching for new roles, and the employers themselves. With time and thought, the return-to-work process can be successful for both the employee and employer.
#BreakTheBias this International Women’s Day
March 8, 2022
By Celeste Gable, Marketing Coordinator
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary definition, bias is “an inclination of temperament or outlook especially a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment.” Biases, even those unconsciously promoted, are hurtful to the marginalized community that the bias represents. This International Women’s Day, #BreakTheBias invites society to stand up against judgments and stereotypes and celebrate a world of gender equality where being different is valued.
In a perfect world, once industries achieve gender balance, bias will decrease and gender gaps will close but it’s not that simple. Women account for 47.7% of the global workforce but only 27.1% of women hold leadership roles. Despite the fact that women score higher than men on 17 of the 19 most important leadership skills, according to a survey from Harvard Business Review. People tend to think that having more women present is all that’s needed to promote change, but traditional organizational structures and systems need to change to benefit everyone. Below are 3 ways to combat workplace bias to create a more inclusive company culture.
Turn the Unconscious into Conscious
Biases are so ingrained in our society and culture that many people don’t realize they are contributing to harmful stereotypes. The first step is to make people aware of how what they are saying or doing is harmful to the subject. While sometimes uncomfortable, this is an important first step in rewriting the narrative to be more inclusive. By having these conversations, (yes more than one is necessary), you empower those around you to reflect on their thoughts and actions and actively work to be more inclusive to those around them.
Control How Others View You (And How You View Yourself)
As women, we can also promote stereotypes by feeding into narratives about women in the workplace. We must combat these stereotypes with deliberate strategies to empower ourselves and others. It’s important to know your skill sets and boundaries. Knowing what you bring to the table and your self-worth can help to inspire confidence as a leader. That includes saying no. Many times, we are hesitant to say “No” due to our ingrained people-pleasing nature. To be recognized by the executive team, we overload ourselves with tasks and projects to equal or exceed our male counterparts’ contributions.
This can lead to burnout and mental health issues. According to a 2021 statistic from McKinsey, 42% of US female workers suffer from burnout, compared to only 35% of their male coworkers. Overall, burnout statistics and the rise of chronic mental illness has only intensified due to the idea of “always on” culture promoted and strengthened by the pandemic and remote working.
Find Allies and Be an Ally
Friends and mentors are important for everyone but especially for women in the workplace. Align yourself with like-minded individuals with similar goals to dismantle exclusive systems. McKinsey states that “women are twice as likely to do DE&I work, especially surrounding recruitment, and more likely to be allies to women of color compared to men.” Today, it is extremely important for people in leadership positions to inspire, mentor, and support those not in positions of power to create a more equitable and inclusive workplace culture.
Cherie Shepard, Partner and Founder of DRI’s Women’s Group shares why it’s so important to have a group dedicated to the empowerment of women.
"In conversations with the women in our organization, they share their gratitude and appreciation for having a Women's Group. It allows them to create and cultivate relationships with the women of Direct Recruiters – regardless of industry or station. The times we set aside throughout the year for our meetings and activities allow us to bond as a team, especially with a hybrid and remote workforce. This is a reminder that we are together; working to raise one another up and share in each other's successes and life events. These are the touchstones we have to remind one another that we are here for each other.”
In the end, dismantling these systems that no longer service the modern workplace is a job for men and women alike. Confront your biases, include women and POC in conversations, and work towards a common goal to create a more diverse and equitable corporate culture. This International Women’s Day, I urge you to reflect on your thoughts and actions and actively make a change to #BreakTheBias.
Best Practices for Quitting a Job You Just Started
December 16, 2021
By Celeste Gable, Marketing Coordinator
Starting a new job can create mixed emotions. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed with feelings of excitement and anxiety but what happens when the excitement fades and the anxiety remains? Admitting you made the wrong choice in choosing to accept a job can be scary and finding out the job doesn’t meet your expectations can be disappointing. Before beginning the job resignation process, reflect and make sure that there are no other options. In the end, you have to move forward. Here’s how to diffuse the situation in the best way possible
Resign In Person… but also In Writing
You will need to draft a resignation letter when quitting your job for it to be considered official. When writing your resignation letter, make sure to use professional language. If you include a reason, make sure it acceptable. You should avoid criticizing comments about the company or coworkers. It is standard to give at least two weeks’ notice, however it is recommended to render a month of service before the resignation date to give your employer time to find a suitable replacement.
Have an Action Plan
Leaving a job after only a few months is tricky but sometimes it’s the best option. Make sure you have a plan in place that reflects the reality of starting the job search over. While two weeks is considered standard, a company is not obligated to keep you on or pay your notice after a short tenure. Make sure your prepared to potentially lose your income on the day of resignation.
Honesty is the Best Policy
An exit interview is standard for any resignations. These are designed to help your employer understand what happened so they can improve in the future. Be honest with your employer in a professional and respectful manner. Many times, people may choose to leave a job due to office environment, management team, or job tasks not being what was promised. Be prepared to explain why you’re leaving and offer any feedback to assist the company in the future.
Whether you have plans to stay within in the same industry or not, it’s best to avoid burning bridges. Finish the time at your job with a positive and professional attitude. Sometimes the jobs we end up with don’t meet expectations or sometimes it isn’t a good fit. It’s not illegal to quit this quickly so when you find yourself resenting your current position, its best to get back out there and keep looking. For both employer and employee, it’s better to cut the relationship off soon after discovering that it just doesn’t work.
7 Things to Leave Off Your Resume in 2021
October 21, 2021
By Celeste Gable, Marketing Coordinator
Job seekers often do themselves a disservice when they send out resumes that include unrelated or confusing information. Hiring Managers don’t have the time or patience to sort through resumes having too much or inaccurate info. Just stick to the basics and make sure you leave off these 7 things on your resume:
Irrelevant Hobbies and Interests: Love camping? Hiking? Fishing? Great, but unless the job you’re applying for is to be a park ranger, most hiring managers aren’t interested in how you spend you free time. When including hobbies on your resume, make sure its relevant to the industry you’re applying for.
Too Many Soft Skills: Soft skills are a good thing, to a certain extent, but too many can cause the candidate to lose credibility. Including both hard and soft skills demonstrate tangible and intangible traits that can help the hiring manger or recruiter understand your work ethic. When including soft skills, make sure they’re demonstrated and not just stated.
Headshot: There’s no reason to include a headshot on your resume. Some hiring managers even find it to be unprofessional. Instead, include your LinkedIn URL or a QR Code to your portfolio. Here you may have a picture of yourself.
Personal Pronouns: When writing your resume, try to leave out personal pronouns like “I,”, “me,”, and “we.”. It’s your resume so it’s implied that everything is about you.
The Wrong Kind of Email: Including your email is important when filling our contact information on your resume but using your personal email can be tricky. Its best to have a professional, simple email, that is easily associated with your name. Stay away from casual email addresses like soccerchick85@hotmail.com that can be seen as inappropriate to unprofessional.
Your Mailing Address: Including your mailing address used to be standard practice. Now, it's unnecessary information. If you’re applying for out-of-state jobs and looking to relocate, it might be best to leave out because some employers only want to consider local candidates. Instead indicate your plans of relocation within your contact information.
Job Positions Older than 10-15 years: Unless you’re a recent graduate or a senior executive, you should include no more than 4 or 5 positions that span more than 10-15 years. The older the position, the less likely the hiring manager will care about it. Instead of filling your resumes with dozens of outdated, irrelevant positions, use that space to detail your most recent positions. Quality over quantity.
When applying for positions, its best to tailor your resume to reflect the advertised role. If you’re applying for a tech-based job, it might be better to emphasize your skills with data learning programs. If applying for a communications role, highlight your soft skills and accomplishments. Writing a resume can be difficult when choosing what to include or not include, but use your best judgment. Quality over quantity wins every time.
Graduated and Jobless: What Now?
September 30, 2021
By Celeste Gable, Marketing Coordinator
The class of 2020 graduates entered a very different economic future than their predecessors the year before. The recession caused by a pandemic has been especially hard on young workers. Well over a year past their graduation and 45% of the class of 2020 are still looking for work, according to a survey conducted by Monster. The challenges of a pandemic economy are evident in the labor market outcomes for these 2020 college graduates.
What’s the best way for grads to get back in the game?
Keep resume fresh and fine-tuned. Make sure you are presenting the latest and most compelling information to employers. Ask friends and mentors to critique your resume and cover letter and provide feedback. Use the gap between graduation and full-time employment to learn a new skill or volunteer your time.
Contact your college career office. Set up a meeting to explore options and make sure that you have tapped into all the resources available. Most offices have a roster of available jobs and internships. Online job posting sites like Handshake, LinkedIn, and Indeed are good resources too.
Ask employed friends to help you. Perhaps you have a friend or two in your field that would be willing to speak with their own company hiring officials about any upcoming hiring needs. Turnover is at an all-time high, so companies are hiring at increased rates. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
Network, network, network. It is absolutely true that most graduates who find work after they have left campus do so through some form of networking. Ask your career office and/or alumni office for a list of contacts in geographic and industry sectors of interest. Follow and connect with relevant experts on LinkedIn. In addition, contact relatives. Everyone knows someone.
Have a strong online presence. Make sure you’re LinkedIn profile is complete and up to date. Use your online presence to attract hiring managers and recruiters. Join groups for your college and career fields of interest. Reach out to fellow group members for informational interviews. Nowadays, most companies advertise their open jobs on their social platforms. Make sure you are following them for all their updates.
Consider temporary employment jobs, entry level positions and internships. Once your foot is in the door of a company, meet as many of the staff as you can and try to make a favorable impression. You never know where this could lead.
If you’re about to graduate or a recent grad, share your story on social media. Tag us! @Directrecruiters on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram and @dri_inc on Twitter!
Intern Spotlight: Danny Myeroff, Zack Olgin, and Jared Rosner
Over the years, Direct Recruiters has had the privilege of hiring several talented interns over the years. This year was no different, as we welcomed three interns to our team this summer. As a relationship-focused search firm, we serve over 30 different industries connecting qualified candidates to our diverse and well-established client list. Since we provide service for a variety of industries and companies, each intern has a different experience. We asked our 2021 Summer interns to share about their internship at DRI below.
Danny Myeroff 
“I’m Danny Myeroff and I attend Miami University of Ohio. I am pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Finance and Marketing. This is my third summer interning with DRI, as an Executive Search intern for the Robotics team. This has been the biggest and busiest summer for me. I’ve really felt more like an actual recruiter versus an intern. I was able to get on the phones more, help with more searches, and work with different industries. My favorite thing about DRI is playing basketball with the team during lunch. It’s always a good way to break up the day and get out of your head. I love the camaraderie we have as a group. Through working with the Industrial Group, I’ve learned so much about robotics and automation. I’ve also learned a lot of strong sales skills. However, the biggest takeaway has been learning how to network with people, especially those more experienced, smarter and more skilled than myself. In addition, learning to take the “No’s” of recruiting and not let that stop me from trying. Recruiting has helped me become a better salesperson, public speaker, and team player. Upon my graduation, I hope to return to Direct Recruiters as a full-time employee.”
Zack Olgin 
“My name is Zack Olgin. I am a communications student at the University of Cincinnati. This is my first full summer with DRI. I spent my summer working with the Healthcare IT team as an Executive Search Recruiter. It was a pleasure to work with this team of highly skilled individuals. As a recruiter, I loved being able to form new relationships with Candidates over the phone. Through working with my colleagues and potential candidates, I was really able to hone my networking and communication skills. These skills are beneficial for anyone regardless of career choice. I definitely feel like this has opened my eyes to all of the great things that DRI has to offer.”
Jared Rosner 
“I’m Jared Rosner, a senior at Miami University of Ohio, studying Emerging Technology in Business and Design. This summer, I worked with Leo Golubitsky and Aaron Kutz doing everything from sourcing and calling candidates to marketing via LinkedIn posts, flyers and sending out email blasts. My favorite thing I’ve done is getting on the phones and talking with people, as I can tell how much I improved upon this even over such a short period of time. I learned a ton about the recruiting process from start to finish, and all the detail that goes into finding the right candidate to go through the interview process with a client. Learning and gaining experience cold calling people helped my communication skills tremendously. Understanding how to improvise on the fly when things didn’t go as planned is a skill, I used a lot that will be utilized throughout the rest of my life. I also improved my ability to actively listen, which is obviously vital when talking to someone, whether recruiting or not. This internship has allowed me to experience being in an office setting for the first time, seeing all the different parts that make a business successful. It was also great getting to learn about how important culture is to a company, something DRI takes very seriously. From playing basketball every week to going to Top Golf and the Indians game among other activities, it’s clear to see how much of a positive impact all the effort into having a good culture has had for the success of the company.”
