Karen Friel’s Post

I am: ❌I am a candidate who needed to take time off after a car accident, needed multiple surgeries. I needed that time to heal physically and mentally. ❌ I am a candidate who applied to over 100+ jobs (no exaggeration) and only landed 5 interviews, and still looking for a job I deserve. Recruiters if you see a gap please pick up the phone to hear my story, don’t just reject me. My being out of work was due to things out of my control. Recruiters, please don’t pass on great talent just because there’s a gap on peoples resumes. There’s ALWAYS more to the story. Majority of the time (not always), it’s due to things out of our control.

Hiring? Look for these four standout qualities to find your next superstar: 🌟 Cultural Fit: Aligns with your company values 🧠 Problem-Solving Skills: Thinks on their feet 🔄 Adaptability: Thrives in changing environments 🗣️ Strong Communication: Clear and effective in their interactions Ready to find your perfect match? Read the blog to learn how to identify the best talent for your open roles.

CAREER SWITCHERS: Have you or (anyone you know) successfully transitioned away from the NHS and into a tech start-up? HIRING MANAGERS: Have you hired anyone from the NHS recently? Which transferable skills and experiences were most important to your organisation? I'd be curious to connect with anyone who has experience with the above.

Hiring? Look for these four standout qualities to find your next superstar: 🌟 Cultural Fit: Aligns with your company values 🧠 Problem-Solving Skills: Thinks on their feet 🔄 Adaptability: Thrives in changing environments 🗣️ Strong Communication: Clear and effective in their interactions Ready to find your perfect match? Read the blog to learn how to identify the best talent for your open roles.

Hiring? Look for these four standout qualities to find your next superstar: 🌟 Cultural Fit: Aligns with your company values 🧠 Problem-Solving Skills: Thinks on their feet 🔄 Adaptability: Thrives in changing environments 🗣️ Strong Communication: Clear and effective in their interactions Ready to find your perfect match? Read the blog to learn how to identify the best talent for your open roles.

Hiring? Look for these four standout qualities to find your next superstar: 🌟 Cultural Fit: Aligns with your company values 🧠 Problem-Solving Skills: Thinks on their feet 🔄 Adaptability: Thrives in changing environments 🗣️ Strong Communication: Clear and effective in their interactions Ready to find your perfect match? Read the blog to learn how to identify the best talent for your open roles.

For me, one of the most enjoyable parts of building a company is finding & recruiting exceptional talent. Over the past fortnight I've conducted a large volume of interviews with talent from around the world. An interesting common thread has been individuals expressing that they've outgrown the technical competence of their organisation. Thanks to what we offer as an employer, these are exactly the type of individuals that we, as a highly-technical firm, love speaking with. The reality is, producing meaningful financial outcomes (at scale) is no easy task. It’s challenging work that demands technical excellence, diversity of thought, and remarkable collaboration. So if you're not enabling your people to advance their skills through perpetual training & development initiatives, You're going to lose your best to those that do. PS - I'm still actively interviewing for open Performance Marketer roles :-)

Evaluating technical skills in interviews isn't just about asking hard questions. It's about asking the right question for the role. There are a half dozen or more techniques that you can use to evaluate coding skills in candidates, and they all have pros and cons...well, they all have cons, and some have pros. Each technique needs to balance a bunch of different things, like: → Candidate Experience and Time Commitment → Interviewer Time Commitment → Interviewer Expertise Needed → Cost of Implementation → Decision Confidence Figuring out how to create a great process that addresses all of those things can be difficult, especially when you're an already overworked engineering manager. If that's you, feel free to reach out about how I can use my engineering management expertise to help you create the best process for your open roles.

We move on Have you ever applied for this certain job that you were so sure of landing yourself the position? After very many back and forth conversations, emails, plus this one interview that assured you of this particular role, but alas! Comes a regret letter…I know the feeling right. How do you feel after getting that mail? yet your skills and experience matches the required ones? Discouraged, Frustrated..name them.…Right? Its okey to feel so, but don’t let it derail you, wake up, dust off and move on. To bounce back and land your dream role try this, it goes a long way. First… Breath in and out, take a day or two to process the rejection.   Then, review your application i.e., your resume, cover letter etc. This should be guided by the feedback you received if any. After this refine your approach, apply for more and more open positions, stay positive and proactive as you remain focused. At least this was my lesson

This book recommends defining trip wires in both your personal and business life. "Trip wires are forms of pre-commitment --- you commit yourself in advance to a course of action when certain conditions arise." For example, now that my wife is in a memory care facility, I have written down a pre-decided list of three conditions that will trigger me to sell my house and move into an age 55+senior independent apartment. Wise Mt. Everest climbers decide before starting how much oxygen must be in their tanks at the final leg of the climb. If oxygen tanks are lower than the trip wire, they turnaround. Do you use trip wires? Do you have pre-defined "trip wires" for a new product launch or for job requirements of an open position?