Generator Group - Talent Management and Recruiting

Generator Group Launches Third Annual Talent Acquisition Trends Surveys

Generator Group is seeking participants in the firm’s Third Annual Talent Acquisition Trends Survey.  Each year, we provide the industries we serve with with a benchmarking report of talent acquisition trends to support the planning of their talent strategies.

This year’s survey covers a range of topics including:

• How is the economy impacting the acquisition and retention of quality talent?
• What are the toughest industry jobs to fill?
• How are industry companies implementing talent management methods?

Participants will receive a complimentary copy of the survey results. 

Consumer products companies can share their feedback at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=Ibv1Bvgeeb2BGceYfm0FuA_3d_3d

Technology companies can share their feedback at:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=2zWbdbopVa6KWu6qoRF8yg_3d_3d

 

Generator Group is Moving!

Generator Group is moving effective Friday, June 5.  Our new address is:

Generator Group LLC

17933 NW Evergreen Parkway, Suite 121

Beaverton OR 97006

We are looking forward to the new facilities.  Our new office will provide us with the ability to deliver training online, enhancing our delivery of Talent Management services to our clients.

 

Make better hiring decisions in 30 minutes

Yes, there are a lot of jobseekers out there.  What hiring managers need to remember is resumes do not equal candidates.  With more people on the market, it becomes easier to make a mistake in filtering out resumes that are not a fit...or even worse, missing out on a great candidate.

We advocate and use a structured selection process to improve hiring accuracy and find the best fit.  On our recent webinar, "Selecting for Success," we shared concepts, tips and examples.  If you want to learn more about making better hiring decisions, you can view the webinar at http://twurl.nl/ib2c4i.

Generator Group Selected for Diversity Leadership Recruiting Study

Generator Group has been chosen by the National Academy of Science’s Transportation Research Board to research and develop a practical guide for recruiting minorities for Chief Executive Officer positions at public transportation agencies.  “Generator Group was selected because of their balance of public transit industry knowledge and their private sector experience as it relates to recruitment and the selection of executives,” said Gordon Linton, Panel Chairman and former Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration.  

 

“While the industry has made strides since the founding of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials (COMTO) in 1971, the playing field is still not close to being level, especially as it pertains to the recruitment of minority CEOs for transit agencies.  This study is essential to putting current recruitment practices under necessary examination, as well as substantiating a call for change,” said Julie A. Cunningham, President & CEO of COMTO – the organization responsible for submitting this problem statement to the Transportation Research Board.  “The transit industry has made significant strides in becoming more inclusive in supervisory and management positions, including senior level positions.  This project offers a terrific opportunity to establish concrete strategies to ensure that the ranks of transit CEOs achieve the same level of success in diversity and inclusion,” said Colleen Sexton, Human Resources Director of TriMet.  “The selection of Generator Group to lead this project gives me confidence that the end product will be high calibre, meaningful, and usable.   Most importantly, because of their involvement and expertise, ‘the toolkit’ will not just change the look of the CEO, but will lead to industry innovation and the strengthening of leadership in public transportation.”

 

As the firm selected for this research project, Generator group will be responsible for:

• Assessing the transit industry’s recruitment processes for CEOs
• Developing a business case for hiring minorities in public transportation leadership positions
• Developing strategies to recruit, develop and retain minorities for CEO positions
• Developing a practical recruitment guide to assist government boards of public transportation agencies and executive recruiters in the recruitment of minority CEOs

“We are proud and excited to be selected to carry out this research to bridge the gap of minorities in executive level positions at public transit agencies. We believe this project will result in the creation of a new 21st century leadership model to improve diversity and inclusion at the executive level,” said Enrique Washington, CEO of Generator Group.

Anyone interested in participating in the study may view the research overview document on the Resources page of the Generator Group website, www.generatorgroup.net, or may contact Enrique at Enrique@generatorgroup.net.

Generator Group to Host Free Webinar on Selecting Successful Hires

Generator Group announces the second in a series of webinars developed to assist companies in managing talent through tough economic times.  The series, “Dealing with Today While Preparing for Tomorrow,” provides insight and expertise to executives on focusing existing resources as efficiently as possible to maintain their competitive position today while also planning for better economic times in the future. 

 

The second webinar, titled “Selecting for Success,” will show companies how to:

• Define performance through job analysis and competency modeling

• Design a multiple hurdle hiring process for any level position

• Evaluate, select and use staffing assessments to predict a successful hire

The complimentary webinar will be held on Thursday, May 7, 2009 from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm PST.  Interested attendees may register at http://tinyurl.com/selecting4success or contact Candie Fisher, Director of Client Development, at candie@generatorgroup.net for more information.

The webinar is designed for executives, directors and HR professionals and will be presented by Enrique Washington, Generator Group CEO, and Kevin Servino, Executive Recruiter at Generator Group.

Shifting Innovation into High Gear

By Roy Notowitz

On my short 3.5 mile drive to work the other day, I saw almost a dozen Toyota Prius hybrids! Aside from feeling like a gas guzzler in my 21MPG wagon, I thought that it was a really interesting sign of the times. I hate to label, but I was thinking that the Prius Hybrid may become a new “character symbol” for reformed BMW driving yuppies.

Part of my job at Generator Group is to stay ahead of client needs from a human capital perspective. As a result of my astute (ok “simple” is more accurate) observations, I started thinking about how break through innovation will be required to meet consumer demand for energy saving technology, cleaner energy sources, and greener products. A lot of people are buying the Prius today because Toyota invested heavily to create the breakthrough innovations in the mid 1990's. As further evidence of this trend, we have definitely seen our clients making larger investments in building their product innovation capabilities.

For companies that are already known for innovation, the shift into high gear will be fairly easy. For other companies that have not ever been in a product leadership position, the transition will be a much harder one to make. The bottom line is that creating more of the same products will not excite customers, build brand equity, or maintain brand loyalty.

What are some other reasons for innovation?
• To improve productivity
• To improve customer service
• To increase employee and customer retention
• To gain market share
• To save money
• To meet the expectations of a demanding market

It is becoming clear that now (more than ever before) is the time for companies to invest in getting the best and the brightest scientists, researchers, developers, and designers.

What are the current challenges in hiring top innovators?
• The “best of the best” in innovation and product development are always sought after and well retained by the companies that benefit from their expertise.
• While there are a lot of jobseekers, the job market generally floods from the bottom up. This means that while there may be "diamonds in the rough", there is also a greater potential for making a hiring mistake. Losing a year of progress and the costs associated with a mishire would be astronomical.  
• Innovation initiatives typically require a very specific technical skill set as well as strategic leadership competencies to drive product vision.

How can Generator Group help?
If nothing else, getting these hires right the first time will be critical to success. Relying on a firm (like Generator Group) with established relationships and a thorough selection process can help to ensure that these critical hires have the competencies needed to make the innovation leap.

 

Generator Group Co-Hosts Outdoor Industry Event and Supports Planet Access and Leave No Trace

Executives from over forty outdoor companies gathered together during the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2009 to share stories and support Leave No Trace.  Generator Group, together with Perkins Coie, Silver Steep Partners, and Brentwood Associates, hosted a reception and dinner for industry leaders at the Grand America Hotel.

During the reception, the hosts sponsored a drawing for a chance to donate $1,500 to the charity of the winner’s choice.  The winning attendee was Jolie Geise, General Manager of Nau. Jolie selected Planet Access Company as her charity and asked that the $1,500 donation be made on behalf on Nau and Horny Toad.  Planet Access is a social-purpose company offering third-party logistics services to entrepreneurs as well as employment training and paid work opportunities to people with developmental disabilities.  http://www.hornytoad.com/toad/do-the-right-thing/planet-access-company.html

In addition to the donation, each attendee was registered as a member of Leave No Trace, a worldwide conservation group.  Leave No Trace encourages responsible enjoyment and active stewardship of the outdoors by all people worldwide. www.lnt.org

Generator Group would like to extend a special thanks to Perkins Coie, Silver Steep Partners, and Brentwood Associates. Without them the event would not be possible.  This year, the event was the largest to date and marked the third year of the program. We look forward to continuing the partnership and tradition of co-hosting a forum for outdoor industry leaders to connect in support of important organizations like Planet Access and Leave No Trace.

Competency Certification Workshop Offered (Portland, OR)

For Recruiting and HR Professionals

Generator Group and Intelesoft Technologies are co-sponsoring a one day workshop on January 16, 2009 for certified coaches, recruiters and/or HR professionals interested in becoming certified in the OSI Polaris Competency Model and 360 Survey process for developmental feedback and coaching.

Organization Systems International (OSI) has been providing management and organizational development services and products to an international client base for over 20 years.  Headquartered in San Diego, California and staffed through a distributed network of seasoned consultants, OSI has distinguished itself by providing a custom mix of science and art to furnish unique solutions for clients.  OSI’s core competence is a blend of industrial/organizational psychology and organizational development.  The OSI Polaris ® Competency Model is based on decades of competency research that has included thousands of interviews with top performers and can be used for selection, performance management, and coaching.

What You Will Learn:
• About the competency construct, the need for competencies and the competency modeling history that led to the production of the Polaris®  Competency Card Set
• To understand the taxonomy and use of the Polaris®   Competency Model and individual competencies
• To understand the construction, psychometrics, and developmental use of the Polaris®  360 Degree Survey in diagnosing leadership and management competence 
• To understand, analyze, and make developmental and career recommendations based on the Polaris® 360 Degree Feedback Report

What You Will Walk Away With:  
• Certification to use the Polaris® 360 Degree Survey for developmental purposes
• Your own Polaris® 360 Degree Feedback Report
• Polaris®  Version 3.0 Competency Card Set
• Polaris®  Version 3.0 Competency Development Guide
• Understanding of other Polaris applications; Competency Based Selection, Mentor Program, Assessment Centers, Virtual Coaching, and Performance Management Software
• Binder with all supporting materials.

Workshop Cost:

$495 per participant includes a Polaris^® 360 Degree Survey, Polaris^® Version 3.0 Competency Card Set, Polaris^®   Version 3.0 Competency Development Guide and all supporting materials.   The workshop will include coffee and a light pastry breakfast. 

 

10% discount to:
1. PHRMA members
2. Current Clients of Intelesoft Technologies
3. Current Clients of Generator Group

 

To Register:

Please contact Enrique Washington at Generator Group at: enrique@generatorgroup.net Phone: (503) 542-4571 or Suzi Chan at Intelesoft Technologies at: schan@intelesoftech.com Phone: (503) 706-2173.

It is required that participants complete the Polaris^® 360 survey prior to the workshop. The survey process typically requires a lead time to ensure an adequate response rate.  Seating for this workshop is limited, so please register as early as possible to secure your spot. The deadline for registration is January 2, 2009.

Seating for this workshop is limited to 19 people, so please register as early as possible to secure your spot. The deadline for registration is January 2, 2009. 

Software Development Manager (Seattle, WA)

Our client is looking to take their website to the next level and revolutionize the way that people shop online. As a Software Development Manager in the Site Development team, you will lead a small group of software developers in the development of the next generation technology. You will work at a variety of software layers (Template, Service, Database) and come in to contact with a variety of different technologies (Javascript, JSP, Java, SQL) to develop an outstanding customer experience. 50% of your time will be hands on coding. 50% of your time will be in the management of other team members and the development of architectural and design standards.

Qualifications: 
• Bachelors degree in Computer Science or equivalent
• A minimum of seven years of active software development
•  Mastery of the tools of the trade, including a variety of modern website development technologies (HTML, JavaScript, CSS, JSON, AJAX) and Spring.
• Significant database development experience
• Strong communication skills; must be able to work effectively on a small team
• Strong leadership skills. Proven track record of managing and mentoring developers.
• Strong web development skills. Proven understanding of the intricacies of managing the technical and operational challenges of a large website.
• Strong technical judgment. Proven track record of developing in a Java / SQL environment. Proven ability to make architectural tradeoffs.

<Apply Online>

Job Search: Women's Footwear Designer (Portland, OR)

Our client builds premium footwear using the highest quality materials that are crafted into functional and incredibly comfortable designs all while leaving the smallest footprint possible on the planet.
 
Qualifications: 
• 4 year college degree in product design preferred; 3-5 years of footwear design experience a must
• Ability to create innovative design solutions consistent with brand strategy
• Understanding of taste preferences for female consumer base
• Knowledge of footwear materials beautiful, and functional requirements
• Portfolio required upon request

<<Apply Online>>