Josh McCormack and His Journey into Recruitment
Hello, my name is Josh McCormack! I graduated college with a Business Administration degree, and what was available to me at the time was a Recruiter position with my current company, ITS. You know what they say: Once a recruiter, always a recruiter. I never looked back… It's been a rewarding path that continually challenges and excites me.
Balancing Work and Play
I have four boys, so my free time is limited. But when I'm not enjoying time with my family, I can be found indulging in my hobbies—playing guitar, weightlifting, reading, and generally goofing off as much as I can. It's all about balancing responsibilities with moments of fun.
What Makes a Standout Candidate
In recruitment, it's not just about what's on paper. Essential qualities of a candidate are strong motivation to make a change from their current role (if they are currently working) and the ability to articulate their experience relevant to the job description. I find that if these two are paired together, the candidate has a much higher likelihood of getting an offer. Resumes are like a highlight film, and if I can't find the substance behind some of the experience or have to dig into it to find some coherent motivation, I'm not as excited about the candidate. Learning to say "no" is a strong and valuable ability in talent acquisition.
What I Value in a Client
When it comes to clients, their engagement is everything. The client's specific job or qualifications are less relevant to me than the client's willingness to participate in the process. Thorough intake calls and feedback on submitted candidates in 48 hours are critical. I can find a client their 'purple squirrel,' but we won't be as successful without timely interviewing and feedback. The candidate's interview experience is paramount to their willingness to accept an offer, especially when they have multiple options. Educating clients on the urgency of interviewing and hiring in this candidate market is crucial to a successful partnership.
Staying Informed on Industry Trends
The recruitment industry is constantly evolving, especially with the rapid advancements in technology, so I am most concerned with keeping up with the changing ways technology enables candidate sourcing and interaction. There are so many tools on the market today that one can get overwhelmed. Am I using the best sourcing tools? Once I find a candidate, are my candidate engagement efforts as effective as they can be? There are so many free webinars and industry leaders putting out content; it can also be overwhelming to determine who/where to spend your time while staying on top of evolving technology/tactics. I am a bit old-school so I tend to gravitate towards industry leaders who preach picking up the phone, and using candidate cold-calls in perpetuity with other tools like text, email, social media messages, and AI for helping with search strings.
Finding the Right Cultural Fit
Understanding a company's culture is essential to finding the right talent. This is where that client engagement piece I wrote about earlier comes into play. The more time you can spend in front of the client, asking the right questions and being curious about their culture, challenges, and process, the better your chances of identifying good cultural fits are. Sometimes, the skillset is so niche, or candidate availability so tight that culture gets put on the backburner. However, if you can clearly articulate back to the client what a good culture fit for their company is, and they are assured you are checking that box, you will likely have a great repeat customer in this business.
ITS's Competitive Edge
What sets ITS apart from the competition is our deep understanding of each client's unique needs. Our clients consistently rate us as their top vendor because of this level of attention to detail when it comes to knowing what they need. Working in one Electrical Engineering position for one manufacturing company may necessitate a completely different process than for another. The goal is to foster a great understanding of the client's business, ask the right questions, and have a fantastic understanding of their needs before you conduct the search. A client's confidence that you know their business, understand their process, and are so in lock-step with them that you are asking and answering the right questions so they don't have to – is critical for success and repeat business.
Thriving at ITS
Working at ITS is fantastic because there is such a strong team of veteran recruiters here. I must be on my 'A' game daily to stay competitive. I liken it to playing a sport with other athletes who are as good or maybe a little bit better than you—your game tends to tick up a notch. Being part of ITS means constantly pushing myself to grow. The leadership here is excellent about equipping our staff with everything we need and continuously looking to improve our technical abilities to reach candidates and clients.
Final Thoughts
The current candidate market is a bit tight. However, recruiting is always challenging. If the candidate market isn't tight, companies have less of a need for our services, and we must be super dialed-in as recruiters to deliver a service that our clients cannot produce for themselves. I enjoy those challenges, whatever they may be, and ITS has been the best place for me to meet those challenges successfully.
Stay tuned for more engaging profiles and insights in our ongoing spotlight series. Whether you are a job seeker navigating this complex job market or an employer seeking top talent, this series aims to provide valuable information and highlight the experts who can help you achieve your goals.
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