“It’s all about who you know.” This saying is one I am sure you have heard at least once, and one that I am certain has been relevant to you at some point in your life! Whether it be your first job helping an Uncle’s friend’s, or you are becoming part of a business with a close friend; building relationships and reaching out to those you know can amount to endless opportunities. The Score this week will be an example from right here at MatchPoint, as to why building relationships and getting to know even your neighbors can pay off in countless ways.
MatchPoint Consulting Group’s core belief and foundation is built on relationships and being true partners to our clients. Our Account Managers and Sales Team do an excellent job of making sure our clients know they are our #1 priority. One of our most recent successes came in an abnormal fashion, but goes to show that without the relationship we have built with this client, this role would not have been noticed. After sharing an office building with a company several years ago, we now partner with them and help to fill their IT needs. One of our Account Managers, Heather, built a relationship with some of the employees in this company over the years with no expectation of anything in return; just a genuine friendship and relationship. After a few years of friendship, she and the company did realize there was an opportunity to work together!
A few months ago, while trying to fill a senior level role, our recruiting team identified a candidate that Heather felt would be an excellent culture fit in our partner’s company, even though the candidate was not technically qualified for the senior level position. After doing some research on the candidate’s web presence and having several conversations with him, Heather decided to reach out to our client, those she was closest with, and tell them about the candidate; emphasizing that he may lack the technical experience they need, but that he would fit into their cultural environment and was motivated to learn. After setting up an interview for them to meet with the candidate, the company loved him so much, they created a role for him. Heather used her knowledge of the company’s environment and the candidate’s willingness to learn from the lowest level and work his way up, to not only find our candidate a job but add a hard worker to a client we knew would thrive and provide value to our client. MatchPoint created a role for a great candidate and we were able to use our other resources to fill the original job.
This story speaks to the value of relationship building in the workforce. Getting to know the firms you work with can open the door to several opportunities and candidates you may have never known about. This relationship took several years to build and a lot of trust, on both ends, went into making this situation work out in the long run. There are valuable lessons in each business experience that teach us how to better ourselves. Some experiences will teach us what not to do, but that should never stop us from continuing to push ourselves, reaching out, and taking the extra step to grow your brand.
An underlying theme this situation brings up is creating your own luck. From a client perspective, it is extremely helpful to know that your staffing firm is constantly looking out for the best interest of your company and trying to find people they think would be successful in your environment. The ability for a firm to identify a candidate and know exactly what company to introduce them to is the type of service we look to provide at MatchPoint, and it is how we ultimately want to be known. Clients and Partners working with us or any firm should feel comfortable with allowing Account Managers like Heather to constantly be searching for new, bright individuals who are willing to learn and understand the business, and make excellent additions to your office culture.
Another lesson hidden within this encounter is for candidates and job seekers. Our candidate was not the most qualified for the original role, but throughout the interview process he was honest in his skills and he was able to make such a great impression. The company recognized his potential and respected his work ethic and willingness to learn. This does not mean apply for jobs that you know nothing about or are completely unqualified for, but rather take a chance with something you are passionate about. Be willing to go the extra mile, be flexible, be humble, be willing and ready to learn and work harder than others competing for the role, and most importantly, always be yourself. This opportunity was created for our client because our candidate was himself and knew learning from the bottom was his greatest chance to succeed and his attitude and personality was the perfect fit. Starting at the bottom can be the most challenging aspect for some individuals but the willingness to grind, listening to the little tips and advice, and knowing your efforts will pay off in the end, is how you succeed and accomplish great things.
This example is one of many in which MatchPoint has identified a candidate for our client that may not have been completely qualified for a specific role or where a position was created for an excellent candidate. We have achieved these successes, because our clients have allowed us the time to really get to know them on a personal level and truly understand their culture and their technical environment. In the end it was the relationship, one that took a lot of effort and development over time with many different people to form the trust from our partners we can only be thankful for. MatchPoint Consulting Group is a firm in which you are cared for and respected at every level in our organization, and we extend the same to our clients and candidates.
You create your own luck. The steps are steep and require the hard work, determination, and trust to create the desired end goal, but with the right partner by your side, you too could be presented with a perfect fit.