In The News
February 21st, 2012 – TurningPoint Team Embraces Company Core Values
January 16th, 2012 – TurningPoint Executive Search completes record year, expands its recruiting practice
December 12th, 2011 – TurningPoint Executive Search forms partnership with The Chairmen’s Roundtable
October 13th, 2011 – Ken Schmitt invited to speak on a panel about the Hunt for Talent at the 2011 BioCom HR Conference
October 12th, 2011 – Ken Schmitt speaks to post-doctorate professionals at USC
October 11th, 2011 – Ken Schmitt and Brent Bonine launch new networking group to serve San Diego Sales Leaders
August 4th, 2011 – TurningPoint talks to recent grads about their job search
July 18th, 2011 – TurningPoint quoted in CNBC special report “Falling Down the Career Ladder”
April 10th, 2010 – TurningPoint Executive Search Launches new Division: StartingPoint Careers
June 2009 – TurningPoint President Shares His Expertise in LinkedIn and Networking with San Diego Community
November 17, 2008 – San Diego Business Journal – Executive Profile: Ken Schmitt
October 2008 – “TurningPoint Expands its Executive Search Practice– Offers Expertise in Sales & Marketing and Operations.”
August 15, 2008 – Ken Schmitt presents at Institute of Management Accountants Workshop
August 2008 – “Attracting the Best and the Brightest”
Ken Schmitt, President of TurningPoint, is quoted in recent bizSanDiego Magazine article (page 50)
June 2007 – TurningPoint Executive Search, Inc. celebrates its Grand Opening
Employees – Your Company’s Most Valuable Asset
by Susie S. Japs, Success Consultant & OD Strategist, WeJungo.com
Your company’s most valuable asset is ….Your People, Your Top Talent = Human Capital
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 500 largest US companies expect to lose 50 percent of their senior management in the next five years.
Attracting and retaining top talent can make a significant and immediate impact on your company’s organizational and financial performance. In this article we discuss how you can attract and retain your top talent. Who better to speak on this topic then the founder of Turning Point Executive Search Firm, Ken Schmitt. Ken has been placing mid and senior-level professionals for 13 years. A native of San Diego, Ken prides himself on approaching each engagement from a holistic perspective, taking into account his client’s tactical, strategic and cultural needs.
SUSIE: How can a company distinguish itself in a highly commoditized and competitive market?
KEN: Well there is a theme we use with our clients, we call it their “employment branding” – the brand of your company as an employer. In other words determine what you have to offer as a company, as an employer in order to attract and retain top talent?
To start ask yourself:
1. What kind of company are we? (defines culture)
2. Where can we find talent that is aligned with our employment brand?
SUSIE: How is retaining top talent connected to the beginning of the recruitment process?
KEN: One of the silver linings of this recession has been the creation of receptivity and willingness to network. Because of increased networking in the past few years, when top talent in your company leaves it will most likely become well known. There is no better way to attract great people than to keep your existing top talent.
Retaining talent is absolutely connected to the recruitment process and because of that I always recommend to my clients that they develop an employee referral program. The average number of interviews per hire is 15 to 18 when the candidate comes from an external source, and only 8 to 1 from an internal referral. Some social media sites are helping companies to take advantage of this trend. For example, companies can post open position on LinkedIn and then make an announcement to all employees and let them know. This new tool creates a general sense of internal collaboration by encouraging employees to make connections based on profiles that will be a good fit and it sets the expectation among your dept heads that they can and should help with recruiting.
By offering a small bonus of $250 or $500 for an employee referral your company can save a lot of time and money. And consider the fact that the tenure of employees who are hired through referrals is much greater than those hired through external sources. In my experience the highest degrees of quality and loyalty come from employee referrals.
SUSIE: Many companies do not have a handle on the actual reasons why employees stay, as well as the actual reasons why they depart. Do you have clients who are surprised when A players leave? KEN: For many of these companies the first time they are aware of the “issue” is when the exit interview occurs. In my experience it’s mostly because the employee was never given a formal review and there was limited manager-employee engagement. Employees need to believe in the vision, see the company’s strategic direction and know they have a part in the big picture. During this recession there seemed to be a lack of communication, fewer informal and formal performance reviews were given, and many companies were running in survival mode. Employee engagement was not even on their radar screen.
SUSIE: What is the main reason that top talent leaves an organization?
KEN: We hear from employed professionals all the time who are ready to make a change, and 9 times out of 10 the reason is a lack of communication.
Retention of top talent is all about communication. Here are 3 Reasons Why Top Talent Will Leave:
1. lack of communication with managers (inaccessible or unavailable)
2. lack of challenge in terms of time management (people spread too thin)
3. an inability to expand their knowledge and skills
SUSIE:What does it cost a company when a talented employee defects to the competition?
KEN: As a crude estimate, replacing an employee costs the equivalent of 100% – 150% of annual compensation when you factor in the time required by HR, the hiring managers, the training, the IT department’s need to create new accounts and passwords and the ramp up time.
SUSIE: In a recent poll conducted by The Gallup Management Group only 30% of U.S. employees are fully engaged in their jobs. So what can a company do to create employee engagement and loyalty?
KEN: Ensuring employees are motivated and engaged can increase productivity and profitability while also reducing employee attrition. So sit down with your top talent on a frequent basis and keep them in the loop, let them know they are valued and appreciated. It’s a matter of keeping your top talent engaged, making sure your company’s goals are aligned with the employee’s vision. Find out what their professional and personal goals are? Ask, how can the company can support them?
SUSIE: Have you seen a shortage of talent in the past few years? Or felt a “war” for talent going on?
KEN: As everyone knows, the job market has certainly been challenged over the past 3 years. However, the market appears to be improving somewhat quickly for specialized skills. I actually just saw a billboard saying “we’re hiring.” I have not seen that kind of advertising in recent years. In the recruiting industry it has been difficult to find top talent for many of the newly created positions that are popping up. For example, one of the today’s “in demand” skills “process improvement.”
SUSIE: Companies of all sizes are fighting a war for talent that continually challenges them to rethink and refine “talent management” tactics. As the talent shortage heightens, what is your advice for companies wishing to retain their top talent and build cultures of loyalty?
KEN: My advice is to do these 3 things on a consistent basis with your top employees.
1. Take the time to sit down for a formal review. Talk about their goals and ask what they’re looking to accomplish in the next 12 months, 1 year, 2 years. And ask, “how can I support you?”
2. Frequently communicate with your employees and let them know they are a part of the long term vision.
3. Encourage your key players to use creativity. (i.e. Google & Intuit require 5-10% of employee time be committed to pure innovation in order to spawn new ideas for products, service, processes)
SUSIE: Your talent processes are only as good as your visibility into the metrics. So what talent management strategies are available for a company so they can measure, analyze and optimize top talent?
KEN: The number one strategy is to be pro-active from the beginning. Here are 4 other strategies:
1. Leadership support – If your company is trying to make a shift in culture or implement a talent management system the tone at the top must be consistent with the message from HR.
2. Annual company surveys – Consider implementing something similar to WD40. They conduct a comprehensive, anonymous survey asking about each employee’s level of engagement, proving to their employees that they are they willing to receive honest and genuine employee feedback.
2. Track hiring sources – Where are they coming from, how long are they staying with the company – break the numbers down by resources.
4. Understand value – HR tends to be the biggest supporter of this mindset. Spend the time ensuring the other departments understand the value, time and cost of losing and hiring top talent.
Today’s businesses are more dependent than ever before on top talent to innovate and provide services that differentiate a company from its fierce competitors. In other words, corporations are reliant upon their human capital to survive and thrive.
According to Ken, in the short term, recruitment and retention of top talent can be tackled by improving communication and building loyalty. Making employees feel trusted and appreciated, involving them in development, recognizing their ideas and contributions, and providing the training and mentoring they need to advance with your company will significantly impact on your organizational and financial performance. Share Your Knowledge: Will your company make the investment to attract and retain your top talent?
-Susie S. Japs, Success Consultant & OD Strategistwww.wejungo.com
TurningPoint Team Embraces Company Core Values
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, February 21st, 2012—Core Value #8- Encourage Constant Learning -We feel our core values differentiate us from the rest of the industry, and it is the strict adherence to these 10 principles that drives our every move. We are pleased to congratulate Kim Higgins on renewing her Associated Certified Coach (ACC) certification through the International Coach Federation. We applaud her efforts to obtain a truly global credential and her strong personal commitment to the coaching profession. To obtain her ACC, Kim completed over 40 hours of continuing education units and over 100 hours of coaching. If you are interested in speaking with Kim about your own continued learning needs, she is happy to offer a free 1/2 hour career consultation.
TurningPoint Executive Search completes record year, expands its recruiting practice
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, January 16th, 2012—TurningPoint, a San Diego-based career management firm, announced today the hiring of Dina Hemmi. “We are pleased to welcome Dina to our team. Her extensive experience, professionalism and passion for making top-notch placements will enhance our growing executive recruiting practice” says Ken C. Schmitt, President and Founder of TurningPoint Executive Search. With over 8 years recruiting experience at some of the world’s largest firms, Mrs. Hemmi will focus on placing highly skilled Sales, Marketing, Operations, and Accounting & Finance professionals. “While we still have a very long way to go, the job market is on the mend”, says Schmitt, “After two very difficult years, 2011 took a turn for the better and our revenues were up by nearly 80%. As the economy continues to improve and hiring in Southern California slowly returns to pre-recessionary levels, our recruiting practice will continue to gain traction. Now is the right time to add top-tier talent to our recruiting team.”
About TurningPoint Executive Search
TurningPoint is a boutique career management firm offering a wholistic and customized approach to executive recruiting, career coaching, and educational workshops. Focusing on the placement of mid and senior level professionals in sales, marketing, operations and accounting/finance, they support a variety of industries throughout San Diego and Orange County. By leveraging their local presence, extensive database, a placement retention ratio of 89%, and a social media presence that ranks in the top 4% globally, they are uniquely positioned to apply their direct recruiting techniques across companies of all sizes and structures.
TurningPoint Executive Search forms partnership with The Chairmen’s Roundtable
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, December 12th, 2011—TurningPoint, a San Diego-based career management firm, announced today the sponsorship of The Chairmen’s RoundTable.
The Chairmen’s RoundTable (CRT), a San Diego non-profit organization comprised of successful Chief Executive Officers with diverse industry backgrounds, provides businesses in San Diego County with advice on managing and growing their businesses. By leveraging their well-defined mentoring program on a customized basis, CRT members provide pro-bono mentoring and strategic advice to qualified small and medium-sized companies as a way of giving back to the community.
As a sponsor of CRT, TurningPoint not only contributes to funding this valuable program, but also hopes to become a pipeline for CRT’s mentoring services, introducing this opportunity to clients and others during their networking activities. “Our interests are to help local companies that find themselves at a strategic crossroad by familiarizing them with the CRT and its unique programs” says Ken C. Schmitt, President of TurningPoint Executive Search. Additionally TurningPoint aspires to add value to the community as a whole. “We believe that investment in successful, expanding companies is especially important during this challenging economy” declares Schmitt, “helping businesses grow and flourish will help the overall local economy and ultimately, the community”.
About TurningPoint Executive Search
TurningPoint is a boutique career management firm offering a wholistic and customized approach to executive recruiting, career coaching, and educational workshops. Focusing on the placement of mid and senior level professionals in sales, marketing, operations and accounting/finance, they support a variety of industries throughout San Diego and Orange County. By leveraging their local presence, extensive database, a placement retention ratio of 89%, and a social media presence that ranks in the top 4% globally, they are uniquely positioned to apply their direct recruiting techniques across companies of all sizes and structures.
TurningPoint Executive Search Launches new Division: StartingPoint Careers
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, April 10th, 2010—TurningPoint, a San Diego-based career management firm, announced today the launch of their newest division, StartingPoint Careers, supporting college students and recent graduates in their job search. “Over the past 6 months, we have received an increasing number of calls from parents, requesting support for their college-aged kids” says Ken C. Schmitt, President and Founder of StartingPoint Careers and TurningPoint Executive Search. “Today’s young professionals are facing a very challenging job market and many of them are looking for an opportunity to stand out among the competition. With our 35 years of combined experience in coaching and recruiting, our team provides customized, 1-on-1 coaching and job search preparation to better position these young professionals for their first job,” Schmitt explains.
“I took (their) advice and created a LinkedIn profile” says Natalie Novak, a recent StartingPoint Client and junior at Southern Methodist University. Ms. Novak worked with one of the career coaches at StartingPoint to enhance her interviewing and networking skills. “I interviewed at three places and got offers from all three!”
By focusing on the two most important components of job search – Clarity and Visibility – Schmitt and his team of coaches provide each client with personal attention, customized to their specific industry or function. Each client is paired with a coach who will assess their needs and develop a strategy that includes the creation of a “high impact” resume, the expansion of their network through tools such as LinkedIn, and the polishing of their interviewing skills through role playing. “Most colleges offer basic support through their Career Services center, emphasizing on-campus recruiting. However, with on-campus recruiting down by 25%-50% from it’s 2008 peak (WSJ, April 3rd, 2010), there is a bit of a disconnect between the strategies being taught and the tools being used by today’s hiring managers. Our goal is to complement these on-campus services by offering in-depth networking and relevant mock interviewing” explains Ms. Seann Dailey, one of the coaches at StartingPoint.
The professionals at StartingPoint highlight the Unique Value Proposition (UVP) offered by each student or graduate. Schmitt goes on to describe his unique process, “Our approach to coaching can be summed up in three words: Define, Develop, Deliver™. Define who you are. Develop your Network of Influence. Deliver your Message.”
According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the unemployment rate for people aged 20-24 with a Bachelor’s degree has fallen from 7.6% in 2009 to 7.2% this year. “While we still have a very long way to go, the job market is certainly on the mend”, says Schmitt. “With so much competition among new and experienced job seekers, it is imperative that college students jump start their search today.”
Karen and Benny Landman, owners of a successful real estate business in Rancho Santa Fe, California, discussed their daughter’s experience with StartingPoint, “(Rebecca) was overwhelmed by her first real corporate interview, to say the least. Through the coaching provided by StartingPoint, she gained the confidence and skills needed to participate professionally in the interviewing process.”
Schmitt continues “We created this new business with the sole purpose of equipping today’s grads with tomorrow’s skills. These are lifelong skills that will be useful throughout their career.”
If you are interested in learning more about StartingPoint Careers, please contact Ken Schmitt at info@startingpointcareers.com or by visiting www.startingpointcareers.com
TurningPoint President Shares His Expertise in LinkedIn and Networking with San Diego Community
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, June 20th, 2009—TurningPoint, a southern California executive search and career coaching firm, announced today the successful completion of various speaking engagements by its founder and President, Ken Schmitt. In response to the many issues facing today’s job seekers and hiring managers, these presentations focused on such topics as “Uncovering the Hidden Job Market”; “How to Conduct an Effective Search”; “Standing out among the Competition”; “High Impact Consulting”; and “Leveraging LinkedIn for Job Search and Business Development”
The presentation on Leveraging LinkedIn offered a step-by-step approach to utilizing this free online tool for everything from job search to business development to enhanced internal recruiting. David Kramer, CFO, described Ken’s workshop as “A crisp presentation in which every slide had some useful tips.” He went on to say “Ken focused on how business professionals can set up and use LinkedIn to benefit from their connections.” Although LinkedIn was introduced to the public 2003, many professionals are still unclear about the benefits of using this resource to its fullest potential. Bill Parker, CEO, said that “without Ken’s explanation of how LinkedIn works, (he) would have been at a disadvantage in utilizing all of the tools that the site presents. Kudos to Ken for presenting a clear, concise message on the virtues of the LinkedIn site.” Considering the current economic situation, it is important to understand how to utilize tools like LinkedIn for more than just networking. Ken ”…inspired (me) to look at LinkedIn as a Business Development tool not just a networking forum. Since the meeting I have been very active building and using it as business development tool – my connections have gone from 70 to nearly 300 and it has opened up a number of discussions with large companies” said Edward Hughes, CEO of Aculon.
The importance of networking for job seekers is equally important in the “offline” community. Speaking to job seekers who are in search of their next career, Ken also discussed the keys to uncovering the hidden job market. “Ken gave a very persuasive presentation on the importance of networking. He was able to use figures and facts to highlight some critical factors that are often neglected in career transitions. Using his own experience as an example, he illustrated the art of overcoming barriers in networking. New or experienced job seekers alike, the audience benefited from his insights” declared David Jiang, Senior Manager of Strategic Planning for Gen-Probe.
Sharing his knowledge and recruiting expertise, Ken delivered a memorable presentation to the following groups: Institute of Management Accountants, Accounting Day, SABPA, USD’s MBA program, InlandNet, Vistage, FENG, Kobbe Martens Olson & Bear and CBIZ.
If you are interested in inviting Ken to present to your organization please contact TurningPoint Executive Search at 760.434.5401 or info@turningpointsearch.net
