By Alisha Dixon

Almost one month after gathering at S³’s corporate headquarters in Detroit, members of the elite Defenders of the Green sat down with the Communications Team to discuss their success, the steps they took to achieve it and what it’s like to be a leader in the field of recruiting.

This weeks’ interview is with Wendy Long, a senior technical recruiter with Team Motown who has been with S³ for 12 years.

Q: What’s the secret to your success and what sets you apart?
Wendy: Good communication with my team and my consultants. Also, being in close touch with everything, watching all of the details and not letting anything slip.

Q: Can you offer one tip to your fellow S³ers?
Wendy: Stay very close to your team, but also stay close to others in other branches. For a new recruiter, I always tell them that their first priority is to cover their local market and have solid candidates submitted. But, also stay in touch with out of branch marketers because you never know when things are going to slow down temporarily in your market and you always want to have a back-up plan. And you always want to know where the good business is rather than waiting for things to slow down and scramble. While it’s rare in Detroit because our team is always busy, if things ever do slow down and it’s always for a very short time, I always have a couple of people that I can call right away. Sometimes you have to seek it out because you can’t ever get comfortable in this business.

Q: What gives you the most satisfaction in your job?
Wendy: Having candidates and consultants tell me “thank you” because we we’re able to find them that perfect position. A lot times they have already dealt with other companies and other recruiters and may have been trying to get into a certain company for years and I was able to get them into their dream company or dream job. That is always satisfying.

Q: Name a challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?
Wendy: This kind of goes back to a previous question where I talked about timing. It’s always key with this business. I was challenged with finding the right candidate at the right time. It’s matching that candidate’s pace with the customer’s pace. Sometimes a candidate will want to move a lot faster than a customer wants to move. So, it’s about matching up timing and making sure that you pre-close candidates along the way as you’re talking with them and keep them engaged and interested. While at the same time, working with marketers to make sure the manager is interested in moving at the same pace and ready to move forward at the same pace.

Q: What’s your next big goal?
Wendy: To make Club! That’s always my goal every year!

Q: What does Green mean to you?
Wendy: Green to me is bringing the entire company together. It’s a feeling. It’s an atmosphere. It’s a little bit different for me because I work remote. So, I don’t have to necessarily have to wear green every Wednesday, but it’s not just the clothes we wear. It’s the comradery with the rest of the company that we might not see on a daily basis, but we’re still working under the same umbrella. That’s what it means to me.

Please look forward to next week’s profile of Molly Celestini, technical recruiter, Team Motown about her success as a recruiter and being a member of the Defenders of the Green.

By Alisha Dixon

Almost one month after gathering at S³’s corporate headquarters in Detroit, members of the elite Defenders of the Green sat down with the Communications Team to discuss their success, the steps they took to achieve it and what it’s like to be a leader in the field of recruiting.

Our first interview was with Cathy Grant, a senior technical recruiter with Team West Coast who has been with S³ for 10 years. Learn more about Cathy below!

Q: What’s the secret to your success and what sets you apart?

Cathy: I would probably say persistence. Typically, I work an order until it’s filled, not just until it’s covered. Sometimes you can work an order until it’s covered; meaning you have 4 or 5 candidates that you feel good about. Then there is ensuring that in the event a candidate is rejected, I work until the position is the filled. For me, it’s not just a matter of having candidates, it’s about filling the role. I don’t know if that really sets me apart. I really just think it’s my work ethic and that has paid off.

Q: Can you offer one tip to your fellow S³ers?

Cathy: Time management is key. Try to structure your day as tightly as possible and stay on course with that schedule the next day. It’s important to not to get distracted by too much outside of what you’re trying accomplish.

Q: What gives you the most satisfaction in your job?

Cathy: Winning a position for the candidate!

Q: Name a challenge you faced and how did you overcome it?

Cathy: One of the most challenging situations I’ve faced was probably in my first and second years here. At that time, I was on Team Atlanta and there really was not a lot of business. I had to figure out new ways to find and fill positions. As a result, I looked to fill roles in other markets and subsequently, most of my closes and wins were out of branch. That was a big challenge because I spent that time just working out of branch and that was difficult because of time zones and having to work out of market. That experience taught me how to acclimate anywhere quickly because one day I was doing something in Boston and the next day I was working something in Texas. Having to work all of those markets and still get the hires was very challenging.

Q: What’s your next big goal?

Cathy: To make Club this year for sure! And to consistently make Club every year. In addition to Club, there are five account managers that we’re supporting and I would like to have a steady flow of hires with each of them.

Q: What does Green mean to you?

Cathy: S³ and how good it has been to me! I’m very proud of that! I’m happy when I see it everywhere and I just think it’s an awesome company to work for. Green also means go. There’s nothing stopping you from doing well while representing S³ in the right way.

Please look forward to next week’s profile of Wendy Long, senior technical recruiter, Team Motown about her success as a recruiter and being a member of the Defenders of the Green.