Fidelis News & Updates

ISSCC 2013: Thanks for the Humor

March 18, 2013 by Fidelis News & Updates Leave a Comment

For the fourth year in a row, I attended ISSCC and have to say that it is one of the highlights of my year. Since I work a niche market vs. a geographical market, it’s rare that I get out of the office so it’s a blast to leave “the cube” and get out and meet the people I talk to during the year. Once again, Karen Richards (President & CEO) joined me and we were able to connect with many new and familiar folks.

Attending the mixers and hanging out at Starbuck’s in the hotel proved again to be the best places to connect with folks. However, our favorite event was the “You’re Hired – The Top 25 Interview Questions for Circuit Designers” session on Tuesday. It was extremely insightful and entertaining.

A special thank you goes out to Michael P. Flynn, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI and John Khoury, Silicon Labs, Austin, Texas for organizing the session and to all of the panelists:

Eric Swanson, Cirrus Logic, Austin, Texas
Sanroku Tsukamoto, Fujitsu Laboratories, Kawasaki, Japan
Marcel Pelgrom, Consultant, Helmond, The Netherlands
Beomsup Kim, Qualcomm, Santa Clara, CA
Ali Hajimiri, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Behzad Razavi, University of California, Los Angeles, CA

Thanks for the information and the humor.

I’ll be counting the months until February 2014 and hope to see you there.

James

Fidelis Companies certifies 14 recruiters; Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) and Certified Temporary-Staffing Specialist (CTS) designation from NAPS awarded!

February 20, 2013 by Fidelis News & Updates 2 Comments

ATLANTA, GA – 2013 – Karen Richards, CERS, President and CEO of Fidelis Companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area, announced today that 14 recruiters have received national certification designations from the National Association of Personnel Services.

The CPC designation was awarded to Jacob Barnes, Bill Johnson, Johnny Letourneau, Charlotte Mitchell, Heath Anderson, Richard Steinfield and Jessica Thompson. The CTS designation was awarded to John Branson, Michelle Cessnun, Timothy Noakes, Bryce G. Shields, Jessica Thompson and Chris White as well as Karen Richards.

Along with the 14 newly certified recruiters, Fidelis has 5 recruiters on staff, along with Karen Richards, who were previously certified with either the CPC or the CTS certification. Those employees are: Tom McMullen, CTS, Mike Simonson, CTS, May Li, CPC, James Roberts, CPC, Trish Wyderka, CPC as well as Karen Richards, CPC.

The CPC and the CTS are the only national designations recognized globally by the personnel services and staffing industry. A CPC must be knowledgeable on employment laws and regulations, as well as the highest standard of business practices set forth by the NAPS. Today, Karen’s team joins approximately 9900 Certified individuals in the nation, a designation that began in 1961!

“Attaining national certification through the NAPS is one way our recruiters can set themselves apart from the rest,” said Karen Richards, CERS, CPC/CTS. “It ensures that industry professionals are knowledgeable on the most current employment laws, the highest ethical standards and the best business practices. This allows my team to bring that valuable expertise to our clients and candidates.

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Each year, approximately 700 candidates from nearly every state in the nation sit for the CPC and CTS exams, explained John Sacerdote, NAPS President. “The continued growth in the number of staffing professionals who are seeking certification is a strong indication of how well-regarded these designations have become to corporate clients of staffing firms.”

Certification exams are reviewed and updated as necessary to reflect current federal employment law. Highlights of the exams include: laws against discrimination; relationships with candidates and clients; reference checking; contracts; bonding; owning your own company; payroll; truth in lending; employer liability; Consumer Protection Act; as well as case studies.

For more information on the NAPS, please visit www.recruitinglife.com.

For more information on Fidelis Companies, please visit http://www.fideliscompanies.com

Counter-offers: Accept or Reject

February 13, 2013 by Fidelis News & Updates Leave a Comment

Addressing the possibility of a counter-offer with a candidate is a regular part of every conversation with candidates when they begin the interview process for a new position. Our recruiters have seen counter-offers work out successfully but they have also seen a candidate accept a counter-offer only for it to backfire months later and the candidate is looking for a job on their previous employer’s terms, not theirs. More often than not though, they have seen candidates walk away from a counter-offer and be the better for it.

Walking away from a counter-offer and your comfort zone of employment can be a scary thing, but walking away on your terms for new position and new company can be a great turning point in your career. You’ve already spent personal time working with your recruiter or sending out your resume, dressing up for interview after interview and talking things over with your family so why throw all that hard work and time off of work away to accept a counter-offer from a company you already wanted to leave?

Most people don’t look for a new job at a new company where they are the new guy/girl just for the money; there are usually other reasons someone spends hours of their personal time looking for a better opportunity. Remember those reasons you are unhappy with your current company/position when your current employer tries to entice you with a little more money. Why were you unhappy? Can a larger salary make up for the cons of the position?

Nick Corcodilos, a headhunter in Silicon Valley, addresses this dilemma in “Ask The Headhunter: Should I Reject a Counter-Offer From My Employer?” Nick answers the question: “If another company makes me a bona fide job offer and I resign my old job, what should I do if my original employer comes back with a counter-offer? Should I leave anyway?”

Nick addresses several aspects, both good and bad, of counter-offers and how they can affect the candidate and their current work environment if they accept and stay. If you’re struggling with what to do about a counter-offer, read this article and talk to your recruiter.

Fidelis Companies Launches Rebrand: New Look, Same Great Company

February 7, 2013 by Fidelis News & Updates Leave a Comment

PLANO, TEXAS, Feb. 6, 2013 – Fidelis Companies, LLC, a certified Woman Owned Business specialized in recruiting and consulting, announced today it has undergone a company rebrand, which includes a new company logo and website and the rebrand and consolidation of three separate business units, Fidelis Enterprise Solutions, Fidelis BioPharm and Advanced Communication Solutions (ACS), into one corporate identity. Fidelis Companies is now represented by three specialized divisions, Fidelis IT, Fidelis BioPharm and Fidelis Engineering, operating under one unified message:

“At Fidelis Companies, our goal is to establish long term, strategic, collaborative partnerships with our clients and candidates. Let our team find the missing piece of your team.”

“When we began moving forward with the rebrand, it was important our original company identities weren’t lost,” said Karen Richards, President and CEO of Fidelis Companies. “It’s our goal to move Fidelis into the next generation of recruiting and consulting while maintaining the connections and relationships we built in the process.”

Fidelis Companies offers contract services in their Fidelis IT, Fidelis BioPharm and Fidelis Engineering divisions and offers direct hire services in Fidelis BioPharm and Fidelis Engineering. The company’s new website will offer information for both clients and prospective consultants and candidates in the specialized areas of ERP Systems, BioPharm and Engineering, detailing each division’s area of expertise.

Along with the web based version of their website, Fidelis Companies has launched their first ever mobile version. “Rather they are traveling to and from a project or traveling to a job interview, the mobile version of our website will allow our consultants and candidates access to helpful interview tools or on-boarding documents at the touch of a button,” said Alan Butz, COO of Fidelis Companies. “We view this rebrand as an opportunity to expand our brand identity and connect with clients and the next generation of A-player consultants and candidates.”

About Fidelis Companies, LLC

Fidelis Companies is a certified Woman Owned Business based in Plano, Texas. Our recruiters and account managers are exclusively dedicated within the areas of ERP Systems, BioPharm or Engineering and offer both contract and direct hire services on a national level. This specialized approach allows us to work closely with our clients and capitalize on a large network of precisely skilled connections to deliver the optimum resource for the position. For more information, visit http://www.fideliscompanies.com.

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/FidelisCompaniesRebrand13/01/prweb10298415.htm

KAT & Associates, Inc. Ranked #43 in 8th Annual Aggie 100

November 5, 2012 by Fidelis News & Updates 1 Comment

October 26th, KAT & Associates, Inc. (Fidelis BioPharm and Fidelis Enterprise Solutions) was honored at the 8^th Annual Aggie 100 as the 43^rd Fastest Growing Aggie Owned/Operated Company. KAT & Associates, Inc. had a compound annual growth rate of 49.7% from 2009 to 2011.

About the Aggie 100:

“The Aggie 100, the first of its kind at the college level, was created by Mays Business School’s Center for New Ventures and Entrepreneurship, whose mission is to provide encouragement, education, networking and assistance to entrepreneurial-minded students, faculty and Texas businesses. The Aggie 100 is a unique way for Texas A&M University to demonstrate its pride in the accomplishments of its former students while enriching the educational experience for today’s students.

While there are many ways to define business success, the Aggie 100 focuses on growth as an indicator of job creation, product acceptance and entrepreneurial vision. The Aggie 100 identifies, recognizes and celebrates the 100 fastest growing Aggie-owned or Aggie-led businesses in the world.”

Our co-owners, Karen Richards, Fightin’ Texas Aggie class of ’92, and Alan Butz were unable to attend the weekend in College Station and the Aggie 100 Awards Luncheon due to a previous commitment so Keith, our Director of Operations, and I packed up and headed to Aggieland. As an Aggie myself, this was a great honor and I was more than happy to attend on their behalf and accept our award.

The two-day event included a Welcome Reception with fellow Aggie Honorees Thursday night, Breakfast with the Dean Friday morning and the 8^th Annual Aggie 100 Luncheon Friday afternoon. The Welcome Reception took place in the beautifully renovated MSC and was a cocktail-like event for Aggie Honorees to network and mingle with other Entrepreneurs. Even Miss Rev was there for photo opportunities for a short while!

Karen Richards '92 — Karen’s Honoree Name Tag and Mention in the Aggie 100 Road To Success

The Dean’s Breakfast was set up for Deans of the recognized schools to honor their Former Aggie Entrepreneurs. Karen graduated from The School of Science, but since she was unable to attend I was able to attend the Dean’s Breakfast with my former school, The School of Agriculture and Life Science.

Finally, the Awards Luncheon: this was a great event, set up in The Zone at Kyle Field. If you’ve ever been to Kyle Field, you know how big of a presence it is on the A&M Campus. The Zone was lined with table after table for Honorees and their guests. After a brief history of the Aggie 100, guest and key-note speakers and a fabulous lunch served by members of the Fightin’ Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets, the award presentation began.

It was an event I was proud to be a part of with a University I am honored to call my Alma Mater. I am so thrilled our company was honored our first year as an Aggie 100 nominee and look forward to the opportunity to attend again next year, with Karen there to personally accept her award!

KAT & Associates, Inc. Award — Accepting our Award on behalf of Karen Richards

Some interesting facts about the 2012 Aggie 100:

This year, there were over 800 nominations
There were over 250 applicants that returned the nomination packet
2012 was the most successful year in terms of the number of applicants
Of the 100 companies honored, 40 companies were 1^st time honorees
There were 7 schools represented within the A&M system
The 1^st class of honorees combined revenue equaled $4 billion
The 8^th class (2012) of honorees combined revenue equaled $18 billion
3 countries were represented:
- Chile, UK, Mexico
7 states were represented:
- New York, Minnesota, Idaho, California, Arizona, Oklahoma, Texas
Business honored were started between 1962-2007
The 100 Aggie Owners/Operators employee over 7,000 employees
The 100 Aggie Owners/Operators employee 450 Aggie employees
There were 8 father/son or mother/daughter owned companies
8 companies honored have been recognized in the Aggie 100 5 times or more

Thanks & Gig’Em!

Casidy

Planning for the Lulls

August 6, 2012 by Fidelis News & Updates Leave a Comment

The lull between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is understood by most in this industry. As a consultant, you know to either plan for some time off during this period or make sure you are on a project that is expected to go through this slow patch. As recruiters, you know to plan for the best but expect a potential slow end of the year.

Managers plan their vacations around the holidays, as most people do, so the top decision makers in companies are most likely not sitting at their desk waiting for their favorite recruiter to call with that one-of-a-kind consultant who’s ready to hit the ground running on December 1. In reality, the manager is probably on vacation with his/her family, the consultant is either working or enjoying time off with his/her family and the recruiter is either wrapping up the administrative duties that have been put on hold during the busy year or also taking the rest of his/her time off.

Another factor is if a company’s fiscal runs on a calendar year, no budgets will be approved until the beginning of the year and the new fiscal. So, while the recruiter might know a company has a big project coming up as soon as budget is approved, expecting them to actually screen qualified candidates before that time is slim.

Great news though! Everyone can prepare for this. As recruiters, you can gather the information for clients about their upcoming plans for the new fiscal. Go ahead and get as much detail as possible. Understand plans can change, but the more you know about the basics, the better consultants you can pre-screen and have ready to go when the time comes.

There is no harm in reaching out to your network early. Let your consultants know what projects are in the works when the new year kicks off, confirm availabilities, interest levels and any added skills that would increase their qualification for the upcoming projects. Be real with them though. Let the consultants know this is not something immediate but it has a realistic timeline, this project is planned for the new year once their new fiscal is approved.

If you’re honest in December, when January or February rolls around and the project is approved those consultants will likely be loyal to you because you gave them the early heads up and kept them informed through the process. If the project falls through for whatever reason, then at least you were upfront from the beginning and didn’t get their hopes up, and they will remember that when the next opportunity rolls around.

And as it turns out, the end of the year is not the only lull of the season. This same process occurs during June and July. Kids are out of school for the summer and it is prime vacation time. So make sure you keep this in mind, both recruiters and consultants, and plan accordingly. A lull doesn’t have to be a bad thing, as long as you are prepared and ready to hit the ground running they the drought is over.

Until next time,

Casidy

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