Top 20% Candidates

How do I stack up?

Please carefully read through the following to be sure you fit the requirements employers typically give us.
Employers hire us on retainer when they need great employees. They come to us when they need people rated among the Top 20% of employees by their current employer.

We call it the 17 sided peg theory. Employers hire us to find 17 sided pegs for 17 sided holes. These employers don´t want 16 or 18 sides, they want 17. When employers are willing to settle for less they use direct mail and Internet advertising techniques. Employers pay retained search firms a lot of money to find the best possible candidate. Since employers are paying us, they have the right to be as picky as they want.

How do you know if you currently qualify in the Top 20%?

Following are some general guidelines. We didn´t create these, but they are the accepted “rules of the game.” If you are going to submit your resume to retained search firms (and most placement companies) you need to understand what employers require from the search firms.

Top 20% candidates typically have:

Excellent job stability. Rarely will they have worked for more than 3 employers in the last 10 years.
Logical upward career progression.
Significant accomplishments demonstrating how they have enhanced the business and profits of their previous employers.
Brand Affiliation. Majority of their experience with companies that have major brand franchise affiliations or upscale independent properties.
Degree. College/University, culinary, other specialized education resulting in a degree.
Excellent supervisory, managerial, and administrative skills and to be able to demonstrate those skills during an interview.
Exceptional work references.

Employers hire people to help them make money, improve guest service, and advance their business (so the employer can grow their company and create more jobs.)

There are many extremely talented people who don´t agree with the above. These people will be best served by working in very small entrepreneurial companies, or starting their own companies, in or out of the hospitality industry. They probably will not be very happy in traditional hospitality companies that are highly structured.

5% of candidates meet all 7 of the above traits. 13-15% of candidates meet 6 of the above traits. 1-2% of candidates only meet 4 of the 7 traits but are so exceptional or so specialized employers will consider them.

Stated another way. If you are currently working in the same city the job is in, you can probably get by meeting 4 of the 7 traits. If you are within about 300 miles of the job you might get by with 5 of the 7 traits. If you are 300-1000 miles away you need to meet 6 of the 7 traits. If you are over 1000 miles away, plan on meeting all 7 traits unless you know someone who currently works for the company. (Someone who can open the door for you, in which case you should not need us in the first place.)

If you meet 4 of the above seven traits, you should definitely Register with Securemploy, upload your resume and any other documents, and tell us exactly what you are looking for.

If you meet 3 of the 7 you can still register, just understand that employers are likely to consider you for jobs in your immediate area.

Sometimes things happen to careers that are beyond our control. If that describes you, and you don´t currently meet at least 3 of the 7 above please keep us in mind when your career is back on track. In the meantime here are a couple of suggestions to help you.

Create a dynamic resume.
If there are discrepancies or holes in your resume, explain them in the resume. Don´t wait for a potential employer to call so you can explain. (You may be waiting a long, long time for the call.)
Been fired, laid off, or left an employer after a short time? Congratulations! You are in good company...as long as it has only happened once or twice. People who are highly motivated to succeed, sooner or later, get a boss they don´t click with. Explain it in your resume and tell what you learned from the experience.
Aggressively market yourself using the Internet, your former supervisors and your network of peers, and direct mail to employers that you would like to work for.