Applying to Us

Are you in the Top 20%?

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 only come to us when they need people rated among the Top 20% of employees by their current employer.

We only retain resumes for candidates who currently have the background to qualify them in the Top 20%.

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.

• Employers expect candidates from retained search firms to have excellent job stability. Three to four different employers in the last 10 years is about the maximum. If you have worked for more than 4 employers in the last 10 years your resume needs to explain why you have had so much job movement. Your reasons have to be exceptionally good and they have to be confirmed by your references.

• Employers expect candidates from retained search firms to have good upward career progression. That means promotions within a Department every couple of years, and logical promotions between Departments.

• Employers expect candidates from retained search firms to have significant accomplishments, and those accomplishments need to be quantified in your resume. Employers hire people to help the employer make money, improve guest service, and advance their business (so the employer can grow their company and create more jobs.) Retained search firms require candidates that have stated specific accomplishments that will be verified by their references.

• Employers expect candidates from retained search firms to have worked for employers with name recognition or upscale properties that are well known. Usually employers expect retained search firms to identify candidates who have already worked for the same brand of hotel the employer operates. Employers using retained search firms will at least expect candidates to have extensive experience at the same quality level of property or company.

• Employers expect candidates from retained search firms to have a higher level of education than the average person in the job. In our industry, college degrees are nice, but rarely required. Employers however are looking for candidates why have some formal continuing education, whether from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the National Restaurant Association, or classes offered by various schools.

• Employers expect candidates from retained search firms to have excellent supervisory, managerial, and administrative skills and to be able to demonstrate those skills during an interview.

• Last, both employers and retained search firms expect candidates to have exceptional references from their former employers. You must maintain contact with your former direct supervisors. Retained search firms require that your references provide detailed information about your performance under them.

To repeat. Retained search firms don’t make the rules, employers do. Employers are hiring us and paying us. Search firms have the right to accept or reject an request from an employer. When we accept search assignments it is understood that we will honor the requirements the employer sets down. 99 times out of 100 employers tell us what they want, they don’t ask us. Rarely do employers want to know what we think. We either give the employer what they want, or the employer will find another search firm that will.

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 are in the Top 20% in your position we would like to hear from you. Email your resume to info@Securemploy.com We will respond back within 24 hours. We are always looking for candidates who are interested in career advancement. That’s why we have worked with many candidates for over 20 years as their careers have unfolded. Many of the VP’s we currently work with were Front Office Managers, or Assistant F&B Managers when we first started to assist their careers.

Sometimes things happen to careers that are beyond our control. If that describes you, and you don’t currently meet at least 5 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.

1. Create a great resume. HospitalityOnline.com has a tool, My Career Toolkit that is exceptional. Take the time to complete their questionnaire and then you can custom create resumes. The career toolkit was developed based on the criteria hospitality employers told us they wanted to see, and on the format employers told us they prefer.
2. 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.)
3. 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.