Elevated Thinking
Industry information and inspiration for talent and clients.
A Healthy Dose of Podcasts
Sometimes our worlds can seem upside down with so much that we cannot control. Continued economic strife, job (in)security … there are days that so much negativity around us can start to feel like “too much.” In my ongoing daily efforts to harness my own
5 Ways College Students Can Find Internships
College students, are you taking advantage of summer internships? Having an internship is an important career-booster that can help you achieve better job search success once you graduate. Having some professional work experience prior to graduation will help your resume stand out in a sea
Are There Better Alternatives to the Annual Appraisal Process?
Your heart begins to race, your palms get sweaty, there might even be drops of sweat forming on your forehead. Clearly, you’re anxious. I’m guessing this description is familiar to all of us. Since this is a blog about HR themes, I’m also guessing you
The Pros and Cons of ChatGPT in Marketing
As technology continues to advance and transform the way we do business, chatbots and AI-powered tools are becoming increasingly popular in the world of marketing. One of the most exciting and innovative tools in this space is ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art language model developed by OpenAI.
Using Notion to Organize Your Career
Whether you find yourself in an unexpected job search or you’re facing the first quarter’s performance review season, trying to remember your accomplishments, accolades, and achievements can be a challenge. Despite the plethora of organization and productivity tools (here are some good ones), there’s always
HR Models vs Methods
Models are used in all sorts of business functions: supply chain, financial, sales and marketing, IT, or HR. Models help us organize the complex and give us labels for big ideas. I eagerly clicked on McKinsey’s December 22, 2023 article, HR’s new operating model. Unfortunately,
Six Tips To Sustain Your Self-Confidence
Job seekers, you are going to experience ups and downs on your job search journey. It’s inevitable. You might start off with tremendous enthusiasm, and then the reality of the search process settles in. You might apply to many job postings without getting any response.
(Easier) Goal Setting
With the blank slate of a New Year ahead of us, it’s only natural to think about getting organized with your personal (and professional!) goals. Pen and paper checklists are certainly a gold standard for feeling accomplished as you move from one task to the
Talking About Pay Transparency With Your Team
On October 13th, our Elevated Thinking blog was about pay transparency and we explained the topic, discussed the coming changes, and suggested strategies to plan for the new requirements. Since then, pay transparency has become an even hotter topic for managers. Today’s blog digs deeper
Four Tips for Marketers During Turbulent Times
There is no doubt that we are in one of the most unique economic periods in U.S. history. We have uncertainty on a multitude of interconnected factors including a volatile stock market, continuing supply chain issues, inflation, interest rates, consumer spending, labor market factors, and
5 Minute Refocusing
With the holidays quickly approaching and our newsfeeds inundated with economic strife and workforce reductions, staying focused can seem impossible. With our feeds and brains constantly distracted, maintaining clarity and calm can be an uphill battle. While taking time to focus is hard, starting small
DEI Success? Count On It.
Why is DEI so hard to “get right” at so many firms? This post explores what I believe is the single most important reason: measurement. Before diving into the reason DEI is hard to get “right,” ask yourself, “is Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) really
Elevation Talent Group is Now Certified Woman-Owned
DARIEN, IL (October 31, 2022) – Elevation Talent Group is proud to announce its certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE). Elevation Talent Group is a staffing solutions provider specializing in marketing and human resources talent for temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct hire opportunities nationwide. Elevation
Yes, You Can Negotiate!
There’s plenty of negative news that LinkedIn would like us to believe—flashy click-bait newsfeed articles hawking headlines of major Titans of Industry cutting and slashing jobs … but there are good things happening out there. Hiring remains at a strong clip and there are many
Digital Marketing Talent Trends
The dynamic labor market we’ve experienced over the past two years is showing some signs of stabilization to pre-pandemic levels. Unemployment and labor force participation are leveling out and as recent New York Times article says, “unemployment is low, and hiring is strong. But there
“Show Me the Money”
Companies are increasingly adopting pay transparency practices to address gender pay gaps and increase employee engagement to build trust. Pay transparency is a policy in which companies voluntarily give compensation-related information to all employees. You might be asking, “why is pay transparency so important right
Where Are All the Workers?
Last week I attended the Illinois Search and Staffing Association’s Midwest Staffing Owners & Executives Retreat. The agenda for this event was packed with really strong speakers and we managed to mix in some fantastic networking, including a hilarious masquerade murder mystery dinner. The real
Yes, There’s Time to Network
Indeed, there is time … and it doesn’t have to be scary! Avid readers of our blog will remember how my last article covered the topic of digital networking and how making connections from home isn’t just possible, it can be effective. Today we’re going
Culture = Dollars and Sense
What makes a great company culture? It’s a question leaders often ponder, since they understand the tangible and intangible value that a great culture can have for an organization. Owners want a great culture. Employees want to work at a company with a great culture.
Find Gold Talent in Your Silver Medalists
What’s new and noteworthy about the silver medalist topic in recruiting? I found references to the term in Google going back 10+ years. Google the phrase “silver medalist recruiting”. 948,000 results. So why write about it again? Two words: Direct Sourcing. If you’re a hiring
Post-Pandemic Networking
As a recruiter I’ve been to hundreds of networking events—some with better appetizers than others—and while I miss the selection of onsite events, I realize that they’re not everyone’s ideal way of spending time. A warm, curated, and cared for network is a big help
Six Rules for Success: Employee Engagement
The importance of retaining your employees is common sense. Retaining your best employees means retaining knowledge, continuity, team strength, customer relationships, and more. If you’re like most companies, employee retention is challenging right now. Employees who stayed with you during the worst of the pandemic
“What’s Love Got to Do With It?”
Apologies (and credit) to Tina Turner, but her iconic song title is the perfect title for this short essay about Marcus Buckingham’s new book, Love and Work and a related article in the Harvard Business Review, Designing Work that People Love. (HBR, May-June 2022). Let’s
AI & the Future of Social Media
We recently listened to an interesting Social Pros podcast featuring Paul Roetzer, Founder & CEO of the Marketing AI Institute. Paul’s organization is “a media, event, and online education company making AI approachable and accessible to marketing and business leaders around the world.” In this
Key Takeaways: Deloitte’s CMO Survey
The CMO Survey by Deloitte is conducted bi-annually by Duke University and the recently released 28th edition provides “insights into the latest trends impacting the world of marketing and how marketers are engaging with the ever-changing landscape.” Today we’re looking at the top 5 takeaways
9 Trends: The Future of Work
We all know that the pandemic created dramatic changes in the world of work. We also know that much is being written and discussed about the state of work today and predictions for the future. Most articles focus on remote, in-the-office, or hybrid, but this
Welcome to Elevation Talent Group
It’s a thrill and honor for us to share our new company with you. My name is Lana Johnson and I’m the CEO and co-founder and together with my husband, Jim, our goal is to create a unique company that helps others flourish, whether it’s
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Be Inspired
People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.
Be the change that you wish to see in the world.
There is always light. If only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.
Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.
What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.