The Wooden Group

As founder and president of The Wooden Group, Randy has created the perfect position for his skill set. Drawing upon over 25 years of professional experience in a number of human resource areas including outplacement, executive recruiting, in-house staffing and training, Randy understands the corporate landscape, job-related resources and the job seeking process.

To learn more, call us at (336) 793-8040 or visit www.WoodenGroup.com!  

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By: Randy Wooden
www.WoodenGroup.com

From time to time a candidate will face a question he simply wishes to avoid.  Whether that question deals with anticipated income, reasons for leaving your last job, specific career goals, occasionally a candidate may find it advantageous to avoid a direct and specific answer.

So how’s that supposed to work?

First, a definition.  A verbal cushion is typically a series of words spoken right after the employer’s question.  This cushion allows the candidate to not only show respect for the question (meaning, “I’ll answer it.”) but it also provides time for the candidate to think of a suitable answer.

I encourage candidates to occasionally use a cushion followed by a question.  For example, the employer says, “How much do you expect to earn in this position?”

You could respond with, “I think like anyone I’d look to be paid based on the position requirements as well as my experience.  (the cushion)  What sort of pay range did you have in mind?” (the question)

In future tips I’ll illustrate how to use cushions in other sticky interview situations.

In our culture it’s rude to answer a question with another question.  A verbal cushion provides some much-needed spacing between their question and your responding question.  It’s a tool you may find effective in everyday conversation as well.  Try it!

To learn more, call us at (336) 793-8040 or visit www.WoodenGroup.com!  

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As a parent, you want what’s best for your child. You realize that a college education is great at opening doors. But a college degree does not always equal a successful career.

Regardless of any school’s placement office efforts, your child is responsible for success or failure in his career. After investing many thousands of dollars in an education is it wise to not do everything possible to ensure you’re on the right track?

Wouldn’t it be great to have a network of parents where discussions took place on how to handle these issues?

At The Wooden Group, we acknowledge these challenges and seek to help parents as they struggle with coaching and counseling their children as they make decisions that could effect them for the rest of their lives.

We’ve created a new Facebook group to help in this all-important area as a parent. The group (Parents of College Students) is a parent discussion board to share ideas designed to help both college students and recent grads effectively transition from college to the business world. Randy Wooden from The Wooden Group will act as the facilitator of the group.

Join us HERE and get involved with the discussions!

To learn more, call us at (336) 793-8040 or visit www.WoodenGroup.com!  

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By: Randy Wooden
www.WoodenGroup.com

During my career I’ve not only provided private and corporate outplacement, but I’ve also spent years as a headhunter (executive search) and have worked inside corporations as an in-house recruiter.  And I’ve been a job seeker myself.  So I bring a diverse experience when assisting someone’s job hunt.

I’m often told, “I’ll hold off on contracting with you because I want to have a recruiter place me for free.”  The reality is that recruiters are in the “round peg – round hole” business.  They place people who possess very specific industry, functional and educational backgrounds.  The fact you might possess transferable skills is all well and good, but put yourself in the shoes of a company paying the fee.  Would you pay a hefty fee for someone coming from a different background?  Why?

Executive recruiters are commonly referred to as headhunters.  If your industry and function are on target… if you have the required education, salary and are in the approximate experience level (age) range, then you MIGHT have a shot.

I say MIGHT, because you also must possess reasonably good interviewing skills.  This is, after all, a competitive environment and you must be better than what the company can find on its own for free.

But an even larger hurdle is the economy.  With a glut of supply (job seekers) a company often times feels it doesn’t need a recruiter’s help in finding that ideal candidate.  Web-based searches can often turn up a wide selection of qualified candidates.  So the recruiter is at the mercy of their client company’s willingness to pay fees to begin with.

A very small portion of our workforce is placeable by headhunters at any given time.  If client companies aren’t paying fees for someone just like you, your resume becomes inventory on a recruiter’s shelf.

The Wooden Group guides you through each aspect of a job search to increase your effectiveness and, logically, shorten your hunt time. If you’re serious about your career, why not contact us for an initial interview?

To learn more, call us at (336) 793-8040 or visit www.WoodenGroup.com!  

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We’ve helped hundreds of professionals, perhaps people just like you to shorten their search toward a more fulfilling position.

CONSIDER…

• The Internet allows candidates to view more jobs, but with this technology the number of seekers applying for each advertised job has skyrocketed. Are you really better off?
• Many jobs are unadvertised. How will you penetrate the unadvertised job market?
• Do you know how to handle the difficult questions or will you wing it like you’ve done in the past?
• Networking. Are your skills up to those of your competition? Do you even have a network?

Often, the difference between landing the job and coming in second can be quite small.

Can you afford to spin your wheels?

The Wooden Group guides you through each aspect of a job search to increase your effectiveness and, logically, shorten your hunt time. If you’re serious about your career, why not contact us for an initial interview?

To learn more, call us at (336) 793-8040 or visit www.WoodenGroup.com!  

STAY CONNECTED!
       

Don’t just take our word for it.

Read what others are saying
about The Wooden Group!

Like most senior level people I was already knowledgeable about conducting a job hunt. Still, they helped me in several key areas, especially with networking. I’ll never know whether I would have landed the job without them, but I do know I’m employed in a role I enjoy. - T. J.

The Wooden Group did what they said they would. They were professional, responsive and on target with their advice. - R. Y.

I had some concerns about how my job hunt had been going. Randy developed structure for me, held me accountable and really helped me with the finer points of my search. I’d encourage anyone concerned about their situation to give him a call. - J. D.

The Wooden Group proved to be a good investment in my career. I knew my situation would be challenging and while a new position didn’t materialize right away, I had confidence we were doing the right things on a consistent basis. - N. M.

They know their stuff. I was pleased with the process and would recommend them to others. - A. E.

I think they did a good job. They helped with my preparation and presentation. I had two offers to weigh, so things turned out great. - P. T.

To learn more, call us at (336) 793-8040 or visit www.WoodenGroup.com!  

STAY CONNECTED!