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Where Growth Succeeds or Fails: The Critical Role of Integration in M&A

by Veronica Blatt

close-up of twho hands shakingToday’s guest bloggers are Bill Benson and Jeff McGraw with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI and Pittsburgh, PA. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan, but they also work across the US. Bill is a former chair of the NPAworldwide board of directors. Read their thoughts below on how people integration impacts both executive hires and M&A activity.

In today’s middle-market environment whether you’re scaling rapidly, bringing in outside talent, or acquiring another company, one factor will determine your long-term success more than any other:

Your ability to integrate people. Read the rest of this entry »

Use Easter Eggs in Your Recruitment Strategy

by Liz Carey

Sparkly blue Easter egg sitting on the ground outsideWith the Easter holiday quickly approaching this weekend, physical egg hunts are happening all around us. Baskets are being filled, and children are eagerly searching for hidden treasures. But why should kids have all the fun? Have you ever considered setting up a digital egg hunt for your job applicants?

Are your job postings blending in with thousands of others? If you want to attract top talent locally, regionally, and internationally, you need to stand out. Integrating “Easter eggs” into your recruitment messaging gives you a unique way to capture attention.

In the digital world, an Easter egg is a hidden feature, message, image, or joke intentionally embedded within your content for users to discover. Just like finding a chocolate egg in the grass, discovering a digital Easter egg brings a spark of joy. Let us explore how employers and recruiters can use this clever tactic to engage candidates, highlight company culture, and create unforgettable applicant experiences. Read the rest of this entry »

Hybrid Work Goes Three-Dimensional

by Veronica Blatt

Our guest blogger is Andrew Thoseby of 1st Executive Pty Ltd  in Melbourne, Australia. 1st Executive is a boutique executive search, executive recruitment, interim executive and advisory firm providing custom designed people solutions for clients across a broad spectrum of industries on a local, regional, national and international basis. The firm’s recruiting activities are focused on executive, professional, technical and managerial placement for its clients. 1st Executive includes a growing interim management service in its business mix and has successfully placed interim CEOs, CFOs, sales and operational executives. Andrew is currently a member of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. In the post below, Andrew shares his insights on how hybrid work has evolved into a three-dimensional challenge, now shaped by AI integration.

Since the Covid19 pandemic leaders have wrestled with hybrid work as a two-dimensional challenge. It has been about where work happens – home, office or both. That brought the challenge of how work gets done – managing coordination, communication, output and accountability, not to mention the sense of belonging to a workplace. The evidence is slowly building – what works?

Large-scale studies suggest hybrid work can lift retention and satisfaction without harming performance, when designed well. In developed economies such as the UK, EU, USA and Australia hybrid is no longer a bad pandemic aftertaste. It has become a structural feature of the labour market, with, in Australia 36% of employed people usually working from home (ABS, August 2025). Read the rest of this entry »

Rethinking “Culture Fit”: A Global Perspective on Inclusive Hiring

by Veronica Blatt

Image of professional Black woman with braids in an employment settingToday’s guest blogger is Parvathy Krishnan of Cucumber Consultants in Hyderabad, India. Cucumber Consultants has core expertise in executive recruitment, with a focus on placing C-suite executives such as CFOs and other senior leadership roles across diverse industries. Parvathy is currently serving on the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. Here, she discusses the key differences between “Culture Fit” and “Culture Add.”

Why am I even writing this?

I have been working across regions for 25 years in the recruitment space – be it with my direct clients & candidates or with my global recruitment partners. I see hiring conversations play out differently – sometimes subtly, sometimes dramatically. Many a time, we are told, “Candidate is not a good ‘culture fit’.”

“Culture Fit” often comes up with good intent, yet the way it’s interpreted can narrow a team’s strength if we equate fit with familiarity. I am not here with any prescription; just to offer a practical, global lens with the wish that it does resonate with many of you out there & makes a difference with your hiring for the better! Read the rest of this entry »

Why Independent Recruitment Firms Compete Better Than Mega‑Teams

by Veronica Blatt

image of gold, silver, and bronze medals on a black backgroundThe Winter Olympics kick off in just a few hours, which means two things are guaranteed: world‑class athletic performances and a perfectly reasonable excuse for widespread sleep deprivation. For me, this is my favorite pastime every two years—the one time when waking up at unreasonable hours somehow feels productive, justified, and deeply entertaining.

As the world tunes in to watch skaters land impossible jumps, skiers fly down mountains at terrifying speeds, and athletes compete under pressure measured in hundredths of a second, it’s a reminder that the Olympics aren’t really about size or spectacle. They’re about execution—preparation, focus, and performing when it counts.

That’s what makes the Winter Olympics such a useful lens for thinking about recruitment—especially independent recruitment firms. Many of the most memorable Olympic moments don’t come from massive teams or unlimited resources. They come from individual athletes who compete against far larger programs and still win.

The same dynamic plays out in recruitment every day. Read the rest of this entry »

Recruitment Challenges: Overcoming Talent Shortages, Rising Costs, and Evolving Expectations

by Veronica Blatt

image of a professional man holding a cell phone in a modern office environmentToday’s guest blogger is Tim Lane founder and director of Park Lane Recruitment based near Manchester UK. Park Lane Recruitment is a specialist recruiting firm in the technology space with niche areas of cybersecurity, fintech, space and defense IT, as well as generic IT sales, tech and managerial. Tim is currently serving as secretary/treasurer on the NPAworldwide board of directors and is a 30+ year veteran of the recruiting industry. In the post below, Tim shares his thoughts on recruitment challenges including talent shortages, salary and budget, compliance issues and more.

If you think hiring is just about posting a job ad and waiting for the perfect candidate to waltz in, think again. Companies in the UK and USA are discovering that recruitment is more like speed dating—awkward, unpredictable, and full of surprises. Read the rest of this entry »

Succession in Motion: Planning the Future in Family-Owned Business

by Veronica Blatt

Professional man and woman shaking hands in a modern officeToday’s guest blogger is Bill Benson with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI and Pittsburgh, PA. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan, but they also work across the US. Bill is a former chair of the NPAworldwide board of directors. Read Bill’s advice below on succession planning in family-owned businesses.

As we enter 2026, one of the most pressing and often most complex leadership challenges facing family-owned businesses is succession planning. It’s not just about titles and timelines. It’s about legacy, identity, readiness, and relationships.

With millions of baby boomers preparing to retire over the next few years, many of whom hold senior roles in privately held and family-run enterprises, the pressure is building. These transitions are inevitable. The challenge is to approach them with clarity, structure, and care, setting your company up for many more years of success.

Let’s take a closer look at the unique succession dynamics in multi-generational family businesses and how to navigate them with confidence and integrity. Read the rest of this entry »

Ontario’s New Job Posting Requirements (Effective January 1, 2026)

by Veronica Blatt

Our guest blogger is Stefanie Howse, principal of IN DEMAND Recruitment & Consulting Inc. IN DEMAND is a boutique, quality-driven firm providing highly personalized recruitment services to clients across Canada, the United States, and internationally since 2001. The firm specializes in professional, technical, and executive placements across multiple industries. Stefanie is a multi-award-winning recruiter—Top Recruiter Canada 2019 and 2022, Top Recruiter North America 2024—and has served as Area Leader for Canada within NPAworldwide since 2015. Today she addresses the new job posting requirements that have gone into effect in Ontario (Canada).

Here’s a comprehensive, practical overview of the new publicly advertised job posting requirements in Ontario (and how they compare with broader Canadian trends) — including what employers must do, what the rules mean for hiring, and why they matter.

Ontario is introducing significant new job posting obligations under the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA) (as amended by the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 and related regulations). These apply to publicly advertised job postings — meaning external ads visible to the general public. (Business Law firm | Stikeman Elliott) Read the rest of this entry »

Hiring in 2026: Balancing Cost, Capability, and Culture

by Veronica Blatt

Image of dark-haired man with glasses and gray sport coat, drinking coffee and reading a business reportToday’s guest blogger is Bill Benson with WilliamCharles Search Group located in Grand Rapids, MI and Pittsburgh, PA. WilliamCharles is an executive search and professional recruiting firm specialized in finding managerial and executive talent in finance, HR, operations, sales/marketing as well as president/CEO roles. They have a concentration of clients in Michigan, but they also work across the US. Bill is a former chair of the NPAworldwide board of directors. Bill’s post discusses strategic hiring plans for the next year.

As we approach 2026, hiring leaders are facing more complexity than ever before. Talent shortages persist in critical functions. Salary expectations remain high. Skill needs are evolving and cultural alignment, once viewed as a “nice to have,” is now a top priority.

For executives and HR leaders in mid-sized and family-owned businesses, hiring decisions are no longer just transactional; they are strategic inflection points. Read the rest of this entry »

Why True Recruiter-Client Partnerships Drive the Best Hiring Outcomes

by Veronica Blatt

Today’s guest blogger is Phil Chappel with P. Chappel Associates, a professional recruiting firm based in Basking Ridge, New Jersey. Specializing in engineering, management, sales, marketing, and support in the technology space, P. Chappel Associates was established in 1996. Clients are located throughout the United States, with concentration on the east and west coasts. Several clients are expanding worldwide. Phil is currently serving on the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. He shares his secret to success in recruitment below.

Finding and securing top performers requires more than simply posting a job and reviewing resumes. The most successful hiring outcomes happen when a recruiter and client company establish a true partnership—one built on collaboration, transparency, and shared goals. Read the rest of this entry »

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