Today’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 »

Today’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 past chairman of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. In this post, Bill shares how organizations are shifting to a hiring approach focused on critical capabilities, prioritizing skills and adaptability over traditional credentials to build future-ready teams.

A key talent trend in 2025 relates to adjusting the long-standing hiring rubric. Large corporations, banks, and law firms have heavily relied on resumes that combine a degree from a respected university with aligning experience from a competitor or a characteristically similar environment. This hiring approach based on education, title, and specific company experience provided a tangible profile for recruiters to target, and it generally produced quality candidates. This begs the question… does similar or parallel experience ensure effective performance? I would argue this is not always the case. Other factors, including motivation, drive, soft skills, and cultural fit, often have a greater impact on performance. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’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 past chairman of the NPAworldwide Board of Directors. He shares hiring strategies for small and mid-sized companies below.

Large companies that have name recognition often start with an advantage when attracting talent. Candidates know who they are, and they often have a reputation for offering good benefits and opportunities. If you are going to win the best talent, you will need to take a strategic approach. Read the rest of this entry »

The saying is “that time kills all deals.” That may be true and yet employers are taking too long to hire. According to data collected by the Josh Bersin Company, data from a half million hires in 2022 and 2023 shows an increase of a full day being added to the average time to hire in the first quarter of 2023 alone. So, what is the cause?

The shift from hybrid and remote work can cause candidates to consider employment changes more carefully. Employees who were working from home may see the move to an in-office requirement as a concern. Concerns and questions lead to extended conversations and reassurance takes times. Obviously, you still want top candidates and if it takes a few days to overcome concerns, it is time well spent. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Rachelle Mire, senior account executive at McQuaig, a global leader in talent management solutions. McQuaig assessments are designed to provide a deeper insight into a candidate’s personality, cognitive, and behavioral attributes. With over 50 years of experience, McQuaig assessments provide a comprehensive view of a candidate and their potential to succeed in a organization while shedding light on the most important areas of employee development. This post discusses how to use benchmarking in hiring to identify the right-fit candidates.

Hiring the right candidate for a job is critical to the success of any organization. However, the process of identifying the right fit can be difficult, time-consuming, and prone to human bias. One way to streamline the process and reduce costs is through job profiling, or benchmarking. In this article, we’ll explore what benchmarking is, why it’s useful, and how McQuaig can help organizations define the ideal characteristics required for a specific role. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Justin Lowe. Justin is the director of global marketing and business development at McQuaig, a global leader in talent management solutions. McQuaig assessments are designed to provide a deeper insight into a candidate’s personality, cognitive, and behavioral attributes. With over 50 years of experience, McQuaig assessments provide a comprehensive view of a candidate and their potential to succeed in a organization while shedding light on the most important areas of employee development. Read the post below for some ideas on how to increase fairness in your hiring process.

Who you choose to bring into your company will shape the way your organization develops. Employees are, after all, the heart of any company so it stands to reason that hiring new ones can be an involved and important process. But not all hiring strategies are created equal and how you structure your approach to talent acquisition might be costing you strong candidates along the way. If your process isn’t fair to all, candidates might slip through the cracks before they even reach you. Next time you need a few new employees, take a moment before you go off to hire and think about the unintentional barriers that may be built into your process. Prioritizing fairness for all job applicants doesn’t just improve your candidate experience, but it can also help you truly find the right person for the right role. Read the rest of this entry »

Today’s guest blogger is Certn, the leader in human risk intelligence solutions, focusing on providing real-time comprehensive background checks and ongoing risk monitoring for employees, contractors and tenants in 200+ countries.

Used by leading employers, staffing firms, property management companies and the gig economy, Certn returns domestic and international criminal background checks, credit reports, reference checks, education verification, employment verification, motor vehicle records, identity verification and more in minutes. Through innovative, friendly, and compliant technology, Certn is advancing trusted connections around the world.

It’s time to reduce bias in your hiring process. Hiring is a key activity within any organization, but it can be riddled with unintentional bias that prevents you from finding the best candidate for the job.

Hiring bias can lead to lost productivity, higher turnover rates, and a less diverse workforce. While more recruiters and hiring managers aim to create a diverse workforce and are always looking at innovative ways to create an inclusive space, bias may still be present during the hiring process. Read the rest of this entry »