Ask a Hiring Manager Featuring Elizabeth Eiss of ResultsResourcing

In the April edition of Virtual Vocations “Ask a Hiring Manager,” we talk with Founder and CEO Elizabeth Eiss of ResultsResourcing, a New York City-based “match-maker” that pairs skilled professional freelancers with the needs of their client base. Also a Virtual Vocations Employer Partner, ResultsResourcing uses a hybrid, human-led staffing approach combined with online job boards to find experienced professionals for a particular position. In just three weeks, the company provides its clients with three vetted candidates to fill the position, each with a skill set guaranteed to boost the business of their clients.

With such a unique and interesting approach to staffing solutions, ResultsResourcing is an outlier in the industry. But it’s one that’s business model hinges on a strong application process. Eiss explains that their hiring process is far more than what’s written on a resume. By understanding the value of what’s contained in your resume rather than the resume itself and preparing yourself for the interview, freelancers become more attractive candidates and land their next gig.

What Type of Jobs Are You Interviewing Candidates for?

The jobs posted with us are from small and mid-sized companies and some solo/micropreneurs. They ask us to find, vet, and curate freelancers primarily for business skills roles. 

The most common jobs posted are virtual administrative or executive assistant roles with a wide range of duties. The next common group includes roles revolving around marketing/campaigns, content writing, and social media.

Is a Resume Important When You Are Making Hiring Decisions?

The information contained in a quality resume is what is most important rather than the resume itself. The resume is the candidate’s opportunity to highlight their overarching value proposition and the key skill areas in which they can deliver value, as well as experience. 

Our platform asks candidates to complete a talent survey, which draws on a well-crafted resume. The data requested in the survey makes information about the candidate parsable and enables the candidate to match with many more job requirements posted by clients than a simple resume document would enable. After a good match is identified, then we look at social media references (e.g. a Linked profile, website), a proposal specific to the job posted, and then to resumes.

What Things Will Turn You off From Inviting a Candidate to an Interview?

Note: We do only virtual interviews as all positions are remote.

What Three Things Are Most Important During an Interview?

1. Be prepared (researching the client in advance).
2. Listen and address the client’s needs specifically, providing examples of how you can add value and your metrics of success.
3. Say thank you; send a thank you email.

What Should a Potential Candidate Know About Interviewing?

You never know who the ultimate decision-maker is; put your best foot forward at all times. In the case of ResultsResourcing, we are one of the decision-makers as we recommend candidates to a client. Clients come to us for our curation approach.

How Important Is Having All of the Requirements in the Job Listing? Should I Still Apply Even if I Only Have 75% of the Requirements?

It’s important to meet the core or primary skill requirements but that still may not mean 100% of all requirements.

The key is demonstrating how your talents can address the client’s needs specifically, providing examples of how you can add value and metrics of success.

Show some creativity in demonstrating how your skills are what that client needs — sometimes that creativity and initiative can make the difference (and make a client willing to welcome a candidate that isn’t a perfect match).

In the case of tool skills, specific expertise may be required. Sometimes, however expertise with a similar tool may be sufficient. We see this most commonly with CRM systems. CRMs work in similar ways so demonstrating how you can adapt your skills, apply to the new tool and bring competence to the table (and not a training burden to the client) can work.

What Are You Looking for in Candidates in Terms of Culture Fit With Your Organization?

ResultsResourcing makes matches for our clients based on skill, experience, cost, and cultural fit. It’s a blend of those four things that make a good work foundation. Culture is unique to each organization and clues will be in the client’s job profile. Most clients are looking for the following common work style characteristics:

What Are You Looking for in a Cover Letter That You Can’t Get From a Resume?

We don’t look for a cover letter but give the same opportunity in our talent survey to “go beyond” the resume:

You Only Have a Matter of Seconds to Make an Impression With Your Cover Letter. What Are Three Things You See on Cover Letters That Will Cause You to Immediately Reject an Application?

1. No knowledge of the client 
2. Lack of service orientation
3. Lack of simple, concise summary of value-added writing; the client has to do the work to determine if someone can add value

When It Comes Down to It, How Do You Decide Who Gets the Job Offer?

We provide three recommended candidates to our client who we found, vetted, and interviewed that meet the essential job requirements and each brings something unique to the table. Our client ultimately decides after reviewing our write-ups and doing their own interviewing. 

Clients tend to choose the person who most clearly demonstrates how they can add value, meet and anticipate the needs of the client, work collaboratively and with reliability, and make it easy to say yes.  

Price is not the bottom line and these other factors will cause a client to pay more. Many times clients appear to buy on price because candidates have not distinguished themselves and it becomes the one factor the client understands. They may also not understand the true market rates for a given skill. They will buy up if they see the value.

How To Make Yourself a More Attractive Freelance Candidate

As Eiss mentions, a quality freelancing candidate is more than just experience in a particular industry. It’s a combination of value-added skills, a strong portfolio, and a professional attitude that’s in line with the needs of their clients. Yet the work of an applicant doesn’t end there. The more research you conduct on a client and the more preparation you put in can equate to success, especially in a competitive digital freelance world. By following these tips from Eiss, you’re more likely to wow an interviewer, and ultimately, find an excellent freelancing gig that uses your skills to the fullest.

Are you a hiring manager who’s interested in appearing in our “Ask a Hiring Manager” monthly segment? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to set something up with the team. We’d love to hear from you!