Author: Jon Beck

~ A Revenue Generator ~ Go-to-Market Executive ~ Team Builder ~ Leader of People ~ With a keen understanding of the product-market alignment, the ability to find the path of least resistance for insertion into a marketplace using next generation marketing and sales strategies and tactics; Jon is a technology go-to-market executive who builds the talent and the strategies that lead companies to accelerated growth. He has managed zero to multimillion-dollar growth; built and led teams in sales, marketing, systems engineering, and client services; directed and supported product launches; raised capital for new organizations; and built strategies for field operations and market expansions across the globe. Jon was recognized by CRN Magazine in 2011 and 2012 as one the leading channel executives or “Channel Chiefs” in the industry. He has served on several non-profit boards and is an active volunteer for the Special Olympics and National Multiple Sclerosis organization. Jon was a three-time All-American and ttwo-timeNational Rugby Champion at U.C. Berkeley, where he graduated with a BA in Psychology. He is an excellent presenter and public speaker and for the past twenty years has been a working member of the Screen Actors Guild – appearing in numerous national TV advertisements.

Recruiting: Powerfully Connecting Online and Offline Communities

Posted on November 22, 2017March 7, 2022 by Jon Beck

Timing. It’s one of the most important variables when matching a talented IT candidate to the best job opening. When the proverbial planets align, and the right candidate and right job opening are both available, how do you ensure having the right tools to reach them and for them to reach us?”

URSUS leverages several online and social media platforms, including strategic job posting services, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other online communities where we position and promote our latest job opportunities; we’re constantly reviewing, culling and organizing candidate resumes and updates to ensure we’re in touch and ready to move when the right moment comes. But with the myriad of job information available to candidates, especially in an IT market where talent might seem to have more leverage than hiring managers, (although the pendulum is shifting. Watch this space for future comment), how do you really cut through the noise?

As important as automated and self-service tools may be, URSUS believes there’s no better way to counter digital signal to noise than by the personal, real-world touch. It could be as simple as an extra phone call or meeting for coffee or a drink. Or, better yet, our weekly or monthly event produced by us and/or our partners, allowing us to directly interact with candidates. The latter, real-world platform is where we shine, providing real value in the form of content, (in the form of best practices or trends for candidates and hiring managers), contract brokering, and keeping things real beyond electronic mediums. Of course, it’s a challenge to execute these events at scale, but the investment is worthwhile for our customers, and most importantly, for our candidates.

Since our inception last summer, URSUS has hosted informal, monthly breakfasts for our candidates, hiring managers and partners. No sales pitches, no formal agenda, just an opportunity to come together, catch up, compare notes and touch base. Offline, human interaction within a community. This month, we’ve expanded the invitation to our new friends at WeWork. As new members, we’re taking the opportunity to get to know our new neighbors a bit better and introduce them to the powerful, real-world community we bring with us. We hope you’ll join us for ‘brunch’ at WeWork Transbay on Thursday April 7th. More information about the event here or email us at info@ursusinc.com for more information. See you then!

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A New Approach to IT Staffing

Posted on April 27, 2017March 7, 2022 by Jon Beck

In a recent Staffing Industry Analysts’ Buyer Survey buyers who purchased IT Staffing services were asked to name the most important criteria when selecting a staffing firm. Half of respondents said “Worker Quality” was the most important criteria when selecting a firm. When the question was posed a bit differently and buyers were asked to name the top three criteria. Again, 78% of respondents cited “Worker Quality” as one of the top three things look for when working with a staffing firm.

The article covering this survey goes on to explore the disconnect between IT Staffing firms marketing efforts and mapping to the needs of the buyer. Only 18% speak to Worker Quality in their marketing materials. But is that the real take away from a survey like this or does the issue go deeper? Frankly, I think the issue hits at a major issue in the industry itself that, as a hiring manager for fifteen years, always drove me nuts! How you find, match and deliver candidates to hiring managers, in other words your process, is just as important as the end result. In other words, if your process stinks your worker quality will suffer as a result. Maybe not in the short term, but if you want to develop a long-term relationship with both client and candidate the “simple things” are imperative:

Listening to client needs
Taking the time develop, collaboratively with your client, accurate and detailed job specifications
Communicating! Return phone calls, return emails, and proactively update the client on status- good news and not as good news. Don’t hide behind email!!

These are just a few examples. Seems like pretty common sense stuff right? Yet so many staffing firms take the basics for granted especially in a bull market where “unicorns” are in vogue and startups want to show you their office space before their product or service.

Ok, so let’s say your firm executes on the basics listed above. Then what? What makes your firm different than the rest? Well, we at Ursus believe that the next generation workforce, the millennials, want to engage differently. They want to interact, not just with staffing firm and the clients they represent, but each other….to compare notes and best practices, to refer and share and be rewarded for referring and sharing, to create and share their own content, be counted and measured against their peer groups. A richer, more interactive experience is expected whether you are playing a game on your phone or searching for your next career move.

Enter Ursus IT Staffing, a next generation staffing firm built on tried and true operational discipline PLUS the best tools, services and communication vehicles that the next generation workforce deems as status quo in any user experience.

What do you think? Let us know @ursusinc