The Mentor-Mentee Relationship: 6 Tips for Success

Chatting with some friends last week, the subject of reverse mentoring came up. I was surprised to hear so many of them still view mentoring as a one-way relationship. You know, a Yoda/Luke Skywalker type of thing where the wise, older master teaches their young apprentice the ways of the world. I see it very […]
Headhunted Candidates are NOT Applicants. Here’s why.

OK, so full transparency, I started writing this post months ago. But then COVID-19 happened, and I got distracted by other priorities. That being said, given what’s happened to the Canadian hiring market and, more specifically, what clients perceive has happened to the hiring market, this topic feels more relevant than ever. Here at Venor, […]
Why Use an External Recruitment Firm When I Already Have an Internal Recruiter?

The age-old question many of you ask: Why should I use an external recruitment agency when I already have an internal recruiter? Certainly, a fair question to ask. I will give you a very transparent and honest answer based on my experience on both sides of the team. I have worked for years on the […]
Venor Adds New Partners

Recruiting & Talent firm Venor, with offices in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland, has announced that three of their staff will be purchasing shares to become partners in the firm. Shardeigh McGillivray, Erika Hildebrand, and Nick Misener become equity partners effective October 1, 2020. McGillivray, the first employee hired by founders Ian Sullivan and […]
Four Keys to Recruiting During COVID-19

Well, I didn’t see this coming. My last blog series, How to Hire Software Development Talent in a Boom Economy, didn’t have the legs I expected it to… COVID-19 changed everything. And hiring managers across tech, manufacturing, professional services and more are experiencing a reality that’s totally different from the one we faced in 2019. So what’s […]
Venor Returns to Newfoundland

Recruiting & Talent firm Venor, with offices in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and now Newfoundland, has opened a new St. John’s office focused on connecting Newfoundland organizations with new talent in the region. “We are thrilled to further our commitment to the Newfoundland market”, said Ian Sullivan, partner at Venor. “The pandemic has been a challenging time for […]
How a Global Pandemic Helped Me Say Goodbye to My Workaholic Habits

I have always been someone with a lot of energy, I believed in the hustle, the go go go and never seemed to mind that I was reheating my tea 5 times in a morning, too busy grinding to remember to take a sip. Enter a global pandemic – let’s just say this forced me […]
The First Day of School: Transitioning Into a New Role at Venor

The First Day of School Feeling We all know that first day of school feeling that we’ve had as a kid. The night before some kids organize their school supplies to make sure everything is in order, some kids set goals for themselves for the year, and some kids organize their back to school outfits […]
3 Keys to Successful Onboarding

Day #1 – I showed up for work, nobody knew who I was or why I was there. I brushed some paper off a table and sat down. Next up, I drove to the Apple store to pick up my computer. Day 1 complete. My first impressions of this company? I’ll leave it to you, the […]
The Recruitment Landscape Has Changed, So Why Haven’t Our Methods?

If anything is clear, it’s this – the rapid development of technology has fundamentally shifted the way we live and the way we work. Mobile devices, big data, AI, and robotics are evolving at a pace that we’ve never seen before and many companies are playing catch up. In fact, companies around the world are finding […]
How COVID-19 May Drive Economic Growth in the Maritimes

Ok, so it’s not feeling that way right now. Plenty of people have been financially impacted here in Atlantic Canada and, even though we might be feeling a bit better now that the summer weather is here and we can finally get out to (safely) mingle a bit, the road to economic recovery remains long […]
How to Hire Software Development Talent in a Boom Economy — Part Two: Identifying and Engaging Top Tier Developers

This the second post in a two-part blog series on how to hire great tech talent… read Part One on Trusting the (Right) Process here. So, your product team is growing and you need a new backend developer to fill a key role in your organization. You know what you need, but where do you start […]
How to Hire Software Development Talent in a Boom Economy — Part One: Trust the (Right) Process

With tech unemployment approaching <2% in many regions, landing top talent in software development has become more challenging than ever. Having specialized in this space as a recruiter for a number of years now, I’ve seen the changing dynamics of the market. Demand is outstripping supply and emerging tech in big data, AI, blockchain and […]
50% Chance Your (Business) Baby Will Survive

Yes – that is a terrible sentence to read or hear, but it is a prominent fact to consider when entrepreneurs look at the survival rate for their small business, which to many is “their baby.” Statistics show that 20 percent of small businesses will fail in the first year, 30 percent in the second […]