Que Schafer’s Post

Michael Risse taught me how to raise the bar on hiring…really high. With each hire, your team gets either smarter, more capable, and more agile…or less so. Is it that simple? At some level, I think so. Each person is either additive or subtractive. Exponentially or marginally. Terrifying, no? But, I think you have to have this mindset to build the best team to serve your customers, partners and fellow colleagues who deserve your best. I have always had a personal ‘bar raiser’ at each company I worked at…the person who wouldn’t necessarily have a regular interaction with the future employee but was just a great judge of talent: John Lusk while at Microsoft, Chris Rallo while at Rackspace, Luis Bonifaz while at Seeq. They kept me honest when I might have said yes but knew deep down I should keep looking. The upside? We were able to attract and onboard amazing talent like Virginia Liu, Francois Daumard, Ken Clements, Ya Guo, Carrie Hannigan Kaiser, Bernardo Muñoz, Juan Carlos Combariza, John Funk, Hajime Uchinoura, Ronnie Bains, Jessica Villa, Conner Goralski, and Zohair Nawab. Exponential impact for incremental effort. I view partnerships the same way. At Litmus, we are always looking for partners that have strong capabilities in DataOps and Operations Technology, a capacity to deliver against our customer’s high expectations, and a joint commitment to successful outcomes. Fortunately, we have Harry Grewal and Jim Blanch on the team that are our partner ‘bar raisers.’ #partnership #partnershipsuccess

When will the hiring situation get better? I asked this question to Isha, who is a Principal Group Engineering Manager at Microsoft with close to 21 years of experience. Not just this had an insightful conversation with her and we have covered common doubts around Switching jobs, recession, hiring, should you give more preference to Stocks or Base salary and much more! You can checkout the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gRBKVRph #hiring #salary #recession

🚀 This week's top partnership roles are out! If you're ready to take your career to the next level, have a look at these hot openings: - Global Vice President, Channel Sales & Partnerships at Cloudflare - Partner Development Manager at Microsoft - Deloitte Partner Alliance Director - APAC Lead at Salesforce - Partner Marketing Manager at Typeform Don't miss out on these opportunities to make a mark in the partnerships landscape. 👇 Check the comments for the job board link! #careergrowth #jobsearch #partnerships

Delayed post after some much needed PTO on the lovely island of Anguilla 🌴 See below for a sneak peek or listen to the full podcast of my chat with Amanda Hippe on all things Sourcing. Thanks so much Sean Huynh for having us! The world of Sourcing is continuing to evolve so rapidly. It was really fun to dive deep into our experiences and share some of the secret sauces of the teams we've built. #sourcers #recruitingintechnology #sourcingstrategy #sourcing

One of the takeaways after hearing how Snowflake scaled their sales team so efficiently was who they hired. Rather than focus on industry knowledge, they focused on hiring exceptional performers coming from a myriad of industries versus those that just know data. As companies look to hire leaders, we always try to encourage them to look at people who are 1-2 degrees away in addition to people within the industry. Yes, the risk is a bit higher, but pivoting into a new industry is a reason why people move roles. Knowing this, it opens up a larger pool of people and will diversify the school of thought around a companies GTM motion.

Major companies, such as Google, Amazon, Citigroup and BlackRock, have announced significant layoffs within their firms, contributing to the overall reduction of the white-collar workforce. The ongoing job cuts are being driven by a combination of continued economic uncertainty, the ascension of artificial intelligence and rightsizing companies as a result of pandemic-fueled hiring sprees. These trends reflect the broader challenges and unease shaping the job market, particularly in the white-collar sector.

I don't know who needs to hear this, but some solid talent is ready to work. It's only February, and we've witnessed significant layoffs across industries, impacting thousands of skilled professionals. SAP, Microsoft, eBay, Google, and numerous others have had to make tough decisions, resulting in over 34,000 people losing their jobs. In times like these, it's understandable for companies to feel cautious about expanding their teams. The fear of economic uncertainty often leads to hiring freezes and a reluctance to open up new positions. However, there's an incredible opportunity amidst the turmoil. For those fortunate enough to be in thriving organizations looking to grow, now is the time to seize the moment. Instead of pulling back, let's push forward. Let's recognize the talent pool that has suddenly become available and capitalize on it. These individuals come with a wealth of experience, having navigated the complexities of large global organizations. They bring valuable skills and insights that can elevate our teams and drive our businesses forward. Yes, there may be a learning curve as they adapt to our specific culture and processes, but the foundational expertise is already there, waiting to prove their worth and talent to your needs. Let's use this opportunity to strengthen our teams with top-tier talent. Let's embrace the challenge and welcome these professionals into our organizations, knowing that they have the potential to make a significant impact. To all the companies looking to grow and innovate, reconsider hiring hesitations. There is a sea of professionals with experience from programming to event planning, operations to accounting, and everything in between. Embrace the influx of talent and use this event to grow your teams and organization. #TalentAcquisition #Hiring #BusinessGrowth #Opportunity #Innovation #OpenToHire 

Last Thursday was my last day at Coupa. Unfortunately, my role was impacted by the recent tech layoffs. It was an amazing two years and I was privileged to work with some of the most knowledgeable and inspiring colleagues, who have now become good friends. I'm grateful for all the good memories as each of you has played a pivotal role in my professional growth and personal development. I learned new skills and techniques that I will carry with me throughout my career. In the days following my layoff, I've taken steps that made me feel better and I hope might inspire or aid others in similar situations: - Reaching Out for Connection: I've been actively connecting with professionals and mentors, these conversations have been enlightening and encouraging. - Daily Personal Tasks: Each day, I've set aside time to accomplish one thing I've always wanted to do but never got around to. I finally put together the LEGO set that I've been wanting to assemble for a long time. - Reevaluating My Career Path: I've taken this time to thoughtfully reconsider my career trajectory, exploring where my passions and skills could best be utilized moving forward. I am grateful for the chance to explore new opportunities. As I now re-enter the job market, I am excited for the new opportunities ahead. If you or anyone in your network has potential leads, I would love to connect and learn more about the opportunities! Any advice, referrals, or opportunities would be greatly appreciated. Every ending is a new beginning. Let's stay connected! #openforwork #supplychaindesign #analytics #productmanagement #programmanagement

I've been involved in many layoffs over the years, and I know that you tend to want to make the one on one conversations as quick as possible because those chats are upsetting. Affected employees generally want to get out so that they can talk to family or just get as far away from the company as they can. And the person delivering the news feels awkward and embarrassed. But group meetings are a different thing. However difficult and emotional they might be, as a leader it's kind of important to stand there in front of your team, answer questions to the best of your ability, and show some general sense of empathy. Reading this article, IBM's Chief Communications Officer will be wincing painfully at the mention of the mere seven minutes he spent talking about layoffs in marketing and communications at the company. Maybe he offered more time but everybody was too shellshocked to listen. Maybe there were other unavoidable circumstances. But it's a specific enough detail that it was clearly leaked by a member of the group who was super unhappy about the exchange, and they wasted no time in sharing it with a sympathetic journalist. Moral of the story: whether you're an experienced communicator or not, always think about how your actions might be positioned by those who are on the receiving end of your message, especially during layoffs.

📅 How to Use Event Data to Refine Your ICP! 📅 What happens when one of your targeted accounts secures new funding, hires a CIO, or goes through layoffs? These events are signals that can refine your Ideal Client Profile (ICP) and pinpoint where the most fertile ground for your solution lies. Here are examples of why event data might matter for identifying your targeted accounts: - New Leadership, New Opportunities: A new CIO brings fresh priorities and challenges, opening doors for innovative solutions. - Strategic Hiring or Layoffs: Whether it’s hiring software developers or closing locations, these moves can indicate shifts in focus and potential demand for your offerings. - Financial Changes: Events like funding rounds or acquisitions can either create fertile ground or signal a shift away from your solution's relevance. By integrating these signals into your ICP, you’ll better identify which accounts have the most fertile ground for your product or service. #ABM #MarketingStrategy #ICP #EventData #IntelligentDemand #B2BMarketing #SalesOptimization