They broke open a new vertical, won massive accounts and were on track to hit 200% of quota. Management was singing your praises and you were already raising next year's targets. Now they’re gone and you’re wondering what happened - and how to keep if from happening again - while they’re working for your biggest competitor.

We know that story well because we’ve been on both sides of it. Whether you've recently lost an A-player, or want to hold on to the ones you already have, we’ve…

Do you have a product you think I’d enjoy? Are you looking to make your next cold call to Martyn Basset Associates a little easier? Are you simply curious about how the mind of a prospect works? Well, this is your lucky day.



A few weeks ago I was on a demo call with a sales rep who’s only question seemed to be “...and how will this feature benefit you?” It’s a good question but I take enough sales calls and watch enough…

We’re all familiar with job postings. At some point you probably spent hours sifting through them to find your next job, so you know the basics. That’s why it’s surprising that so many are dense, boring and bland. It’s like everyone that writes a job posting forgets how our brains work when we’re looking for a job.…

Running a startup is all about small teams, long hours and wearing different hats. Doing more with less is a point of pride for a lot of CEOs, but there comes a time when you can’t afford to wait for VC money before expanding the team. After all, Microsoft may have started in a garage but it didn’t stay there for long.

So, what are some signs it’s time to bring someone else on board?…

Maybe I’m the only one, but I was surprised when I heard Olympic athletes get performance bonuses for bringing home medals. In Canada our medal winners can expect $20K for gold, $15K for silver and $10K for bronze. It’s a practice we started in 2008 and the bill, as of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, is roughly $2.3M. It’s great to see that we’re supporting our athletes, but it did raise a few questions.

Like, what does a gold medal taste…

Your job title says a lot about you, whether you want it to or not. It's shorthand for what you do and where you fit into an organization. It's also inherently meaningless, since no two companies are identical and nobody has to sign an affidavit before they declare themselves the Vice President of something. There's no solution to this (and I'm not sure it's a problem, per se) short of standardizing job titles across the board, but it did get me thinking about the two fundamental components…

Recruiters look at a lot of LinkedIN profiles so, whether you're looking for work or just open to new opportunities, investing some time in your profile is a worthwhile endeavour. You'll probably be logging in to change your password in the wake of the massive password leak, so why not take this opportunity to increase your odds of appearing on our radar?

Resume Rules Apply

For many people LinkedIN is an online resume more than a social network, which is why…

Like most tech-savvy Canadians, I've been following the ongoing saga of RIM. The difference is that Martyn Bassett Associates has a bit of history with the company - we placed several candidates there back in the early days - and have a vested interest in the Waterloo tech talent-pool. With that in mind, the news that RIM is going to trim at least 2000 positions got me…

Is the title of this post a cliche? Yes. Does that make it any less true? Not from a recruiter's perspective.

These days there's no shortage of places to post a job and no matter where you post you'll probably collect a few resumes. In fact, job ads on free sites like Craigslist can pull in more resumes than mainstream sites like Workopolis or Monster, which is great if you've got the time to sort through a few hundred applicants. You might even get lucky, but I don't know many…

Have you ever found yourself buying something just because it's on sale? You see that 75% off tag and, even though you might not need an industrial strength pressure washer, you imagine all the things you could do with it. We've all been there and, surprisingly, the talent market in your industry is remarkably similar. The only difference is that the good deal you snap up will do more than collect dust in your garage.…

You only get one chance to make a first impression, which is why recruiters always stress the importance of dressing for success and staying positive. It's not impossible to overcome a first impression, but you're putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage if you skulk into an interview wearing a Tommy Bahama club shirt. It's an important lesson for candidates, but it's just as important for our clients and anyone that wants to land the top talent.…

Since the “Great Recession” in ’08 we’ve seen enough declining charts and heard enough horror stories that in a lot of places layoffs and hiring freezes have become more common than a new face in the office. These are “cost cutting” measures, which make sense; the fewer people you have to pay the more money you’ll have at the end of the year. On the flip side, there will be fewer people to do the work your customers pay you for in the first place.…

In Part 1 of The Power of Proactive Search we covered a few of the ways Proactive Search can benefit companies looking for the ideal candiate. 

So, what about those candidates?

For everyone out there looking for a change, surfing job boards and tossing resumes into the ether is equivalent to the 'Career' page method; it feels active, and it's not a bad thing in…

"Seize the day!"

"Grab the bull by the horns!" 

"The early bird gets the worm!"

No, I haven't called in your high school gym teacher to write a guest post, but those pep rally staples do neatly encapsulate the main thrust of today's post; the importance of being proactive. This is a lesson for job searchers and hiring managers, and we'll look at specifically how it applies to both, but it really boils down being active rather…

Statistically speaking, you know your industry better than most people. It goes with the territory and it's why conversations that start with "What do you do?" are the worst part of any dinner party. Sure, you get to feel like an expert, but don't get complacent because of a few impressed in-laws. Something is changing in your industry right now and, whether you're actively looking for a change in your career or just open to the possibility, it pays to stay on top of those…

It seems like a match made in heaven; recruiters have positions that need filling and there are a lot of people looking for jobs. All we have to do is put a help wanted sign in the window and take an early lunch, right? Well, putting aside the fact that we don't place too many short order cooks, there are a few reasons recruiters might not be making the most of the active talent pool.…