FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Are you the same "Joe Corey"
who operated the search firm, Industry Consultants, which was based out
of Atlanta with an office in Arizona?
A. "Yes, from 1982 to 2002."
Q. Why do you favor the consumer
packaged goods sector?
A. "Because these companies are less
affected by recessions and not as cyclical as other industries. To
maintain balance, though, about 15% of my assignments are in other
industries."
Q. In the areas in which you recruit, what
fields are in highest demand?
A. "During a very bad recession
as we are currently in, the highest demand jobs are in Reliability and
Maintenance Management which incorporate Lean/Six Sigma principles and strong
expertise in robotics."
Q. What
is the most important stage of a face-to-face interview?
A. "The first 30 seconds. Studies have shown that the
decision to hire or not to hire is made within the first 30 seconds, 99%
no later than two minutes after the interview begins. Therefore, first
impressions are overwhelming. Proper dress, good eye contact, and
enunciating clearly could help the candidate get past the critical first
two minutes successfully."
Q. I understand that one of your specialty
areas in recruitment is Lean Six Sigma Manufacturing. What is Lean Six
Sigma Manufacturing?
A. “Lean manufacturing is based on a
just-in-time (JIT) material delivery concept and is focused on
eliminating waste-producing activities throughout the manufacturing
process including poor space utilization, excess production (produce to
demand), high raw and WIP material inventories, inferior quality, rework
and inspection. The term Six Sigma is used to define the level of
allowable defects to achieve on a normalized distribution curve, a
standard deviation of Six Sigma (0.999997). Lean Six Sigma combines the
lean and quality processes that create an environment to achieve major
cost, inventory and lead time reductions. The key is leveraging the
speed of lean with the process control of Six Sigma quality.”
Q. What technical disciplines are the most
prevalent among your placements?
A. "#1, Chemical
Engineering, #2, Mechanical Engineering, #3 Industrial engineering."
Q. In your opinion, what are the top five
personality traits/characteristics that Corporate America is hoping to
find in a candidate for a professional salaried, managerial, or
executive level position?
A. "Aggression,
Enthusiasm, Passion, Energy, and Diplomacy.
Q. What is the most common reason that a
company cites when rejecting a candidate?
A. "Lacking one or more
of the above traits/characteristics."
Q. Just how many professional salaried folks
have you placed in your career and how many possessed a college degree
in engineering?
A. At the conclusion of my 30th year, I have placed 768 with
all, but 35, having a B. S. degree in either Chemical, Mechanical,
Industrial, or Electrical Engineering.
Q. What five universities are most
represented among your placements?
A. Purdue, Georgia Tech, Penn State,
University of Wisconsin, and Texas A&M.
Q. If you were to advise a young person
wanting to attain an engineering degree, what universities would you
advise attending as the most likely to generate a job offer with a solid
company through the college placement office?
A. One’s own state university. The
effectiveness of the placement director in attracting companies to
campus to interview upcoming grads is the key and this can change when a
college placement director moves on. So, investigating the current
effectiveness of the placement office is essential before even applying.
There is no need to spend the extra tuition at an out-of-state
university as there is no economic advantage to do so in my experience
unless, of course, the in-state university’s placement office is
completely ineffective.
Joe Corey welcomes your
questions and feedback on his responses.
