Name: Thomas Frisch

Position: Director of Human Resources

Company: NEOGOV

Industry: Technology

Advice to students on how to adjust their job search in the time of COVID 19?  

Don’t just apply blindly online. Join organizations and meet people. Ask University career staff/teachers/friends/family/next-door neighbors dog if they have job leads. Companies want to hire known commodities. If you are referred, it will better your chances of making it through the hiring process. Also, be open to moving if that is possible for you. So many graduates leave University and then focus their job search in the 30-mile radius of where they live. There are some great places to work around the country (And the world, for that matter) if you are open to moving!

How has your recruitment model adjusted to this unprecedented time?  

We have had to be laser-focused on hiring employees who are a great fit for the company. Fit has a direct influence on tenure, which is extremely important to us. Being a SaaS company, learning the products is a lengthy process. Investing in a new employee who leaves after one year is a negative ROI in most cases. I have hired more recruiters so that we can still fill the positions necessary while being focused on quality hires. It is an applicant market right now. We need to be viewed as a great workplace to the candidates. Their experience during the interview process is a major deciding factor for them. We need to remain cognizant of this fact. A smooth, painless hiring process is important to attract top candidates.

What excites you about your company/industry?  

The Tech industry is a great place to be if you want a job that sometimes consists of roles outside the job description. It is really for those sponges that have a passion for continued learning. It is a very exciting time to be at NEOGOV. We just got a major growth investment and are scaling for some exponential growth over the next 5 years. We have a clear vision to lead the Government Technology sector. We are also a Mission-Driven company focused on bettering our communities, especially around Diversity Hiring in the public sector. That has been a major driver for us in how we build our products. My favorite company value we have is Be the Change. Our belief is just raising the problem is not enough. We come with solutions and work them through to the end. Complaining is not powerful. If you see something wrong, drive change to fix it. Now that is powerful!