Today we’d like to introduce you to Diane Goebel.
Diane, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After graduating from Baylor, I spent the first 16 years of my career at EDS in Dallas and Washington, DC. EDS was an exciting place to work due to the tremendous growth after the company was acquired by GM. Barely out of college myself, I became a campus recruiter and visited universities all over the northeast to recruit new grads into EDS’ premier training programs. Later, I handled recruiting for marketing, communications, legal, accounting, finance, and IT positions at all levels while also leading a team of recruiters. There was a lot of camaraderie at EDS, and team members became like family. Many of those colleagues are still friends and business associates today.
After EDS, I joined KPMG, LLP to help build two regions of a start-up management consulting practice. It was a real challenge due to the niche and diverse skill sets required for each industry within the practice, and my recruiting skills were really honed while in this role.
Even after many years in the recruiting field, I’d still get a thrill each time I matched a great person with a great company, so after a brief stint with a staffing company, the time was right to use my recruiting expertise to start my own executive search business. Hiring Spectrum was launched 15 years ago, on September 9, 2003. Soon afterwards, my husband Scott joined the business as my partner. His background in sales, IT and business operations was a great compliment to my recruiting background. Looking back, I’m amazed that I had the courage to take that leap from a corporate career to business owner, especially at a time with the economy was experiencing a huge downturn!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As a corporate recruiter, I had an internal client base, so business development was something I had not done before. Through the years though, we’ve built a nationwide client base, to include a number of DFW area companies. We’re proud that many of our customers have come through referrals from satisfied clients and candidates.
The recruiting industry has changed immensely through the years. When I began in the 1980’s, recruiters did not have computers on their desks. Without the technology we have today, we relied on the phone book, a telephone, print advertising, and our own creativity to come up with ways to find candidates. Recruiters today have so much information at their fingertips; however, it still takes a skilled recruiter to distinguish themselves and find that needle-in-the-haystack highly sought after candidate and to convince them to consider a new opportunity. In fact, let me clear up a common misnomer: Recruiters don’t just wave a wand or pull that perfect candidate out of a drawer! Each search presents its own unique challenges, and a new search strategy is put in place for every open position.
Please tell us about Hiring Spectrum.
Hiring Spectrum is a consulting firm that’s focused on helping small and large companies meet their business needs through hiring the right people. A “spectrum” is defined as a broad sequence of related qualities, ideas, or activities. Our name, Hiring Spectrum, was chosen because it reflects the range of services we offer our clients. We have the capability of handling anything that falls within the spectrum of the recruiting lifecycle. Our primary services include retained and contingency executive search for full-time and contract hiring as well as customized solutions tailored to a company’s needs.
One of our first clients was a Dallas-based management consulting firm that specialized in process improvement using a methodology called Lean Six Sigma. We quickly became experts in this skill and were instrumental in helping this company grow from 60 to 250 employees, ultimately leading to their acquisition by a top-tier consulting firm.
In a field where “headhunters” often have bad reputations, we distinguish ourselves by providing a high level of customer service to both our clients and our candidates. We are trustworthy, responsive, honest, ethical, and always follow through. We take the time to understand our clients’ business and culture to ensure we’re bringing the right candidates to the table.
It was an honor to be recognized by my industry peers in recent years as Recruiter of the Year Runner Up by the Dallas Forth Worth Texas Recruiters Network. But at the end of the day, my satisfaction comes from knowing that I’ve helped someone make a career change that positively impacts their life.
Where do you see the industry going in the next 5-10 years? Any big shifts, trends, changes, etc?
There is a lot of talk today whether artificial intelligence will impact the role of an executive recruiter, and the consensus is that although AI can assist in the identification of candidates and help with scheduling, it cannot replace the human touch that is critical in the recruiting process. AI cannot replace a human to build rapport with candidates, interpret their responses, determine culture fit, evaluate interpersonal skills, or sell candidates to accept offers. As technology advances, the tools of the trade will evolve, however, AI will not replace the role of the executive recruiter.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.hiringspectrum.com
- Email: diane@hiringspectrum.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hiringspectrum/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hiringspectrum
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianegoebel/
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