#AskARecruiter presented by Steelcase with host Kara Furger

Welcome to #AskARecruiter presented by Steelcase!

Welcome to Ask A Recruiter presented by Steelcase! April's host is Kara Furger.

Kara is a Senior Talent Acquisition Consultant with Steelcase, a leading manufacturer of architecture, furniture, and technology products and services designed to help people work, learn, heal and reach their full potential. She leads recruitment for the marketing and communications organization. Roles she typically hires include Product Managers, Communications Managers, and Digital Marketing. Kara has a Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology and she enjoys helping people find the next exciting opportunity in their career path!

Here's the recap from our Q&A event. 

1. "I'm currently searching for a new role. How do you advise working around my work schedule for calls and interviews? Pulling away from my workday is difficult, and taking time off is next to impossible."
   
   Good question! As a recruiter I understand that it can be difficult for candidates to take time out of a busy work day for interviews so I offer flexibility to speak with them early morning, over the lunch hour or early evening hours outside normal business hours. Sometimes candidates prefer a phone interview instead of a video interview which may be easier to schedule. I recommend keeping in close contact with your recruiter and sharing your best availability as well as blocking times in advance that you could set aside for interviews. Many early stage interviews are virtual which can offer additional flexibility.
    
2. What makes Steelcase a unique company in the furniture space?
   
   Steelcase is dedicated to creating amazing employee experiences, wherever people work. We conduct research to gather insights to guide our product development and innovative design solutions. Steelcase partners with a number of brands which allows us to offer endless choice for creating compelling spaces that perform. We maintain strong relationships with our customers and the link below provides a nice overview of our customer stories.
   
   I am happy to share that for the 16th consecutive year, Steelcase has been named among the world’s leading brands on Fortune’s 2022 World’s Most Admired Companies list in the Home Equipment and Furnishings category. We also earned a perfect score of 100 points on the Corporate Equality Index, issued by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, as one of the “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ Equality” in the U.S. and Mexico. www.steelcase.com/research/topics/customer-stories
   
   You can learn more about our research on hybrid collaboration here: www.steelcase.com/research/articles
    
3. Does Steelcase offer flexibility when it comes to location? Are more positions remote or has Steelcase entered into a hybrid model?
   
   We have a hybrid model to allow flexibility for employees to be in the office and work from home. A majority of our product marketing positions are primarily onsite to be hands on with products and work cross functionally with teams such as engineering, operations, finance, launch, and sales. We would also consider remote!
   
   Here is a link to learn more about our Grand Rapids location! Home to more than 2,000 employees who range from designers to communicators, researchers to marketers, innovators to engineers, and professionals in many other areas:
   www.steelcase.com/find-us/locations/americas/grand-rapids-michigan
   
   
4. Does having an introvert personality hinder job opportunities?
   
   During the interview process we assess for job specific skills and experience while keeping mind that each person works differently! I would like to share this link to our partnership with Susan Cain - Quiet Spaces www.steelcase.com/quiet-spaces
    
5. Do you usually employ entry-level marketing roles or more towards mid-level to higher level marketing roles?
   
   We hire entry-level positions as well! These are typically posted as Specialist or Coordinator for Product Marketing, Digital Marketing, and Communications.
   
   
6. Would it hurt my chances to continue applying to other jobs [after having applied to a role with Steelcase]? Would recruiters usually see this as not caring about the jobs I’m applying to?
   
   This is a really good question and I know is a hot topic with job seekers. If you are interested in other jobs posted we would encourage you to apply to those as well!