INSIDE THE

Interview with a Recruiter, Mary Maves, GeoLogics

I joined GeoLogics in March of 2020 because of their mission, client base, awards, and team. This team is great! I am so lucky to be a part of it. GeoLogics is a 30-year-old company that specializes in engineering, IT, communications, software, systems development, and research and development. We provide software, IT and engineering services, mission critical solutions, recruiting services and technical support primarily to the Defense and Aerospace industry, as well as various agencies of the U.S. federal government and commercial clients.

In addition to being a Talent Acquisition professional, helping military families is close to my heart, as I’m part of a military family myself. I’ve worked as a Mentor with Veterati for Military, Veterans, and Spouses. I’ve also attended meetings with Military Associations and Professional Groups, career fairs, TAP meetings, and worked with Wounded Warrior counselors.

What Types of Positions Does GeoLogics Fill

Currently, we’re recruiting for Space System Projects in Denver for Infrastructure, Cyber, Systems, and Software Engineering. We’ll have projects soon for Special Forces Medical Care for Nurses, Psychologist, and Physical Therapists. We’re also working on Weather Systems and DoD Sensitive projects across the country.

View all GeoLogics positions on ClearedJobs.Net

We’re seeing more jobs opening. There is an increasing need for Sensitive Infrastructure upgrades and Security System Architecture. Additionally, the new Space Force program will expand needs for software, system, and hardware engineers with unique skills and knowledge of critical systems and telemetry.

Has COVID-19 Impacted Hiring

GeoLogics and many companies are taking steps to reduce risks and keep applicants and employees safe. The new normal for GeoLogics’ hiring, now and in the foreseeable future, includes COVID-19 screening questions, virtual interviews, and safe social distancing when in-person meetings are needed. Many of the facilities require facemasks and a temperature check to enter the properties. Most of our jobs will require a COVID-19 test prior to reporting to the first day of work.

The time to hire is slightly longer in some cases due to the new steps. That delay may also be a ‘new norm’ that candidates should be aware of and plan for. But the bottom line is, although our hiring processes have changed a little to mitigate the risks, our hiring has not slowed down.

Wherever possible, roles are being performed remotely, but of course when you’re talking about sensitive programs that is not always an option. In those cases, the work places have been reconfigured to provide more open space between workstations and steps have been implemented to reduce risk to the teams.

What is Talent Mapping

Talent mapping is when a company reviews a team’s knowledge, skills, and ability as it relates to their business needs. Depending on any gaps, the team will either invest in training, or hire additional team members. As talent acquisition professionals, we look at which candidates are ready for stretch assignments and additional responsibility in their careers.

As a job seeker, it is always good to start reviewing your three- and five-year plan annually. Many of our positions are for Technical Consultants – with needed certifications, education and skill set requirements. I see great candidates who are either missing out on promotions or opportunities due to a lack of new software language knowledge, industry certifications, or the needed people skills to gain experience from additional responsibility on a project.

How to Showcase Skills and Experience in a Resume

A resume is a candidate’s story of their career, but a resume is truly a marketing tool. It helps the manager trust that the candidate understands the role they will have on the team. The manager is looking for skills and prior experience, which will help the team succeed. Many times, I see a resume that is trying to show career highlights—which is great if you post your resume on a job board. All the accomplishments are wonderful, but do they help influence the manager to trust that you will fit a particular role within the team?

A manager has performance goals, deadlines, and a budget. The manager needs resources that they can trust. How is your resume showing the manager that you understand their need? In the military, your experience as a Team Lead is great. But if leading others is not listed in the job description, then listing this experience may not influence the manager that you are the team member they need.

As for technical skills, many candidates assume that the person reviewing their resume has a technical background. Most resumes are reviewed by Human Resources – they’re looking at effective communication. Does your resume influence the HR Business Partner to invest time with the team to meet with you? Ask yourself if the business partner will understand your military background as it relates to the job. Do you need an explanation of military titles and acronyms?

How Did You Become a Recruiter

After graduating from the University of Hawaii, I walked into an office that I thought was a placement firm for the area. Instead, it was an award winning Software Engineering Recruiting Firm. I was at the right place at the right time, as the office needed an Assistant. That day I met a Manager, Amy Cody-Quinn, who cared as well as inspired. There were two career lessons I learned when I opened that door: A good manager and a mission can redirect your career, and helping companies and people through the recruitment process is very rewarding.

I have been working in recruitment both as an agency recruiter and in-house corporate Human Resources Business Partner/Talent Acquisition professional for over 15 years. One area that I really enjoy is strategy and planning, which is a great strength to be able to share with job seekers. I see job functions across many industries as a recruiter, as I have worked in Defense, Pharma, Manufacturing, Energy, R&D, and Chemicals for large Fortune 100 Clients.

Part of our role as a Recruiter/Talent Acquisition professional is forecasting. We have to keep up with the trends in business, law, technology, and industry to understand each client’s needs, as well as for our own competitive intelligence. This helps us be strong career counselors for job seekers, as we are able to see career progression, areas of growth, and the skill gaps teams need to be successful.

What’s the Best Way to Reach You

If you’re looking for a particular role, we recommend viewing our corporate site at GeoLogics.com’s career tab. Then please reach me at [email protected]. We can discuss your career and I can recommend an open role to apply to. My phone number is 703-891-6131. Please reach out to me on LinkedIn as well at https://www.linkedin.com/in/marykmaves/.