O’Connell Group Executive Search Recognized by Forbes for 3rd Year

We are thrilled to share some exciting news with our LinkedIn family! O’Connell Group Executive Search has been recognized by Forbes as one of America’s Best Executive Recruiting Firms for the third year in a row in 2023. This prestigious recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence and success in the field of executive recruitment…. Read more »

Risks and Challenges Loom Beneath the “Work-from-Anywhere” Reality

Our most recent survey, “The Pandemic Workplace: Impact on Career Decisions” reports the dominant preference of respondents to continue the flexibility to “work from anywhere.” The vast majority (98%) expressed their preference for working in a hybrid (56%) or fully remote (42%) office situation. But, the survey also reveals the risks and challenges ahead as… Read more »

How to Hire Top Talent in a “Buyer’s Market”

How to Hire Top Talent in a “Buyer’s Market”

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! Do you know how to build a team with top talent in this highly competitive market?  Investors back companies that build teams who know how to create value and growth in our “new reality.” Whether your company is closely held, part of a private equity portfolio, or publicly… Read more »

4 Ways Students Can Identify Their Innate Strengths

4 Ways Students Can Identify Their Innate Strengths

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! “What are your strengths?” When a career advisor or guidance counselor asks this question, you might freeze up. That’s OK. Knowing yourself sounds simple enough, but for many students, it can be hard to gauge your strengths accurately. You might downplay the things you’re great at or overlook… Read more »

A Simple Guide to Negotiating a Win-Win Job Offer

A Simple Guide to Negotiating a Win-Win Job Offer

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! Congratulations! You’ve applied for a role, gone through the lengthy interview process, and finally, received a job offer. But wait, the journey isn’t over yet. You still need to negotiate the details. Applicants often think negotiations are just about salary. Of course, salary is a key element, but… Read more »

Why You’re Unhappy in Your First Job – and What to Do About It

Why You’re Unhappy in Your First Job- and What to Do About It

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! You’ve graduated from college or graduate school, and you’ve accepted the job you wanted at the company you wanted to work for. You’ve been building your career skills. Everything sounds great on paper—but you’re not happy. In fact, you’re downright miserable. What are you doing wrong? The answer… Read more »

A Step-by-Step Guide to Career Networking

A Step-by-Step Guide to Career Networking

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! If the thought of standing in a crowded room and starting conversations with strangers makes your palms sweat, you’re not alone. Networking can be a stressful, unpleasant experience, but here’s a secret: most people feel nervous doing it. Nonetheless, networking is a crucial part of forging valuable career… Read more »

Kris Holmes on “Clearly Off Topic” Podcast

Kris Holmes on “Clearly Off Topic” Podcast

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! Our guest today is Kris Holmes executive recruiter and partner at O’Connell Group, a leading executive search firm in consumer marketing and market research. With more than twenty-five years of experience, she is also a member of the Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of industry-leading recruiters in North… Read more »

Kris Holmes on “C.Q.P. Moments” Podcast

Kris Holmes on “C.Q.P. Moments” Podcast

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! I speak with Kris Holmes about what key things people should be doing when wanting to Ignite their careers. Kris Holmes is a nationally recognized author, speaker, career counselor and Pinnacle Society member.

8 Common Job Interview Questions (and How to Nail Them)

8 Common Job Interview Questions (and How to Nail Them)

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! You’re guaranteed to hear some, if not all, of these questions during your next job interview. Prepare now and you’ll be ready to wow your interviewer! Interviewing for a job is like dating. Your goal is to get the company to fall in love with you and ask… Read more »

Ideas in the Wild: How Kris Holmes is Helping People Get the Clarity They Need to Find Fulfillment in Their Career

Ideas in the Wild: How Kris Holmes is Helping People Get the Clarity They Need to Find Fulfillment in Their Career

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! Taking the first steps into a career should be one of the most exciting times in any young person’s life. Yet for many students and recent graduates, identifying the right direction and figuring out how to get there can be overwhelming, even paralyzing. Throughout their academic journey, every… Read more »

How to Resign the Right Way Without Burning Bridges

How to Resign the Right Way Without Burning Bridges

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! You have an offer from a new company. It’s the exciting conclusion to a long, laborious job search. A fresh opportunity, a new company, and hopefully, better compensation. After getting the offer, you’re probably on cloud nine. But then you remember that it’s not all celebrations—you still need… Read more »

Kris Holmes on “Author Hour” Podcast

Kris Holmes on “Author Hour” Podcast

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! Kris Holmes has helped unlock the careers of tens of thousands of people in her role as an executive recruiter. In her new book, Ignite Your Career!, she shows the best tools she’s honed over two-plus decades in her industry. Kris’s book was one I needed when I was… Read more »

3 Phases Every Successful Career Goes Through

3 Phases Every Successful Career Goes Through

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! If it’s your first day working in construction, do you expect to be calling the shots and overseeing the various teams involved in building a house? Of course not! You’ll be learning from the more experienced professionals and developing your proverbial toolbox. Once you have the hang… Read more »

Find Your Perfect Career Fit by Focusing on Your Strengths

Find Your Perfect Career Fit by Focusing on Your Strengths

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! Imagine sitting down for a performance review. Your boss says, “You’re an amazing leader.” But then instead of giving you more leadership responsibility, she says, “Let’s spend the next quarter working on your weak analytical skills. You will never be strong here, but they’re a weakness so… Read more »

How to Format Your Resume in a Way Recruiters Will Appreciate

How to Format Your Resume in a Way Recruiters Will Appreciate

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! When it comes to resumes, creativity and uniqueness are not appreciated — especially in the formatting. Recruiters/hiring managers want to be able to glean the information they need to make a hiring decision, and they want to do it now. If you make them wade through fancy fonts, wordy paragraphs, or… Read more »

Kris Holmes on “The Graduate at Work”

Jay Gevers|9/8/2020 Today I am talking to Kris Holmes. Kris Holmes a Best-Selling Author of Ignite Your Career! Strategies and Tactics to Unleash Your Potential. She is also an executive recruiter and partner at O’Connell Group, a leading executive search firm in consumer marketing and market research. With more than twenty-five years of experience, she… Read more »

Kris Holmes on “One Broken Cog” Podcast

Episode Description Kris Holmes, author of the Amazon best seller “Ignite Your Career! Strategies and Tactics to Unleash Your Potential​” and partner at leading executive search firm O’Connell Group, joins the show to provide expert advice on how to land your dream job even during COVID-19 and how to negotiate the best package. For more… Read more »

10 Key Differences between Your Resume and LinkedIn Profile

Both your resume and LinkedIn profile are powerful tools to help you on your career journey. But, are you wondering if there should be differences between your resume and LinkedIn profile? The answer is YES! While both must be equally professional, effective and accurate in showcasing your experience, skills and accomplishments, they serve different objectives…. Read more »

Fill the Void in Consumer Insights: Six Things Leaders Can Do Now

The C-Suite demands real time, predictive insights that give them the confidence to make smart investment decisions ahead of the market and competition. Leaders are awash in data and information from a rapid and relatively inexpensive proliferation of sources. But they are often surrounded by people and systems ill-equipped to effectively extract, interpret, connect and… Read more »

Kris Holmes on “Beyond Barriers” Podcast

How To Ignite Your Career With Kris Holmes Thank you for listening to this podcast. We are truly grateful for your comments, feedback and advocacy. If you haven’t already, please take a moment to subscribe and rate the show. We love 5 stars! In this episode, we’ll discuss why applying for jobs without a clear strategy… Read more »

What to Do if Your Company’s Culture Doesn’t Fit You

The following is adapted from Ignite Your Career! Do you feel like you don’t fit in at your company? Are you often on a different page than your coworkers? Does the company make decisions you don’t agree with? If your current job feels “not quite right,” the problem likely isn’t you —it’s the culture fit…. Read more »

Key Take-Aways from Natural Products Expo

  Winds of Change Keep Talent Demand High in Natural Product Segment Hurricane Florence dampened plans for many travelers to Natural Product Expo East, but the smaller crowd made it easier to navigate and spend quality time to promote their businesses, gain inspiration, share innovation and discover new ventures to buy or invest in. Large… Read more »

Natural Products are Transforming CPG – or Vice Versa?

Natural products represent the wave of the future for the consumer packaged goods industry, as companies of all sizes strive to leverage Millennial trends, growing environmental awareness, improving health and wellness education and greater demand for transparency. Transformation in Full Force In an already competitive talent market, the transformative stage of the natural products industry… Read more »

Natural Products Expo: East Meets West

  Natural Products Expo: East Meets West At the Natural Products East and West Expo events, the demand for talent in the fast-growing natural and organic product space is clearly on display. The industry’s biggest events keep growing every year and evolving as the industry matures. NPE provides a great opportunity to observe and listen… Read more »

Natural Products are Transforming CPG. Are you Transforming your Team?

Natural products represent the wave of the future for the consumer packaged goods industry, as companies of all sizes strive to leverage Millennial trends, growing environmental awareness, improving health and wellness education and greater demand for transparency. Transformation in Full Force At Natural Products Expo West this year, the energy level was off the charts,… Read more »

Time for a Job Change? Look – at the CPG Market – Before Leaping

You may feel that a job change is be imminent and necessary. But, how do you know the right time for a job change and how to best manage your job transition? Look before you leap. Know the triggers that are driving the job change, and determine whether your skills are relevant enough to command the… Read more »

Five Simple Rules for Interviewing

Interview preparation is perhaps the single most powerful investment you can make to ensure you achieve your number one objective: “to get an offer” by presenting yourself as the best person for the company and the role. Your interview will go better if you follow five simple rules for interviewing. CPG companies and other consumer-driven… Read more »

Interview Preparation: Take the Time, Do It Right

You’ve achieved a significant milestone on your path to your dream job: the interview. Mixed with elation is that nagging fear that “one rocky interview” can cost you an offer you really want. What to do? In word: Prepare Train Your Brain on STAR Plus The STAR Plus interview format offers a framework for your interview… Read more »

Selling Yourself: CPG Recruiters Seek Marketers Who Market Themselves

Many people are hesitant to “toot their own horn.” When CPG recruiters and hiring managers seek candidates for a CPG marketing or market research job, most are at least a little uncomfortable self-aggrandizing. And with good reason – most people react negatively to braggarts. This poses a dilemma in interviewing: you have to sell yourself “just right.”… Read more »

Why Behavioral Interviews for CPG Recruiting Fall Short

The classic behavioral interview concept asserts that people’s past behavior is the best predictor of their future behavior. However, behavioral interviews for CPG recruiting have a foundational premise with an inherent and significant flaw: it presumes humans do not learn from their experiences. The rapidly changing CPG industry requires marketing and market research professionals who apply… Read more »

Veteran CPG Recruiter Admitted to The Pinnacle Society

ST. LOUIS — The Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of 80 industry-leading recruiters, has admitted Kris Holmes, Principal and Recruiter at O’Connell Group. The Pinnacle Society is an influential group of executive search professionals, representing fewer than 1% of producers in the country. Members have a demonstrated track record of excellence, documented experience and tenure in… Read more »

CPG Marketing and Research Candidates Can Effectively Cross the “Generational Divide”

CPG companies that market to consumers in every age demographic must effectively balance and blend their teams’ skills and experience. That’s good news for talented and agile professionals – whether you are a Millennial, Gen-Xer or Boomer. Your success in competing for a consumer packaged goods marketing or market research job depends more on your… Read more »

Interview Preparation Beyond the “What, Why and How”

If you are preparing to interview for a consumer packaged goods marketing or market research job, you may be concerned about giving the “wrong answer.” It’s true that you must demonstrate your knowledge with the “right answer.” But, it is likely that your interviewer will move past the basic skills evaluation to more subjective evaluation… Read more »

How Marketing Professionals Prepare for Salary Negotiations

Many marketing professionals and executives stumble when it comes to negotiating their salaries, pay raises, or promotions. No matter how well they understand the law of supply and demand, some don’t understand the best way to reach an agreement. Others simply feel awkward advocating for themselves or broaching the uncomfortable topic of money. Use the… Read more »

Position Highlight: Shopper Insights Manager

Nationwide, the current average salary for shopper insight managers is $97,000 a year. This is 69 percent higher than the national average for all jobs posted, and the salary potential can range into the low-to-mid six figures. To cite a few examples, as noted by Glassdoor, Clorox has posted a shopper insights manager position at… Read more »

Job Search Strategy: How Does a Marketing Recruiter Add Value?

Today’s job market is more competitive – and prospective employers more selective – than ever before. Like many candidates, you may be well-networked professionally and connected technologically to online recruiting sites that give you access to thousands of jobs. But, as you build your job search strategy, these tools may not be enough to successfully… Read more »

Position Highlight: Global Marketing Director

The role of Global Marketing Director has existed for a long time within the Consumer Packaged Goods industry.   However, as more and more consumer goods companies look to expand their footprint and increase sales around the world, the number of these roles has increased dramatically.  Compared to 10 years ago, the number of global roles… Read more »

Consumer Insights and Analytics: To Generalize or Specialize – That is the Question!

Dixon Smith and Virginia Roher recently represented O’Connell Group’s consumer insights and analytics recruitment team at The Market Research Event. They share their observations based on conversations at this leading market research industry conference.   Attending The Market Research Event (TMRE) once again provided us with the opportunity to step away from the recruiting desk… Read more »

Position Highlight: Manager of Advanced Analytics

In 2013, the fast-growing advanced analytics segment of the business intelligence field surpassed the $1 billion mark.  That momentum continues. Fueled by the need to make advanced analytics accessible to more users and broaden business insight, advanced analytics professionals are in demand by companies in virtually every industry. Average salaries for advanced analytics managers are… Read more »

Holidays: Prime Time for Both Hiring and Hunting for Marketing and Market Research Jobs

No one likes stormy weather during the holidays.  But, the last months of the year create a positive “perfect storm” for job seekers looking for marketing career opportunities — as well as employers seeking to fill jobs in consumer marketing and market research. In 2016, demand will remain high for professionals with valuable marketing skills… Read more »

The Choreography of the Interview

Based on decades of experience and deep industry knowledge as brand marketing and consumer insights recruiters, O’Connell Group shares best practices and useful insights to help you build your career. Have you ever completed a day of interviewing for a job you really wanted and thought: “The first interview was a little rough, but I… Read more »