Attracting and Recruiting Talent for a Crisis Management Company

Episode 77: Attracting and Recruiting Talent for a Crisis Management Company This week on the podcast, Vanessa sits down with one of the key behind-the-scenes players at her company to talk about attracting and recruiting talent for a crisis management company. Her guest is Venus Arthur, Asfalis’s director of administration. Venus has a master’s in accounting and financial management and spent many years as an independent financial analyst and tax accountant. She plays a key role in hiring and recruitment at Asfalis. In their conversation, Vanessa and Venus talk about what Asfalis looks for in seeking new talent (the company is hiring, Vanessa says). They also give advice to applicants seeking positions in crisis management and companies that are recruiting CM staff. Key points include: • Good interview etiquette is critical, even for remote interviews, says Venus. Applicants should research the company ahead of time, make sure their technology works, be on time, and send a prompt thank you message to the interviewer afterward. • In seeking talent for Asfalis, Venus looks for “strong, confident people who can think quickly during a crisis and develop a plan to stop the ship from sinking.” • One of the best ways companies can mitigate the risks of hiring the wrong person, says Vanessa, is by honing in on their core values throughout the recruiting process. Venus also explains why Microsoft Excel is her “happy place” and Vanessa talks about the high cost to Asfalis of her biggest hiring mistake. Vanessa also reveals the secret, patented “airport test” she uses to evaluate potential new hires. LINKS Disaster Recovery Journal: • Register for DRJ’s weekly (Wednesday) webinar series at https://drj.com/webinars/up-coming/. • Register for DRJ Fall 2021: A Virtual Experience at https://drj.com/fall2021/virtual/. Connect with the podcast! • Email us at podcast@drj.com • Podcast Website: https://drj.com/decoded/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/BRDecoded • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/business-resilience-decoded/ Venus Arthur, guest Venus Arthur is the Director of Administration at Asfalis Advisors. A resident of the Atlanta area, Venus has graduate degrees in finance and accounting from the Keller Graduate School of Management at DeVry University. Before joining Asfalis, she worked as an independent accountant and financial analyst managing budgets for municipal governments and preparing tax returns for individuals and businesses. She plays a key role in hiring at Asfalis and describes herself as “an introvert who loves people.” LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/venus-arthur-b53388208 Vanessa Mathews, host Vanessa Mathews is the founder and chief resilience officer of Asfalis Advisors, where they are focused on protecting the legacy of the leaders they serve through business resilience. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mathews developed global crisis management and business continuity programs for government and private sector organizations to include Lowe’s Companies, Gulfstream Aerospace, and the Department of Homeland Security. • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessa-vaughn-mathews-mba-cbcp-70916b4b/ • Book Mathews as a speaker: https://www.asfalisadvisors.com/public-speaking/ • Asfalis Advisors: https://www.asfalisadvisors.com/ Jon Seals, producer Jon Seals is the editor in chief at Disaster Recovery Journal, the leading magazine/event in business continuity. Seals is an award-winning journalist with a background in publication design, business media, content management, sports journalism, social media, and podcasting. • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonseals/ • Disaster Recovery Journal: https://drj.com/