Why Tech Industry Experience Matters—Meet Rick Tyner

The last thing you want, whether you are an IT candidate or a company looking for tech expertise, is a generalized account executive that doesn’t understand your requirements. Prosum specializes in tech and hires some of the most experienced and knowledgeable account executives and technical recruiters in the industry. Rick Tyner is one of our best account executives with deep IT staffing expertise and we’d like you to get to know him. We asked Rick a few questions about his experiences and his approach to working with our clients. Here’s what he had to say. 

In His Own Words—Rick and “Speaking Nerd”

My staffing experience goes back about 25-years. It’s given me a unique perspective on how much IT has changed over the past decade.  

It’s interesting how all of my varied experiences have led me to success at Prosum. In the same way that IT teams troubleshoot their way to a deployment, I understand how to think logically about big problems. I learned the scientific method during my undergraduate education in biology, but also honed my reliance on structured thinking, math, and logic, through my master’s degree in environmental engineering.   

Simply put—I speak “nerd.” It’s given me an edge over a lot of account managers who only worked in staffing but never in the technical fields. As a result, I’m able to talk knowledgeably with clients, tech recruiters, and IT candidates about the science and practical applications of computing practice. I can understand the architecture you’re trying to build, or the legacy environment you’re trying to upgrade. Then I share that on-the-ground knowledge with Prosum’s recruiting teams for a win/win for the client and my firm. 

Rick’s Experience Goes Back 25-Years

My first staffing position came after my engineering degree, when I built the environmental staffing division of OnAssignment. It was a challenging role where I was responsible for full-service staffing and recruiting to fill openings in environmental, health, and safety for a variety of clients. I received top performer awards and was promoted to the company’s headquarters to manage 11 additional environmental staffing offices around the United States.

By 1998 though, I was ready to make a change and joined Kforce as an IT Recruiter. Despite switching companies and areas of staffing expertise, I feel like my results spoke for themselves there. I was happy with my contribution to the Kforce team. In about nine months I was promoted to Market Manager, handling a team of IT Recruiters as well as a full client load. During this time, I also attended computer sciences classes at UCLA.  

Within a few months of going to UCLA in the evenings and working as an IT Recruiter during the day, I had an epiphany. I was helping people find jobs and supporting some of the best companies in the world to be successful by finding them the best possible available resources. I found this particularly rewarding and was amazed at how my career continued to accelerate. It married my passions with my work and the results have been fantastic. 

In 2000, I joined Prosum as an IT Recruiter and Account Executive. Prosum is my professional home, where I continue to support some of the best companies in the world by partnering with them to find them the best possible tech talent. 

Rick’s Recommendations for Success

How did I get here? It was a process of building toward my goals every day.

I don’t mind telling you that I have kind of a “if you build it, they will come mentality.”

I don’t leave my desk every day until I’ve made concrete progress toward each of my goals. Here’s how I do it: 

  • Daily Planning: My secret sauce is planning. Like a lot of successful people, I plan my tasks out in advance—every morning, as a matter of fact. The staffing industry, in general, is a very reactive type of business and having a daily plan brings you back to what prioritized tasks need to be completed for the day. 
  • Timely Responses: I also believe in providing a positive client contact and candidate experience above all else. You’ll find it’s a point of pride to respond quickly to any requests, even if I don’t know the answer. I feel like my clients deserve this kind of care and responsiveness. I also feel like it gives the person making the request a feeling that they are being taken care of.
  • Consistency: In the same way a developer takes on their daily build tasks, I try to keep a consistent routine where I apply daily best practices to my work habits. I’ve learned over the years that it’s the small details applied consistently over time that ultimately get the job done well. 
  • Extra effort: Here’s my secret: Put in just a little more effort than the standard US 40-hour workweek. I believe working 10% more each week can double the outcome—and in turn your income. Also, when I’m winning I do more; choosing not to settle with working just 10% more because I understand working 20% more can triple or quadruple the outcome.
  • Integrity: How many times have you been frustrated by a recruiter or an account manager who fails to follow up? This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I try my best to be as honest and transparent with my clients, but I couple that with always doing what I say I’ll do. When I say I’m going to follow up by a certain day, you can count on me to make it happen.
  • Self-Improvement: I also believe in applying the idea of iteration or continuous improvement to myself both in my personal and professional life. I continually work on self-improving and learning every day. If something is not working, I stop, evaluate and do it differently.
  • Dig Deeper: I like to “peel the onion” when working with candidates and clients. I’m a naturally curious person, so I apply a certain level of intellectual curiosity to every interview, asking the right questions and  actively listen  to the person I’m interacting with to better understand their wants and needs.
  • Time Management: Managing my time well is one of my key habits for success. I tend to approach more difficult tasks first, block time for focused work, and then delegate or automate administrative tasks as much as possible.
  • Believe: There’s a certain level of self-confidence required for a job where you have to hear plenty of “No” to get to the “Yes.” You must have the self-confidence of believing that you can achieve what you set out to do.
  • Work-Life or Life-Work Balance: I find balance in incorporating work into life and life into work. This integration is easier than you might think because I’m truly motivated by helping others. By really enjoying what I do and knowing I am doing something positive for our world, it really doesn’t have to feel like “work.” What I’ve figured out in this late stage of my career is that my efforts to help others find meaningful work have led me in turn—to find my own.
  • Health and Family Time: I also understand how much health and family matter. Exercise, meditation, and just taking a break to spend time with my family gives me the recharge I need to continue to excel in my job. My family and I take one short (few days) and one long (two weeks) vacation every year and we unplug ourselves from our digital life, removing everything from mobile phones and tablets to television. Within a few days of relaxation, I feel calmer, more focused, and ready to jump back into my everyday routine.   

Helping Clients with Their IT Talent Acquisition Shortage

“I like to think of myself as a tech market expert. I am transparent with our clients, and I look at it as a long-term business partnership with us being an extension of their HR and/or Talent Acquisition Team. I think it’s an unusual approach that resonates both with the company that’s looking for talent and IT candidates considering a change.” 

Speaking of change, over the past two years, everyone in the staffing field has had to adapt to the changing industry, job market, and even how we work. Remote work changed just about everything in every industry. It was a big shift for all of us. I ended up changing an old belief that to study well you go to the library and to exercise hard you go to the gym and to work hard you go to the office. I now see that is not true. Today, I do more video interviews than ever before, which has drastically increased my facetime with candidates and clients.

Over the years, I have mentored many technical recruiters coming into the field and have helped dozens of companies meet their hiring goals. Staffing is a gratifying career as you are truly helping people, whether it is the individual you are finding a job for, or the company you are assisting in finding great talent. It is also one of the hardest sales positions out there. I’ve been lucky but also worked hard for my clients and for the team at Prosum.  

If you are a company looking to build a partnership for IT talent or a candidate seeking a team to represent you, Rick is standing by to help. You can reach out to our team today to learn how we can help your business or your career.

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