Let me take you back to my final year at university, deep in job search mode. Methodically identifying and applying to the interesting jobs that fit my skills and career goals. Most of the time, I heard nothing back, sadly considering it progress should I be worthy enough to receive even the most impersonal of automated responses along with some vague note about the job not being a good fit. Discouragement began to set in as all around me friends were experiencing similar frustrations.

As all recent college graduates like myself know, once you begin your first job search it doesn’t take long before all kinds of people start coming out of the woodwork to share their sage advice about what you “should” and “should not” do- how you should dress for interviews, how many networking events you should be going to, how much you should talk in that first meeting, and so on. One particular pearl of wisdom stuck with me, though. Nail my elevator speech. 

As fate would have it, I found myself one day on a phone call with Brian Hoppes, the founder and CEO of Elevation Search Solutions. And here is where I find myself now, sponsoring my first event as an Elevation recruiter, my ears ringing with all that well-meaning advice as I mingle with the plethora of developers in attendance. One soon approaches and bluntly asks the inevitable, “So what makes you guys different?”. Instantly I draw a blank as my carefully crafted elevator speech leaves the building. But only instantly, as I found that it was the easiest question I’ve answered in my two months here.

So, what makes us different? It’s the PEOPLE. Not a well-rehearsed talk track, a top-notch CRM, or a solid network. I respect the people I work with, and I am blown away by their passion for growing our business. It motivates and challenges me to pay that forward to each candidate and each client we partner with. Elevation isn’t in the business of making quick, thoughtless placements. We are in the business of treating candidates as people who are willing to let us join in on the next chapter of their career. We are in the business of helping our clients build their companies as if they were our own. 

I personally experienced what it’s like to move through the hiring process with the Elevation team. They took time to get to know me beyond my resume and helped me understand how my strengths could contribute not only to the team but to the growth of their business.

I joined Elevation because I believe in what we’re doing. I believe in my team. And I believe in helping people and businesses move forward. That’s the kind of value and attention you can expect when working with the people here.

-Emily Martin