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Home › General Interest › #WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Kara Ruettiger

#WeAreGreenKey: Spotlight on Kara Ruettiger

06Jun
Green KeyGeneral Interest, Green Key News, Pharma, Worklife

Welcome back to #WeAreGreenKey, where we shine a spotlight on the people behind our powerhouse recruiting team.  

Today we talk with Kara Ruettiger, Principal at Green Key in the Pharma Temp division. After receiving her Marketing degree from Bradley University, Kara jumped right into the world of recruiting, where she’s grown for the last twenty years. Kara walks us through her journey in recruiting and what motivates her and the Pharma team to succeed here at Green Key. 

How did you get your start in recruiting?  

I’ve been in the staffing industry for over twenty years. After graduating college, I did about a year and a half of IT and Telecom staffing. From there, I moved on to an IT sales role, but I really missed recruiting. So I went back into staffing, this time in the pharma industry, where I’ve been for almost nineteen years now. Pharma intrigued me; I didn’t know a lot about it, but there was more stability versus the industry I was in prior. Other industries experience peaks and valleys, but you see less of that shift in Pharma. After eight years at my previous company, I joined Green Key in March 2011 and helped kickstart the Chicago office. 

What’s your motivation to work every day?  

I majored in marketing in college, but I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. I was interviewing my entire senior year and trying my hand at anything to be able to get a job.  

I didn’t know much about recruiting, but when I was offered a role, I immediately liked the social aspect of the job and getting on the phone and getting to know people. I love keeping relationships and building foundations with my candidates. You get that gratification of helping people progress through their career. There’s nothing better than seeing a candidate land a role they really wanted, and knowing you brought that opportunity to them. That’s what brings me back to work every single day. 

What does your typical workday look like?  

Every day is different, which is what makes this job fantastic. My role is unique; I’m still recruiting, but the bulk of my time is spent managing several of our key large accounts. This includes making sure the team has all the information about the account and job openings, fielding questions from our recruiting staff, reviewing resumes, assisting recruiters with their searches, examining who they’ve hired in the past, and submitting qualified candidates based on job requirements. There are also unexpected situations that need attention, whether it’s a request from the client or an existing consultant.  Additionally, our clients will conduct spotlight calls on new openings, and I make sure that information goes out to the team to help with recruiting. 

We also have monthly internal calls with the partners and principals in the division. This helps us touch base on our recent successes and what we need to work on. That management piece of the job gets factored in daily. 

What does training in the Pharma division entail? 

In terms of training and development, as new recruiters come in, they experience their first week of training, including LMS training and training calls. I get brought in with each new recruiter specifically to talk about the accounts I manage. I give them a high-level overview of each one and answer any questions they may have. 

Once the recruiters get their initial training, they get paired a week at a time with the account managers. This helps them get to know the accounts, as well as various recruiting skillsets and building a pipeline of candidates. So far this has worked out really well – recruiters coming right out of the gates having success with submittals, which leads to interviews and offers. 

What makes the Pharma team so successful?  

A lot of us have been working together for a long time. When we started the Chicago office, we had a clear idea of which direction we wanted to go in this division and what type of talent we wanted to bring in. We wanted an attractive type of environment, where we work hard and don’t micromanage. We want to support our team with questions and check-ins, but also give everyone their freedom. 

What sets Green Key apart from other recruiting agencies?  

I am beyond grateful and lucky to have been here for the last eleven years. This is the first company I’ve worked for where the owners care for every single employee in the organization. You’re not just a number here. The owners are patient, understanding, and want to give you everything possible you need to succeed and be happy doing it. That’s been the consistent message from the top every single day that I’ve been here. 

Now that you’ve made Principal, what are your goals moving forward?  

It was such a pleasant, amazing surprise when they made the promotion announcement around the holidays. I’ve seen my progression over the eleven years I’ve been here, since I first started as a Senior Recruiter and moved up from there. The next step would be Partner, so my goal would be to hopefully get to that point in the next five years or so. Green Key really wants people to come here, work hard, and do well. They want to see their career progression and being at that top level someday would be fantastic. 

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In the intricate world of business, a marketing strategy serves as the cornerstone upon which companies build their path to success. But what exactly is the marketing strategy, what are the different types of marketing strategies, and how does it work? In this article we’ll explore these questions and delve into the essence of effective marketing strategies.

What is Marketing Strategy?

According to Investopedia.com, “A marketing strategy refers to a business’s overall game plan to facilitate the buying and selling of its products or services. A marketing strategy determines how to reach prospective consumers and turn them into customers. It contains the company’s value proposition, key brand messaging, data on target customer demographics, and other high-level elements. A thorough marketing strategy covers the four Ps of marketing: product, price, place, and promotion.”

Types of Marketing Strategy

Types of marketing strategies include:

  • Social Media Marketing
  • Search Engine Optimization
  • Pay Per Click (PPC)
  • Email Marketing
  • Content Marketing

How Does it Work?

A marketing strategy functions as a road map that guides all marketing activities and initiatives. It begins with a thorough understanding of the target market – their needs, preferences, and pain points. Based on this understanding, the strategy defines the positioning of the company’s offerings and determines the most effective channels and messages to reach the target audience.

Key components of a marketing strategy include:

Market Segmentation: Identifying and segmenting the target market based on demographics, psychographics, and behavior.

Value proposition: Articulating the unique value that the company offers to its customers and differentiating itself from competitors.

Channel selection: Choosing the most appropriate marketing channels to reach the target audience, such as social media, e-mail marketing, content marketing, or traditional advertising.

Messaging and Creative: Crafting compelling messages and creative assets that resonate with their target audience and communicate the value proposition effectively.

Measurement and Analysis: Establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of marketing efforts and continuously analyzing data to optimize performance.

In conclusion, understanding marketing strategies, its types, and how it works are vital for business success, enabling companies to drive growth and engagement effectively.  

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The Essence of Marketing Strategy: Driving Business Success (Part II)

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With a grasp of the fundamental concept of Marketing Strategy, let’s explore its advantages in more detail and uncover the steps to effectively craft one.

Benefits of Marketing Strategies

  • Clear Direction: A well-defined marketing strategy provides a clear roadmap for achieving business objectives. It aligns marketing efforts with overall goals, ensuring that every action contributes to the company’s success.
  • Customer Engagement and Loyalty: A strategic approach to marketing fosters deeper connections with customers. By understanding their needs and preferences, companies can tailor messages and experiences that resonate with their audience, leading to increased engagement and loyalty.

Marketing Stratego also highlights a few benefits including:

  • “Increased Brand Awareness: A strong marketing strategy helps increase brand awareness by promoting the business’s products or services to the target audience. This, in turn, leads to more recognition and recall of the brand, which ultimately leads to more sales and customer loyalty.”
  • “Increased Sales and Revenue: A well-designed marketing strategy leads to increased sales and revenue by attracting more customers to the business and increasing their willingness to purchase. This can be achieved through effective targeting, promotions, and other marketing efforts.”
  • “Better Customer Targeting: A good marketing strategy helps businesses understand their target audience and create campaigns that are relevant to them. This leads to more effective and efficient marketing, as businesses are able to reach their target customers more effectively and achieve better results.”
  • “Competitive Advantage: A strong marketing strategy can give a business a competitive advantage by differentiating it from its competitors. By creating unique and effective campaigns, businesses can stand out in their market and attract more customers.”
  • ‘Improved Lead Generation: A good marketing strategy helps businesses generate more leads by promoting the business’s products or services to the target audience. This leads to more opportunities for businesses to convert those leads into customers and increase their revenue.”
  • “Improved Brand Image and Reputation: A well-designed marketing strategy helps improve a business’s brand image and reputation by creating positive associations with the brand. This, in turn, leads to increased customer loyalty, as customers are more likely to do business with a brand they view positively.”
  • “Increased Market Share: A strong marketing strategy helps businesses increase their market share by attracting more customers and retaining existing ones. This, in turn, leads to increased revenue and growth for the business.”
  • “More Effective Use of Resources: A good marketing strategy helps businesses make the most of their marketing budget and resources. By identifying the most effective channels and campaigns, businesses can maximize their return on investment and achieve better results.”
  • “Better Return on Investment (ROI): A well-designed marketing strategy helps businesses achieve a better return on investment by increasing sales and revenue and maximizing the use of resources. This, in turn, leads to increased profitability and growth for the business.”

Now that we’ve highlighted the benefits of a marketing strategy, lets’ explore the process of creating an effective one.

According to Hubspot.com, here are the eight steps a company should take during the marketing strategy process:

  • Conduct market research: “…you need to gather useful data for making informed decisions. Market research is like playing detective, but instead of solving crimes, you’re uncovering juicy details about your customers. Market research will help your businesses make data-driven decisions for your marketing strategy. It also makes it easier to understand your target market, find gaps, and make the most of your resources.”
  • “Define your goals: What do you want to achieve through your marketing efforts? Whether it’s increasing brand awareness, driving sales, or diversifying your customer base, well-defined goals will guide your marketing strategy.”
  • “Identify your target audience and create buyer personas: To create an effective marketing strategy, you need to understand who your ideal customers are. Take a look at your market research to understand your target audience and market landscape. Accurate customer data is especially important for this step…”
  • “Conduct competitive analysis: To begin your competitive analysis, start with your top competitors. Reviewing their websites, content, ads, and pricing can help you understand how to differentiate your brand. It’s also a useful way to find opportunities for growth.”
  • “Develop key messaging”: Craft compelling massages and creative assets that effectively communicate your value proposition and resonate with your audience. Ensure consistency in messaging across all channels to build brand recognition and trust.
  • “Choose your marketing channels: You know what you have to say, now decide on the best marketing channels for your message. Your top goal for this stage of your strategy is to align your channel choices with your target persona’s media consumption habits. Start with media channels you’re already using. Then, consider a mix of traditional and digital channels such as social media, TV, email marketing, podcast ads, SEO, content marketing, and influencer partnerships. To streamline this process, think of your assets in three categories — paid, owned, and earned media.”
  • “Create, track, and analyze KPIs: At this stage, you’ll shift from marketing detective to numbers nerd. With a little planning and prep, your analytics can unveil the mysteries of marketing performance and unlock super insights. Review your strategy and choose measurable KPIs to track the effectiveness of your strategy. Create a system that works for your team to collect and measure your data.”
  • “Present your marketing strategy: A finished marketing strategy will pull together the sections and components above. It may also include: Executive Summary, Brand Identity, and a Marketing Plan and Tactics”
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