Jeff Kortes
Jeff spent 25 years in human resources recruiting and retaining talent in the Ag Business. Now, as a “headhunter” he recruits talent for his clients. Who better to speak on recruiting and retaining talent than someone who steals talent for a living?
Price range
- $8,000 - $12,000
Expert
- Coaching
- Corporate Culture
- Employee Engagement
- Employee Retention / Hiring
- Generational Issues
- Sustainability: Organizational
Experience
- Agriculture
- Consumer Products/Goods
- Corporate
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About
Jeff Kortes didn’t become an employee retention and recruitment speaker, author and expert by accident. His early career spanned 25 years as a human resources professional, trainer, and consultant. He has held leadership roles in companies such as ConAgra, Midas International, SPX, and Quaker Oats Company.
During that quarter-century, Jeff saw countless employees come and go. The reasons rarely varied. The employers always suffered, though. Good people are hard to replace. Over time, Jeff devised a plan of inventive, common-sense employee retention strategies to help businesses keep their best talent.
After three facility closures, a strike and a corporate buyout, Jeff put all his experience together and started Human Asset Management, LLC, a multi-segment HR services firm. He has helped hundreds of first-line supervisors, managers, and executives with training in employee retention and engagement.
His no-nonsense approach is reflected in his C.R.A.P. Leadership® System and Execution Focused Leadership® which instill positive supervisory and managerial behavior while driving results in the organization.
Jeff also works as a “headhunter,” finding candidates to fill organizations’ talent needs … and constantly learning about what drives candidates to choose one employer over another.
Jeff speaks and conducts workshops nationwide as an employee retention trainer. He draws on his experiences as a human resources professional, father, coach, martial artist and U.S. Army veteran to provide thought-provoking programs that yield results.
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Video Clips
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Topics
The Success Formula for Building Employee Loyalty
Give Your Employees C.R.A.P.
Why do some bosses have loyal staffs of long-term employees, while others are poster children for employee turnover? The answer is C.R.A.P. … and successful bosses know how to dish it out. Drawing on his extensive experience as a talent recruiter and HR leader, Jeff explains why some employees will run through a brick wall for their boss, while others would gladly throw their boss off a wall. Jeff’s lively, give-and-take program helps participants understand that the formula for employee loyalty is simple: Give Your Employees C.R.A.P.®.
Jeff deciphers why some employees gladly go the extra mile for their supervisors … while others work only for a paycheck, and are out the door at 5 p.m. As a “headhunter” and human resources executive, he’s heard firsthand from candidates why bosses who give their people lots of C.R.A.P. can count on them when times get tough.
Drawing on his three-decades career, Jeff uses real-life stories and audience participation to help attendees understand the C.R.A.P. formula to driving employee loyalty and employee retention. His insight is unique, to say the least. Most importantly, participants leave with tangible ideas and action steps – ones they can implement immediately to strengthen employee loyalty and retention in their own organizations.
Ready to Get Serious About Employee Retention Strategies?
It might seem too easy: The solution to your employee retention challenges lies in a simple acronym.
Employee retention speaker and consultant Jeff Kortes is a big believer in C.R.A.P.: Caring, Respect, Appreciation, and Praise. Spread plenty of C.R.A.P. in your organizational culture, and watch workers become more engaged, positive, and productive.
They’re more likely to stick around, too. Yes, an organization full of C.R.A.P. has far less employee turnover.
Jeff, an employee retention expert, offers two programs built around his philosophy of C.R.A.P. Book one or both, implement their strategies and tactics, and you’ll likely find yourself with some spare time … that otherwise would have been spent trying to replace employees!
Job Recruitment: Are Your “Help Wanted” Efforts Wanting?
Hiring and onboarding new workers aren’t cheap. By some estimates, upfront costs can equal one-half of their salaries. These financial facts make employee retention strategies a smart business.
Employees will leave, especially in a tight labor market where opportunity knocks regularly. You’ll have no choice but to recruit their replacement … from the very same market.
Are your job recruitment strategies up to the task? Is your hiring process poised to compete in a cutthroat market?
Employee recruitment expert Jeff Kortes knows the secrets of successful recruiting strategies. Working as a “headhunter” for many years, Jeff learned how to find the often needle-in-a-haystack talent to move organizations forward.
Jeff’s employment recruiting programs provide unmatched insight for identifying and luring top talent, even in a highly-competitive labor market. No one said it’s easy. Employ a strategic approach, though, and your chances to find (and hire) great employees grow exponentially.
Jeff’s two programs on finding and hiring employees are filled with humor, real-life experiences … and very frank reality checks. Book one or both, but their tactics to work, and win the war for talent. Let’s face it: Losing is just not an option to consider.
No Thanks, I Took Another Offer
Your ideal candidate turned you down. Why?
The chemistry was there. You made a great offer. You’re left asking “What happened?”
It happens regularly … and few organizations ever decipher the “why.”
As an employee recruitment speaker, using his experience as a “headhunter” who has placed hundreds of candidates, Jeff’s behind-the-curtain employment recruitment program provides unique insight into the thought processes of employees who decide to, or are contemplating, taking new jobs.
Similarly, he explores eight reasons why qualified candidates turn down job offers from seemingly highly-regarded organizations. Sound familiar?
The key to attracting talent? Build “selling” into your recruitment strategy to create a competitive advantage. Like it or not, you’re selling your organization. Adopting a sales perspective is integral to drawing the best workers.
Jeff shows you how, using real-life examples from his work as a recruiter and employee retention trainer and speaker. His program explains these key components:
Recognizing the need for a cohesive recruitment strategy with “selling” as a key element
Preparing to advocate this approach internally to senior leadership and decision-makers
Understanding how to enhance your organization’s image, in a fashion that appeals to candidates and strengthens your brand
Grasping the “selling” techniques that appeal to “A-level” talent, and can tip a competitive decision in your favor
Understanding the thoughts and reasoning of job candidates can lead to changes in your hiring process … and greater success in hiring.
7 Other Secrets to Employee Retention
Give Your Employees C.R.A.P.
Great employees don’t change jobs on a whim. Yet, when vital workers leave, do you ever really learn their reasons why? Wouldn’t this insight be invaluable for keeping other key talent?
Jeff provides a “headhunter’s” insight into the mindset of employees who leave their jobs (or are contemplating doing so). He pulls back the curtain on why solid performers leave organizations, drawing on his three decades of experience in HR, recruiting and as an employee retention speaker and consultant. The results might surprise you.
Retaining talent is critical to staying competitive. Jeff’s humorous, real-life stories and interactive format show why the secret is C.R.A.P. – the more, the better!
Frankly, most employers don’t give their workers enough C.R.A.P. (and yes, that’s a bad thing). Through humorous, real-life stories and interactive participation, Jeff explains the inestimable value of C.R.A.P., and shares other employee retention strategies that give you a competitive edge when working to retain talent.
Be warned: You’ll hear real-life candid comments – ones they’d never share in an exit interview – from candidates whom Jeff has recruited as a “headhunter.”
This unique perspective, shared in Jeff’s lively, engaging presentation format, might spur you to take a critical look at your organization’s employee retention plan … and spot and fix gaps before more great people get away.
How About Those Millennials, Too? How Do You Get Through to Them?
Organizational dynamics are at an historic point.
For the first time, your workforce likely consists of employees ranging in age from their 20s to 60s (or older). “Diversity” has expanded beyond gender and ethnicity, to include workers of widely diverging ages.
The chance to capitalize on the strengths of diverse generations exists like never before. Managed properly, tremendous opportunities for mentoring and leadership development can be realized.
The challenges are unprecedented, too. Generational divides in technology use are extraordinary. Gaps in life experiences are yawning.
How do you seize the unique opportunities for organizational improvement, while navigating the minefields of age disparity?
Employee retention speaker and specialist Jeff Kortes has answers. His two programs on generational workforce challenges address big issues vexing managers. Book one or both, build their insights into your organization … and see if what you once viewed as problems, have now become advantages.
Optimizing the Generations – Five Generations Working Together
For the first time, five generations are interacting in the workforce. The management challenges can be extraordinary.
These age groups all think differently. Communicate differently. Especially, interact with technology differently. How do you get them all on the same page?
In “Optimizing the Generations – 5 Generations Working Together,” employee retention speaker and expert Jeff Kortes (Baby Boomer) and Randy Wilinski (Millennial) use humor, research, and personal experiences to show how to bring out the best in each generation. You’ll understand what makes each group tick … and the (mis)perceptions they hold of each other.
Everyone has something to offer, regardless of age. Are you taking full advantage of these multigenerational opportunities? Jeff and Randy will help you bridge the gaps, and seize this historic moment for success.
Making Millennials Great: Five Pillars to Building the Next Generation
Employers everywhere scratch their heads over “millennials,” the most recent workforce generation. They are indeed different – perhaps among the most mysterious, misunderstood groups ever.Well, it’s time to stop working around millennial employees … and start working with them. In fact, how about molding them into peak performers?Employee retention speaker and trainer Jeff Kortes’s “5 Pillars for Building the Next Generation” provides a blueprint. His live-action program offers real-world, hands-on direction for engaging this perplexing demographic.Jeff’s not taking on this topic alone. He’s partnered with Randy Wilinski, a 30-something professional, to offer a generations-spanning perspective.As a manager, Randy has hired, fired and inspired millennials for a decade. Partnered with Jeff, their generational differences meld through humorous anecdotes, interactive role play and audience involvement.You’ll learn how millennials think, how they’re motivated, and why they will (or won’t) go the extra mile. Most importantly, you’ll come away understanding the Five Pillars to building the millennial generation and unlocking its productive potential.Like it or not, millennials are the future. Understanding the keys to millennial employee engagement, and retention, allows you to start shaping tomorrow’s leaders today.No more head-scratching. No more avoiding the obvious. Jeff’s program bridges the generational divide … and provides the tools to mold millennials into masterpieces. -
Testimonials
1 person has recommended this speaker
“Your session “Give Your Employees C.R.A.P. and 7 Other Secrets to Employee Retention” was well received by our attendees receiving a 9 out of 10, the highest-rated session at the convention.”