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"The combination of T.J.'s business acumen, career/life counseling, and long-term vision are invaluable in this economic climate. T.J. is the type of teacher, advisor, and business partner that every business professional needs." M.S. Director of Operations and Finance — Industrial Manufacturing
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"I have been very impressed with the professionalism and expertise of Centennial, in the way they listen to their clients needs and have the ability to find the type of talent my organization is seeking. I have rarely come across talent searchers that genuinely want to understand the needs of the clients through a series of well prepared questions and can convert that into win-win results. Mike Jr. is enjoyable and sociable individual and I would not think twice about asking Mike and his firm to do more searches for us." R.C. Vice President of Sales — Consumer Package Goods
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"It's really simple...Trust, Integrity and Expertise. Whenever there is a recruiting, search, talent or business adviser needed, I personally turn to Mike at Centennial because I trust him, he is a man of integrity and has exceptional expertise." D.D. President — Marketing Communications
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"From the initial contact throughout the entire process, Centennial was top-notch in identifying our needs and then meeting them. The process and interactions were consistently positive, professional and enjoyable. Consequently, the next search assignment will begin with Mike & Centennial." D.B. Human Resources Director — Consumer Package Goods
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"As Vice President of Supply Chain, I have had the pleasure of working with Mike Sipple Jr. on several assignments that required professionalism, compassion, and confidentiality. Mike and team have exceeded our expectations in all categories. Mike has proven to be a great resource and partner when called on for general questions regarding topics related to human resource trends." M.L. Vice President of Supply Chain — Distribution
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"Mike is a detailed professional recruiter and talent coach. Mike communicates clearly and timely, and maintains a high degree of patience with his clients as they identify the right candidate for the position to be filled. Mike maintains a high level of ethics and professionalism." D.C. President — Industrial Manufacturing
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"I've worked with Mike in several capacities, most recently when he recruited me into a new marketing management position at my current company. Very professional, open, and helpful; good sounding-board. I highly recommend him. Additionally, I've had a mutually beneficial professional relationship with Centennial (not as an employee) for nearly 15 years." B.P. Marketing Manager — Transportation Services
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"Centennial's genuine interest in both candidate and employer, and ensuring a good match between them shines through. It does not end with job placement. Three years later, Mike Sipple Jr. and the team still display an active interest in my career and personal growth. I regard the Centennial team as friends and partners." B.D. Director Corporate Services — Global Communications
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"Centennial has always impressed us as a creative hard working partner of clients AND as an organization of impeccable character. It is rare for one to work w/ persons who have a level of conscientious and humble attitude AND gifted talent for their profession. I would trust the Team @ Centennial with any aspect of my business or life as well as hire their organization for any mission critical talent acquisition issue or opportunity." M.F. Chief Executive Officer — Corporate Consulting
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"I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your guidance and leadership throughout my career transition. I admit I was apprehensive when first introduced to the idea of using a career coach, but after our first session I knew that I had made the right decision. I needed a person that could give me direction, coaching and accountability, but most of all needed to know that someone was on my side. I not only accomplished my goal of a career in a new field, I also feel that I gained a friend."
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"I would recommend to anyone who is struggling in their job campaign to enlist the help of you and your associates. You are very knowledgeable and up-to-date about the job market; you are professional, yet personable; and you are patient and understanding towards the frustrations we deal with as job seekers. If I had to do it over again, I would have called you sooner…much sooner!"
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"The challenge you helped me most with involved showing myself in the broadest terms possible. As a professional pilot and manager of aviation operations, I had difficulty communicating the breadth of my experience and allowing others to see me in a way that would be valuable to their organizations. Once you identified my strengths and experience in information technology, team leadership, process improvement and training, a whole world of opportunities emerged. Your coaching during the offer/negotiation process enabled me to leverage this opportunity to maximum financial compensation."
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"The point you make of networking to find the unadvertised positions is right on track. Developing a target list of companies and than utilizing a methodical approach to network into these organizations really works. I will always be grateful for your assistance and could not have succeeded without it."
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"This letter is to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to Mike Lynch for his tremendous contribution to the success of my campaign. His dedication, professionalism, knowledge, and encouragement were a constant source of positive reinforcement, which always managed to keep me focused on the objective. Mike’s logical approach to career search challenges and friendly, professional coaching enabled me to establish a solid foundation of incremental successes on which to build. It was these successes that validated the effectiveness of Mike’s methods and served as the motivating force in my campaign. This week I accepted a new management level position in a completely unrelated industry, with a salary increase of nearly 25%. Thank you Mike!"
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"I want to take a few moments to thank you for your assistance in my job campaign. It is like a jungle out there, and, fortunately, you were my guide. I soon realized that working hard in your career search does not always mean quick and definite results. It depends on what you know about today’s job market and of the proven tactics that will make a difference. That’s where you came in, Mike. The tools you gave me made the difference."
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Mike Sipple, Sr. President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What are the top three challenges facing leaders today?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Sr. President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What's next after we get good candidates in the door?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Sr. President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How do we attract the best talent that will be successful in our company?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Sr. President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What should be included in a job requisition to ensure that we get highly qualified applicants?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What are the top three challenges facing leaders today?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What's the best way to find the "needle in the haystack" when we get hundreds of resumes for every job posting?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How can we ensure we're spending time with the "right" candidates?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How can companies benefit from partnering with us, even with internal corporate recruiters?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What are the top three challenges facing leaders today?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: As a job seeker, how can I differentiate from the masses?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How can we attract people who will be successful in our company?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: When evaluating multiple job offers, how can I decipher which is the best one for me?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What should be included in a job requisition to get highly qualified candidates?
View his answer >
T.J. Bugg
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: Should a job description double as the job requisition?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What are the top three challenges facing leaders today?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How can we find the "best" people for our company?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How can we encourage "A" talent to choose our company?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: Should we try to hire talent on our own before engaging a recruitment firm?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: Why should you partner with a recruitment firm if you have in-house recruiting?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: As a job seeker, how can I differentiate myself from the masses?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How can I be enthusiastic in my job search without appearing desperate?
View his answer >
Mike Sipple, Jr.
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: How can a Career Coach help me in my transition?
View his answer >
Mike Lynch
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: As a job seeker, how can I stand out from the crowd?
View his answer >
Mike Lynch
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: Networking. Everyone is doing it. Do you know how to be strategic about it?
View his answer >
Mike Lynch
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: What are some effective resume tips that will help get me noticed?
View his answer >
Mike Lynch
Vice President
Centennial, Inc.
Q: When evaluating multiple job offers, how can I decipher which is the best choice for me?
View his answer >
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Mike Sipple, Sr.
Q:What are the top three challenges facing leaders today?
A:
- Leaders need to redefine what "leadership" means to their organizations. They should be questioning - "what do we need in our organization today that we don't have?" Leaders should be educating themselves on what those needs are, and they should be redefining their leadership needs accordingly. What used to determine an "A" player may not be the most important organizational need today. It's important to understand and clearly define those needs.
- Leaders need to be continually learning, changing and growing according to their organization's needs. They need to be continually pushing outside of their comfort zone and discovering how they can make the greatest impact for their organization. It's a constant "swim upstream," where the best leaders aren't just leveraging the strengths they know they have, but they are constantly learning about the strengths they didn't even realize they had. These leaders must educate themselves with good material; they must listen to good information; and they must meet new people they can learn valuable things from. It's continuous improvement.
- The best leaders will be those who, as opposed to relying solely on themselves, seek out advisors, coaches and accountability partners to help them learn, change and grow. I have always had wise advisors, who have held me accountable. I am always looking for people who can do something better than me. Leadership isn't an island, and leaders should be seeking that wise counsel.
Q:What's next after we get good candidates in the door?
A:
If you're already being proactive with recruiting, in terms of attracting talent into your doors, I would suggest you consider the next steps in the process, which many companies tend to forget (but they are, indeed, part of the recruitment process!)
I would recommend you do a culture survey. Find out what people think internally. Many companies can attract "A" talent, but they can't retain them. It's critical to find out why you're either able to keep talent or why you lose them. You need to get the ideas and opinions from people on the inside who know these answers.
Many companies forget that the "attracting" process still needs to continue after a candidate is in the process. If you like a candidate, you need to have what I call "your selling and attracting shoes" on. You should be intentional about putting your best foot forward and being proactive – not reactive – in the process.
Internal delays can keep a process from moving forward. Unfortunately, the "A" talent may have multiple offers and opportunity with the ability to choose from the best. You need to develop formal processes to keep the attraction process continuing without unnecessary delays.
Recruiting and attracting talent continues during the onboarding process and should be a key part of new job assimilation for three to six months to be sure the transition is smooth. You need to be sure what you promise in the recruitment process is what's being delivered to the new employee. So many companies lose people within the first six months, and it's often due to un-kept promises or surprises. There needs to be a process for on-boarding that follows people through these early phases of their employment and ensures that they're feeling good about their decision. This should include that all expectations are being met from both sides. This is the time to lay a solid foundation of trust, communication and engagement.
Q:How do we attract the best talent that will be successful in our company?
A:
Take top performers in your company today and do a focus group discussion with them. Ask them for feedback on the following: What brought you here? Why do you stay here? What can we do better?
I don't know any company who wouldn't get valuable information from that. Top performers are always willing to share information for further improvement, and typically whoever is responsible for hiring will hear information they didn't know before.
Of course, don't ask them if you're not willing to change or adjust accordingly. We encourage our clients to share that we will consider all recommendations from their leadership and management team as feedback to move forward. The feedback can be used to make good decisions and implement changes for the better. Keep doing what you're doing right and make improvements to the rest.
There's going to be a continual war on talent as we move ahead, so we all have to continually ask what can we do different and better relative to the recruitment, selection and engagement process. You have to be proactive today. You can't just wait to collect resumes anymore. Be proactive and create a culture known for engaging and retaining 'top talent'.
Q:What should be included in a job requisition to ensure that we get highly qualified applicants?
A:
You should create the job requisition, which typically includes a list of criteria. You should then sit down with the decision maker and the people who will be influential to this role – ideally in a group meeting. Ask for feedback; ask for what's missing; ask for what's really needed to be successful in this role. This process tends to get more into the culture, character and chemistry fit. The experience and skills are a given today. You have to be able to do the job, but you must also be a fit with the 'intangibles.'
As you gather this information from the influencers and decision-makers, you must be able to get consistent feedback and a consensus on what the ideal candidate needs to possess. If you don't have a group discussion and clear consensus of what you are and are not seeking, it will only cause disagreement regarding potential candidates later. It's critical to get consistent feedback from the whole team – it can't be just one person's input. Typically more than one individual will be involved in the final decision as you hire a new executive and leader.
You should also consider what the role will be six months to two years from now. Consider what will be needed and recruit accordingly today for what's required in the future. Part of the candidate assessment should determine if the person has the ability and/or interest to grow into that bigger role as they progress in that career position.
today to discuss how Centennial
can add value to your efforts.
Reach Centennial directly at 513.366.3760.
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Mike Sipple, Sr. Profile
1971 - University of Kentucky , BBA
1975 - Joined Centennial as VP
1980 - named President of Centennial
38 year marriage with three children
Proud Grandparent
Inspired his son to follow in his footsteps
Memberships and Activities
Board Member Goering Center for Family and Private Business
Board Member Potters Ranch
Truth At Works Roundtable Member
Goering Center Roundtable Member
Member and Speaker; Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce
Member of West Chester Alliance Chamber of Commerce
Member of Greater Cincinnati Chamber
Member of Better Business Bureau since 1977
Member of Employers Resource Association
Honorable Order, Kentucky Colonel
Member of Grace Fellowship Church in Northern Kentucky
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