What makes organizations successful? Is it their strategic plan? Their mission and vision? Great leadership? While all these are factors that help define organizations, an often-overlooked facet is that of employees themselves. What skills, passions and technical abilities do they bring to the table? While organizational culture is defined by a variety of factors, employees and the workforce that they comprise play a large role in helping your organization succeed or hinder its progress. Have you created a workforce that is working for you?

As a Public Involvement Firm, Rifeline certainly exists in a niche industry that attracts individuals from a variety of backgrounds and skill sets. If you look at Rifeline’s website in the “About Us” section you will see a workforce that is diverse, interesting, and highly skilled. Rifeline hires people who have an aptitude to take on a job that they more than likely have never done before, but possess the skills needed to succeed. When hiring, technical skills are assessed as well as soft skills, personality, and the desire to work with and connect with the community. New employees may have no experience in Public Involvement and yet they can hit the ground running because they have the skills to problem solve, communicate, network and are goal oriented. They understand the steps of the work and how to put the pieces together. Communication and problem solving are two highly valuable skills in any organization and Rifeline is no different.

Rifeline employees come from many prior industries such as nonprofit, government, public relations, education, law, finance, media, and communications. Skill sets that range from event planning and fundraising to teaching and accounting all combine to create a team of employees who have a vast knowledge base, with varying expertise and a drive to succeed. Rifeline works with its employees to advance their knowledge and skills in ways that are specific to Rifeline needs and employee desires. This helps to drive forward progress for everyone involved. These skills may include public speaking, communications, facilitation of meetings, and event planning as well as specific skills such as flying drones and creating Public Involvement Plans. These skills all come together to create a multifaceted team who is focused on providing the best services to their clients.

A new and attractive certification, Rifeline works to have at least two certified drone pilots on staff at any point in time. Being able to take aerial photographs and videos of corridors for studies, construction zones, and the surrounding areas provides a unique service that not many organizations offer. Having clear and enticing visuals is a great way to show the public what a project is going to look like or visualize where it is going to go. Updated videos and photos also show new construction, vegetation, and traffic, and can highlight places and buildings that are not shown on older maps.

Additionally, Rifeline provides a variety of other services including stakeholder engagement, mediation, meeting facilitation, writing, editing, messaging strategy, development, event planning and management. Having employees from a variety of backgrounds allows for expertise in all these areas. Rifeline works to foster its employees’ passions by focusing on projects that best fit their skill set and drive. This means that each Rifeline client is getting the best Rifeline has to offer and someone who has a specific skill set that is crucial to project success.

While the job market does not currently present a positive experience for either job seekers or hiring managers, establishing a strong, consistent, and motivated workforce sets organizations up for long term success. Ensuring that individuals have the skill sets that you are looking for and that they are a right fit for the organization is far more important in most cases than having the specific experience you are looking for. Specific experience is a snapshot in time, skills and culture fit are lasting.

If you’re interested in learning more about Rifeline, please visit the Rifeline website at Rifeline.com.