Immigrant Business Spotlight: Micah Specialty Foods
Hungry for home, Nana, an immigrant from Ghana, recreates the flavors of Africa in Cleveland
It was natural that Nana Kwamena Takyi-Micah felt homesick that first year at Hiram College. He missed his family, 5,000 miles away in the African nation of Ghana. He also very much missed the food. That was his motivation to improvise.
Unable to find African flavors at the grocery store, or Walmart, Takyi-Micah created his own. He stirred up a sauce in a friend’s kitchen using his mother’s recipe and began sharing samples around campus, then bottling it for stores.
Today, Takyi-Micah’s tangy “Supreme Sauce” –a marinade made from tomatoes, onions and habanero peppers--is found in about 40 supermarkets, butcher shops and specialty stores across Northeast Ohio. He’s just getting started.
The soft-spoken 27 year old is about to launch a crowdfunding campaign to develop additional African-style food products, for his business, Micah Specialty Foods. His goal, he says confidently, is to dominate the African section of the specialty foods market--once he builds it.
He thinks Cleveland is the ideal place to pursue his dream.
“The spirit of Clevelanders is very similar to Ghanaians. Their attitude is defined by grit and a strong work ethic,” he says. “Cleveland is a city that hustles.”
It’s remarkable that Takyi-Micah ever became a Clevelander. He had sent his college application to Hampton University in Virginia, via an overnight delivery service that mistakenly delivered it to Hiram College in Geauga County.
Soon after, he said, he got a call from a Hiram admissions counselor impressed with his SAT scores.
“They asked me to apply. I did some research on Hiram, on Ohio, on Cleveland, and I thought there was a lot of opportunity,” he said. Plus, he thought he would have an easier time adjusting to Hiram’s small-town atmosphere.
His instincts were prescient. Takyi-Micah graduated cum laude in 2014 with a degree in business management and a minor in entrepreneurship. He had met his wife, Natasha, and gained early success in an industry notoriously difficult to break into.
An entrepreneurial upbringing likely helped. Dad is a lawyer in the Ghanaian capital of Accra but his parents also run a picture framing shop.
“I was always that kid who saved his pennies to own a business one day,” Takyi-Micah. “It’s how I grew up.”
He also found help in Cleveland's startup community. Through Hiram’s entrepreneurship program, he made friends with people like Ethan Holmes, creator of Holmes Mouthwatering Applesauce, which is also sold in stores throughout the region.
The Cleveland Culinary Launch & Kitchen allowed him to create small batches of his sauce for marketing, then connected him to a manufacturer who now bottles and ships the product.
Takyi-Micah still does much of the selling himself, dropping in on stores with samples and setting up tables at farmers markets. But he thinks it’s time to take the business to the next level. He’s hoping to raise $20,000 though an Indiegogo campaign to expand the selection of Supreme Sauces, from mild to African hot. He also plans to add plantain chips to the menu.
“In Ghana, plantains are what potatoes are to the U.S.” he said. “We want to be more than a sauce company.”
The “we” in the equation is Natasha. She handles the marketing while pursuing her master’s degree in public health. The couple rents its apartment in Shaker Square but America is looking permanent for Takyi-Micah. In August, he obtained his green card, becoming a Legal Permanent Resident of the United States.
If Cleveland becomes a center of African specialty foods, the city might one day be thanking an international student who never forgot the flavors of home.
Our Immigrant Business series
Immigrants punch above their weight as entrepreneurs and job creators. They are nearly twice as likely as native-born Americans to launch a business. Immigrants are also more likely to be awarded a U.S. patent. While we cheer their hustle and success, we also want to learn from it. So we are running a series of stories examining immigrant businesses and the founders who launched them.
Puerto Ricans in Distress Begin to Arrive in Cleveland
Beckoned by family, hurricane victims are looking for jobs and place to live
As Hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico braces for a long and painful recovery, attention is turning toward welcoming and resettling islanders compelled to leave. And not a moment too soon. Community groups are already witnessing a surge of newcomers from the island.
“They’re coming in here every day. We are overwhelmed,” said Romanita Vargas, the executive director of the Spanish American Committee, the oldest social service agency in Cleveland’s Hispanic community.
As of Monday, October 30, her non-profit agency on the near west side had been visited by members of 64 families recently arrived from Puerto Rico, she said. Some were in need of medical attention. Many asked about jobs. Most all were in need of housing.
“No one has a down payment,” she added. “These people have no coats, no furniture, nothing.”
On September 20, Hurricane Maria roared through the U.S. commonwealth, destroying thousands of homes and business and making some communities uninhabitable. Federal help has been slow to arrive and much of Puerto Rico remains without running water or electricity.
Many expected a local impact. Between Cleveland and Lorain, Northeast Ohio is home to one of the largest Puerto Rican communities in the mainland United Sates. Community leaders assumed many Puerto Ricans would come here seeking a respite and maybe to start new lives. But the influx has arrived sooner than expected.
Vargas said Puerto Ricans in Northeast Ohio have been telling family members in distress in Puerto Rico to try and fly out. Once they make it to Cleveland, they are being accommodated by relatives who themselves may have small homes and limited resources.
Vargas said she knows of a family of 10 living in a basement with three dogs.
Many come seeking guidance at the offices of the Spanish American Committee at West 44th Street and Lorain Avenue, often the first stop for Spanish-speaking residents in crisis.
“We don’t have the resources to deal with this,” Vargas said.
Through a CLE4PR campaign administered by The Cleveland Foundation, area residents, businesses and institutions have contributed about $145,000 to help hurricane victims in Puerto Rico as of October 30. But that money is earmarked for relief efforts on the island, not for helping Puerto Ricans in Cleveland, Vargas noted.
Jose Feliciano, president of the Hispanic Roundtable, the leadership group in the region’s Hispanic community, said Cleveland has an opportunity to add badly needed population while helping fellow Americans in distress.
“There has to be a comprehensive approach,” one that includes the city’s world class hospitals, he said.
Representatives of Cuyahoga Community College and Global Cleveland plan to meet with Vargas and her team to discuss strategies for welcoming Hurricane victims and for steering them toward housing, schools and jobs.
“We know that fellow Americans are hurting and we intend to help them,” said Joe Cimperman, the president of Global Cleveland. “This is what Cleveland does best, we rally to help our brothers and sisters in need.”
Cleveland Police Looking For Cultural Diversity
The City of Cleveland strives to create a Public Safety force that reflects its richly diverse community which includes our naturalized citizens who call Cleveland home! Whether you are a newly naturalized citizen or have been here for a while we are asking You to join our family! Assist us in providing the best services possible to City of Cleveland and its residents. That can only happen when we the Cleveland Division of Police are as diverse as our community!
The need to have every citizen from every background, ethnicity, religion and culture throughout the City of Cleveland represented is crucial to providing the best possible service. Therefore we implore all those who are new citizens as well as those who have been citizens for a while to consider a career with the Cleveland Division of Police or the public safety forces in general and help represent your community. The City of Cleveland will be accepting applications for the position of Patrol Officer November 1 through November 30. You can attend one of our several orientation sessions to learn more about the process and how you go about joining our team.
November 7, 2017
5:15 - 7:15pm
Michael Zone Rec Center (6301 Lorain Road)
November 14, 2017
5 - 7pm
Thurgood Marshall Rec Center (8611 Hough Avenue)
November 21, 2017
5 - 7pm
Gunning Rec Center (16700 Puritas Avenue)
November 28, 2017
5 - 7pm
Collinwood Rec Center (16300 Lakeshore Boulevard)
Visit city.cleveland.oh.us for more information
Immigrants Helping Drive A Great Lakes Comeback
New study reveals an international talent stream that cities are tapping to replenish lost population and grow the economy
Soon after earning his doctorate in physics at Case Western Reserve University, Hiroyuki Fujita, a Japanese immigrant, started a company that put his education to work. He had an idea for improving radio frequency coils, a key component in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines that doctors use to peer into the human body.
To launch Quality Electrodynamics, Fujita recruited seven physicists and engineers. Five of them were, like himself, immigrants. That ratio is understandable, a new study makes clear. Immigrants dominate the thin ranks of scientific workers in Northeast Ohio, as they are more likely to hold advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering and medicine.
What may be less obvious is the broader impact of that specialized talent. Today, QED employs more than 150 people in a state of the art manufacturing facility in Mayfield Village. Most of its employees are native-born Americans, many with no more than a high school diploma. They enjoy good wages and job security at a company that exports 90 percent of its medical devices.
In a new study, “New Americans and a New Direction: The Role of Immigrants in Reviving the Great Lakes Region,” the authors use Fujita’s story to make a larger point. Far from taking jobs, immigrants are creating jobs in states like Ohio, Michigan and Indiana. They bring specialized skills that often help local companies to compete in the global economy, expand and hire.
More often than their native-born peers, immigrants launch their own businesses.
Released October 24 by New American Economy and the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition, the study reveals that a relatively small group of people are having an outsized impact on the region’s economy. Economic development officials took notice.
“This report is further evidence of what we already know, immigrants are driving economic growth in the Great Lakes region, and particularly in Greater Cleveland,” said Joe Roman, the President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, which belongs to the chamber coalition.
Just seven percent of the region’s population, immigrants are fueling population growth in select cities, revitalizing main streets with new shops and businesses, and often supplying the skills the region needs to transition to a smart economy. In fact, the report concludes that immigrants may be essential to building a new economy that shares prosperity broadly.
“Without enough high-skilled talent to sustain our changing economy, working-class families will suffer,” it warns.
Cleveland’s world-class healthcare
The report takes special note of Cleveland’s fast-growing healthcare industry, which now employs more people than the manufacturing industry. The researchers argue that skilled immigrants have helped to make Cleveland a center of world-class medical expertise, which in turn has generated thousands of jobs for working class residents who are overwhelmingly native born.
Though only 5 percent of the population of Greater Cleveland, immigrants make up:
- 30 percent of the region’s doctors and surgeons
- 20 percent of the region’s STEM workers, or people employed in science, technology, engineering and medicine
- 10 percent of the region’s nurses and home health aides, an important contribution in an aging population
This infusion of talent ripples far and wide, the study notes. A robust healthcare industry has helped to make Cleveland a center of medical research and biotech startups, attracted more than $2 billion in venture capital, and created thousands of jobs for nurse’s aides, medical technicians and construction workers.
It has also helped to create an optimistic mood in a region that is now attracting a growing stream of educated young professionals.
“Although the city is still losing overall population,” the study notes, “such declines have slowed dramatically. And between 2000 and 2012, Cleveland’s percentage gain of young college graduates—a demographic crucial to the region’s growth—ranked the third largest in the nation, besting Silicon Valley and Portland, Oregon.”
This multiplier effect is seen in other industries, where a small infusion of talent has helped to create a much larger number of jobs. The study notes, for example, that immigrants are a key piece of the manufacturing revival in the Great Lakes region, as one in every seven manufacturing engineers is foreign born.
The study also offers cause for concern. Cleveland lags many other Great Lakes cities in the growth of its foreign-born population. While immigrants have helped cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Columbus and Philadelphia to enjoy energizing growth, migration to Cleveland is only enough to soften a larger population decline.
Still, the study presents a way forward. By welcoming immigrants, and tapping immigrant talent, Cleveland can quicken its economic ascent and return to prominence as an economic power in the global economy.
“This study presents the facts that we can use to build our future,” said Joe Cimperman, the president of Global Cleveland. “What’s amazing is the impact we get from a relatively small number of immigrants. Imagine if we grow that population? Imagine if we tell more of the world how great of a city Cleveland is, and welcome them to come and make a life here? That’s economic development.”
The region’s top political leaders responded positively to the report and endorsed a welcoming strategy.
“Immigrants and refugees are a significant part of the tapestry that makes the City of Cleveland so unique,” Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson said in a statement. “It is our job to welcome them and to provide them with the tools to succeed. It is no surprise to me that the Great Lakes Study is just one more validator to this fact.”
“Cuyahoga County has long thrived with the influx of immigrants to our region,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “This study is clear – we continue to grow stronger as more immigrants come to work and live here. Our healthcare sector, which is one of our great strengths and one which I believe we need to continue to bolster and grow, is a clearly key to this growth. We must do everything we can to continue to attract and keep these individuals in our region.”
You can find the complete study at tinyurl.com/newgreatlakers
Small in number, immigrants are giving Cleveland a mighty big boost
Study shows a talent stream that can be tapped to grow the economy and create jobs
Joint statement by the Greater Cleveland partnership and Global Cleveland, October 25, 2017
A new study on the impact of immigrants on the Great Lakes economy includes information with critical implications for Greater Cleveland as we look to replenish our population and compete in the global economy.
The report from New American Economy and the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition—released Tuesday--makes clear that immigrants are helping to create local jobs, especially in the fast-growing healthcare sector, which now employs more people than the manufacturing sector.
According to “New Americans and a New Direction: The Role of Immigrants in the Reviving of the Great Lakes Region” skilled immigrants helped to make Cleveland a center of world-class medical expertise, which in turn has generated thousands of jobs for working class residents who are overwhelmingly native born.
The impact of immigrants on our healthcare economy is remarkable, and commands special attention in the 50-page study. Though only 5 percent of the metro population, immigrants make up:
- 30 percent of the region’s doctors
- 20 percent of the region’s STEM workers, or people employed in science, technology, engineering and medicine
- 10 percent of the region’s nurses and home health aides, an important contribution in an aging population
Researchers note that this infusion of talent ripples far and wide. A robust healthcare industry has helped to make Cleveland a center of medical research and biotech startups, attracted more than $2 billion in venture capital, and created thousands of jobs for nurse’s aides, medical technicians and other workers with less than a bachelor's degree.
It has also helped to create an optimistic mood in a region that is now attracting a growing stream of educated young professionals.
“Although the city is still losing overall population,” the study notes, “such declines have slowed dramatically. And between 2000 and 2012, Cleveland’s percentage gain of young college graduates—a demographic crucial to the region’s growth—ranked the third largest in the nation, besting Silicon Valley and Portland, Oregon.”
This multiplier effect is seen in other industries, where a small infusion of talent has helped to create a much larger number of jobs. The study notes, for example, that immigrants are a key piece of the manufacturing revival in the Great Lakes region, as one in every seven manufacturing engineers is foreign born.
The study also offers cause for concern. Cleveland lags many other Great Lakes cities in the growth of its foreign-born population. While immigrants have helped cities like Minneapolis, Chicago, Columbus and Philadelphia to enjoy energizing growth, migration to Cleveland is only enough to soften a larger population decline.
Still, the study presents a way forward. By welcoming immigrants, and tapping immigrant talent, Cleveland can quicken its economic ascent and return to prominence as an economic power in the global economy.
“This report is further evidence of what we already know, immigrants are driving economic growth in the Great Lakes region, and particularly in Greater Cleveland,” said Joe Roman, President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, which is a member of the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition. “While the report examines healthcare, we know the positive impact immigrants have in our community cuts across all industries and all sizes of business.”
Joe Cimperman, the president of Global Cleveland, believes the report offers a roadmap to growth.
“This study presents the facts that we can use to build our future,” said Cimperman, who leads an economic development agency that strives to attract and welcome immigrants. “What’s amazing is the impact we get from a relatively small number of immigrants. Imagine if we grow that population? Imagine if we tell more of the world how great of a city Cleveland is, and welcome them to come and make a life here? That’s economic development.”
The region’s top political leaders endorse a welcoming strategy.
“Immigrants and refugees are a significant part of the tapestry that makes the City of Cleveland so unique,” said Cleveland Mayor Frank G. Jackson. “It is our job to welcome them and to provide them with the tools to succeed. It is no surprise to me that the Great Lakes Study is just one more validator to this fact.”
“Cuyahoga County has long thrived with the influx of immigrants to our region,” said Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish. “This study is clear – we continue to grow stronger as more immigrants come to work and live here. Our healthcare sector, which is one of our great strengths and one which I believe we need to continue to bolster and grow, is a clearly key to this growth. We must do everything we can to continue to attract and keep these individuals in our region.”
Find the study at tinyurl.com/newgreatlakers
DESCENDANTS OF DISPLACED PERSONS OFFERED NEW GLIMPSE INTO THEIR IMMIGRANT ROOTS
The U.S. Holocaust Museum and Cleveland’s Ukrainian Museum Archives partner to create a searchable database that will be presented October 24.
If your family emigrated to Greater Cleveland from Europe after World War II, chances are they came from a Displaced Persons Camp. These were temporary settlements that housed millions of people uprooted by the war, including former POWs, Holocaust survivors and people forced to work as slave laborers in the Nazi Germany economy.
The camp experience became a big part of the immigrant odyssey for the “DPs”, as camp residents became known, yet it’s a story that has been largely hidden from their descendants. There was no easy way to trace people back to life in the DP camps--until now.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., has created a searchable database of information on the Displaced Persons Camps and the people who passed through them. Earlier this year, the Holocaust Museum partnered with the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Cleveland to digitize the UMA’s extensive collection of DP Camp periodicals produced by Ukrainian refugees from 1945-51. Working with Kyiv-based Archival Data Systems, researchers have scanned more than 75,000 documents archived at the Tremont museum, creating a resource that scholars and others will now be able to access.
Officials from the Holocaust Museum will unveil the new resource and its search tools at a special presentation in Cleveland, a city that resettled thousands of displaced persons. “Solving the Mystery: Tracing Your Family’s Path from a Displaced Persons Camp,” starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 24 at the Slovenian National Home, 6409 St. Clair Avenue.
The event is co-sponsored by Global Cleveland and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.
Andrew Fedynsky, the director of the Ukrainian Museum Archives, promises an evening that could help complete many a family tree in Northeast Ohio.
Please RSVP to the Ukrainian Museum-Archives by calling 216 781-4329 or via e-mail [email protected]
DESCENDANTS OF DISPLACED PERSONS OFFERED NEW GLIMPSE INTO THEIR IMMIGRANT ROOTS
The U.S. Holocaust Museum and Cleveland’s Ukrainian Museum Archives partnered to create a searchable database of Displaced Persons camps. It will be presented October 24 at the Slovenian National Home.
Cleveland, Ohio, October 10, 2017 – If your family emigrated to Greater Cleveland from Europe after World War II, chances are they came from a Displaced Persons Camp. These were temporary settlements that housed millions of people uprooted by the war, including former POWs, Holocaust survivors and people forced to work as slave laborers in the Nazi Germany economy.
The camp experience became a big part of the immigrant odyssey for the “DPs”, as camp residents became known, yet it’s a story that has been largely hidden from their descendants. There was no easy way to trace people back to life in the DP camps--until now.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., has created a searchable database of information on the Displaced Persons Camps and the people who passed through them. Earlier this year, the Holocaust Museum partnered with the Ukrainian Museum-Archives in Cleveland to digitize the UMA’s extensive collection of DP Camp periodicals produced by Ukrainian refugees from 1945-51. Working with Kyiv-based Archival Data Systems, researchers have scanned more than 75,000 documents archived at the Tremont museum, creating a resource that scholars and others will now be able to access.
Officials from the Holocaust Museum will unveil the new resource and its search tools at a special presentation in Cleveland, a city that resettled thousands of displaced persons. “Solving the Mystery: Tracing Your Family’s Path from a Displaced Persons Camp,” starts at 6 p.m. Tuesday, October 24 at the Slovenian National Home, 6409 St. Clair Avenue.
The event is co-sponsored by Global Cleveland and the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.
Andrew Fedynsky, the director of the Ukrainian Museum Archives, promises an evening that could help complete many a family tree in Northeast Ohio.
Please RSVP to the Ukrainian Museum Archives by calling 216 781-4329 or via e-mail [email protected].
Cleveland community leaders call for rapid help, and a warm welcome, for Puerto Ricans in crisis
Cleveland, Ohio, October 9, 2017--The devastation and suffering in Puerto Rico breaks our hearts. Cleveland shares a long and special kinship with the commonwealth. Puerto Ricans are by far our largest Hispanic community. Many of us have friends and family in Puerto Rico, parents and sisters and brothers whom we know are in pain and maybe in peril.
Now is the time to put Cleveland’s welcoming tradition and policies into action. Puerto Rico needs help now. People need food and water and electricity. A shattered infrastructure must be rebuilt. We encourage three simultaneous approaches.
- Help personally and immediately.
The Cleveland Foundation, in cooperation with Puerto Rican community groups, has set up a fund that will get aid to the right places as quickly as possible. Between now and Nov. 30, Greater Clevelanders can visit www.clevelandfoundation.org/puertorico to give online. All donations are to be transferred directly to the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico) and specifically designated for hurricane relief efforts in the hardest hit areas throughout Puerto Rico.
- Push the federal government to respond more vigorously.
Let us encourage our national leaders and representatives to expend all available resources to help fellow Americans in distress.
- Embrace the unique role Cleveland can play.
Many Puerto Ricans will be looking to move to the mainland, for their own safety and for the health and wellbeing of their children. Hopefully, we can make Cleveland their first choice. Let’s put out the word that they are welcome here: that they will find familiar churches and shops and often relatives, certainly friends.
The economic implications for our region are significant as the city embraces our new arrivals. Housing, medical care, access to our already proven and strong human service network, and the leadership of agencies like the Spanish American Committee, would all serve to mitigate the emotional trauma and physical pain. Global Cleveland will put its Professional Connections services to work to seek job opportunities for the newcomers, many of whom will have bilingual skills.
For more than 60 years, our foundations have worked with the Puerto Rican community to create a foundation of strength and Boricua pride. In addition, Mayor Frank Jackson has declared Cleveland to be open to immigrants and refugees from everywhere. County Executive Armond Budish has made international outreach a key plank in the county’s economic development plan. Our Governor, John Kasich, speaks eloquently of the contributions of immigrants and the need to more assertively welcome newcomers to Ohio.
Let’s start with our brothers and sisters suddenly in need. Let’s help Puerto Rico heal. But let’s not be afraid to say “Bienvenidos de Cleveland,” and welcome new neighbors.
Puerto Rico is the United States. It is all of our obligation as residents of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Northeast Ohio to act in a manner aligned with our shared values and love of our families.
Sincerely,
Joe Cimperman
President, Global Cleveland
Armond Budish
Cuyahoga County Executive
Jose Feliciano Sr.,
President, The Hispanic Roundtable
Cleveland community leaders call for rapid help, and a warm welcome, for Puerto Ricans in crisis
Cleveland, Ohio, October 9, 2017--The devastation and suffering in Puerto Rico breaks our hearts. Cleveland shares a long and special kinship with the commonwealth. Puerto Ricans are by far our largest Hispanic community. Many of us have friends and family in Puerto Rico, parents and sisters and brothers whom we know are in pain and maybe in peril.
Now is the time to put Cleveland’s welcoming tradition and policies into action. Puerto Rico needs help now. People need food and water and electricity. A shattered infrastructure must be rebuilt. We encourage three simultaneous approaches.
- Help personally and immediately.
The Cleveland Foundation, in cooperation with Puerto Rican community groups, has set up a fund that will get aid to the right places as quickly as possible. Between now and Nov. 30, Greater Clevelanders can visit www.clevelandfoundation.org/puertorico to give online. All donations are to be transferred directly to the Puerto Rico Community Foundation (Fundación Comunitaria de Puerto Rico) and specifically designated for hurricane relief efforts in the hardest hit areas throughout Puerto Rico.
- Push the federal government to respond more vigorously.
Let us encourage our national leaders and representatives to expend all available resources to help fellow Americans in distress.
- Embrace the unique role Cleveland can play.
Many Puerto Ricans will be looking to move to the mainland, for their own safety and for the health and wellbeing of their children. Hopefully, we can make Cleveland their first choice. Let’s put out the word that they are welcome here: that they will find familiar churches and shops and often relatives, certainly friends.
The economic implications for our region are significant as the city embraces our new arrivals. Housing, medical care, access to our already proven and strong human service network, and the leadership of agencies like the Spanish American Committee, would all serve to mitigate the emotional trauma and physical pain. Global Cleveland will put its Professional Connections services to work to seek job opportunities for the newcomers, many of whom will have bilingual skills.
For more than 60 years, our foundations have worked with the Puerto Rican community to create a foundation of strength and Boricua pride. In addition, Mayor Frank Jackson has declared Cleveland to be open to immigrants and refugees from everywhere. County Executive Armond Budish has made international outreach a key plank in the county’s economic development plan. Our Governor, John Kasich, speaks eloquently of the contributions of immigrants and the need to more assertively welcome newcomers to Ohio.
Let’s start with our brothers and sisters suddenly in need. Let’s help Puerto Rico heal. But let’s not be afraid to say “Bienvenidos de Cleveland,” and welcome new neighbors.
Puerto Rico is the United States. It is all of our obligation as residents of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Northeast Ohio to act in a manner aligned with our shared values and love of our families.
Sincerely,
Joe Cimperman
President, Global Cleveland
Armond Budish
Cuyahoga County Executive
Jose Feliciano Sr.,
President, The Hispanic Roundtable
Out of 100,000 Interviews, These 7 Candidate Questions Stood Out
Author: Sjoerd Gehring
“Do you have any questions for us?”
You’ll be asked it in almost any interview. And while you may be tempted to sit back and relax during this portion—while the recruiter’s put in the hot seat—that’s not actually in your best interest.
Why? Because this is your final chance to make an awesome impression.
My team and I interview around 100,000 people a year so, as you can imagine, we always take notice when someone asks a question besides “What’s a typical day like?” or “When will I hear back from you?”
In fact, you shouldn’t be afraid to grill hiring managers during this portion of the conversation. Chances are, they're hoping you will.
To help get you started, here are some of the super-smart questions I’ve been asked during actual interviews by real-life candidates–and the reasons they got my attention.
1. “Who Does the Wireframing for Your Site?”
OK, that’s clearly specific to a certain role. But I’m using this one as an example of a question you can ask that places you in the role you’ve applied for.
This question came from a prospective designer. We got talking about a new internal website we were developing and he asked, "Who does the wireframing for your website, the design team or a specific UX team?"
We ended up having a great discussion about our processes and how he could contribute to the development of the project. I remember thinking it was like we were already working together. And, from his perspective, he got a great insight into the way we work across teams and who has responsibility for what.
2. “Why Does This Role Matter to the Growth of the Company?”
Talk about putting the ball back in my court! This question showed me the candidate was interested in more than just what I thought of him then and there, in the interview. She wanted to make an impact beyond her own role or team and get a feel for how she’d fit into the future plans of the business.
And, from a candidate perspective, it’s a great way to help you see whether the role you’ve applied for will be a high or low-profile position. It also gives you an indication of what’s expected of the person who fills that role.
3. “Could I Meet Some of the People I’d Be Working With?”
I’ve been asked this a few times—especially more recently—and it’s a great question. (And one that we always try to accommodate.) It shows me the candidate understands the importance of cultural fit and team dynamics and that it matters to them. This is clearly not a person who wants to come to work, sit down at their desk every day, and work in a solitary bubble with their headphones on.
Plus, if you want to get a sense of whether you’ll enjoy being around the people you could be working with every day, this is the question you should ask.
4. “Why Has the Person in This Role Decided to Leave?” / “Who Had This Role Before?”
This can be a very revealing question! Why is the position you’ve applied for available? Is it because the previous person has been promoted or moved to a different team? Both of which would suggest that this job would set you up for progression.
Or, did the person leave to join another company? Or because they didn’t meet expectations? If the recruiter hesitates or becomes evasive, that could tell you everything you need to know! Equally, stay alert and if you sense it’s time to move the conversation on, gently change the subject to something else or ask a new question that’s easier to answer.
5. “What Do You Like Most About Working Here?”
I’ve only been asked this once, believe it or not. It was by a candidate who’d just finished giving a very competent response to the question, “Why do you want to work here?”
I loved the way she tossed this question right back at me. And, although it took me a few seconds to think how to respond, we ended up having a great conversation about how rewarding a career at J&J can be, both personally and professionally.
As a candidate, it’s the perfect question to catch the recruiter a little off-guard and get an honest answer. Regardless of what they say, you can probably gauge how they truly feel about their company, which gives you another indication of whether it’s the right fit for you.
6. “Do You Have Any Reservations About Me or My Qualifications?”
A seriously gutsy question! So gutsy that I was impressed by the confidence of the candidate who asked it. You might think you’re setting your self-esteem up for a knocking. But it’s actually very smart.
A question like this gives you the chance to address any concerns the recruiter may have about your fit for the role head-on, in person. In the instance I’m thinking of, the candidate was actually able to mitigate the concerns I had about a large, unexplained gap on his resume. It transpired he’d taken an unpaid sabbatical to care for his infant daughter while his wife went back to college.
Sure, it takes some gumption to ask. But why allow a potentially unfounded reservation turn into a reason to give someone else the job ahead of you?
7. “How Do You Deal With Professional Disagreements Within the Team? Can You Give Me an Example?”
Another question that shows a recruiter that they’re talking to a candidate who cares about team dynamics and understands that how a team works together can make or break the success of its projects.
For you as a candidate, it’s an incredibly useful way to find out whether you’ll be joining a team of ‘yes-men’ or whether respectful (emphasis on respectful!) disagreements are encouraged to ensure all avenues are explored and that company goals are put ahead of egos. Providing the interviewer answers honestly, it also gives you an indication of inter-team dynamics.
As a recruiter, I’ve heard a lot of awesome questions (such as these)—and some I bet the candidate regretted instantly! But, with a little preparation, there’s no need to feel anxious about this part of an interview.
The hiring manager knows you want to figure out if the role is right for you so they’ll be expecting questions. And by taking a couple of the examples above and modifying them to fit your own situation, I can almost guarantee you’re going to instigate some really valuable discussions that help you (both!) to make the right decision about the role.
Photo credit: interview courtesy of Jessica Peterson/Getty Images.
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