 Succeeding in the workplace, both individually and as a team, requires a number of factors and elements. However, one of the most important factors—and quite possibly the most critical one—is trust.
The first step is to build trust with others, and the second step is to maintain that trust. While both steps present challenges, some people would argue that it’s actually more difficult to maintain trust after you’ve built it. Regardless, you must build it before you can maintain it. And the primary people with whom you build this trust is with your co-workers, including your supervisor or manager. With all of this in mind, below are three ways to build trust in the workplace: #1—Be honest and forthright in all situations. What does this mean, exactly? It applies to both the things that you say and do and also the things that you don’t say and do. In other words, be truthful and honest when you share information, but also don’t withhold information that would be valuable to other people. #2—Acknowledge your mistakes and strive to learn from them. Everybody makes mistakes; there’s no way around it. However, how people react to making mistakes differentiates them. To build trust, you must acknowledge your mistakes, take responsibility for them, and learn from them. What you don’t want to do is act as though you didn’t make a mistake and/or blame other people for the mistake. #3—Be open and receptive to feedback. Some people respond well to feedback, which often takes the form of constructive criticism. Other people, however, do not respond well to feedback (or criticism, for that matter, constructive or otherwise). When you’re open to feedback, people will feel comfortable continuing to provide it. #4—Follow through. Simply put, this means doing what you say you’re going to do. This brands you as being reliable, and before you can brad yourself as being trustworthy, you must brand yourself as being reliable. This is an easy way to stand out in the workplace because you would be surprised by how many people are not able to follow through on a consistent basis. Remember: building and maintaining trust is difficult, but destroying it can happen quickly. Follow the steps outlined above to set your feet on the right path and position yourself for more success! Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! There’s a bottom line when it comes to hiring people. Sure, you want to hire people who have the skills, abilities, background, and experience that line up with the qualifications and demands of the position that you’re attempting to fill.
But who do you really want to hire? Successful people, that’s who? Now you might be thinking, “Duh, of course I want to hire those kinds of people!” However, just because you hire people who perform a certain set of tasks well or who excel in a certain area of the industry does not necessarily mean they’re successful overall. So now you might be thinking, “Who cares? I just want them to do what I hired them to do.” Is that really the case? Don’t you want them to grow beyond the position for which you hire them? Don’t you want them to become a leader, to possibly branch out into new areas, accumulate additional knowledge, and increase their value as an employee? Of course you do. That’s exactly why it’s important to hire successful people. You’ve probably heard this saying before: “Previous success doesn’t guarantee future success.” Whether or not you agree with that statement, the fact of the matter is that previous success is a good indicator of future success. Translation: Those with a track record of being successful are more likely to be successful in the future (i.e., once they’re hired). And it’s not just a tangible track record that’s important. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is also measured in intangible traits. You just have to know what to look for, especially during the interview stage of the hiring process. Below are three tips for hiring successful people for your team: Tip #1—Attitude is everything. Successful people usually have a more positive attitude. They speak with more confidence, they heap praise on others, and they talk about what can be done instead of what can’t be done. More importantly, they don’t blame others for their failures and often take the blame for group failures—even when it’s not actually their fault. (That’s leadership material right there.) Tip #2—Chemistry is more than just a class in high school. Talent, skills, and abilities will only take you so far if the person is not a good cultural fit. Successful people tend to work well with those around them, increasing camaraderie and productivity. They put their co-workers at ease and excel in collaborative endeavors and group projects. Tip #3—Success is a way of life. When you hire people, seek to hire those who are successful outside of the professional realm. People who are successful are well rounded, not one-dimensional in nature. Find out what they do in their spare time, what their hobbies are, and how they’ve been successful in other areas of their life. Hiring successful people requires a more comprehensive approach to the process. There are more factors to consider and more information to assimilate. But in the end, it’s worth it. That’s because successful people make being successful a lifelong habit . . . and that includes their employment with your organization. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! We’ve discussed mentoring before in this blog, specifically with the post, “The Importance of Finding a Good Mentor.”
But once you’ve identified a mentor and have started the relationship, where do you go from there? There are two things you can do right away: troubleshoot potential problems and communicate effectively. Below are some of the potential problems that can pop up after the arrangement has already been agreed upon and begun.
The key to overcoming these potential obstacles is consistent communication. There are two main forms of communication that you should be concerned with in a mentoring relationship: planning/preparation and feedback. Below are three quick tips about planning/preparation:
Below are two tips about feedback:
When evaluating progress, there are a number of benchmark questions that both people should ask. Some of these questions include the following:
Last but certainly not least, a mentoring relationship needs the appropriate amount of time in order to reach its full potential. Over time, you’ll be able to better assess how the other person likes to work, how they prefer to handle situations, etc., and they will be able to do the same when it comes to you. There’s bound to be some awkward moments at the beginning. However, if you recognize that those are a natural part of the process, then you can work through them and use them as the launching pad for what could become a very productive, rewarding, and satisfying mentoring relationship! Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! All organizations would like to think that they hire exceptionally well. Obviously, not all organizations hire exceptionally well.
This is rather perplexing, considering how important hiring ultimately is to the long-term success of a company. How well a company hires largely dictates how successful it is, and that includes how profitable it is. However, before you can hire well, you must plan to hire well. It doesn’t just happen by magic or through some form of “happy accident.” It happens on purpose. Below is a six-point plan for executing an exceptional hiring process: #1—Determine a ranking system for positions. Not all open positions are created equal. Some are more important than others. However, if you don’t determine which ones are most important, then you run the risk of treating them all the same. That’s a mistake, since the ones that are the most important are the ones that are costing you the most money the longer they stay open. #2—Implement an accelerated timeline for filling critical positions. Now that you’ve determined which open positions are critical, adjust the timeline for filling those positions. That timeline should be three to four months, at a maximum. Ideally, you want these positions filled even before that. Sure, you want the best job applicants and candidates, but it would be even better to hire the best candidates as quickly as possible. #3—Select process participants carefully. Who absolutely needs to be part of the hiring process? Don’t bloat the process with people who do not need to be part of it. Have specific and valid reasons why the people who are part of it should be part of it. This preparation up front will pay dividends in the form of a more focused, efficient, and effective process. #4—Make sure that process participants are knowledgeable and invested. The participants should know everything they can about the position, about their role in the process, about the other people involved in the process, and about the roles of the other people involved in the process. That’s a lot, to be sure, but an oversight in any one of these areas can contribute to a costly miscommunication. #5—Set expectations. Not only must you set expectations, but you also have to communicate those expectations to everybody involved in the process. That’s because if everybody is not aware of the expectations associated with the process, then how can you expect those expectations to be met in a satisfactory fashion? You can’t, that’s how. #6—Create a system for reviewing results. The only way to improve performance is by measuring that performance. By extension, the only way to improve your hiring process is to measure the results of that process. Obviously, hiring the best job applicants and candidates is the “gold standard.” How well do you execute the steps listed above? Are these steps part of your process or are they missing? If your hiring process is not exceptional, then how can you expect to hire exceptional workers? Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! One of the most important tasks a person will face is balancing the act of working “in” their career against working “on” their career.
What does that mean? Sometimes we get wrapped up in the “hustle and bustle” of everyday life and we don’t take the time necessary to think about our current employment situation—specifically, about whether or not our situation is the best one for us. However, taking the time to think about your situation is crucial for determining whether or not you should launch a full-blown job search. This is especially true if you feel as though you’re unsatisfied with your current position. If so, then it’s time to conduct a professional audit. During that audit, there are specific warning signs of which you should be aware. Below are the top four signs that it might be time to search for a new job (with #1 being the most important): #4—Your employer doesn’t have (or communicate) a clear vision. If you haven’t worked at the company for very long, it could be a temporary situation. Ask a few of your trusted co-workers for their opinions about the direction of your company. In addition, the company might actually have a vision, but it’s not being effectively communicated to its employees. Find out if this is the case. Both scenarios are potentially problematic. #3—Your current position doesn’t fit in with your career plans. While you must know where you’re going in order to get there, you also must know where you are in order to get where you want to go. You should be able to map out a logical progression from your current position to where you ultimately envision yourself. #2—Your potential for growth is limited. Are you being included on new projects, ones that could have an impact on the organization’s future? Greater responsibility lends itself to greater growth, and what your company trusts you to accomplish now is directly proportionate to what it trusts you with down the road. Is there a career path at the company? Is there upward mobility? #1—You lack passion. For you to be satisfied with your career—to truly enjoy it—you must have passion for what you’re doing. If not, then you’re only going through the motions and drawing a paycheck. Money pays the bills, but ultimately it doesn’t feed the soul. Whatever you do, don’t overlook the role that passion plays in your career. If you identify one (or more) of these signs in your current situation, you may want to discuss your concerns with your immediate supervisor. There could be ways in which you can resolve these issues through transparency and communication. However, if no resolution is forthcoming, then there might be a problem. When it comes to your job and the goals you’ve set for yourself, don’t compromise. You only have so much time and energy. Now is the time to evaluate where you are and decide if this career path will take you where you want to go. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! It should come as no surprise that a positive work environment is a more productive work environment. After all, when people are in such an environment, they’re more likely to be a in a good mood. And when they’re in a good mood, they work more quickly in a more focused manner, thereby producing better results.
And of course, from the company’s perspective, more productivity is closely related to more profitability. So in essence, a more positive work environment is in actuality a more profitable one. With this in mind, below are four tips for creating a positive work environment at your organization: #1—Focus on positive employer branding. This is basically the way in which your company brands itself overall, both to job seekers and candidates and also to current employees. You brand yourself in a positive fashion to attract new job candidates and also to retain the good workers and employees that you currently have. And once again, your brand is the overall experience that you provide to these groups of people. #2—Open and maintain consistent channels of communication. People do not like to feel as though they’re “being left in the dark” about what’s happening at their employer. This relates to both big and small aspects of their job and their employment. That’s why it’s critical to have an efficient and effective top-down model of communication that starts with senior management and trickles all the way down to every single employee. #3—Encourage feedback and suggestions at all levels. Communication, of course, is a two-way street. Whereas you want to communicate with your employees as clearly and as often as you can, you should also be open to their concerns and suggestions. Employees want to feel as though they can share their opinions and be genuinely heard. If they don’t believe then can do that, then they will feel as though they’re being ignored. And if that’s the case, then it’s only a matter of time before their productivity drops, and eventually, before they start looking for gainful employment—and a more positive work environment—somewhere else. #4—Strive to provide a family-type atmosphere. People spend a lot of time at work, in some cases nearly as much time as they spend with the members of their actual family. This is why it’s a good idea to cultivate an environment of celebration, and this starts with celebrating work anniversaries and birthdays. In addition, recognize the achievements of employees in a public way that will show them that the company both cares about their work and wants others to share in the celebration of their accomplishment. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! You’re probably well aware that there is a worker shortage in the United States right now. Companies are in need of more employees, and not all of them are able to hire the workers that they want to hire.
One possible result of this is more work for everybody else at the company. And more work can mean more shifts and longer shifts. Perhaps you find yourself in this particular situation at the present time, or you anticipate it happening in the near future. If either of these things are the case, then you must prepare for the reality of working these shifts. That’s why we’re presenting three tips for working longer shifts for your new (or existing) employer: #1—Eat regularly and stay hydrated. When you work a longer shift, you’ll be expending more energy. And when you expend more energy, you become hungrier more quickly. So it’s important to not only bring enough food with you, but also to plan when you’re going to eat your food. The last thing you want to do is skip a meal entirely because you don’t have the time or you didn’t plan adequately. #2—Take breaks to refocus. Specifically, you want to take breaks to refocus your attention and your energy. It’s when you’re unfocused and lethargic that mistakes are made, and in an industrial setting, harmful accidents can happen. More than likely, you’ll have scheduled breaks in your shift, probably multiple breaks. Make sure that you take them and that you use the time wisely. #3—Get enough sleep and recuperate. This should go without saying, but we’re going to say it, anyway. And it involves two things. The first is making sure that you get enough sleep on the night (or day) prior to your shift. The second is making sure that you rest and recuperate on your off days. If you work a long shift or back-to-back shifts, then you’ll probably have multiple days off during the week, as well. Use those days to your full advantage. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! It’s no secret that companies of all sizes in nearly all industries are looking for employees right now. In fact, organizations in some industries are downright desperate to get them. As a result, successfully identifying and then hiring the right people for your company can be quite challenging in this current environment.
With that in mind, here are five tips for sourcing, engaging, and hiring top-notch employees: #1—Ask for referrals from current employees. If you’re looking for good employees, why not start with referrals from your existing batch of good employees? Many organizations offer referral bonuses to their workers who provide successful referrals. More than likely, if you trust the employee, then you can trust them to provide a referral who will also be a good worker. #2—Write a compelling job description. This is the starting point for attracting and engaging top-notch job seekers and candidates. Right now, there are a lot of companies looking for a lot of workers. That means the market is flooded with job descriptions. The key is to stand out from everybody else. So while you certainly want to include a list of duties and responsibilities in your job description, be sure to put some “sizzle” in there, as well. Give job seekers a reason to want to work for your company, as opposed to your competition. #3—Utilize social media to the fullest extent possible. Not every company uses social media in exactly the same manner. However, it can be an excellent way to not only brand your organization in a positive way, but also to gain exposure for your job openings. Simply put, you want to get your job openings in front of as many qualified people as you possibly can, and social media can be an important channel for doing just that. #4—Communicate consistently throughout the hiring process. This is the next important step in engaging top-notch job seekers and candidates. Once you get them into the hiring process, the last thing you want to do is allow them to drop out. Or worse yet, convince them to drop out because you haven’t communicated with them enough. Job candidates want to know two things. First, where they stand in the process. And second, what the next steps of the process are. Keep them apprised of the situation and they will be more likely to remain engaged. #5—Enlist the services of a reputable and experienced staffing agency. When workers are scarce, using the resources and expertise of an experienced staffing agency can help you in multiple ways. These ways include finding qualified job seekers and candidates and also helping to facilitate the interviewing and hiring process. If you haven’t yet worked with a staffing agency, this is the perfect time to do so! Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! Even though we’re in a tight labor market and job opportunities abound, that is no reason to “rest on your laurels.” If you want to get the best job possible in your field and grow your career the way that you want, then there are certain “soft skills” that can give you an edge over other job seekers and candidates.
Below are five critical skills that can help you get a good job in your field: #1—Communication This is one of the most sought after soft skills in the employment marketplace. Organizations everywhere are in need of employees who can communicate well and do so consistently. Lack of communication and miscommunications cost companies millions of dollars every year (and it may be more than that). Hiring employees who can communicate well is one way to reduce these annual losses. #2—Problem solving For employers, it’s all about solving problems. After all, that’s why they’re hiring people in the first place. They have a problem and they need to solve it. Problem solving is one of the most important skills, as well as one of the best forms of value, that you can offer to an organization looking to hire. Remember: there is an overabundance of problems in the world and a lack of solutions. #3—Initiative The desire to be a “go getter” is as important now as it was 50 years ago. Or 100. The last thing that you want to say to your boss or manager is “That isn’t my job.” Instead, in your never-ending quest to solve more problems—and provide more value to your employer—show initiative in tackling the problems that you do see. Regardless of whether or not they’re part of your official job description. #4—Adaptability (Resiliency) It’s quite possible that this is the skill employers cherish most of all. That’s because just like there are endless problems in the world today, adversity is inevitable. That certainly applies to the world of work and employment. As a result, if you’re able to show resiliency in the face of adversity and “bounce back” from setbacks, then you will offer more value and be more hire-able to companies. #5—Collaboration Not only do organizations want employees who can work well by themselves, but they want employees who can work well with others. If you can apply all four of the skills discussed so far to a group setting and use them to bring about favorable results on a consistent basis, then you’ve set yourself apart from others. And possibly put yourself on the path to a management or leadership position. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! Hiring the right people is always a big concern for companies and organizations. After all, making a mis-hire can be extremely costly in terms of time, energy, resources, and money.
Hiring is an investment, and you want to earn a return on that investment. The best way to do that is to hire a great job candidate who offers a lot of value, makes numerous contributions to the organization, and ultimately boosts its bottom line is a big way. That’s why the size and the depth of the talent pool from which you draw your job candidates is perhaps the single biggest factor affecting the quality of your hires. As you might imagine, if you want to hire the best job candidate possible for an open position, you must make sure of the following two things:
What’s the difference between the two? In terms of a wide talent pool, that means drawing quality talent from as many different places as you can. This can refer to geographical regions or to sourcing methods. In terms of a deep talent pool, that reflects how many quality candidates you’re able to identify. In other words, you want both a diverse talent pool of quality candidates and you want a high volume of quality candidates. That’s the best possible outcome. Some might call it an unrealistic outcome, but it’s what employers should strive for. It should be their ultimate hiring objective. So this is where a problem enters the picture. If you’re an employer and your only strategy for sourcing job candidates for your open positions is to use online job advertisements, then your talent pool becomes instantly smaller. But wait, there’s more. Do you believe that every single person who starts to fill out an online job application actually finishes the application? Of course not. That’s unrealistic. Many online applications are not easy. They’re cumbersome and time-consuming. They can even be confusing. When that’s the case, job candidates are likely to simply close their Internet browser and look elsewhere for possible employment opportunities. In today’s marketplace, employers must be proactive in their hiring efforts. You might even say that they should be aggressive. Sure, you can use online job advertisements. You can post your jobs on the company website and also post them through the various online job boards. However, this is why using an experienced staffing agency helps to “cover all the bases” when it comes to your hiring. Last year, Time Staffing won ClearlyRated’s Best of Staffing Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and candidates. ClearlyRated's Best of Staffing Award is the only award in the United States and Canada that recognizes staffing agencies that have proven superior service and quality based entirely upon ratings provided by their clients and job candidates. Time Staffing received satisfaction scores of 9 out of 10 or 10 out of 10 from 75.4% of their placed talent, significantly higher than the industry’s average of 45%. Contact Time Staffing today to find out more about our placement services for employers! |
