Since it's still the month of January, this is still a good time to discuss the topic of goals for the new year. (Or goals for the relatively new year might be more accurate.)

And when we talk about goals, we're talking about your professional or career goals. More than likely, you also have some personal goals, but those fall outside the realm of Time Staffing and this blog post.

Let's start with the fact that you should have goals for your career. If you don't, then this is a great time to set some. You might be the type of person who doesn't think much about goals. You just move from job to job and assignment to assignment.

While that might pay the bills, is it ultimately satisfying? More than likely, the answer to that question is "No." So the first step is setting some goals for your career. The second step is analyzing those goals through a series of questions.

With that in mind, below are five questions that you should ask about your professional and career goals for 2019:

#1 - Are you excited about your goals and/or do you have passion for them?

Setting and achieving goals is not easy. That's why it's important to have excitement and passion. It will help you to push through when the going gets rough and it looks as though you won't get to where you want to go.

#2 - How specific are your goals?

You can't set general or nebulous goals that have no real criteria. If you do that, then you might as well not set any goals at all. Your goals should have as much detail as possible associated with them. That way, you'll be able to measure success more precisely.

#3 - How realistic are your goals?

Setting aggressive goals is good. Setting unrealistic goals is not. That's because once you fail to reach those goals, you'll feel badly and become discouraged. Not only that, but it will also dissuade you from setting further goals.

#4 - Are your goals important to the people you care about?

If the people you care about stand to benefit from you reaching your goals, then it will give you further motivation to achieve them. People will often go "the extra mile" for those they care about, even if they would not do it for themselves.

#5 - How much time and energy are you prepared to devote to your goals?

This is all about priorities. If you want to attain a goal, then you must be committed to doing what is necessary to achieve that goal. That means making it a priority over other things (like binge watching television shows on Netflix).

#6 - Are you willing to endure setbacks and adversity in the pursuit of your goals?

Adversity is inevitable. You can't escape it, especially when it comes to setting and achieving goals. The question is not if adversity will strike, but what you will do once it does strike. Your reaction and response to setbacks in the pursuit of your goals is a major factor in determining whether or not you reach them.

Are you currently engaged in a job search? Then Time Staffing can help!

Contact us today to find out about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field

As a general rule, it's often difficult to stay positive in the workplace. This is especially the case when two factors are in play:

1. You don't especially like your job, including your everyday duties, your co-workers, and even your boss.
2. It's the winter season. (Statistically speaking, people are more prone to be sad and/or depressed in the winter, when the weather turns cold and the days grow shorter.)

It's not surprising that when you're most positive, you're also more productive. And when you're more productive, you're also more valuable to your employer. And when you're more valuable to your employer, your employer is more likely to reward you for that value.

So with all of that in mind, how do you stay positive (and productive) in the face of circumstances that are anything but?

Below are four steps for staying positive in the workplace:

#1 - Focus on the positive aspects of your job.

Hopefully, there is at least one positive aspect of your current job. There might even be two or three. Strive to focus on those aspects on a daily basis. This can serve to help lift your spirits. However, if there is not even one such aspect, then it could be more difficult to carry a positive frame of mind.

#2 - Focus on your positive attributes as an employee.

More than likely, there is something that you do well. (That's why the company hired you in the first place.) In addition, the thing that you do well might also be something that you enjoy doing. If that's the case, then it can be a source of positivity. It can also help to make you more confident in your abilities.

#3 - Reflect upon positive things that have happened during your employment.

Perhaps you've been commended for your performance. Maybe you've even received official recognition or an award. ("Employee of the Month," anybody?) These are things upon which to reflect when you need to stay both positive and encouraged. That's because if positive things happened in the past, then they can certainly happen again in the future.

#4 - Consider the next step in your career.

Everybody needs something to look forward to. That's one of the ways to turn a negative mindset into a positive one. However, if there's nothing to look forward to at your current job, then what can you do? Start thinking about your next career move! That's because making such a move might be the only way that you can do anything about the things that are contributing to your negative mindset in the first place.

So forget about the winter blues and the seasonal blahs. Take these positive, proactive steps and start feeling better about your job, your workplace and your career.

Are you currently engaged in a job search? Then Time Staffing can help!

Contact us today to find out about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field.

Everybody wants to feel as though they're successful in the workplace. Such feelings lead to more confidence, which in turn leads to even greater levels of productivity and performance.

However, adversity in life - both personally and professionally - is inevitable. Attempting to avoid adversity is a useless endeavor. Instead, what is more practical is to prepare for adversity and then respond to it correctly when it does occur.

Below are five ways to change your perspective so that you can deal more effectively with adversity and become more valuable not only to your current employer, but also to a potential future employer.

#1 - Change how you view failure.

How you view failure is instrumental to how much success you achieve. That's because a certain amount of failure is necessary to achieve success. Like adversity, you can't avoid it. As a result, it is imperative that you're able to handle that certain amount of failure as well as you can. Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." More than likely, you don't consider Thomas Edison to be a failure.

#2 - Emphasize progress and not perfection.

People sometimes fall into the trap of idealizing situations or circumstances, especially when thinking about what their life and/or career should be like. They also sometimes hold themselves to lofty standards of performance that nobody can achieve. Both of these perspectives are bound to end in disappointment. Instead, focus on striving to reach a desired goal on a daily basis, not achieving perfection in an unreasonable amount of time.

#3 - Persistence is an excellent strategy.

The only way that a person can fail for sure is to quit. If you don't quit, then you have not failed. You've only suffered setbacks on the road to success. This point is actually a continuation of #1 on our list. Failure is not failure. It's just an unsuccessful attempt. As the old saying goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again." While that might sound a bit corny, that's exactly what Thomas Edison (and other inventors) did. You should, too.

#4 - Analyze results and make adjustments.
We now introduce the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. If you're not getting the results you want, then you need to change the things that you're doing. This is why reflection and analysis are so important. Without them, you're at risk for repeating the same behavior, still not getting the desired results, and becoming even more frustrated.

#5 - Focus on what matters the most.

Setting the appropriate priorities is of paramount importance in terms of creating a more healthy perspective. This point can be applied to all of the previous points on our list. In fact, you can look at just about any situation and ask yourself this question: "What's most important?" When you do that, the answer might surprise you. That's because many times, what you think is most important when you're caught up in the moment isn't what is actually most important in terms of your workplace satisfaction or overall happiness with your employment situation.

Are you currently engaged in a job search? Then Time Staffing can help!

Contact us today to find out about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field

In our previous blog post (the last one of 2018), we discussed "How to Quit Your Job the Right Way in 2019." Well, now 2019 is here. But what if you're not quite ready to quit your job?

What if you haven't found another employment opportunity that would convince you to quit your job? What if you haven't even started your job search?

Although the New Year has already begun, it's never too late for a fresh start - and that includes for your employment situation and your career. So with that in mind, below are five ways to jump-start your job search in 2019:

#1 - Update your resume.

Okay, you had to expect this would be on the list. And yes, everybody is busy. But you should be updating your resume even if you're not actively engaged in a job search. So if you ARE actively engaged in a job search, then it means you should absolutely update your resume. (And you should keep it updated on a consistent basis.)

#2 - Update your LinkedIn profile.

This is the one that some people miss. They update their resume, but then they forget to also update their LinkedIn profile. Or they do the opposite. They update their LinkedIn profile and then expect that to serve as a substitute for their resume. Both approaches are incorrect.

Your resume and LinkedIn profile are equally important. Update them both, and ideally, update them at the same time so they reflect each other accurately. Discrepancies between the two will not work in your favor.

#3 - Update and prepare your references.

You can't let your list of references get "stale," either. At the very least, you should have three professional references who can talk with a prospective employer about your skills, experience, and other qualifications.

Optimally, you should have three really good references and then another three or four additional references that you can use if the need arises. It would be best to use previous supervisors as a reference, but you can also use past co-workers and colleagues, including those who may have reported to you if you were in a management or supervisory position.

#4 - Activate and (continuously) engage your network.

Yes, you have connections on LinkedIn. Yes, you have friends and colleagues, some of whom you've worked with in the past. Only reaching out to these people when you want something from them is not good form. Once again, you're busy. But so is everybody else. As such, that is not an adequate excuse for poor networking activity.

Engage your network online and in person as much as you can. Consider volunteering, especially if you can volunteer for organizations or activities that are related to your line of work. You never know who you're going to meet and how that meeting will impact your career.

#5 - Work on your personal brand.

Do you know what your specific personal brand is? If not, then it will be difficult to work on it. What kind of experience do you provide for other people? Jay Danzie said, "Your smile is your logo, your personality is your business card, how you leave others feeling after having an experience with you becomes your trademark." The more positive your personal brand is, the more success you will enjoy in your current job and also in your career.

Are you currently engaged in a job search? Then Time Staffing can help!

Contact us today to find out about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field.