 During the last few weeks, we’ve been delving into a series of blog posts about best practices for professionals during the job search.
However, now we’re going to “switch gears,” although . . . not really. That’s because we’re still addressing best practices, but we’re going to tackle them from a different angle. Instead of focusing on what you should do during your job search, we’re going to focus on what you shouldn’t do. With that in mind, below are three things to NOT do during a job search, or worse, during an interview with a potential new employer: #1—Not showing up for the interview. This is also known as “ghosting” on the interview, and you can “ghost” on other things as well, including a phone screen or other communication. You can do it, but we would recommend that you do not do it. Regardless of whether or not you want the job, this is a personal branding disaster. After all, you never know who somebody knows and you never know what the future holds. If you “ghost” on a job interview (or something else) now, then it could have ramifications for your career in the future. So why take chances? #2—Speaking badly about past employers and/or co-workers. This is an easy trap to fall into, especially if a hiring manager asks you why you want to leave your current position or asks about your work history. Remember: if you speak badly about your previous employers, then the people who are interviewing you are more likely to believe that you will speak badly about your co-workers if they hire you. No company wants to hire job seekers who speak in negative terms about their employer, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the situation. Instead, they want to hire positive people who speak and act in a positive way. #3—Conducting yourself in an unprofessional way. Speaking of, well, speaking and acting, what you say and do, especially during the face-to-face or in-person interview, is critically important. Yes, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some companies are choosing to conduct their interviews via Zoom or some other application over the Internet. However, this is not an excuse to not be professional. And keep in mind that this extends to everything—from what you say to the way you look to your body language. So regardless of the way in which you are being interviewed, always strive to participate in the interview in the most professional manner possible. 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! In the first blog post in this series, we discussed the importance of customizing your resume to the job opening for which you’re applying. In today’s blog post, we have another tip for job seekers and those looking to explore other job opportunities in the employment marketplace, and that tip involves how to navigate the applicant tracking system.
But what exactly is an applicant tracking system, or ATS? An ATS is a software application that allows companies to handle their recruiting needs in an electronic fashion. With an ATS, an employer is able to automatically filter resumes based upon certain parameters and criteria set up by company officials, often the hiring manager. Basically, hiring managers and hiring authorities use an ATS to make their lives easier, not necessarily your life easier. Unfortunately, an ATS sometimes “screens out” job seekers who otherwise would be good candidates for the position, and as a result, those job seekers are not seriously considered or even acknowledged. How does this happen? The ATS only does what company officials tell it to do. If a resume does not meet the parameters set by the hiring manager, then into the wastebasket it goes (or into the trash folder, since we live in a predominately digital age.) An applicant tracking system looks for certain things when it comes to resumes. In other words, these are the criteria that hiring authorities typically set within the system for the purpose of theoretically narrowing down their candidate pool (and once again, theoretically making their lives easier):
These are just some of the top criteria that hiring managers use. And more and more companies and organizations are opting to use an ATS for their hiring and employee management needs. That’s why there are two things you must do to successfully navigate the applicant tracking system during your job search.
When you’re conducting a job search, not only do you have to account for the hiring manager, but you also have to account for the applicant tracking system that person might be using to screen job seekers in their quest to find their next great employee. 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! The desire for increased productivity is one of the reasons that a company or organization hires employees in the first place. They want to increase productivity so they can also increase profitability, which will (theoretically) be good news for everybody.
The bad news is that productivity is often difficult to increase and easy to lose. In fact, even if you don’t lose an employee, you can still lose productivity, depending upon what is happening within your company’s workplace. Below are five big danger signs of decreasing productivity: #1—Messy and/or disorganized work environment A person’s workspace is often, although not always, a reflection of what is happening inside of their mind. Some people are just naturally untidy. However, if it appears that most or all of your employees appear to be disorganized, it might be a warning sign that productivity is being lost because obviously, the environment is not as efficient as it could (and should) be. #2—Frequent complaining Having no complaints is probably not a realistic goal. Every once in a while, somebody is going to say something. Once again, if it appears as though complaining is a frequent occurrence, it presents two problems. First, if an employee is complaining about something, then they’re not actually working, and if they’re not working, then they’re not being productive. Second, complaining is a possible sign of greater discord within the team or department, which can also negatively affect productivity. #3—An apparent lack of structure Structure lends itself to systems, and systems often lead to more productivity. Structure is required in the workplace for employees to operate more efficiently and more effectively and ultimately reach their full potential on the job, especially in terms of productivity. #4—Too much “busy work.” Just because an employee or worker is busy does not necessarily mean that they are also being productive. It’s not enough to work hard; you also have to work hard on the right things. It’s true that productivity is a precursor to profitability, but that is only the case when that productivity is centered upon those things that lead most directly to profitability. #5—All work and no play Finally, a workplace in which nobody is having any fun is a workplace in danger of experiencing decreased productivity. It might seem counterintuitive to suggest that promoting the idea of fun in the workplace is a way to increase productivity, but that suggestion is accurate. If people don’t have any fun at all where they work, then they will be less motivated to work hard and be productive. 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! Welcome to a new series of blog posts at Time Staffing dealing with job search tips. It’s been a year since the COVID-19 pandemic started, and the employment marketplace and the job market are well on their way to recovery, as uneven as it has been.
The good news is that employers are starting to hire again, and in fact, hiring has been quite brisk in some industries. These include the manufacturing and light industrial industries. However, while this is certainly good news, it does mean a couple of important things:
This is why job seekers and other professionals in the employment marketplace must not only be proactive, but also vigilant in what they do during the hiring process. Any mistake they make can be magnified, and as a result, it can decrease the chances that they’ll be hired. Considering all of this, it’s important to be as informed and as prepared as possible so that every time you apply for a position, you’re seriously considered by the employer that is looking to fill it. And the first step in doing this—and the first blog post in our series—deals with customizing your resume to every job opening to which you apply. It’s definitely easier to send out the same resume and same cover letter for all of the job openings that interest you. However, the easy way is not always the right way, and that is the case in this situation. After all, a hiring manager or hiring authority is only going to spend an average of five seconds looking at your resume. You might be asking yourself: “Why only five seconds?” The answer is that the hiring manager or hiring authority knows what they’re looking for, and what they’re looking for are the same words that exist in the job description. They’re looking to match up what is in the job description with what is in your resume. And that is why it’s a good idea to customize your resume to the job description for which you are applying. If you don’t, then you increase the chances that your resume will be overlooked and your candidacy will be dismissed. 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! |
