​The interview is one of the most important parts of the job search, if not THE most important. As evidence of that, we’ve devoted quite a few blog posts to the subject.
Obviously, your number-one goal as a job seeker is to land a job. Your number-two goal is to land an interview. That’s because you can’t get the job unless you get the interview.
Actually, let’s qualify that statement just a bit. You can’t get the job unless you both get the interview and then do well during it. And to do well during it, you must make a great impression.
Yes, you must also have the necessary skills, and yes, you must also have the experience for the position. But during the interview, your personality and character are analyzed, as well. There are many things for which hiring managers are looking.
With that in mind, THIS is the impression that you want to make during the interview:
#1—That you’re motivated
Believe it or not, being motivated is just half the battle. The other half is how you’re motivated. Companies want employees who are intrinsically motivated. They want people who motivate themselves every day, as opposed to being motivated by other people (or other things). So make sure that your motivation is on display.
#2—That you’re focused
Focus is a prerequisite for production. People who get distracted easily have difficulty finishing tasks and finishing them on time. Meeting deadlines is an important part of excelling in the workplace, and doing so requires focus. Those interviewing you will want to see if you display the focus that is necessary to meet deadlines and finish important projects.
#3—That you’re attentive
Companies do not want to hire people who daydream or who make a habit of not paying attention. This is especially the case if they’re hiring people to work with machinery, heavy or otherwise. They don’t want to hire people who will contribute to workplace accidents. So pay close attention to the questions that are being asked during the interview. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification on a question, but be sure not to “zone out” and miss a question altogether.
Making the right impression during the interview is very important in terms of landing a job. You must prove to the hiring officials that you have what it takes. And as we pointed out, that goes way beyond just the skills and experience necessary for the position.
Time Staffing can help you with many aspects of your job search, including your resume and the interview.

​To one degree or another, everybody wants to excel in the workplace. After all, who doesn’t want to succeed, no matter who you are?
Well, it seems that some people make success (and what you need to achieve it) to be more difficult than it really has to be. There are some simple steps involved in setting yourself up for success, and they really don’t take much in the way of time, effort, or energy.
However, when it comes to experiencing success, they’re not “nice to haves.” They are non-negotiable “must-haves.” Five easy steps for excelling in the workplace are as follows:
#1—Show up on time.
Sounds easy, right? But apparently, not everybody is able to do it. If so, then everybody would show up to work on time every day. This is why those who do show up on time every day stand out from those who do not. And those who do are definitely better positioned to perform better and enjoy more success.
#2—Be prepared.
If you’re going to show up for work on time, then you might as well be prepared. This means being prepared both mentally and physically. In other words, you’re wearing the appropriate attire, but is “your head in the game”? Are you focused on the task at hand and ready to carry out your duties in the best way possible?
#3—Be open to instruction.
Training and instruction are part of the workplace. There’s no way around that. The people who excel the most are those who are open to being taught. They don’t push back and they don’t dismiss managers and/or co-workers who are trying to help them. The rule is simple: everybody can learn something from everybody. There is no exception to that rule.
#4—Have a positive attitude.
Having a positive attitude is a choice, plain and simple. Yes, some people are more predisposed to having a positive attitude than others. However, it’s still a choice. Nobody likes to be around somebody who is negative all the time and who provides a negative experience. People are intrinsically drawn to those who are positive in nature. Be one of the positive people.
#5—Strive to go above and beyond.
This involves actual effort. To this point, you’ve been showing up on time and you’ve been prepared, positive, and open to instruction. But eventually, you have to produce. Meeting expectations is good, but exceeding them is even better. Even if you’re not able to exceed expectations in terms of raw results, exceeding them in terms of effort is a good start. You have to put one foot in front of the other, both literally and figuratively.
As you can see, everybody can accomplish the items on this list. This serves as the foundation for success in the workplace. If you have these elements, then you can acquire and accomplish everything else that’s necessary for further growth and development.
Looking for a new job? Time Staffing can help!

​We’ve discussed at length in this blog the many mistakes that job seekers can commit during the face-to-face interview. The mistakes we’re addressing in this post, though, are those that are committed before the interview even takes place.
So before we get too far, let’s identify those two mistakes:
Cancelling the face-to-face interview
Not showing up for the face-to-face interview
Now let’s address these two mistakes individually:
#1—Cancelling the interview
What we’re talking about here is cancelling at the very last minute (or last second, if you prefer). Of course, there are instances in which this is appropriate. For example, perhaps you were involved in an automobile accident and there was no way that you’d be able to make it to the interview in time. However, there are other instances in which it is not acceptable, including the following:
Another, more appealing employment opportunity becomes available.
You’ve lost interest in the position, for whatever reason.
You get “cold feet.”
People at the company at which you were about to interview structured their day around your interview. Cancelling the day of the interview or cancelling at the last minute isn’t going to leave them with a very good taste in their collective mouths. This is especially the case if you have NOT been in an automobile accident or experiencing some other kind of emergency situation.
#2—Not showing up for the interview (without cancelling)
As bad as #1 was, #2 is even worse. That’s because you didn’t call ahead to cancel the interview, even if it was just a few minutes before it was scheduled to begin. You didn’t show up at all.
So in this scenario, what’s going to happen? What are company officials going to think? Well, what do people usually think when they don’t have all of the information? (Or in this case, any of the information?) They’re going to gravitate to the worst-case scenario. Specifically, they’re going to think that you’re one of the following or a combination thereof:
Lazy
Inconsiderate
Unprofessional
Cowardly
Uncaring
None of those adjectives is particularly flattering. You’ve basically made the worst impression that you could possibly make. At least if you had shown up for the interview, you would have proven yourself dependable. And even cancelling at the last minute, while certainly not a saving grace, is better than committing this mistake.
The rule for this situation is pretty straightforward: if you have an onsite interview scheduled, then show up for that interview!
Yes, maybe another, more appealing job has become available. Sure, perhaps you have “cold feet” or you figure that you’re not going to get the job, anyway, why show up at all?
You show up because you have made a commitment to show up. By not honoring that commitment, you’re in danger of “burning bridges.” And if you’re working with a staffing agency, then that staffing agency looks bad, too. As a result, is that agency going to be eager to work with you again? You probably already know the answer to that question.
Avoid these two huge interview mistakes. Keep your commitment and show up for the interview.

Welcome to our continuing blog post series for employers about how to hire well. Previous posts in this series include the following:
“2 Simple Steps for Exceptional Hiring”
“More Tips for Hiring Quality Employees Who Succeed”
In this blog post, we’re going to continue our discussion regarding hiring success. However, we’re going to look at the topic from a slightly different angle. That angle is through the lens of the company culture.
When it comes to hiring quality employees, there are a series of questions that company officials must ask themselves about candidates. Here are two of those questions:
“Does the candidate have the skills necessary to do the job?”
“Does the candidate have the experience necessary to do the job?”
Both questions lend themselves to determining if the candidate in question would be a good fit for the position. That’s because if they have both the skills and the experience, then they will more than likely be able to fulfill the duties and the requirements of the position.
So theoretically, they will be a productive employee. However, there’s an additional dimension to the situation that must be considered. Will the candidate not only be a productive employee, but will they also contribute to a productive work environment, as well?
This is a valid question because even if an employee is productive on an individual basis, they could still disrupt the productivity of their team or department. The reason? Their contribution (or lack of one) to the company culture.
Here is a short list of adjectives used to describe an employee that generally does NOT contribute in a positive way to an organization’s company culture:
Short-tempered
Callous
Combative
Petty
Non-communicative
Jealous
No matter how talented a job seeker is or how much experience they possess, if any of these adjectives describe them or if they possess any of these characteristics, they might be a bad hire. That’s why “soft skills” are just as important during the hiring process as “hard skills.”
Sure, pre-screening techniques and personality tests will provide a certain level of information, but not all of it. You must go even beyond that. When hiring, you have to “get a feel” for the job seekers who are applying for your open positions.
If you’re close to hiring somebody, especially for a particularly important position, have as many people speak with them as you can. See how they handle different people, and then get feedback from those individuals concerning the candidate. Ask them how they think the person might fit into the organization from a personality or company culture perspective.
When it comes to hiring the best people possible, you want more than just somebody with the right skills, background, and experience. You want somebody who will bring a positive attitude, a high level of energy, and a spirit of cooperation to the team.
Because that person will truly help you to maximize not only their productivity, but also the productivity of everybody around them.