Okay, so we’ve discussed how a bad hire can negatively affect your company and the steps you can take to address a bad hire once you’ve already made one.
However, how did you get there? What led to your organization making a bad hire in the first place?
There are a number of factors involved. While any one of them can contribute to a bad hire, you increase the chances of hiring the wrong person when a combination of factors are present.
However, let’s examine these things one at a time. Below are four factors involved in hiring the wrong person:
#1—Lack of preparedness
This can take many different forms. Not anticipating a hiring need indicates a lack of preparedness. Not engaging in any workforce planning also indicates a lack of preparedness. If you’re not prepared to do something, then you probably will NOT do it well . . . and hiring people to join your team is something that you need to do well.
#2—Hasty hiring process
Dragging out the hiring process is not advisable, but neither is accelerating it. When you go too fast, mistakes are made. That applies to other things, and it absolutely applies to hiring employees. Your organization’s hiring process should be streamlined, but it should also have specific steps that involve multiple people who are vested in the process and who are responsible for ensuring that it’s ultimately effective.
#3—Poor reference checking
First of all, you must conduct reference checks. If you don’t even conduct them, then you’re increasing the chances of a bad hire exponentially. However, if you do conduct them, but you conduct them poorly, that can produce a similar result. Do you have a dedicated person who checks references? A dedicated process?
#4—“Settling” for a candidate
Sure, you need somebody for the position. Sure, it’s an important position and there’s a sense of urgency tied to filling it. However, “settling” for a candidate is like “settling” for a spouse or mate. It’s not advisable. Don’t hire somebody just to hire somebody. Make sure that you’re hiring the right person and that you’re absolutely sure that they’re the right person. If you don’t, then you will likely suffer the consequences.
Has your organization made a bad hire recently? Does it have a history of hiring people who are not a fit for the position, the company, or both?
Partnering with an experienced and successful staffing firm can help reduce the likelihood of bringing the wrong people on board. Time Staffing is just such a staffing firm!

​When it comes to finding a new job (or perhaps more accurately, a better job), the specific skills that you can offer to a prospective employer play a key role in whether or not you receive an offer of employment.
Yes, that’s not exactly a surprise. However, it’s also important to categorize your skills, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and formulate a plan for illustrating how you can use your skills to bring value to an organization.
There are two main types of skills in the employment marketplace: hard skills and soft skills. In this blog post, we’re going to address hard skills.
First, let’s start with a definition. Hard skills possess the following two characteristics:
They are teachable skills. That is, you can learn them. You can either teach yourself, other people can teach you, or both.
They are quantifiable. This basically means that you can be graded and/or evaluated for your ability with the skill.
Now that we know what hard skills are, what are some of the different types of hard skills? With the two above criteria in mind, below are some examples of these skills:
The ability to operate machinery
Proficiency in a foreign language
Familiarity with phone systems
Familiarity with technical language
Dictation
Computer programming
Proficiency with computer software programs
Mathematical ability
So what does this mean for your job search (and for your career, for that matter)? It means there are three things that you must do:
Identify all of the hard skills that are important within your line of work.
Assess your level of ability with those particular skills. This should be easier since one of the defining characteristics of hard skills is that they can be quantified.
Take steps to increase your proficiency (i.e., become better) with these skills.
The bottom line is that organizations want employees who are extremely knowledgeable regarding the hard skills necessary to make those organizations more productive and profitable. They also want employees who have additional skills that will make them more valuable to the company in some capacity. (An example would be the ability to speak a second language . . . or three.)
Do you need help with hard skills? Guidance during your job search? Then contact Time Staffing!

There are many things about which people do not agree, but just about everybody would agree that they’d like to make more money.
While that might be easier said than done, there are some things that you can do to address your current situation. (And when we say “address” it, we mean “improve” it.
Specifically, below are four ways to boost your income and by extension, grow your career:
#1—Invest in training and education.
The first word is the operative word here: invest. You have to invest before you can actually receive a return on the investment. When you invest in yourself, you’re investing in your future and the future of your career.
The bottom line is that you must provide ever-increasing levels of value if you want to receive ever-increasing levels of money and other compensation. You can take online training classes, participate in more formal certifications, or even earn a degree.
#2—Ask your boss for a raise.
Yes, this is the obvious one. However, you might be surprised by how many people complain about not getting a raise when they’ve never actually asked for one. Don’t think that raises are only given during the annual performance review period. They can be given at any time.
Be prepared to know why you deserve a raise and be prepared to communicate those reasons to your supervisor when you broach the subject. They’re not just going to respond by saying, “Why, of courseyou can have a raise!” without even asking any questions.
#3—Look for a new job.
In many instances, a new job brings with it an increased level of compensation (although not in all cases). If you’ve invested in yourself with training and certifications and you’ve not received a raise, then perhaps it’s time to look for “greener pastures.”
As we’ve addressed many times before in this blog, Time Staffing can help in your job search. 
#4—Get a second job.
OR you can keep your current position and supplement your income with a second job. Sure, this involves working more, but you are in fact increasing your income. Obviously, working two full-time jobs is a risky proposition. You have your health to worry about, after all.
However, a second job could absolutely take the form of a part-time or temporary position. Work for a shorter, specified period of time and then go back to your main job. Or pick up another one. Once again, Time Staffing can help in this situation.
What’s your current employment situation? Are you looking for a job? A new job? A second job?