​There’s no doubt that it can take a tremendous amount of effort to land a new job. It requires a certain behavior that communicates to company officials that YOU are the person they should hire for the position.
However, that energy, effort, and behavior should NOT disappear once you land the job. No, that’s just the beginning. Now you have to start the new job, and what you do and how you act during that transition is every bit as important as what you did to get the job. (And in terms of keeping the job that you worked so hard to get, it’s even more important.)
One way to ensure that you’re successful is to form and practice the right habits.
Below are good habits to form when you first start a new job:
#1—Be attentive and fully present.
Your new employer wants to know that they have your attention. Make it clear that you are ready and willing to be a “sponge” once you start working, soaking up as much information and instruction as you can. People have a nasty habit of always being on their smartphone these days. Do NOT be tempted. Resist the siren song of technology and leave your phone alone.
#2—Be willing to find answers.
There’s a good chance that you are not going to have all the answers during your first few days (or weeks) on the job. That’s okay. You’re not supposed to. However, you should be willing to find the answers, no matter where those answers might be. When you start a new position, being proactive and taking initiative are of paramount importance. It sends the message that you’re serious about what you’re doing, and that is the message you want to send.
#3—Do what you say you are going to do.
As we’ve mentioned before in our blog, this is the best way to brand yourself as somebody who is dependable and reliable. Employers want to hire people who are dependable, and they want to keep people who are dependable. When you think about it, doing what you say you’re going to do is really not that difficult. Essentially, you must follow through without fail.
#4—Be decisive.
“Paralysis by analysis” can trip you up at the start of a new job. That’s because people are typically afraid to make mistakes. Making mistakes is not necessarily a bad thing, but making the same mistake twice could be. Being decisive is part of being proactive and taking initiative. Sure, you need information to make sound decisions. However, like anything else, being decisive becomes a habit . . . and it’s a good one.
Good habits are what you want to form when you start a new job. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to fall into bad ones. That’s why it takes a concerted effort and the desire to exhibit positive behavior when dealing with your colleagues within the workplace environment.
Time Staffing can not only help you find a great new position, but we can also help prepare you for what to do once you start your new job.

​In a previous blog post, we discussed “The One Trait That Can Give You an Edge in the Job Market.”That one trait? Resiliency.
However, it’s one thing to say that you need to have resiliency. It’s another thing to know how to be resilient.
On one hand, resiliency is like any other trait or characteristic. Some people inherently have it, while others do not. To put it another way, some people are naturally more resilient than others. But if you’re not one of those lucky few, there’s still good news.
You can train yourself to become more resilient. It’s not easy, but it can be done. In fact, there are plenty of opportunities to train. That’s because there is no end to the adversity that exists in people’s professional (and personal) lives.
Below are four BIG things that resilient people do:
#1—They don’t allow their circumstances to control them.
Basically, this means they don’t allow their circumstances to control their thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Ultimately, you have 0% control over what happens to you in life. However, you do have 100% control over how you react to what happens to you.
Resilient people choose to react in a certain way. With their reaction, they do not focus on the negative circumstances and they do not allow those circumstances to affect how they feel or their outlook. That, in turn, leads to a better frame of mind and plan of action.
#2—They look for opportunities in adversity.
Instead of allowing adversity to control them, resilient people look for the opportunities that exist. It may sound crazy to somebody not accustomed to doing this, but there is almost always an opportunity in such a situation. The key is to be patient enough to identify it and then bold enough to act upon it once you have. This is the best way to “turn the tables” on unfavorable circumstances and instead tip the balance of power in your favor.
#3—They lean on other people when necessary.
You might have this vision of a resilient person as a “lone wolf.” That’s just an attractive piece of fiction. It does not mirror reality. In reality, resilient people know that they need the help and support of others. They’re aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and they know when to rely upon others in order to counteract the effects of the latter.
#4—They prepare themselves fully for situations.
You’re probably heard this phrase before: “Proper preparation prevents poor performance.” Those people who are prepared for situations are more likely to have contingency plans in case something goes wrong. It’s often not a matter of “if” something will go wrong, but more a matter of “when” it will go wrong. When you’re prepared for something going wrong, then you’re better able to deal with it.
Do you engage in the four actions outlined above? If so, how well do you engage in them? In which ones do you need to improve?
You can become more resilient. And once you do, you’ll give yourself an edge in the workplace and the marketplace. That edge could become the advantage you need to take your career to the next level.

​In the world of business and employment, value is king. Companies hire employees because those employees provide value, predominately through the work that they do for the organization.
For many companies, that value takes the form of production. If employees are producing, that creates value. (Ultimately, it creates cash flow and profit.) If employees are not producing, then they’re not creating value. (And by extension, that hurts the company’s cash flow and margin of profit.)
When do you know for sure when an employee is not producing and creating value for your organization?
When that employee doesn’t even exist. In other words, when you have an open position. In that situation, there isn’t anybody who can produce.
No employee = no production = no value = lower profitability
That’s not the prettiest equation, to be sure. However, it represents the #1 reason why companies should strive to fill their open positions in a timely manner.
This pertains to all positions, as well, not just direct hire ones. It doesn’t matter if an organization has a direct hire need, a temp need, or a temp-to-direct need. The fact that it has a hiring need indicates that it also has a need for production, value, and profit.
It is no less a priority for an organization to fill a temp position than it is to fill a direct hire one. The need still exists. And if the need still exists and it goes unmet, then there are consequences. As pointed out above, those consequences include no production, no value, and lower profitability.
So it goes to follow that the longer a position remains open, the longer there is no production, value, or increased profitability. (As you can see, the pattern is unmistakable.)
There is a common misconception about an open position. According to that misconception, an organization is actually saving money while the position is open. That’s because the company does not have to pay another worker’s salary and additional costs incurred by employing them. Management simply instructs other employees to take over the tasks and duties associated with the open position.
This is a misconception because, quite frankly, it’s false. Below are just two reasons why this is the case:
#1—No investment means no return on that investment
Ideally, when you have a worker in a position, the cost of employing the person is outweighed by the value they bring to the company. That’s why you hire them in the first place, because you expect to receive a return on your investment. If the position remains open, it’s impossible to receive that return because you’re not making the investment in the first place.
Sure, you’re saving the money you would have spent on the investment. But you’re also losing the money you would have made because of the investment. This might give you the illusion of winning when you’re actually losing.
#2—Lost productivity from other employees
When other employees are forced to “pick up the slack” for an open position, their value (and their productivity) diminish. They have less time, energy, and resources to complete the tasks associated with their own job. Not only that, but they also are not able to do the tasks associated with the open position as well as somebody who is completely devoted to it on a daily basis.
Filling open positions in a timely manner is not an option. It’s an employment imperative.