 Yes, a New Year is almost upon us, and with it invariably comes New Year’s Resolutions. However, what your career needs next year is NOT resolutions. What it needs is growth, and more effective networking efforts can help it to achieve such growth.
Networking is not exactly an easy endeavor, especially for those who find that it does not come naturally to them. However, there are things that you can do to become better at networking with others, especially face-to-face. (Social networking is fine and dandy, but nothing beats actual human interaction.) Below are four steps for improved networking in the New Year: #1—Shift your focus. It’s human nature to think about the worst-case scenario in any situation. Some people focus on that more than others, and they certainly focus on it more often than the best-case scenario. It’s a simple shift, but not exactly an easy one. Instead of imagining the worst thing that could happen with your networking efforts, think about the best thing that could happen. That leads us to #2 on our list . . . #2—Visualize the outcome. Now that you’re thinking about the best thing that could happen, fully visualize that outcome. Think about what it would be like. Think about how exciting it would be. Think about how happy you would be in that situation. The more you think about such things, the more you’ll want such things to happen and the more you’ll strive toward creating that outcome, without even consciously realizing that you’re doing it. #3—Provide a good (or great) experience. People are intrinsically drawn to those who provide a good experience. They just like being around them, and they remember those people and intentionally seek them out. Once you’ve shifted your focus to a more positive outcome, shift it once again—from you to the other person. What would theylike to gain from this networking interaction? What would be a good experience for them? Provide that experience and reap the benefits. #4—Become comfortable being uncomfortable. At first, you’ll be uncomfortable with your networking efforts. You may even try to flee the situation, since you’re so uncomfortable. Resist that temptation! Over time, what once felt foreign will be almost second nature to you. However, this does not happen right away. It takes time, so be prepared to make that investment. A New Year represents a fresh start, the chance to start over and do things better than you did them during the past 12 months. Better networking is a great place to start. It certainly can’t hurt, and it could help you not only in your present job, but also in your efforts to secure a better employment situation. If you’re currently looking for such a situation, don’t forget to look through our jobs and apply for one online today! Finding and hiring the right candidate is no easy task. There are so many different variables that enter into the equation and ultimately affect its outcome.
Unfortunately, the hiring of the right candidates is one of the most important things that an organization can do. High-quality, dedicated employees are the lifeblood of any company, and that’s why properly pre-screening your pool of candidates can mean the difference between personnel success and employee failure. Specifically, below are three benefits associated with properly pre-screening candidates: #1—Reduced risk of mis-hires. It’s no secret that hiring the wrong candidates (or even those that are just a “bad fit) can be extremely costly—in terms of time, energy, and money. When candidates are properly screened, though, candidates that would have otherwise turned out to be mis-hires are screened out. They can never be a mis-hire if they’re never hired in the first place. #2—More targeted hires. This is the flip side of the coin. If you reduce the risk of making mis-hires, then you’ll increase your chances of making good hires. However, it doesn’t stop there. That’s because you don’t want just good hires; you want great hires. Effective pre-screening tools and techniques help organizations better identify truly unique candidates that can provide tremendous value as employees. #3—Improved rates of employee retention. The only thing better than hiring truly unique candidates that can provide tremendous value as employees is keeping them as employees. When you screen out potential mis-hires, identify and hire superb candidates, and then retain those candidates as long-term employees, you set your organization up for continued growth and prosperity. Is your organization currently pre-screening candidates? Time Staffing can offer a pre-screening process that’s tailored to your specific needs. That process includes the following:
Click here for more information regarding Time Staffing’s pre-screening process and other services for employers. December is a great time to be thinking about your hiring and personnel needs in the New Year. (In fact, you should have been thinking about these needs before now, but since we’re here, there’s no time like the present.)
Should you hire only when you have a need and not a moment before? There are some companies that adhere to this philosophy, but HelloSign is not one of them. Joseph Walla is the CEO of HelloSign, and according to Walla, organizations should hire ahead of their needs. Walla advises as much in his article, “Hire Every Position at Least One Month Early.” Drawing from that article, below are the top four reasons why you should hire ahead of your needs: #4—Better team morale Sure, you want all of your employees working at capacity. However, you don’t want them burning out. There is a point of diminishing returns at which employees won’t be as productive. In fact, productivity will start to fall, and then they’ll start looking for another job. When you strategically hire ahead of your needs, though, you help to alleviate that potential problem. #3—Better retention This reason speaks directly to the one above, and the best way to solve problems, spark innovation, and increase productivity is to have talented employees working together for an extended period of time. High rates of turnover does not lend itself to that outcome, and it actually prevents you from achieving it. The majority of your time and energy should be spent creating synergy and improving efficiencies, not looking for new employees. #2—More satisfied customers If you’re solving problems, sparking innovation, and increasing productivity, then there’s an excellent chance that you’re also satisfying your customers and doing so at a high level. Every interaction that customers have with your organization and your products should be a positive one, and happy employees help to ensure that those interactions are as positive as possible. #1—A more effective and successful team This is the bottom line, isn’t it? A happy, engaged, productive team working at full capacity and not looking for another job somewhere else. When you have this, not only do you have more satisfied customers, but you also have a more satisfied management and ownership team. By its nature, continued success breeds more success. What are your workforce management plans for 2015? Are you already looking to hire ahead of your personnel needs for the New Year? Click here to read Walla’s article in its entirety. Click here to learn more about Time Staffing’s services for employers! |
