 One of the most important aspects of motivation in your professional career is action.
And the most important question to ask is this one: what spurs you to action? The answer to this question is as individual to the person as their passions are. What spurs one person to action won’t necessarily do the same for somebody else. Below are some examples of action-motivators.
So there are passion-motivators and action-motivators, and both play a large role in determining what paths you take in your personal and professional life. The key is to understand that they often intertwine with one another and affect each other, ultimately molding the central motivating factors of your existence. Now think about your current employment situation:
If your answer to both of these questions, is “Yes,” then I’d like to congratulate you, because for a great many people in this country, that is not the case. You are truly in the correct situation. However, if you find that your current situation doesn’t “jive” with what motivates you, with what spurs you to action so that you can reach your full potential and achieve more than you thought possible, then perhaps a change is in order. Life is simply too short to spend it doing things you don’t want to do and to be in a situation you don’t want to be in. Whatever motivates you does so for a reason. Embrace your motivation and pursue your passions. You’ll be happier in the long run. 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! There is no doubt that the single most important factor in building a team of motivated employees is hiring a team of motivated employees.
People who are already intrinsically motivated are much more likely to become motivated (and highly productive) employees. However, the question then becomes this: what can you as a leader do to continue motivating those employees and push them to even greater heights of motivation? The answer: there’s plenty you can do. These catalysts for motivation are sometimes not readily apparent . . . or at the very least, they’re not readily apparent to some managers. In that regard, they’re “hidden.” However, they’re NOT “hidden” to those managers and leaders who know how to properly motivate their employees to help them reach their full potential. Below are four such “hidden” catalysts, presented as action statements: #1—Consistently present challenges. Nothing further motivates intrinsically motivated people more than a challenge. It’s their “on” switch, so to speak. They respond in a positive fashion, whereas people who are not intrinsically motivated often shy away from challenges. #2—Do what you say you’ll do. Building trust fuels motivation, and doing what you say you’ll do is one avenue for building trust. The quickest way to sap a company or a department of motivation is to show employees, through both your words and actions, that you shouldn’t be trusted. The incentive for motivation is now gone. #3—Provide freedom and flexibility. Employees such as these do not need to be micromanaged or have a bunch of rules thrown at them. Whereas they need to trust you, you also need to trust them—with their time and their resources. When they find that you trust them, they’ll put their “newly found freedom” to work, most likely by rewarding you for providing that freedom. #4—ASK what motivates them. Different things motivate different people, even among those who are intrinsically motivated. It’s simply a matter of discovering what that source of motivation is. Just asking will show employees that you care about them, and the answers you receive will further allow you to fine-tune your strategies for future motivation. Proper motivation of employees begins at the top—starting with hiring and going all the way down to the day-to-day operations of the company. 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! Despite all the hype and conflicting information surrounding the interview process, there are actually just four big questions employers typically focus on during job interviews.
If you answer these four questions well, your chances of acing the overall interview are much better. Question #1—“Tell me about yourself.” Most impressions are made within the first few minutes of meeting someone, so it's important to answer this initial interview question well. Over 50% of interviews begin with this question. The interviewer is hiring you as a whole person, and not just your skill set, so they have a right to know something about you. Start with three to four sentences about your home, social, and recreational life, but try to keep your presentation to 60 seconds to less. Question #2—“Can you do the job?” This question may assume several forms, but they all boil down to the employer attempting to ascertain your basic qualifications. You're prepared to answer this question, since the employer just told you his or her exact requirements for the position. Describe your years of experience, share the number and types of projects you’ve worked on during the last 12 months, and explain your experiences working solo and as part of a team. Walk the employer through your typical workday. Explain the amount of time that you spend in different areas and also describe the manner in which you receive your assignments. You can conclude by discussing your education and any industry certifications you hold. Question #3—“What makes you the best candidate for the job?” At this point, the interviewer will likely dig deeper in order to understand how you've applied your skill set to your previous positions. Now is not the time to be shy. Explain the size and scope of your past work experiences. Talk about your willingness to travel or learn new technologies, advance your certifications, mentor other employees, or lead a team. Discuss recent training. This is your chance to really sell yourself, so be thorough, yet to the point. Question #4—“Why do you want this job?” Employers might ask what you like about your current position or what interests you the most about the new position. Rely on the company research you conducted before your interview. (You did conduct research about the company, right?) Mention the accolades and accomplishments you’ve found on the company’s website and how you'd like to be part of such a team. Explain why you find the scope of the position interesting and how you can grow by undertaking it. Focus on these four questions before any job interview and make sure that you’re prepared to not just answer them, but answer them well. 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! When it comes to the candidate experience during the hiring process, many companies are “dropping the ball,” so to speak. (That’s a rather apt analogy, since the Super Bowl was last month.)
The problem is that companies don’t pay enough attention to the experience that job candidates have while being interviewed, and they don’t take into account how much of an impact that experience has on candidates. Job candidates extrapolate their experience during the hiring process to the company’s culture. In other words, if they have an underwhelming experience, then they deduce the culture must be underwhelming, too. Candidates do NOT want a subpar experience or a subpar workplace culture . . . and some companies are inadvertently communicating to candidates that they can expect those things. So—how can companies rectify this situation and provide the best experience possible for job candidates during the hiring process? Well, it all starts with communicating the right things. Specifically, it starts with the communication of expectations, what candidates can expect during the process. The second step, of course, is the meeting of those expectations. However, below are some things about which companies should clearly communicate:
Communicating to this degree is more than just a professional courtesy; it’s also an excellent way to brand your company in a positive fashion. That’s because even though most candidates don’t make it all the way through the hiring process, you still want those candidates to think highly of your company. Even more importantly, you want those candidates to speak highly of your company to their friends and colleagues. 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! More than likely, you’re looking to keep “climbing the ladder” of your career. Among other things, that means advancing at your current employer, including in the way of a promotion.
However, landing a promotion takes more than just talent, initiative, hard work, and maybe even long hours. It also takes an acute awareness of the situation and attention to detail, since being lax in these areas can prove detrimental. Which one of the following things is keeping you from getting the promotion that you want? #1—Not creating a plan for when you ARE promoted What happens when you’re gone? ell, not gone, per se, but not working in the same role in which you have been working? The best person to put together a plan for this contingency is YOU, since you know exactly what you do on a daily basis. The things you’re doing now are still going to have to be done once you’re promoted. If there’s no plan for making that happen, then there’s less of a chance that you’ll actually be promoted. #2—Neglecting your current responsibilities While it’s human nature to be excited about the future and to look ahead, failure to deal with the realities of the present can be dangerous. It might be difficult to convince your boss that you can handle more responsibility and a larger role within the company if you inexplicably start “dropping the ball” when it comes to your current duties. Such a scenario does not inspire confidence. #3—Not winning over your co-workers Speaking of your boss, you’ve probably already “won” them over, but what about your co-workers? Below are some questions to keep in mind regarding them:
Is one of these three things keeping you from getting your promotion? Is something else preventing it? Of course, if you’re experiencing trouble with advancement at your current employer, and none of the things listed above is to blame, then perhaps a change of employment with better opportunities would suit you. 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! It’s a proven fact that employees who like their boss are more likely to stay at their job than employees who do NOT like their boss. In fact, a poor manager or supervisor is often the sole reason a person leaves their position for another opportunity.
It then stands to reason that companies wanting to retain their employees should make great efforts to do so through effective management, if not extraordinary management. The fact of the matter, though, is that it doesn’t even require an extraordinary effort to convince employees to stay. What these employees want might not be considered extraordinary. However, what they want is essential to retaining them, which is certainly in the company’s best interests. With that in mind, below are four things that employees want from their boss: #1—Vision and the ability to communicate it properly Employees don’t just want a vision . . . they need a vision. The best managers do NOT keep information from their employees (this isn’t espionage, after all). Instead, they communicate the company’s vision and the role that each employee should play within it. #2—To not “run them into the ground” Okay, so we have a vision. That doesn’t mean driving employees incessantly in pursuit of it. Just because employees are willing to go above and beyond to get the job done, that’s not an open invitation to abuse their willingness to do so. The most productive employees are never the ones who are nearly burned out. #3—To say and do what they say they will say and do This is the number-one way in which to build trust in just about every relationship, and it certainly extends to the supervisor-employee relationship. Employees want honesty in their managers, of course, but it goes beyond that. They also want somebody who is reliable, dependable, and able to follow through on their commitments, both big and small. #4—To not “throw them under the bus” Top employees give freely of themselves, and more often than not, they take responsibility for their mistakes and do not attempt to blame somebody else. They expect the same type of behavior from their boss. The worst thing a manager can do is single out one of their employees and make them the scapegoat in order to make themselves look better. Great managers step in front of the bus protect their employees . . . not throw them under it. How do your company’s managers stack up against this list? Are they doing everything they can to retain their employees, especially their best ones? 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! Everybody would like to get a raise, but of course, not everybody does.
There are a lot of factors that play a role in the likelihood that a person gets a raise, including their performance and how valuable they are as an employee. (In other words, how much of a return the company is receiving for investing in them.) However, there are things that you can do to increase the chances that you do get a raise. Much of a person’s success is about timing, and securing additional compensation is no exception. Keep in mind that a “cost of living raise” is usually considered to be between 2% and 3%. If you receive a raise in that range, it means that you’re basically keeping up with the cost of living . . . and that raise really isn’t a raise at all. Especially since inflation is rising in the broader economy more than just 3%. For an increase in compensation to truly make a difference, it should be more substantial. With that in mind, before are four things you can do to increase your chances of getting a raise this year: #1—Do your homework. What does this mean, exactly? It means finding out what the industry standard is for your position and job description. If possible, find out what kind of compensation (and raise) is typical within your employer. Then use all of this information to formulate what raise would be reasonable for your particular career situation. Websites such as PayScale.com are helpful when conducting this type of research. #2—Be able to articulate what sets you apart from others. During a job search, it’s important to differentiate yourself from everybody else in the marketplace. The same approach applies to landing the type of raise you want. Remember, we’re not talking about the 2% to 3% cost of living raise, but a substantial raise that outpaces inflation. Your co-workers might receive the former, but you want the latter, so it falls upon you to first identify and then communicate what sets you apart from them and why you are deserving of a larger raise. #3—Be prepared to prove your worth to the company. Before your boss can grant you a raise, they must be able to justify that raise, not only to themselves, but also to theirboss. Articulating what sets you apart is the first step. The next step is proving your worth and backing it up with raw data. What have you done to save the company money and/or make the company money? Present those, as well. When it comes to building your case for a raise, there’s no such thing as too much evidence. #4—Ask for a raise at the right time. Obviously, you want to ask for a raise when the company is doing well financially. It would be even better if you were directly contributing to the company’s success and was a driving force behind it. That way, it will be easier to articulate what sets you apart (#2) and be able to prove your worth with supporting data (#3). Put all of the pieces together and use the four-step process listed above, and you’ll greatly increase the chances that you’ll receive a bigger raise this year! 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! By now, everybody knows that there are certain questions you can’t ask while conducting an interview. But you might be surprised at how carefully you have to measure your words while speaking with prospective candidates. Then again, you might not be, depending on how long you’ve been in the business and how much experience you’ve accumulated.
Not only is every person you interview a potential fit for your company, they also represent a potential lawsuit. Everything hinges upon what happens between the time they sit down across from you and the time they leave. Creating and maintaining a streamlined, efficient, and effective model for candidate interviews includes not being sued. Here’s a quick disclaimer—this is not a comprehensive list, and if you’re not well versed in this area, consult your Human Resources Department, your Legal Department, or your company’s legal counsel for more information. This article is meant to bring an important topic to the front of your mind and also to provide some general guidelines. The best way to stay on track during an interview is to gear your questions toward the requirements of the position. In fact, all questions should be presented within the context of those requirements. For example—and this is a big one—you shouldn’t ask how old the candidate is or what their date of birth is. Another area similar to age is height and weight. But if you ask about that, you’ll have to present information that ties the question to the requirements of the position for which they’re applying. Other than that, there are questions you should flat-out avoid, such as the following: Sex or marital status--This includes subjects like divorce, if the person has any children, how many children they have, when they plan to start a family, whether or not they’re pregnant, and if they plan to take time off work if they are pregnant. Religious affiliation--Asking them which holidays they observe is out of the question, too. You can get sued for asking the question “without asking the question.” Race or national origin--This includes asking them if they were born in the United States, what country their parents are from, if they’re a U.S. citizen, or if English is their primary language. You do have the right, however, to inquire about their citizenship status in order to make certain they are eligible to work in the U.S. Physical and/or mental disabilities--Don’t ask if they’ve ever been treated for a drug addiction or alcoholism, if they take any prescription medicine, if they’ve ever been treated by a psychiatrist or psychologist, or if they’re providing care for a family member with a disability. You can ask the applicant if they’re able to perform the tasks detailed in the job description with reasonable accommodation. Credit score or history--This has been challenged as discriminatory in the past, so it’s best not to broach the subject. Simply run a background and credit check, complying with the Fair Credit Reporting Act in the process. In other words, conduct the appropriate checks allowed by law and avoid the topic during the interview. Possible criminal history--In some states, you’re permitted to ask about criminal convictions. Find out what your state mandates. Private organizations to which they belong--Since it’s difficult to define the word “private,” it’s a safe bet not to ask about this at all, even if the candidate bring up the subject and offers information willingly. Names and addresses of relatives--Sounds obscure, but it’s true. While engaging in casual conversation toward the end of an interview is not harmful in and of itself, you should be extremely careful about how you act, react, and respond. For example, the conversation might start to gravitate toward family life and other personal issues. If that happens, squelch your inclination to probe deeper with additional questions, which is what you would do if it was a casual conversation and nothing else. 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! In the current job market, there are plenty of employment opportunities and chances for career advancement. The key is to somehow uncover those opportunities and then take advantage of them.
The best way in which to accomplish this is to expand what’s called your “sphere of opportunity.” This is different than your “sphere of influence,” which refers to your ability to influence people and situations around you. Instead, your “sphere of opportunity” refers to your ability to create as many opportunities for yourself as possible. Ironically, this is often determined by the number of people you know and the number of situations with which you come into contact. This is primarily why attending industry events is one of the best things you can do when attempting to climb the career ladder. That’s because when you go to a conference or convention, you’re both meeting more people and exposing yourself to a wider variety of situations, both personally and professionally. Career advancement is not just about what you know, it’s about who you know, as well. As we’ve discussed before in this blog, engaging in continuous education is critical for those interested in the advancement of their career. Regardless of the extent of your formal education, the knowledge that you accumulate after that largely defines the scope and trajectory of your career. Networking events provide numerous opportunities for you to accumulate that knowledge, and depending upon the event, that knowledge can take many forms. It could be fieldwork, it could be formal classroom training, or it could be cooperative study. However, the manner in which the information is communicated is inconsequential. What isn’t inconsequential is the fact that industry trends and developments change every year, and failure to stay on top of them could prove to be disastrous in terms of your career. Networking plays a huge role in the growth and development of a healthy career. This is one of the most effective ways in which to expand your “sphere of opportunity.” You never know which direction a conversation with a colleague will take. You might discover a great opportunity you never knew about simply because you struck up a conversation and took the time to network. Of course, industry events are prime locations for networking. You can renew old acquaintances and also build new relationships with other people who share your interests or are also involved in your particular line of work. Here’s the interesting part of the “who you know” equation. Who you know can also positively contribute to what you know. That’s because although you can glean a great deal of knowledge from the formal training that occurs at conferences, the knowledge transfer that takes place in between and even after sessions is just as valuable, and in some cases, even more so. 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!  If there’s one thing that companies and employers crave right now, it’s flexibility. There’s no question that many managers and their staffs are overburdened at the moment, constantly looking for ways to accomplish more regardless of market conditions.
With this in mind, there are a variety of different situations in which a company might opt to hire an interim (or temporary) employee. Those situations include the following:
Part of the flexibility inherent in hiring an interim or temporary employee is that the company can utilize their skills and know-how for any length of time, as much—or as little—as they need to. The problem for many company officials is that they’re hesitant or fearful about hiring on an interim basis. However, when examined more closely, the pros outweigh the cons, and the benefits could be tremendous. As many fears and pitfalls as there are when it comes to hiring candidates on an interim basis, there are just as many—if not more—advantages and benefits:
Now let’s address the fears or potential pitfalls:
Flexibility and creativity are vitally important in today’s job market. Companies can’t be too rigid in their approach. Instead, they should be willing to accommodate the varying factors involved with each individual situation. No two interim positions are exactly the same, and no two interim employees are exactly the same. Attempting to apply the same rigid guidelines to all of them could be counterproductive. Besides, if the ultimate goal is to convince the employee or executive to stay for the long haul, being flexible and accommodating will go a long way toward accomplishing that goal. 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! |
