 Believe it or not, today is the last day of November. There’s just one more month left in the year before 2023 will be here.
When it comes to your career, the question is this one: does your fresh start for 2023 involve your current employer . . . or another opportunity? There’s a good chance that, like most people, you’re continually seeking ways to enhance your career. For some workers, they have chances to do that at their current company. However, for others, that’s simply not the case. What about you? Are you looking forward to 2023 and tackling the challenges and taking advantage of the opportunities that await you where you are now? Or are you not so sure that those challenges and opportunities are awaiting you—or that they exist at all? If you’re not 100% sure that where you are is where you should be, then it might be time to audit and evaluate your current employer. What does that mean? It means taking a hard look at your current situation and asking questions about your employer that you may not have considered before, questions like the ones listed below:
Your answers to these questions will better help you to figure out where you stand right now. In other words, they will help you to audit your current employer and determine your best course of action. The course of action you plot could involve a move to a new employer, one that will provide you with the advancement—and the satisfaction—that you’re looking for. 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! Finding job candidates and workers is difficult these days. Finding and hiring them in a timely fashion is even more difficult.
However, what if you could find—and hire—more of the job candidates you want as quickly as you want? More importantly, what would it mean to your company’s bottom line? Below are three keys for hiring better candidates in less time: #1—A thorough understanding of the job requirements This starts with a detailed job description, but not the description that was used to hire the previous person in the position. The job requirements have almost certainly changed to some extent since then, which means the description should fully reflect those changes. Those changes should be agreed upon and understood by everyone involved. #2—Selective (and effective) screening of job candidates A thorough understanding of the job requirements and description leads directly to a more effective screening process. That’s because not only will the hiring manager know which skills are most important during the screening, but they’ll also know which traits they would trade for a candidate who has tremendous potential to be a good fit. These candidates often don’t match the requirements 100%, but they possess other talents and abilities that could make them an ideal fit and a great employee. #3—Assessing competency (over experience) What applies to skills also applies to experience. How competent a candidate might be in executing the requirements of the position may not have as much to do with experience as it does with the other things that the candidate brings to the table. Experience is certainly important, but an over-emphasis on experience may exclude a “diamond in the rough” candidate capable of not just filling the position, but also excelling in it. When too much time is taken during the recruiting and hiring process—for whatever reason—the best job candidates can be lost. As a result, not only are lesser candidates eventually hired, but the process also takes longer, costing the company even more in terms of time, energy, and productivity. How well does your company employ the three keys listed above? Are there systems in place to ensure high levels of success in all three areas? What measurements do you use to track that success? 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 a previous blog post, we discussed the importance of branding yourself as reliable, both to your current employer and to any potential new employers.
Branding yourself as reliable is critical for multiple reasons, not the least of which is because it’s the first step toward branding yourself as trustworthy. And proving yourself reliable—just like proving yourself trustworthy—takes time. It’s especially difficult if you make mistakes during the hiring process when you’re looking for a new job. Companies want to hire reliable, dependable people as employees. That’s why if you brand yourself as unreliable, then the organization will not want to hire you. Below are five ways to brand yourself as unreliable during the hiring process (even if you don’t realize you’re doing it): #1—Not showing up for a phone screen Phone screens are typically conducted earlier in the hiring process. However, they’re important because the phone screen leads to a face-to-face interview. So if you miss the phone screen (for whatever reason), then it will be difficult to convince an employer to give you another chance. #2—Not sending an email when you said you would This is the crux of being reliable: doing what you say you’re going to do. If you say that you will send an email and that you will send it by a certain time, then that is what you must do. If not, then you’ll be seen as unreliable. #3—Not showing up for a face-to-face interview The same rationale applies to this interview as applies to the phone screen. The difference, of course, is that the face-to-face interview is more important. You can miss a phone screen and somehow remain in the hiring process, but if you miss this type of interview, then the company will no longer consider you for the position. #4—Showing up late for an interview Not showing up at all is a major mistake, of course, but showing up late can also damage your personal brand and reputation. This is even if you show up five, 10, or 15 minutes late and the reason for your tardiness appears legitimate. This is because you’ve “sowed the seeds” of doubt in the minds of the people tasked with making the hiring decision. So if you’re actively seeking a new job and exploring other employment opportunities, remember the golden rule for branding yourself as reliable: always do what you say you’re going to do. 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! A lot has happened in the job market and the employment marketplace during the past few years, not the least of which was the start of a worldwide pandemic.
Then there was the “Great Resignation” and a flurry of hiring across just about every industry. On top of that, the National Unemployment Rate has remained close to a historically low level. And now, as we hurtle toward the end of 2022, many companies want to hire, but they can’t find the job candidates and workers for which they’re looking. (And not just the companies that seem intent on finding the “perfect candidates,” either.) So while it may seem as though there’s a talent shortage, perhaps even in YOUR industry, what’s more likely is that there’s a solution shortage. Yes, it may be a logistical fact that there are more openings than seemingly qualified job candidates, especially within certain industries. However, what organizations need are solutions to help bridge the gap. In other words, companies should be more proactive in seeking solutions to their hiring problems, specifically their inability to fill a critical position in a timely fashion. So what solutions are available to companies that find themselves in this predicament? Below are three such solutions: #1—Perfecting the recruiting and hiring process. In today’s job market, the margin for error is razor-thin when it comes to hiring. There isn’t much room for mistakes. That’s why you must analyze your hiring process and identify areas of weakness. That way, you can improve those areas, which will result in more qualified candidates at the beginning of the process. And if you have more qualified candidates at the beginning of the hiring process, then you’ll have more quality hires at the end of it. #2—Hiring candidates who display potential. Unfortunately, many companies are looking to only hire candidates who don’t need training and who can “hit the ground running.” By hiring candidates who can do the job with some training and can grow into the role, the company could fill the position more quickly and quite possibly help develop that “perfect” candidate/employee it was attempting to find as-is. #3—Using a staffing agency. An experienced and reputable staffing agency can help you find the job candidates and workers you need for your open positions. When you use a staffing agency, you can devote more time and energy to other important tasks within your company while the agency works to help you reach your hiring goals. It is true that hiring is challenging at the moment. However, instead of focusing on what you can’t control (a talent and worker shortage), focus on what you can control (solutions that will help your company to hire well, anyway). Companies that devise hiring solutions are the ones thriving in this market . . . and the ones that will continue to thrive in the future. 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! Personal branding is an important part of your career, as well as your current employment situation.
You brand yourself by the experience that you provide for other people when you interact with them. This applies to both your personal life and your professional life, but for the purposes of this blog post, we’ll be addressing the professional setting. One of the best ways that you can brand yourself is as being reliable. This means that in the minds of the people with whom you interact on a consistent basis, you’re a person they can count on. Keep in mind this is important whether you’re looking for a new job or not. It’s important if you’re in the interviewing process of a potential new employer or if you’re satisfied in your current position. Below are five reasons to brand yourself as being reliable: #1—You’ll be seen as more valuable. Your employment or prospective employment is all about value. Specifically, it’s all about the value that you can offer to an employer, either your current one or a new one. And when you’re seen as reliable, your value will increase. #2—You’ll be given bigger assignments. An employer is not going to trust you with bigger assignments unless company officials believe that you’re reliable. They only give such assignments to employees they know will come through for them. #3—You’ll be viewed as having leadership potential. This is tied directly to receiving a promotion. It might go without saying (but we’ll say it, anyway) that the best leaders are those who are reliable. After all, that’s partly how they became leaders in the first place. #4—You increase your chances of a getting a raise. What’s the only thing better than getting a promotion? Getting both a raise and a promotion. A company is investing in you by employing you, and it’s making an even bigger investment by giving you a raise. It wants a return on its investment, and reliable people are more likely to provide such a return. #5—It’s the first step to branding yourself as trustworthy. Trust is a valuable commodity in life, and that applies to the world of work. It’s difficult to gain and easy to lose. And since, by and large, many people believe there is a shortage of people they can actually trust, you can more easily stand out from the crowd if you’re seen as trustworthy. 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! As a worker, you should want to provide value to your employer. In fact, you should want to provide ever-increasing amounts of value. After all, that’s how you earn raises and promotions.
Two things that you can do to provide value is to be more productive and efficient. Productivity involves the amount of work that a person can accomplish during a specific period of time. Efficiency, on the other hand, speaks to the speed with which a person can accomplish their work. So when you’re both productive and efficient, you can get more work done in a shorter amount of time, which is valuable to any employer. For the purposes of this blog post, we’re going to assume that you already do quality work. That way, we can avoid the “quantity vs. quality” argument. If you’re already doing quality work and you find ways to become more productive and efficient, then it stands to reason that the quality of your work will not suffer. Below are three big steps for being more productive and efficient on the job so that you can provide more value to your employer: #1—Streamline your daily routine. In essence, this means eliminating things that hold you back from completing your tasks in a timely fashion. These are also referred to as “time sucks” or energy “drains,” and they exist in one form or another in just about every person’s workday. The key is to identify them and then find a way to get rid of them. #2—Prioritize your tasks. Not everything that you’re working on is the most important thing. After all, if everything is important, then nothing is truly important. Focus on those tasks that are most important to your employer, the ones that will help you to “move the dial” in terms of how much you affect the company in a positive way. When you combine the first two steps on this list, you’re not only creating more time in your day, but you’re also getting more of the right work done. #3—Automate as much as you can. Doing things manually takes time, and this is why automation is so critical. Identify those areas of your day where you can automate tasks. This is typically done in relation to communication, but other automation opportunities are available if you look hard enough. When you’re more productive and efficient in your job, you’re considered more valuable to your employer. And as we mentioned, valuable employees are the ones who earn raises and promotions! 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! Creating a stellar company culture is no easy task. If it was, then every company and organization would have a stellar culture, and that simply is not the case.
In order to achieve this task, a company must have the “buy-in” in of its employees. The employees must believe in the organization, what it stands for, and how it conducts business. Without this “buy-in,” creating the right type of culture is more difficult, and in some cases, nearly impossible. On the other hand, when you empower employees to take ownership of their work, not only do you have a great company culture, but you also have a more productive workforce. And that’s a one-two combination that any employer would love to have! Below are five ways to empower employees for the purpose of creating a stellar company culture: #1—Listen to your team. You can’t address the concerns of your team unless you know what those concerns are, so there is a practical aspect to this step. In addition, employees want to feel as though they’re being listened to and that what they have to say matters. What they do not want is to feel dismissed or overlooked. That will not make them empowered. That will make them seek new employment. #2—Communicate often and well. It’s difficult to over-emphasize the importance of communication in the workplace, especially between an employer and its employees. Without the proper level of communication, employees will begin to feel neglected and even eventually abandoned. Then, when they don’t have the information they need, they might start assuming things that are not true. It’s human nature. #3—Understand their priorities and values. First, you must know what their priorities and values are, which goes back to #1 on our list. After all, a person’s priorities and values serve as the fuel for their empowerment. That’s because these are the things about which they’re passionate and that motivate them to succeed. #4—Show respect. Today’s workers want to know that they are respected by their employer, and this includes respected by their boss and their coworkers. When they feel respected, they’ll feel as though it’s safe enough for them to “let down their guard,” and once the do that, they’ll become more satisfied and productive. #5—Make trust a cornerstone of the company. This is the big one. An organization’s employees must trust it if the company has any hope of creating a stellar company culture. And this is a top-down endeavor whereby management must start the process by showing trust in its employees. This means no micro-managing, which causes workers to look over their shoulder all the time. That is the opposite of a trustful work environment. 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! Today’s workers and job seekers are NOT all about the money. The “Great Resignation” has been an indication of that.
What they really want is less stress. And that includes less stress in their professional life, their job, and their career. And it doesn’t matter if we’re talking about blue-collar workers or white-collar ones. Collars of all colors want less stress. With this in mind, below are five ways to reduce stress in the workplace to help retain your employees: #1—Set clear expectations. Workers often become stressed when they don’t know what is expected of them. Then they start to fear the consequences of not meeting expectations, and that kind of fear and stress can negatively impact their performance, which is exactly what you don’t want. So don’t keep them guessing. Instead, lay everything out in detail, especially in regards to their work and productivity. If they know what is expected of them, they’ll be more likely to meet those expectations. #2—Communicate consistently. Workers do not want to be “kept in the dark.” Just like they want to know what their expectations are, they want to know everything else, as well. When an employer does not communicate well with its workers, the workers are uncertain at best and confused at worst. That’s not a good combination for productivity and profitability. #3—Foster a culture of respect. Employees and workers want to feel as though they’re respected, both by their boss and upper management and also by their co-workers. People should not be yelling at each other, there should not be any disparaging remarks, and there should be absolutely no assault in the workplace of any kind. When employees feel respected, they feel safe. #4—Offer flexibility. Work-life balance is a big consideration for today’s workers and job seekers. It’s part of what drove the “Great Resignation” in the first place and is still driving it. One main facet of this is schedule flexibility. Employees have personal lives and sometimes their personal lives require a certain level of flexibility that allows them to meet their obligations at home and still perform at a high level at work. #5—Recognize and reward accomplishments. This is one of the easiest ways to reduce stress and increase retention at the same time. It could be a kind word or a pat on the back. It could be a gift card or some other tangible reward, given either individually or as part of a group. When an employee knows that they are appreciated, they’re less likely to feel stressed in the workplace. 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! Some people who “Google” themselves on the Internet might not like what they see. (And you might be one of those people.)
And what is it that they see? It could be a poor choice of words on social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter, compromising photos, or other potentially harmful references from their past—all of which could hurt them on a professional level. However, never fear. These things can be fixed with the “5 Cs” of bulletproofing your online identity, which are as follows: Step #1: Check Some of the search results might actually be about somebody else who has the same name as you. As such, those results have nothing to do with you and there’s nothing you can do about them. If you have a common name, though, you might have to engage in a deeper level of investigation to discover which results are about you and which ones are not. Step #2: Change The good news is that you can usually fix your “misbehavior” on social media sites. Simply login to your account and then delete what you have said or posted. Once the information is deleted, no track of evidence can be found on the website. (Keep in mind, though, that people can take a screenshot of your posts or photos, so the best strategy is to not put yourself in this position in the first place.) Step #3: Correct Let’s say that for whatever reason, something you’ve posted on social media can not be deleted completely. If that’s the case, then try to do some “damage control” about the content. Correct it with an explanation, and if it merits one, also offer an apology. That way, if somebody does find incriminating evidence, they’ll also find your attempts to atone for it. Step #4: Challenge Then there’s the matter of other people posting information about you that’s false. In a situation such as this, you must challenge them and explain the damage they’re creating by continuing to allow such information to exist. Perhaps it was a miscommunication and/or a misunderstanding, which can cause serious problems. Be proactive in preventing such problems to occur. Step #5: Care If you want satisfying search results when somebody “Googles” your name, then you should care about what you post and what others post about you. Guard your online reputation as closely as you can, and monitor it as much as possible. This is an ongoing process. Once you go through the “5 Cs” once, you’ll have to cycle through them again at some point in the future. After all, the Internet is probably not going away anytime soon, nor is people’s desire to “Google” one another to find out more about them. 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! One of the best ways to position yourself to land a great job is to make sure that you’re in the right place at the right time—and that includes making sure that your resume is in the right place at the right time.
Recruiters and hiring managers routinely use applicant tracking systems (ATS) to source candidates in their database for open positions. When they conduct a search for candidates in that system, they typically give priority to those candidates that come up first in the search results. As you might guess, you want to be in those search results. Below are 10 ways that you can “beat” the applicant tracking system with your resume. #1—Use generic headings, such as “Work Experience.” Using headings like “Career Achievements” or “Professional Experience” may cause the system to skip over your work experience completely. #2—Don’t limit the length of your resume. The ATS does not put a limit on how long your resume can be. If you lengthen your resume to include more work experience and credentials, there’s a better chance that the system will rank you higher. #3—Do not start your work experience section with dates. The ATS does not look for dates; it looks for the names of the employers first. Make sure to put the name of your employer first, followed by the date. #4—Do not use tables and/or graphics. The system can’t read tables and graphics, so be sure to omit them from your resume before submitting it. #5—Use relevant keywords and phrases. The system is designed to look for keywords and phrases associated with the job, so include those that might be found in the job listing. #6—Do not try to “mimic” the applicant tracking system. Keywords are important, but don’t repeat those phrases throughout your entire resume. Recruiters and hiring managers do not like it when your resume looks like you tailored it to accommodate the ATS. #7—Make your resume easy and quick to read. The system scans for keywords, but it’s still advisable that your paragraphs are clean and legible. Put plenty of spaces in between paragraphs and don’t jumble them together. #8—Research the company’s corporate culture. Researching the company’s culture gives you more of an idea of what the company is seeking. Incorporate some keywords and phrases associated with the culture into your resume. #9—Use bullet points. This helps to ensure that your resume is easy to read, since it eliminates long sentences and paragraphs. However, keep in mind that applicant tracking systems prefer asterisks. #10—Add a cover letter. Adding a cover letter is a great way to further show that you fit into the company’s culture. 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! |
