 We’ve written before about the importance of providing value to your employer. There are a number of reasons for this:
With all of this in mind, the more value that you can provide, the better. Below are yet five more ways to provide value to your employer: #1—Show up. This is quite possibly the most basic and critical element, because you can’t provide value if you’re not there. This means showing up on time and showing up consistently. When you do this, you brand yourself as somebody who is reliable, and over time, as somebody who is trustworthy. #2—Do NOT be a “clock watcher.” Don’t bolt out the door as soon as possible, especially if there are problems in the workplace that still need to be addressed. Your willingness to do whatever is necessary to get the job done (even if it means staying past quitting time) can increase your value exponentially. #3—Be flexible in the face of change. Flexibility is a must in the workplace if a company is to succeed, which means that organizations are in need of flexible employees. This means being flexible in your time, in your mindset, and in how you approach your work. #4—Bring a can-do attitude to problems. The ability to solve problems is one of the highest forms of value that you can provide for any employer, namely because there seems to be no end to the number of problems in the world. The first step in solving problems, though, is believing that you can solve them. Because when you believe that you can solve them, you start to think of ways that you can get the job done. #5—Be a positive influence on others. Positivity, as they say, is contagious. When you’re more positive, the people around you are more likely to be positive, and that is valuable to any employer. This can mean a number of things, including bringing a can-do attitude to problems, being encouraging to coworkers, and refusing to participate in gossip. 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 a lot involved in the value that you provide for your employer. There are, of course, the skills and experience that you bring to the position, which translate directly into your level of productivity.
In addition to your technical skills (or hard skills), there are also your soft skills. These are the skills that involve how you interact with other people. Beyond hard skills and soft skills, though, there is yet more value that you can provide for an employer. Comprising this value are a number of intangible attributes. Among the most important of these attributes is the ability to keep your commitments. Keeping your commitments is as easy as doing what you say you’re going to do. While it sounds easy, it unfortunately is not, since not everybody is able to keep the commitments they make. In fact, if you’re somebody who consistently keeps your commitments, then you already have the potential to set yourself apart and “stand out from the crowd.” Below are four important aspects of keeping commitments in your job and your career: #1—No commitment is too small. Thinking that you don’t have to fulfill commitments because they’re too small or they’re “no big deal” is dangerous thinking. If somebody is expecting you to do something and you don’t do it, then you’ve let that person down and branded yourself in a negative way. (See #3 below.) #2—Don’t make a commitment that you don’t intend to keep. It might seem this goes without saying, but we we’ll say it, anyway. If you say that you’re going to do something, then you must do it. In the hiring process, this includes showing up for a phone screen or a face-to-face interview. After all, if you can’t be trusted to do something as simple as that, then why would a company want to hire you as an employee? #3—Your personal brand and reputation is at stake. When you keep your commitments, you brand yourself as reliable, dependable, and trustworthy. When you keep your commitments consistently and for an extended period of time, you further brand yourself as a person of integrity. On the other hand, when you don’t keep your commitments, then you lose your chance to brand yourself positively. #4—Keeping commitments leads to advancement. And by advancement, we mean more opportunity, as well as a better chance of earning a promotion and/or a raise. That’s because the members of management are more likely to trust an employee who consistently keeps their commitments. And company officials are not going to invest more in employees who they don’t trust. 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! First, allow us to state that there’s nothing wrong with meeting expectations in your job.
That, after all, is what your employer expects, that you will fulfill the duties and responsibilities of your job and meet expectations. That, in a nutshell, is why your employer hired you in the first place. However, meeting expectations is actually the bare minimum. Your employer hired you with the belief that at the very least, you will meet expectations. Company officials certainly didn’t begin the hiring process thinking they would hire somebody who would not fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the position. And on top of that, meeting expectations—especially the bare minimum expectations—typically does not result in a raise. Or a promotion. Or even special recognition. However, exceeding expectations is another thing altogether. When you exceed expectations, you stand out from those around you. You make your boss and other company officials take notice of you and your work. And if you consistently exceed expectations, then you can brand yourself as an exceptional employee. Now, it is true that it often requires more energy and effort to exceed expectations. However, in some cases, it’s not as much energy and effort as you might think. In other words, you don’t have to work hours and hours of overtime to do so. It simply requires the right attitude and mindset, as well as the desire to get the job done. In addition, there’s a way that you can accelerate the positive personal branding process, and that’s by “under-promising and over-delivering.” This can take many forms, including producing more than you said you would be able to produce or meeting a deadline more quickly than you indicated you could. Keep in mind, though, that “under-promising” is NOT the same as “sandbagging.” First, your boss or supervisor will more than likely know if you’re trying to “sandbag” them. Second, “under-promising” is simply committing to completing a certain amount of work by a certain time—an amount that you are confident that you can complete. Ultimately, the goal for your job (and also the goal for your career) should not be to merely meet expectations. It should be to consistently exceed them, brand yourself as somebody who takes pride in their work, and provide as much value as possible to your current employer . . . and any new employer that may want to hire 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! 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! 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! 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! 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! Your personality in an interview can manifest itself in every little detail, but don’t let this stress you out. Otherwise, your anxiety and nervousness will show.
Remember to stay focused and calm, and follow the following five guidelines for displaying positive energy and enhancing your personal development.
You may not know everything the interviewer asks, but this is a great opportunity to show your personal side, especially your desire to learn and contribute as much value as possible. Showing professional development There are two main components in this area: research and practice. Below are four tips for conducting research prior to the interview.
Practice is also key. Be able to describe a situation, the task at hand, what you did, and then the result. Practice what you are going to say by looking at yourself in a mirror and saying it. Say it again in the shower. Say it again before you go to sleep. Be explicit and concise and emphasize the skills and topics that relate most to the job for which you are applying. Then practice some more. Dress: where personal and professional collide When it comes to dress, put aside personal preferences (for the time being) and err on the side of dressing better than what you think is necessary.
A professional appearance signals that you are focused and ready to work, respectful of the interviewer’s time, and you will take the job seriously. And that’s what it takes to ace the interview and get an offer of employment! 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! You’ve probably asked yourself, “How do I make the perfect resume so that employers notice me?”
Well, making the perfect resume is a myth, because nothing is perfect. However, there are things that you can do to bring your resume closer to perfection. Below are 10 tips for achieving not perfection, but resume success: #1—Check spelling and grammar. Proofread. And proofread again. Yes, spelling and grammar seem quite elementary, but you won’t believe how many people make these mistakes in their resume. After reading your own resume multiple times, you will probably develop a “blind spot” for errors and overlook small mistakes like spelling and punctuation. To avoid this, ask somebody to review your resume. An outsider’s eye is often keener in spotting mistakes than your own. #2—Print your elevator pitch. An elevator pitch is a quick 30-second summary of yourself, your ambitions, and your skills. You should be able to reel it off to a potential employer in a brief introduction. Not only does it help your employer, but it also helps you understand yourself and what you want to be able to achieve. Once you’ve crafted your self-summary, paste it into the top of your resume. Most employers don’t want to read your life story, but if they can understand you in three lines, you have a better chance of securing the job. #3—Strive for quality, not quantity. As mentioned above, don’t write your life story. Only include experience and interests that you think are relevant to the job. If you’ve worked as an intern for a competitor, that’s more relevant than the fact you worked weekend shifts at Walmart (nothing against Walmart). #4—Include experience, aims, and achievements. So you’ve got some personality and your experience is listed. However, most people forget to include their aims, goals, and ambitions on their resume. A company not only wants to know if you’re right for them, but also if the company is right for you. #5—Go “back in time.” Write your experience in reverse chronological order (most recent first). Your employer is more concerned with the job you just had then something you did five or 10 years ago. In fact, do this for all forms of time scale throughout your resume. Consistency is key. #6—Remove your older work experiences. Most experts agree that the last 15 years of your career are enough. Cut everything before that unless it deals directly with the position for which you’re interviewing. #7—Pair it with a “killer” cover letter. Use your cover letter as your initial opportunity to make a great impression. Do more than recap what's on your resume. Highlight some of your proudest professional accomplishments, provide a window into who you are as an employee, and really delve into your unique skills. #8—Use social media to your advantage. In this day and age of social media and quick Internet searches, be certain that hiring managers WILL view your social media pages. Is your LinkedIn profile up-to-date and ready? Make sure that your work history is current and that your profile headline and summary are optimized. #9—Be honest. Reference checks and Google searches are easier than ever. Lying on your resume is never worth it. It’s just wrong—and any lie you tell will follow you around. An old lie can get you fired later in your career. #10—Keep it short. The ideal length for a resume is a controversial subject. Most employers and recruiting specialists say that it should contain one or two pages at most. However, provided that all of the necessary information is there, the shorter your resume, the better. Remember: short, detailed, and truthful are the keys to resume 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 us today to find out more about the employment opportunities that are available in your chosen field! |
