Staffing Advice

Importance of staying on point

admin — Tue, 08 May 2012 15:24:08 +0000

In a previous blog, we spoke about how important it is to be able to multi-task. This blog will show you why it’s important to do the opposite, which is staying on point. This means that you are focused on only one project at a time. These two are important because both strategies of working have their strengths and weaknesses.
To review, multi-tasking allows a person to work on multiple projects simultaneously. The downside is the more projects you juggle, the easier it is to get confused.
Being on point means you have focus. It’s all about working on only one project and making sure you put everything into it. Focusing on a single piece of work allows you to be diligent, which means you work without letting anything distract you. This also lets you follow through on it better than multi-tasking. You will be spending all you time and energy on this work allowing you to put quality into it. To work only on one project means there is a higher chance of it being completed on time. Once you complete a project that you have been on point with, you will have a not only a finished product, but a product with such detail and information that it is better than what the employer expected.
Staying on point need s person who is detail oriented and able to follow through on a project. Employers love detailed projects. It’s their way of showing off their companies. This is not without its weaknesses. One of them may be the lack of experience in multi-tasking. Just because you do great work on one project does not mean you have the skill to juggle multiple ones. Another weakness is the type of environment you work in. In a smaller company, you may only be needed to work on one project at a time. In larger companies, juggling multiple tasks may be the norm and someone who only focuses on one piece of work may not be able to adjust to this setting. Lacking multi-tasking experience can create confusion in a company.
There is also the factor of prioritizing. If you only have experience working on a single project, you may not have the necessary skills to prioritize multiple projects properly. In the case of juggling a large workload, you need to deduct which project will be important based in the information on it. Sometimes you need to make this call based on little to no information. In this situation, it requires experience to find out what needs to be done first.
Being great at one work strategy does not mean that you are great at the other. In today’s market, it calls for a balance of both. Being able to multi-task is great. Staying on point is also great. What you need to do is to find a balance between the two. Employers may love multi-taskers but they also like someone who is detail oriented. Being able to do both will show your efficiency and your flexibility to the work given.

Temp Agencies, should you use them?

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:20:28 +0000

By now, everyone knows someone who is looking for a job. Most people will try to search on their own. Others will utilize whatever connections they have, whether it is through a previous employer or a friend. However, one of the bigger resources everyone can use is a temp agency.
Temp agencies are a valuable resource because they already have connections to companies looking for staff. Temp agencies provide anything from part time, full time, temporary and permanent positions. If you are looking for a job of any kind, any of these positions will get your foot in the door at the very least.
Aside from having the already established connections with different companies, they will give you evaluations on you skills and experiences. An agency will place you based on your skill set and experience so the position won’t be too light or too heavy for you. It will be a position you can work comfortably with opportunities to move up. The only time you might be moved down is if you ask to be placed in a specific area.
The best part about an agency is that they do the searching for you. We’ve all attempted to look for a job on our own. We’ve been to interviews where we never received any response. The reason may be that we may not be the right fit for them or that the company is not the right fit for you. As part of the evaluation of your skills and experiences, what an agency does is that it looks for the right fit for you and sets up an interview. An agency will help you look for a job by doing most of the searching for you.
Besides the fact that an agency can help you find a job, it also depends on which agency you go to. It’s just like looking for a job. You need to find an agency that’s right for you. Some agencies only specialize in certain fields. You can go to agencies that provide the positions that you are looking for or you can go to agencies that specialize in the skills and experiences that you have.
The difference between these two is that going to an agency knowing that they specialize in what you want may not work out for you. Wanting to work in a new and different position does not mean you have the experience or skills. This is often times associated with a career change. The only skills you can really use are your transferable skills.
Going to an agency that specializes in you skills and experiences is staying in your comfort zone. There is nothing wrong with it. You are working with an agency that has jobs that you can work with. A possible downside is that you are limiting yourself to what you know in terms of skills and experiences. There may not be room for growth if you only stay in your comfort zone.
Whatever choices you make, there are Temp Agencies for you. It’s the best way to get your resume out and to get your foot in the door.

Busy time vs. down time

admin — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 13:59:24 +0000

When you work in the office, workflow can sometimes become inconsistent. You will have busy times and you will have down times. This is a work influx in the office. Being busy is the easy part of working because you are active and you know what needs to be done. Down time is a little tricky to deal with in a work environment.
Down time is when there really isn’t anything to do, at least not immediately. Employers and managers will expect employees to be working or at least busy with something and what makes down time tricky is that there isn’t anything to do or keep busy with.
This is where you, as an employee, need to be proactive. Down time may be tricky to deal with but the solution is simple. If there is no immediate business to work on, then find something to do. Part of being a good employee is to make everything easier for the employer or manager. Employers and managers normally have employees under them take on small to medium sized projects while managers and supervisors take on larger project that keep the company going. Part of making the manager/supervisor’s job easier is to find something to do while they tackle the larger projects. They don’t want to waste time away from the project to tell you what to do during downtime otherwise they won’t need you.
There are a few examples of what an employee can do. There are cold calling that can be made during downtime. Cold calling is basically attempting to acquire new clients and generate business for the company through phone calls. Employees can also just double check files to make sure that they are filed properly. They can even pitch ideas around that may benefit the company. Sure, this can get tedious, but at least you are keeping busy and keeping your skills sharp.
Prioritizing should always be kept in mind, even during downtime. Even during downtime, there may be some important work to be done but it may not need to be done immediately. What an employee can do is at least prepare for that work. They can research what it is, ask what needs to be done with it or they can actually start working on it. This should be done with priority and maybe even some common sense in mind because there may be more than one piece of important work that needs to be done, only not immediately. Lacking any prioritizing will only cause an employee to fall behind on work in the long term.
While interning at Millennium Personnel, I have encountered many busy times and downtimes. Busy times are easy to deal with. It’s where I’m most active. Downtimes aren’t as fantastic. What I do during downtime is to find something to do. I do cold calling and warm calling to companies and try to generate new clients and business. I also double-check files to make sure they are filed alphabetically down to the last letter for both applicants and clients. I also remove any files that are either to old to keep, went out of business or the contact information is out of date. Aside from doing those during downtime, I also write blogs to help and inform job seekers about looking for work and how to go about it through various topics.
Remember; always try to be proactive even during downtime. Don’t be afraid to ask a manager or supervisor if there is anything to do during downtime because they love a proactive employee.

Branding Yourself

admin — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:37:34 +0000

Branding yourself allows you to specify your chosen work field, interests and professional personality. It will open doors for you and create a lasting impression on employers. By developing your own brand, you’ll have control over an employer’s initial perception. A successful brand self-promotes, stimulates a unique experience, and offers consistency in the quality of the service you will provide. You will be recognized for who you are and most importantly, how you perform. Not everyone knows who you are, and since that means they probably have no idea what you do and how good you do it, it’s imperative to give your skills a bit of recognition.
Branding yourself during a job hunt is similar to branding a product. Your brand can successfully reach out and influence potential employers when you line up interviews for a specific job(s). Your brand is the first thing that pops into their minds. Creating a brand that stands out requires you to paint a portrait that is consistent with what your brand has to offer. What ever you choose to represent, your brand should be simple, straightforward, and convey what you do.
Branding yourself empowers you to proactively manage your potential for career success. Even after you get hired, you still need to work on your brand. You never know if you’ll be laid off or want to resign. By maintaining your brand, you always stay marketable and known. You become an asset to that company. Branding yourself isn’t entirely about who you are as an individual, but mostly about what kind of services and skills you can bring to the table for your employer, so this consider carefully for your next job opportunity.

Building Confidence with an Internship

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:34:28 +0000

Today was my first day of my internship for Millennium Personnel Corp and I was super nervous but they made me feel very comfortable. They gave me an intern packet, which was filled with helpful information and I sat in for a couple of courtesy interviews, just observing. When interning here you have to be a team player. My biggest challenge has been answering the phones. With this internship I will overcome my challenge. I also hope to learn Quick Books because it is a requirement for most jobs now.

What I will get out of this internship? I will be able to do normal secretarial work and find out what is my brand is. Don’t know what that is? Well, I will explain: It’s what type of person you are and what skill you bring to the company. For example, my aunt is a go-getter and a people person. She has been work for the Queens D.A office over forty years .She tells me that to work in an office is a wonderful job and you can meet a lot of people. And colleges only want you to take classes, but with no experience it is a challenge, since most jobs want you to have a least two years of experience, which I lack . This internship is great because it gives me a chance to learn skills. This is the greatest thing that has happened to me. What I also want to get out of this internship is confidence .And I have to develop a 30 second commercial, which will explain my skills so that way I will be able to get a good job at companies. It takes a lot of practice, but I am up for the challenge.

The “Other” Job Search Engines

admin — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:45:16 +0000

I’m sure there are job search engines that everyone knows about. Some of these include CareerBuilder.com, Monster.com and of course, Craigslist, which is infamous for scams and fakes. But what some people may not know is that there are other, extremely helpful, free job search engines out there. Some of these engines go as far as linking and working with the company websites and job listings. These search engines may also have discussion forums and ways to do advanced searches.
A job search engine is there to help save time and effort. You look up a job you want, send your resume out and check to see if they want an interview with you. Aside from the well known job search engines, there are other lesser known, but just as good, search engines out there. To name a few, there is Indeed.com. This job search engine compiles information from company websites, career pages, job boards and through occupational associations. Other sites include Linkup.com and Simplyhired.com. These sites look up open positions from the actual company site. These sites go through small to medium career sections. They also update with the company career sections.
These sites also contain discussion forums, which in job search engines, can be invaluable tools. These forums allow you to communicate with other job seekers and in some cases recruiters and employers. Forums are the easiest ways to network. You can find people who may be working for a company of interest and contact them through your social networking such as twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. The more people you know with jobs, the better your search will go.
There are technical tools and methods when using job search engines. A simple tool is to simply block a job listing. Some reasons to block a job listing is when you have already applied to it or if it’s some type of spam. This allows you to refine your search and cut out the unnecessary listings. Then there are methods for using a job search engine. To get the best results, you will need to narrow your search. This includes experience, skill set, location, and salary. The more specific your search is the better the results will look. Other methods are looking up the types of companies, keywords, phrases, type of positions, and if necessary, using advanced searching and job board postings. These methods will show that you know exactly what you want and what you are looking for. Knowing what you want is to know yourself, which is an important aspect for getting a successful interview. It also shows good organization skills.
Using job search engines is only half the work. The other half is getting the interview and hopefully the job. Just because using a job search engine is easy doesn’t mean you should let your guard down. Always keep an eye out for anything that may look like a scam or a fake. It doesn’t matter what site you find a position on. Always do your research on the position, the company and if needed, make a few calls to make sure that everything is legitimate. In this job market, we can’t afford to make mistakes.

First Hand Account: Don’t Be A Scam Victim During Your Job Hunt!

admin — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 14:44:13 +0000

Due to the market, many are on job hunts these days. It also means there are people out there willing to exploit this in a less than honest way. Enter the “scammers”. They will attempt to squeeze money out of you at some point in exchange for no service and a lot of promises that sounds too good to be true.
I will use a personal experience as an example. Before my internship, I was on the job hunt just like everyone else. I found security guard training on Craigslist and decided to check it out. The first shady detail that came up was that their address appeared on Google Maps as a shoe store. Being desperate for a job, I went to find the location in person. It was a small door behind a bank. Since I was already there, I went downstairs to what looked like an under-maintained dark basement. The paint and plaster on the walls was chipping, if it wasn’t already gone.
I was eventually called upon for the interview. I stepped into the interviewer’s office/closet and took a seat. His office was shared with an assistant who worked in a tight little corner of this closet. As he interviewed me, I noticed all the certificates on his wall looked exactly the same. It also looked like something one could make using Microsoft suite and maybe some Photoshop. The certificates also lacked any kind of gold seal or special print.
If that wasn’t odd enough, they immediately asked for $90 for drug tests and screenings. They went on to explain their “pay what you can” training classes “guaranteed” to get you a job for a mere $300. Because I really wanted to work, I decided to pay the 90 dollars, but after some research, I wanted my money back. My friend pretended to be a career advisor and together we managed to get a refund. The last and final unsavory detail is when my interviewer’s boss began talking to him in the most unprofessional manner. After leaving with my money and demanding my files be destroyed, I discovered that there have been other people who have been scammed out of 398 dollars from their security training without getting any benefit what so ever.
In the end, it really comes down to a judgment call and common sense. If something sounds too good, it most likely is. One of the first signs of a “job hunting scam” is that they are asking you to pay them money! The object of getting a job is to earn money, not PAY money. Be cautious and use your best judgment!

An effective way to accept criticism is to externalize it.

admin — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 13:47:52 +0000

Criticism is crucial for personal improvement. It’s the most direct way to find out what you should improve on. However, accepting criticism can be emotionally challenging. After all, we’re only human, who wants to hear bad stuff about ourselves?

It’s hard to not take it personally. Our instinctive reaction is to become defensive and we shut out potentially helpful and life-enhancing tips. By doing this, we miss out on what could supercharge our improvement.

So how can you take criticism without getting self-conscious and defensive?

When you externalize criticism, you escape the defensiveness trap. You stop being self-conscious and take criticism objectively, which lets you reap the benefits of the helpful tips that the criticism contains. Externalizing criticism lets you extract helpful tips from even the most critical feedback. You take the bits that make sense to you and discard the rest. You don’t risk getting defensive or even feeling bad or self-conscious.

How to keep employees happy and satisfied within your company

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 18:41:58 +0000

As the manager or CEO of an organization one needs to be aware that a successful organization, is one that has happy and satisfied employees. Without employees an organization can not function well because employees make things happen. Therefore, it is important that they feel respected and are kept happy. How does an employer ensure that his/her employers are happy? The first thing to identify is how to address the needs of ones employees in the organization.

1) Have frequent meetings and allow employees to talk about their stresses or concerns. This also allows them to exchange ideas and feel validated.

2) Keeping employees happy is key to the success of any kind of organization. Offering a plethora of incentives will definitely keep any individual motivated, because their needs are being met, and their best interests are being kept at heart. For instance offering free meals during lunch hour is a very good way to keep employees energetic during the day. Opportunity for bonuses, once a year conferences, Christmas parties, Thanksgiving dinners and etc. Such small gestures may seem insignificant but employees will feel appreciated.

3) Having a pleasant working environment is another good way to keep employees motivated. A simple gesture such as having fresh flowers every monday morning in the main lobby may just brighten up someones day.

4) The power of praise goes a long way. As huma beings we all want praise when we do something right. This will give assurance to an employee when they do exceptional work.

5) By letting your employees know what you expect from them and what they should expect from, gives employees a clear difinitive idea of what is required of them. This will serve as a clear guide which will enable them to set goals for themselves.

6) A manager should aslo have managing styles that will boost morale within the organization.

7) Opportunity for promotion should seem feasiable and attainable.

Keeping all these points in mind a manager can successfully have a healthy relationship with her/his employees. Full productivity can be achieved at the same time.

The To Do List for an Interview

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 19:21:16 +0000

This might be the best day of your life, for the company that you have been dreaming of working for has called you to schedule an interview. You vacillate between elation and apprehension. This will be your moment to shine and demonstrate your true talents, but, simultaneously, the job market is competitive, as you have to battle others for that position. Before you even think of rushing into that interview, here are five things you must know.

First, never be late. Tardiness is tantamount to telling the employer that you could care less about the position. The hiring manger could be interviewing others that day or must fulfill other obligations. Either way, if you show up late, consider that opportunity lost.

Next, please remember to dress professionally. It does not matter if you are interviewing for a fast food company or an investment bank, you need to dress as if you want that job. Obviously, for a fast food company you do not need a three-piece suit, but never wear jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. It sends the message that you were out promenading when suddenly; you realized that the company was conducting interviews. Unless the company specifically says that you can wear casual attire, opt for slacks, a button down shirt, and closed-toe, professional shoes. Preparing your outfit the night before will save you the hassle that would surely ensue the day of the interview.

Next, do not forget to bring a copy of your resume. Even if you have faxed or emailed your resume, do not assume that the hiring manager has reserved a copy. Many times you will be instructed to bring the resume to the interview; if not, just bring it in case as forgetting it equals being unprepared.

Then, you must budget your time wisely. This is all a part of being on-time. If it takes you one hour to get ready and one hour to commute, then try to start at least half hour earlier than you normally would. Perhaps, the interview is in an unknown location; you do not want to waste precious time running around searching. For one thing, you may get lost; another, you may start sweating, and managers may be reluctant to hire you if your hygiene is questionable.

Finally, please remember to review the company before you go. You never know when you may be quizzed about certain facts, such as the history or the reason behind the foundation. Hiring managers like to know that you have thoroughly researched and that you are truly interested in their company.

An interview offers you the chance to prove that you would be a valuable asset that helps increase profit for a company. It is a time when most applicants may feel anxious or stressed because of what is at risk, a job, a way to earn a living. Following these tips will, at the very least, reduce that anxiety, resulting in an applicant that is less stressed and better able to handle the interview.