Five Ways to Reconnect With Your Alumni Network…to Land Your Next Job

The best Las Vegas jobs can be hard to find. Your college alumni network can serve as an invaluable resource, as both your alma mater and fellow alums want to help you succeed.

It doesn’t matter if you graduated last year or three decades ago, your alumni network always has your back. Your college years might be over, but you’re an alum of the school for life. Here are a few ways you can use this to your advantage.

Five Ways to Reconnect With Your Alumni Network

Join Your Alumni Association

Getting involved with your school’s alumni association can be a fantastic way to find a new job. Benefits vary by college or university but might involve alumni mixers, invitations to job fairs at the school, access to a directory of alums willing to provide mentoring services and even the ability to get on a mailing list for job opportunities exclusive to alums.

Update Your Contact Information

If you’ve long been a member of your alumni association, but haven’t heard much from them lately, check your contact information. It’s possible your phone number, email address or home address is outdated.

Attend Networking Events

Signing up for your alumni association is one thing, but actually attending events is another. Make valuable face-to-face connections by going to as many alumni mixers as possible. You never know who you might meet — or reconnect with — who might hold the key to your dream job. Plus, you’ll probably have a great time mingling with fellow alums and reminiscing about your college days!

Reach Out to Alums on LinkedIn

You already know LinkedIn is a great place to connect with like-minded professionals, so zero in on those who share your alma mater. Send an invitation to connect, along with a message that you’re a fellow alum. This should make them more receptive because people tend to enjoy connecting with others who share this special bond.

Become an Alumni Mentor

If your school has an alumni mentoring program, sign yourself up. No doubt, you have a level of expertise that will be helpful to fellow alums. In life, you get what you give, so putting yourself out there can help open new doors. You might meet another mentor who can help you or even land a valuable new connection from a mentee.

Make the Right Career Move

Ready to find a fulfilling new job in Clark County? PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to guide your search. Contact us today to find out what we can do for you!

How to Make the First Week at Your New Job a Success

Starting a new job is exciting, but getting settled in during your first week can be challenging. It’s a new environment, new people, a new routine and a whole new team. Your success in these early days is about balance: You want to make the right first impressions, but you don’t want to be pushy. And, you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself to get everything exactly right the first time around.

It will take some time to become fully acclimated, but there are tips you can follow during Week One to help ensure a smooth transition:

Meet Your Team

It may be tempting to spend the first few days at your new job by yourself – or texting trusted friends or family members whenever you get a break. In other words: “Let’s just get through these first few days, and then I can go home to all that’s warm and fuzzy and familiar …”

It’s hard to put yourself out there right away. But, even if it’s a little uncomfortable, make a concentrated effort to get to know our new boss, coworkers, and the rest of your team.

• Introduce yourself relentlessly. Studies have shown that anxiety in new situations can come in part from not feeling confident about how to introduce yourself to others. It’s a natural feeling: When you’re new, you don’t want to call undue attention to yourself. But during your first days at a new job, you want your enthusiasm to shine through. So, find the right timing and give a quick, energetic introduction to people you don’t know yet.

Ring Out the Old and Ring In the New

Think of your new job as a fresh start, kind of like ringing in a New Year. After all, it is a whole new chapter in your life. The more you’re willing to let go of old routines and adopt new ones, the easier it will be to get adjusted and up to speed quickly.

• Put yourself out there. Starting a new job will always make you feel uneasy, but being proactive as you get to know your colleagues will help you to settle in faster than you thought possible.
• As a bonus during your first week, add value. Although your first priority should be to soak up information, consider challenging yourself to add value to your new company as you move through your first week on the job. Think back to your interviews. Was there a specific need or challenge that came up? How can you help address it? Have a conversation with your boss or write up a short proposal on how you would take it on.

The right job for you is closer than you think. A professional career coach from PrideStaff Modesto can not only help you find it but also help you transition into your new role smoothly and seamlessly. Our best-in-class approach has helped countless job seekers to do just that. Contact us today to learn more.

Why You Should Never Burn Bridges With a Temporary Employer

Finding a job in Las Vegas is hard work. Right now, you’ve decided temporary employment best fits your life. Whether you’re trying to boost your resume, figure out your next career move or balance work with a demanding personal life, this can be a great way to get ahead.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy all your temporary assignments, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. If you find yourself in a situation you’re not pleased with, you might think you can behave as you please because the job is only temporary — but it doesn’t work that way.

If something goes wrong with a temporary job, it’s important to tell your recruiter immediately. While they work to remedy the issue, you need to behave like a consummate professional. Here’s what you have to lose by lashing out when the going gets rough.

Three Reasons to Not Burn Bridges With a Temporary Employer

You’ll Be Blacklisted by the Company

A bad boss or a tedious job can make you unhappy, but that might not be all the company has to offer. If you ever hope to move into a different role with a certain employer, you have to make a great impression in your current role.

Behaving poorly in any capacity is a sure way to guarantee you’ll never be hired for another job at the company. If taking a temporary job with this particular employer was your way of gaining an “in,” this will ruin your plan.

You’ll Lose a Reference

When applying for a new job, most employers ask you to provide a reference list. If you leave your temporary role on a bad note, you won’t be able to ask anyone from the company to serve as your reference. This can be a major disservice because no one will be able to vouch for all the good work you did on the job.

You’ll Gain a Bad Reputation

Las Vegas is smaller than you think. Word of a poorly-behaved temporary employee travels fast, so whatever you did to burn bridges will follow you. Once you gain a bad reputation, it’s hard to get rid of it. Employers will be hesitant to hire you in the future because they won’t want to deal with someone known to behave unprofessionally.

Get a Job That Works for You

Searching for temporary employment opportunities? PrideStaff Las Vegas wants to help you find a job that meets your unique needs. Contact us today to learn more!

How Social Media Can Help You Find a Job

You spend hours online every day, mostly watching puppy videos and posting pictures of the meals you order at restaurants. You feel like you’re pretty good at social media. Well, like any competency, why not use it to help your career? Why not leverage your social media skills to help you find a job?

It’s a natural fit. Companies use social media to enhance their brands and sell themselves online. You can do the same thing. You can turn those hours spent posting in a productive way to boost your professional prospects.

Here are a few ways social media can help you find a job:

Get Global

Modern technology opens up the job market. The expansion of online culture allows workers to tap into broader employment opportunities than ever before. Unlike the old days, when your prospects were limited to whatever you could find on local job boards, you aren’t stuck only with the job pool in your area. You can branch out to the wider world.

Social media represents an excellent way to reach this expanded horizon. It allows you an entry into the broader online culture, letting you find opportunities and open dialogs with decision-makers.

Build Out Your Network

From the time you first entered the workforce, you’ve been getting the same advice about job hunting: networking, networking, networking. It may be cliché, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true. Cultivating an extensive web of professional contacts provides a massive advantage when it comes to job hunting.

Social media lets you take the process to the next level. You can meet new contacts, deepen relationships, and build industry connections. And you can accomplish all of this while sitting on your couch, bingeing Netflix.

Establish Your Bonafides

The process of getting a job involves informing prospective employers about your skills and experience. Traditionally, a resume provides the main way to accomplish this. However, the document only provides you a limited space to outline your potential value.

A social media feed gives you much more freedom to expound. Think of it as a massively enhanced resume. With each post, you can provide detail and context about your accomplishments and your developing skillset. Your feed gives you a chance to prove your value in real-time.

Become a Thought Leader

Employers don’t just want worker drones. They want contributors. They want people who will inject innovation and ingenuity into their team.

A social media feed presents an opportunity to showcase that ability. By sharing industry updates and interesting tidbits, you can highlight your engagement with the wider issues impacting your sector. You can also share your own thoughts on important topics. (We’re talking professional topics here – stay away from controversial opinions if you hope to use your social media feed to land a job.)

Conduct Research

Social media isn’t just a place to express yourself and prove your knowledge. It also gives you a platform for learning. You can follow leaders in your industry, opening up new avenues of thought. You can learn about prospective employers, and check out other people’s feeds to get an idea of what kind of competition you face for the positions you’re chasing.

You should engage every tool you can when you are looking for a job. Social media should only represent a part of your strategy. A staffing firm represents another way to jump-start your professional advancement. By partnering with a top-flight recruiter, like PrideStaff, you unlock another path to career-enhancing positions.

Contact PrideStaff today to find out more.

What Do You Do if You Have Two Strong Job Candidates?

It’s a good problem to have – but a problem nonetheless.

You’re seeking to fill a business-critical job vacancy, and the field has been narrowed down to two final candidates. Both have sterling resumes and recommendations and have interviewed well. Everything in their backgrounds checks out, and they both have the right education and experience for the position. But the fact remains: there’s only one opening. What’s an HR manager to do?

The longer you wait, the higher the chances that you’ll lose one – or even both –to your competition, because today’s most in-demand talent simply isn’t going to wait around long for the right offer. The clock is ticking … so when all is said and done, how do you make the right choice?

Think long term.

Look beyond the job requirements and the immediate need to fill an opening – and assess each applicant’s potential to grow with your company.

• Gauge their leadership potential. As you do so, look even more closely at how well their goals and mission align with those of your business. Can you see one of them, more so than the other, sticking it out and taking your business to the next level despite any hurdles that may be thrown in the way? Because that’s what true leaders do.

Consider the cultural fit.

You can always train for on-the-job skills, but the right cultural fit can neither be taught nor bought.

• One way to gauge the cultural match is to introduce potential hires to members of your current team before making an offer. Afterwards, debrief and get others’ opinions on how a candidate would – or wouldn’t – be a fit. As you do so, remember: you can’t simply hire a mirror image of yourself. This is another reason it’s important to get a second – or third, fourth, and even fifth – opinion.

Look for genuine passion.

Reflect on what you learned about each candidate as you got to know them. What was their level of pure passion for the role and for joining your organization? Ask yourself:

• Which one seemed more sincerely engaged?
• Which asked the most thoughtful questions?

Last but not least, listen to your heart and your gut. It will help you make your final decision, even if there’s only the slightest difference between the two contenders.

Get an objective opinion.

By working with a staffing partner who can offer an objective opinion based on a proven track record and expertise, you can help ensure that you make the right decision – and avoid a costly hiring mistake. In areas including administration, customer service, IT, finance, accounting, legal support, healthcare, and production, PrideStaff Modesto can be that trusted partner. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.

Should You Bring that Temporary Employee on Full-Time? Here’s How to Tell

When you hire on a temporary basis, it offers many benefits, from coverage for illnesses and maternity leave to more agility when you have big projects coming in. However, there are times when you’ll have a temporary worker who’s so great you don’t want to let them go once the assignment is over. But making a full-time offer is a big step. How can you tell it’s time? Here are a few ways:

They deliver high-quality work consistently.

Not only is their work quality great, but it’s consistent too. You don’t have to wonder whether they’re going to get a task done well or on time. You know you can count on them to meet your expectations, as well as your timelines. As a result, your day is less busy and stressful.

They’re a fast learner.

This is a great quality for so many reasons, including growth potential. For instance, it means you can train them on other key tasks, enabling them to become a more valuable asset to the team. Also, when it comes to the training you offer, they take it seriously, which translates into fewer mistakes and happier customers.

They have a good attitude.

When you have a worker who’s pleasant, positive, and enjoys coming to the office each day, it makes a big difference. Not only are they easier to work with, but they can also contribute to a healthier culture. This benefits your entire team, helping it run smoother.

They’re a match for your culture.

You need people with the right skills and abilities. At the same time, a cultural fit is vitally important too. When there is a good one, you know this person meshes well with your existing employees and complements the company. A cultural mismatch, on the other hand, is one of the main reasons a new hire leaves within a few months. So when you find someone who’s a great fit, they’re worth holding on to.

If you checked the boxes above, but can’t afford a new hire or don’t have the ongoing demand for one, then it doesn’t make sense to extend an offer. However, do let that temporary employee know how much you value their work and strive to keep in touch with them, so they’re the first call you make when you do need to hire.

Want professional help with staffing your team?

Call PrideStaff! We’re known across Phoenix for our staffing services and delivering access to highly qualified and well-trained professionals, whether on a temporary or full-time basis. Contact us today to learn more.

Can You Hire Fast While Still Hiring Thoroughly?

Hiring near Las Vegas can be a challenge — especially when you’re short-staffed and it’s starting to impact the business. Deadlines aren’t being met, overtime costs are high and employee morale is low.

Clearly, you need to fill open positions immediately, but you’re hesitant to speed too quickly through the process. Rightfully so, you’re afraid a hasty decision will cause you to make a bad hire.

You’re trying to make hiring your top priority, but running a business means you’re constantly pulled in different directions. It’s time to team up with a recruiter and stop trying to manage this process alone. Here’s why a recruiter can help you make a great hire in no time at all!

Three Reasons a Recruiter Can Help You Find Quality Talent Fast

They Have Talent Pools to Choose From

Recruiters never stop searching for talent. They’re always working to bring fresh candidates into their networks, even when they don’t currently have a job for them. Building and maintaining these talent pools allows them to always have skilled professionals on hand when an opportunity arises. Since candidates are already vetted, you’re able to bypass the lengthy search process, without scarifying quality.

They Hire for a Living

Hiring is stressful for you for many reasons, largely because you don’t do it that often. However, recruiters fill open positions every day. They know where to find candidates, all the right questions to ask and red flags to look for. Their vast experience allows them to find the best person for the job in no time at all.

They Can Connect You With Temporary Talent

Timing is everything in hiring. Sometimes the right person for the job doesn’t present themselves at the exact time you need to fill a position. When you needed to hire yesterday, you’re inclined to choose the best candidate you interviewed, who might not actually be a great option.

This is a non-issue when you work with a recruiter because they can fill the position with temporary talent immediately, so you can take your time looking for a direct hire. This allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds — fast hiring and the ability to wait until the perfect candidate comes along.

Fill Your Open Positions Quickly

Need to hire fast? PrideStaff Las Vegas is up to the challenge! Contact us to get started today!

Why Are Candidates Turning Down My Job Offers?

The long recruitment process has finally paid off. You’ve found your next superstar employee. But then the height of HR disappointment happens they turn you down your job offer. The rejection not only throws your recruitment process into chaos. It also sends you scrambling to figure out why you can’t land your best candidates.

The results of a rejected offer can become expensive. In the best-case scenario, you can move to your second choice. It means missing out on the top talent, but at least you don’t have to start over. In the nightmare scenario, you have to relaunch the recruitment efforts – a time- and effort-intensive proposition.

For this reason, it’s imperative to figure out why you are receiving rejections. Here are some possible reasons candidates are turning down your job offers:

Not Enough Money

It’s fundamental to the recruitment process: providing a competitive salary. It may seem smart to save as much as you can on every position. But undercut the market too much, and you miss out on the best talent.

Benefits Are Lacking

Salary only makes up part of a compensation package. A big part, sure, but there are more factors in play when recruits make their decision. If you don’t provide a competitive benefits package, including things like healthcare and retirement savings, even a higher salary can lose out to a more complete competing bid.

You Didn’t Sell the Job Enough

Landing a top candidate involves a certain amount of finesse. You are selling the position, the prospect of growth, and the value of the company’s long-term growth. If you can’t make that vision seem impressive enough, you can lose out to a more well-presented opportunity.

Not Enough Advancement Opportunity

The compensation package you are offering might make sense for the current position. But your prospective employees are also looking over the horizon to their next career move. You need to convince them they can advance within your organization. If they feel they are liable to get stuck in a dead-end position, they might pass you up for more growth options elsewhere.

Bad Employer Brand

The current hiring landscape puts a big emphasis on employer brands, with tools like Glassdoor telling candidates what to expect from a prospective employer. If you don’t do enough to maintain a good reputation, your recruitment can suffer.

Issues with Corporate Culture

Material benefits and career advancement of both great motivations to take a position. However, candidates also think about the day-to-day operations of the office. In other words, culture matters. People want to feel welcome and perceive that their values align with those of the company. You need to build an inclusive and inspiring culture to lock down the best talent.

Your business thrives when you can find and land top talent. It isn’t always easy. A lot of factors go into a candidate’s decision about what job to take. By partnering with a top-ranked recruiting firm, like PrideStaff, gives you the inside track on the kind of workers who can take your operation to the next level.

Contact PrideStaff Bend’s staffing specialists today to find out how to upgrade your recruiting efforts.

3 Tips for Handling Frustrated Employees

If one or more of your employees are frustrated, it’s only a matter of time before their performance is negatively impacted. As a result, you will soon become frustrated too. And so will other members of their team.

This scenario isn’t fun or productive for anyone involved. As a leader, it’s up to you to accurately identify the source of an employee’s frustration, make an effort to address it, and come up with an acceptable solution. Follow these three steps:

1. What is the root cause of the problem?

As you would, when addressing any business-related problem, drill-down, and do whatever it takes to determine the root cause of employee frustration. Only then can you make the necessary changes to make that frustration go away.

• Talk with the employee right away. The issue is not going to go away all by itself. It’s often difficult for people to take the initiative and come to you with a problem, so if you see any signs – or they or anyone else alludes to one – invite the individual to sit down with you and discuss it.
• Don’t stop investigating till you’re satisfied that you’ve found the true root cause. It’s better to take a little more time or talk to a few more people about it, rather than try and rush – only to come to the wrong conclusion about what’s frustrating a person. If the process goes south, it can do more harm than good.

2. How can you make it better?

Once you’re sure you’ve defined the cause of an employee’s frustration, it’s time to take the lead – ASAP – in resolving it.

• Take swift action. Now, it’s time to move quickly. Your quick response provides reassurance that your team members have someone they can turn to, who sincerely cares about them. As a result, in the future, they’ll be less likely to stress out over relatively minor issues. This all adds up to a reduction in overall stress and frustration levels.

3. What’s the long-term solution?

Develop a defined strategy to avoiding a similar source of frustration down the line. The best way to do this is by working in collaboration with the affected employee. Turn it into a “win” by making them part of the solution.

• No one knows their jobs like the people who do them every day. Use this as a learning opportunity and a chance to implement lasting improvements in your business. Actively listen to whatever it is that’s troubling your people and use those lemons to make lemonade. Like every setback, employee dissatisfaction and frustrations can be transformed into advantages if you handle them smartly and strategically.

Job-related frustration is inevitable. You know this because you’ve experienced it yourself. Yet, it’s just one of many talent management challenges you have to deal with as you keep your team and your company on the right competitive track. For additional resources in finding, managing, developing, and retaining top talent, read our related posts or contact PrideStaff Modesto today.

Are Your Employees’ Skills Stagnant? The Importance of Growing Their Talents

The business market changes more quickly than ever due to advances in technology, which means that certain job duties can become outdated with little notice. To prevent skills gaps in your workplace, it’s more effective and affordable to adapt by keeping your employees’ skills fresh versus waiting until you must recruit externally, which may leave you competing for a limited talent pool. If your employees’ skills are becoming stagnant, it’s crucial to focus on growing their talents now before it’s too late. Learn more about the importance of developing your employees’ skill sets:

It Keeps Them Engaged

When employees perform the same tasks day in and day out, they can lose that spark of motivation they had at the beginning, when it was new and exciting. By focusing on continual growth and learning new things, your employees are more likely to remain engaged with their work and strive to excel, rather than simply going through the motions.

It Up-skills Them

Once in-demand skills can quickly become outdated and obsolete in the modern workforce, so it’s crucial to be ready to adapt to the changing needs of your industry and organization. Developing your employees’ talents can up-skill them so they are able to keep pace with the changing demands and remain marketable.

It Grooms Them for Promotions

Investing in the professional growth of your employees can pay off in the future, when it’s time to fill higher level positions. Rather than starting an extensive search for external candidates, you’ll have in-house talent that has been groomed to succeed as they advance into leadership roles in your organization.

It Improves Job Satisfaction

When employees work in an environment where they are encouraged to grow their talents, it can make them enjoy their jobs more. Not only are they more likely to feel a sense of purpose since they aren’t remaining stagnant, but they will also feel like they have a future with your organization and be more loyal and committed.

It Boosts Employer Brand

How you treat your current employees doesn’t just impact your organization’s reputation among them – it can also greatly influence the level of talent you attract for hiring. Prospective candidates are more

inclined to pursue jobs with employers who cultivate a culture of professional development and growth, so you’ll be able to stand out from your competitors to land the most ambitious top talent.

Looking to recruit top talent in Akron?

Find top talent to join your team by partnering with PrideStaff Akron. We provide a variety of employment services, including direct recruiting, temp-to-hire, and temporary staffing, and will work closely with you to find the right candidates for your needs. Contact us today to learn more about our staffing solutions.