5 Tips for Training Your New Hire

When you’re hiring, you’re focused on screening, interviewing and vetting. Once you make that final choice, the work still isn’t over. Proper training and onboarding are key if you want your new hire to get engaged from the start and hit the ground running in their position. This not only improves employee satisfaction, but retention, as well.

To make the most of your efforts, here are five tips from PrideStaff – one of the top providers of staffing services in Phoenix – to keep in mind:

Start off slow.

Most new hires are nervous and excited during those first few days on the job. Don’t overwhelm them with a full day of training. Instead, start off slow and provide small doses of information over a period of several days. Otherwise, they’ll get overloaded quickly and won’t retain details.

Use different ways to train.

Don’t make new employees sit through hours of dry PowerPoint presentations. Instead, use a variety of different training mechanisms to get and keep them engaged during training. These can include a mix of webinars, brown bag lunches, shadowing and role-playing.

Match them with a mentor.

When your new employee has a mentor to turn to, it will make life easier and more comfortable during those first few days and weeks. This is someone they can turn to for day-to-day questions, as well as valuable big-picture information and advice. At the same time, it will help the employee doing the mentoring to hone their leadership skills.

Communicate often with them.

You should be in regular contact with all of your employees, but especially those who are new to the team. During those first days and weeks, connect with them on a routine basis to ask how things are going and to address any questions or concerns they might have.

Encourage memberships in professional associations.

Beyond your company-specific training, encourage new employees to join and get involved with professional associations. This will help them make valuable contacts, stay updated on important industry news and access other training and continuing education materials and resources.

Need help hiring and training professionals for 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.

Love Your Job? Well, 4 Reasons Why You Should Always Be Looking

You jump out of bed every workday with a smile on your face and a song in your heart. You can’t wait to get to your job. You love it. Even so, you should still be looking for something else.

Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it…maybe even a little dishonest. It feels like cheating in a way, like you’re continuing to scope out Tinder or Match.com even though you’ve entered a long-term relationship.

However, your career isn’t a romantic endeavor. Even though you love your current position and don’t really want to change jobs, there are good reasons why you should still keep looking. Here are four of the main ones:

Keep Control

Your career is just that: your career. You can’t entrust it to anyone else. That being said, much of what happens at your employer is out of your control. Bad management, bad luck, or even an unfavorable turn in the overall economy can lead to you losing your job.

Don’t just wait for these unfavorable events to happen. You have to keep control of your destiny. That means constantly testing the market and keeping a lookout for ways to advance.

Loyalty Has Its Limits

You give it your all at work. Unpaid overtime, taking work home, never using your sick days. You think this will buy you some leeway at the company if things should ever get rocky. You assume the firm will look out for you.

Unfortunately, that’s not usually how things work. Your loyalty isn’t always reciprocated. The extra effort you put in might earn you some near-term perks, but when times get rough, company managers will focus intently on the bottom line. You can’t count on the company to be there when you need it. In this way, you can’t think of it as disloyal to look at what’s out there.

Review Your Skills

The process of testing the job market provides a good way to learn about changes in the industry. It lets you know your options.

Searching for jobs lets you review changing industry standards about pay and performance requirements. Even if you stay at your current company, you’ll have a refined idea of your market value. This will help you when it comes to negotiation about raises and promotions.

Prevents Your Career from Getting Stale

You might love your job for now. But do it for another few years and see if you can muster the same enthusiasm. It’s important to keep evolving otherwise, you’ll eventually feel trapped and frustrated in a position you once adored.

Looking at potential other jobs prevents this. You remain open to opportunities and have a better idea of what’s out there. It helps you put your current job into context and allows you to plan for the future.

Planning a career should involve more than just waiting to get laid off. You need to actively participate in driving your professional life forward. A top-ranked recruiter, like PrideStaff, can give you the expertise to maximize your potential.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more.

How “Ghosting” Your Candidates Can Kill Your Small Business

You have a very bad habit. When you decide which candidate you want to hire, you conveniently forget everyone else. 

Anyone who provides quality hiring support in Las Vegas will tell you this isn’t the way to do business. People invest a lot of time and energy applying and interviewing for jobs at your company.  

Sure, ultimately, only one candidate can be selected, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to let the others down gently. Informing them they weren’t hired by ghosting them is rude and hugely unprofessional. Here’s what you have to lose by practicing this nasty habit. 

Three Reasons Not to Ghost Candidates 

You Might Want to Hire Them in the Future 

There’s no guarantees in hiring. The person you thought was right for the job could turn out to be a terrible cultural fit or not have the skills promised. In a few weeks’ or months’ time, you might find yourself filling the position again. 

If you originally had to make a tough choice between a few top contenders, you might be able to reach back out and fill the position quickly — but only if you left things on a high note. If you ghosted the candidate, good luck getting them to answer your call. 

People Talk 

No matter what the size of the city where you work, it’s smaller than you think. Word of companies treating candidates poorly tends to travel fast — thanks especially to review sites like Glassdoor. This will lower the quality of hires you’re able to attract, because top talent doesn’t bother with companies that have a reputation of treating candidates poorly. 

You’ll Create Bad Blood 

There’s a good chance you’ll run into at least some of the candidates you ghosted again. In the future, they might be your client, colleague, or even boss. Don’t expect the reunion to go well, if the last message they left for you was never returned. When you don’t treat people with respect, they tend to reciprocate. 

Make Your Hiring Process Stand Out 

Finding the right fit for an open position on your team isn’t easy, so leave the work to PrideStaff Las Vegas. Contact us today to find your next great hire! 

Have You Not Been Getting Called for Job Interviews? This May Be Why!

Getting called by an employer to come in for an interview as a result of your resume or other efforts isn’t like a game of horseshoes. You don’t get any points for “almost” achieving a perfect hit. The form rejection letter never says, “For what it’s worth, you were so close … “

How can you improve your track record and help ensure the next time your phone rings, it will be someone calling to confirm that coveted interview appointment?

Make sure all your applications materials open.

Test this out by sending your resume and any collateral documents to about five close friends and family members. Ask all of them to open them on their computers, phones and mobile devices. If anyone has issues, figure out what they are and resolve them – before you submit anything to a prospective employer.

Address your cover letter to a real person.

“To whom it may concern” is unacceptable in this day and age, when, with just a little effort, you can learn the name of the HR or hiring manager to whom you should address your cover letter. (Hint: If you’re stumped, try LinkedIn.) Doing this also shows your initiative, interest, and enthusiasm about the position.’

Follow all directions.

Take the time to read all the instructions associated with applying for a job. Then … wait for it … follow them. All of them. They’re there for a reason. They not only make the hiring manager’s job easier, but they also show that you’re thorough, detail-oriented and good at project follow-though, from start to finish.

Optimize your online presence.

Employers and recruiters will check you out online. You can count on it. Clean up all your social platforms and make sure your profiles are professional and savvy. If your friends have posted questionable content that includes your name or image, have them take it down. If you have any doubts about this, keep it in perspective: It may be the first – and only – impression an employer forms of you.

Are you Googleable? Make sure of it!

After you’ve cleaned up any less-than-sterling social media content, make sure you have a strong positive online presence. Google yourself. Make sure that, at the very least, you show up in a good light on LinkedIn. If your name is a common one, find a way to set yourself apart from the other Sam Smiths or Susan Jones who are listed countless times.

Let’s cut to the quick: You want this interview. You’ve worked hard on your resume, cover letter, portfolio and even the perfect suit to wear. What’s the missing link? To help close the deal and guide you successfully through all the steps of your job search process, contact the career counseling experts at PrideStaff Modesto today. Your success is our passion – and we look forward to making it happen for you!

Send This Email After You Were Rejected from a Job

When you made it to the final round in the hiring process only to find a rejection email in your inbox, your first instinct may be to delete it immediately out of frustration. However, if you reply in the right manner, it can actually benefit you. So how do you go about responding to a “thanks, but no thanks” message? Check out this email to send after you were rejected from a job.

A Gracious Opening

Start off the email by expressing your appreciation to the hiring manager. Obviously, it’s not the answer you wanted to receive, but the professional thing to do is thank the hiring manager for letting you know (rather than leaving you hanging with no official rejection, which unfortunately happens). This is a sign of respect, so conduct yourself in an equally respectful manner by returning the gesture.

Example: “Thank you for reaching out and letting me know. It was great to meet you, and although I wasn’t selected, I appreciate having been in consideration for the position.”

A Polite Request for Feedback

Rather than viewing the rejection as something negative, try to focus on framing it as an opportunity to improve and grow. After you’ve thanked the hiring manager for letting you know for their decision, politely ask if they would be able to provide you any feedback. They may either not feel comfortable doing so (or be prevented by official policy), but it doesn’t hurt to ask, and you may receive valuable information.

Example: “If you have any feedback for me, I would very much appreciate it so I could improve as a candidate for the future.”

An Offer to Stay in Touch

Just because you weren’t selected for the particular role doesn’t mean that the hiring manager doesn’t still see you as a viable candidate – you may have simply been right behind a candidate who was an even better match. If you are still interested in the idea of working for the company in the future, let the hiring manager know you are open to keeping in touch.

For example, “I would love to stay in touch. Please keep me in mind if you have any other openings in the future that you think would be a good fit.”

Find Your Next Great Job with PrideStaff!

Are you ready to get your job search back on track? Work with PrideStaff Akron to find new career opportunities that are the best fit for you. Search our database of current available jobs to get started.

Making Professional Growth and Development a Personal Responsibility (Part 2)

Last month, we determined you’re tired of showing up to an office just to earn a paycheck. You’ve spent your career working to live, but now you’re ready to find a job where you can live to work. 

Employment agencies in Las Vegas can help you find a job that checks all your boxes and actually makes you excited to go to work. Having a recruiter on your side is an invaluable asset, because they’ll guide your path to success. 

In July, we discussed how to find purpose in your career. In part two of this series, we’ll cover professional growth. Here’s some advice to help you make learning a priority. 

Three Ways to Achieve Professional Growth 

Take on a New Challenge 

Discover skills you didn’t know you had by branching out a bit. Ask your boss if you can take on a project that falls outside the line of your standard duties or start a passion project in your free time. This will allow you to expand your horizons while boosting your resume. Trying out a new avenue before leaving your current job, means you can figure out where you’re headed next, while continuing to collect a paycheck. 

Get Involved 

Surround yourself with like-minded people by attending networking events for professionals in your field or one you’re interested in learning more about. You might even consider joining a professional association, as they offer seminars, conferences and training sessions to members. Putting yourself out there and making new connections will open the doors to many new experiences you won’t get sitting at home on your couch. 

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone 

When you go to work each day, you know exactly what you’re supposed to do. You’ve mastered all your responsibilities — and you’re incredibly bored.  

Shake things up by venturing into the unknown. Try something that terrifies you, because overcoming your fears is an amazing way to learn and grow. For example, if you’re terrified of public speaking, join Toastmasters. This will make you feel empowered, and you might actually take a new interest away from the experience. 

Find the Job That’s Right for You 

You deserve to be truly happy at work, so allow PrideStaff Las Vegas to help you build a brighter future. Contact us today to find a fulfilling temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire opportunity with a top local employer! 

How to Handle Employees Who Don’t Get Along

You have a team with so many different personalities on it. The bad news is that they’re not always going to get along. However, there is good news, too. In fact, by following a few simple steps, you can set the stage for less conflict and more camaraderie, leading to better bottom-line results in the long run. Here’s how to do it.

Don’t ignore it.

With all you have on your plate, it’s certainly tempting to ignore the conflict and hope it goes away. However, this is rarely the case. And when it’s escalated to the point where your employees are getting you involved, you need to take action. Otherwise, it will fester and spread, impacting your whole team in the process.

Don’t make assumptions.

If there’s conflict between two employees, don’t assume anything. Instead, talk to all involved so you hear every side of the story. This will help you to determine what underlying issues are leading to the conflict and consider the most effective strategies for resolving it. So work hard to get to the heart of the matter and fully understand the situation first.

Don’t let emotions take charge.

When a conflict has been ongoing, it’s often also clouded by high emotions. At this point, everyone involved is getting angry and defensive, which will sabotage any efforts to resolve the situation. That’s why it’s important to slow the conversation down and simply listen. Get behind all the emotions and try to root out the source of the problems. This will help you to figure out a solution that’s more effective and less vulnerable to future flare-ups.

Don’t leave without a resolution.

Your employees will probably never be best friends and that’s ok. They don’t have to be. However, they do need to work alongside each other in a way that’s going to be productive. They also need to learn about managing conflict on their own, so every little issue isn’t brought into your office. So work with your employees to identify the best next steps and what you can all do going forward to improve the situation.

Don’t forget to put it in writing.

It’s important to document these kinds of issues in case a future problem occurs. For instance, if a termination is warranted for some reason, you want to make sure your employees and your company are protected.

Need help replacing warring employees?

Turn to PrideStaff. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Phoenix, we can get to know your company and culture, assess your unique situation, and help you find and hire the happy, hard-working and collaborative people you need. Contact us today to learn more.

When You Want Us…We Want You!

When you want to work, we want you to work. However, finding you a great new job is a team effort. If you don’t do your part to succeed, we won’t be able to get the end result you want. 

As a top Las Vegas employment agency, PrideStaff Las Vegas works with lots of candidates. Many amaze us with their passion, drive and ability to be proactive, but others fail to impress. 

Please remember — when you want us, we want you. Here are a few tips to be the kind of candidate who succeeds. 

Four Ways to Help Us Help You Get Ahead 

Keep Your Information Up to Date 

Things change fast in business. If you’ve acquired a new skill, certification, permit, license or anything else since you last updated your profile, we want to know about it. Something might seem like a minuscule detail to you, but it could make all the difference to a potential employer. 

Update Your Contact Information 

We can’t find work for you if we can’t get in touch with you. Check to make sure your phone number and email address are up to date. You’ll also want to see if you’ve opted out of receiving text messages.  

Many employers have a very tight hiring deadline. If we can’t get ahold of you quickly, you might be passed up for a job you really want. 

Be Proactive 

Take an active part in your job search. We’re here to pave the way, but that doesn’t mean you should just sit back and enjoy the ride. Take the initiative to boost your skills in areas you’re lacking, network with professionals in your field and reach out to us to touch base on a regular basis.  

The more involved you are with your search, the better your chances of finding the right fit — and fast. 

Do The Right Things 

Help yourself get hired by being a polished candidate. Your recruiter will give you important advice throughout the process — i.e., tips on how to dress for an interview — but you’ll also need to use common sense. For example, you know employers are going to check your social media presence, so clean it up to ensure you have nothing posted publicly that you wouldn’t want your boss to see. 

Team Up With PrideStaff Las Vegas 

If you’re ready to explore new opportunities, the recruiting experts at PrideStaff Las Vegas want to help. Contact us today to take your career to the next level! 

Save a Life – Teach Your Warehouse Staff About Safety

Safety isn’t just a business concern. It’s a moral one as well. You hold the health and livelihoods of your workers in your hands. Their lives might literally depend on knowing the proper safety procedures around your warehouse.  

As such, you should view safety as a partnership. You might think of the topic in terms of insurance rates or legal fees. Or maybe in terms of productivity and turnover.  

But your workers are putting their lives at risk to help you earn a profit. Both of you have a responsibility to make the process as safe as possible. As such, involve them in the safety process as much as you can. Teach them how to stay healthy and productive. 

Here are five ways you can save a life by teaching your warehouse employees about the best safety protocols: 

Adequate Training 

It may seem like every warehouse operates in a similar fashion. If you bring in an employee with a large amount of experience, you might assume they know all the proper safety precautions that go with working in your facility. However, this might not be the case.  

Every warehouse is not created equal. You might have hazards that even veteran workers have not seen before. Meanwhile, you don’t want to trust previous employers to do your training for you.  

Put every new hire through a complete safety training. It will give you confidence that everyone knows what they are doing from the start. 

Necessary Certifications 

Require any worker performing a specialized task to obtain the proper certification.  

This seems obvious, but at certain points, you might be tempted to look the other way. For instance, if your regular forklift operator is out, you might let another uncertified employee step in. However, this can lead to serious problems.  

Better to make sure that you have enough backups for each specialized task. If you find yourself without a deep enough bench, provide resources for some of your more reliable workers to get the proper certifications. 

Ongoing Safety Reminders 

Even experienced workers can use a refresher. As such, make safety training an ongoing process. Provide regular presentations about key safety issues, making sure that everyone is on the same page at all times.  

Meanwhile, these discussions will let you update procedures as necessary. New technology and evolving policies might require a change to your safety protocols. Ongoing safety training lets you introduce these as part of the regular course of business. 

Floor Traffic 

You can make your employees safer just by designing your warehouse floor space with them in mind.  

Forklifts, docking mechanisms, moving equipment, and other potential hazards are scattered throughout your facility, many of them requiring constant movement around the plant. Sometimes, it resembles a grid of city streets at rush hour. As with those traffic situations, people feel safer when everyone knows and follows the rules of the road.  

As such, set up clear procedures and make sure your staff follows them. Keep people away from moving equipment (and other hazards) as much as possible, and provide clearly marked walkways where people can travel without worry. 

Proper Signage 

You can save a lot of serious accidents by labeling hazards properly. It allows workers to avoid dangerous situations.  

Meanwhile, they act as reminders as to the proper procedures when workers need to work with potentially harmful materials, like hazardous chemicals. It also increases safety around other high-concern areas, like charging stations and energized equipment. 

Maximizing safety requires everyone knowing and following the rules. That becomes easier when you have the right workers. Teaming with a strong staffing partner, like PrideStaff, ensures that you have the kind of competent, reliable workers who can prioritize safety without losing any of their productivity. 

Contact PrideStaff today to find out more. 

4 Common LinkedIn Mistakes Job Seekers Make

You know you need to be on LinkedIn and keep your profile up to date. But are there certain mistakes you’re making on the social media site that could sabotage your career advancement efforts? As one of Phoenix’s top employment agencies, PrideStaff has the answers you need. Here are some common areas where job seekers make mistakes on their LinkedIn profile and how to avoid them going forward:

The profile.

If you have missing pieces on your LinkedIn profile, hiring managers and recruiters will notice. It will send the message that you’re either a) lazy or b) don’t recognize the value that LinkedIn offers. Instead, make sure you’re maximizing your visibility by completing all the sections, incorporating keywords and phrases along the way.

The profile photo.

This is one of the most important spots on your LinkedIn profile. And yet, oftentimes, photos are cropped awkwardly, or appear grainy or unprofessional. Keep in mind, this doesn’t have to be an expensive glamour shot; it can be a candid taken by a friend. However, it should show you in a polished light, one that won’t detract from your background and experience.

The headline.

Avoid superficial phrases like “ninja,” “guru” and “star.” You’ll undermine your credibility if you include them. Instead, keep your headline concise, making it clear what you do. Again, be sure to include keywords so recruiters can find you and keep it short.

The content.

Writing a good LinkedIn profile is a bit of a balancing act. You don’t want to say too much, nor do you want to include sparse information. The key here is to draft your profile and then spend the time to edit it down. Focus on including engaging information about you beyond what you’d find on a typical resume.

Another vital tip when it comes to your LinkedIn profile is to proofread it. In your haste to get it online or to update it, don’t neglect this vital step. Even if your profile is well-written in terms of the details you’ve included, if there are mistakes in grammar and spelling, it’s going to reflect poorly on you.

Just as with a resume, creating a strong LinkedIn profile takes time and effort. But once yours is up and running, it’s easier to update and will serve as a valuable tool whether you’re searching for a job, want to get promoted, or are simply interested in expanding your network.

If you are looking for a new job in the New Year, turn to the team at PrideStaff.

As one of Phoenix’s top employment agencies, we can connect you with rewarding opportunities at leading companies across the area. Contact us today to learn more or get started.