The Most Effective Way to Check Candidate’s References

No matter how great a candidate seems during the interview, you can never be reasonably confident they’ll be a successful hire until you check their references. References should ideally be able to give you valuable insight into the candidate to help you solidify your decision, but if you just go through the motions of asking basic questions without a strategy, it won’t be that useful. Learn more about the most effective way to check candidates’ references:

• • Give it a Positive Spin

It’s important to keep the tone of the conversation positive if you want your candidate’s references to be truthful with you. If they feel like you’re trying to uncover “dirt” only, they may not be as willing to open to you.

• • Be Specific

Your candidate’s references are taking time out of their busy schedules to talk to you, so be prepared in order to make the most of it. Plan your questions ahead of time – be specific with what you want to ask, and prioritize your questions in level of importance in case the reference’s allotted time goes over.

• • Stay Open-Minded

Checking your candidate’s references won’t be effective if you have your mind already made up. Go into the conversation completely open-minded with the intention of hearing what the reference has to say on their own without leading them or only asking questions to confirm your own thoughts.

• • Focus on Key Responsibilities

To make the conversation with the reference most insightful, focus on asking questions pertaining to the key responsibilities of the job for which you’re hiring. Pick a few of the most important ones, and ask about the level of experience and performance quality the candidate had in their time working with them.

• • Ask About Soft Skills

Culture fit is super important to a candidate being a successful hire, so chat with the reference about what type of soft skills and personality traits the candidate exhibited. Getting a sense of the type of worker the candidate is can help you figure out how well they will align with what you need.

Hire the Right People with PrideStaff Akron!

Streamline your hiring process and make the best hires possible by working with experienced staffing firm PrideStaff Akron to recruit and assess candidates. By partnering with PrideStaff Akron, you can save time while utilizing our expertise to objectively evaluate candidates and find the ones most likely to have long term success. Contact us to learn more about how we can help with your staffing needs.

5 Tips For Asking Your Boss For Feedback

These recent research findings should come as no surprise: Close to 60 percent of employees report that they’d like to have feedback from their bosses on a weekly or even daily basis. And for those under the age of 30, this number jumps to 72 percent.

Seriously, who wouldn’t want feedback to make sure they’re doing a good job? The real question is: How do you ask for it? Those who do it effectively end up being top performers in their fields. But, what’s the best way to go about it?

Timing Is Everything

Ask for feedback from your supervisor at the right time – and in the right place.

• Make it official. Set up a meeting with your manager and let them know the reason for it. Email them ahead of time and note you want to make sure you’re meeting expectations and are looking for ways to improve. Ask for a reasonable amount of time: 15 to 30 minutes is a good rule of thumb.
• Don’t just impulsively bring it up. Or unexpectedly interrupt your boss. Or put them on the spot in front of others. If they don’t reply to your meeting request, send a follow-up message a few days later. Your initial ask may have inadvertently fallen through the cracks.

Have an Agenda

Plan ahead, so your meeting is well structured. (Bonus: This is a great way to remind your manager about your organizational strengths!)

• Limit the conversation to three or four specific areas; for instance, a critique of your recent work, your performance on current projects, or other opportunities for you to expand your skills or enhance your contribution.
• Make your inquiry clear and specific. Focus on the areas where you need the most management input.

Take Notes

Take notes during the meeting so you can remember all the important points and have follow-up documentation. Make it an active listening session.

• Focus on accurately transcribing your manager’s comments. Shortly afterwards, while it’s still fresh in your mind, send a follow-up email. Outline the steps you plan to take to enhance your performance. Keep it concise – and strictly between the two of you. Don’t copy anyone else, unless your manager specifically asks you to.

Turn Feedback into Action

Set up a timeline to track your improvement. Then, follow it.

• Consciously implement the actions you targeted during your feedback meeting. After the time you had allotted yourself for completion, send your boss another update, outlining your progress.

Make It Ongoing

Feedback must be an ongoing process. More and more companies are abandoning the old-school six-month or annual performance review in favor of a more fluid system.

• Dialogue with your boss as often as needed, as long as you’re not “meeting just to meet.” Whether it results in praise or in constructive criticism, timely feedback should become ingrained in your ongoing interactions with your manager.

As you continue to succeed in your career, or seek your next great job opportunity, one of your greatest resources can be a professional recruiter and career counselor who understands your goals and can help you achieve them. The PrideStaff Modesto team has all the expertise, resources and market intelligence you need to keep you on the growth track. Contact us today to learn more.

Reaching the Halfway Point: How Are You Doing on Your 2019 Goals?

It’s hard to believe it, but now that June has arrived, we’re about halfway through 2019. Right now, you’re probably busy planning a vacation — and covering for co-workers who’ve already jetted out of town — but don’t forget about the goals you set for this year.

PrideStaff Las Vegas, a leading temp agency in Las Vegas, knows major results don’t happen overnight. Consequently, you need to realize steady progress on your goals to ensure you’re where you want to be at the end of December. Here’s some advice to help you regroup and make sure you’re on the right track.

3 Tips to Achieve Your Goals By the End of 2019

Decide If Your Goals Still Make Sense

It’s very possible at least a few of your goals no longer align with your priorities — and that’s okay. Whether for personal or professional reasons, there’s nothing wrong with changing course. Consider any progress made on irrelevant goals a learning experience and make new ones that align with the direction you’ve decided to head in.

Evaluate Your Progress

By this point in the year, you should’ve made major strides toward your goals. Take a look at where you started and where you are today. Ideally, you’re around the halfway point, or even further. If this is the case, keep up the great work, but if not, don’t give up. Simply re-adjust your game plan, so you can catch up and finish the year in the place you envisioned.

Smarten Up Your Objectives

Having trouble tracking your goals, because they’re incredibly vague? Make them S.M.A.R.T. — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound. This will help you hold yourself more accountable, and seeing how far you’ve come will keep you motivated. You’re much more likely to achieve — or even surpass — every goal on your list when you use this method.

Bring Your Career Goals to Life

You have the skills and PrideStaff Las Vegas has the connections, so let’s team up to find your dream job. Our expert recruiters are here to connect you with top local employers ready to fill temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire positions with talented candidates like you. Contact us today to start your search!

3 Major Mistakes to Avoid in Your Next Interview

Once you get a job, you’ll be judged on your total output. Your bosses will see what you can do day in and day out.

However, to land the position, you must perform well in a single brief, awkward conversation. It’s not a particularly fair system. But, unfortunately, it’s an almost universal practice. To get a job, eventually you have to nail an interview.

It’s a make-or-break moment. Athletes have the big game. Stage actors have opening night. For the rest of us, we have job interviews.

Going into one of these potentially terror-inducing meetings, the first thing you want to do is avoid mistakes. Here are three major errors you should sidestep at your next interview.

Mistake 1: Being Unprepared

Have all the materials necessary for the interview. This includes copies of your resume and a portfolio with work samples, if necessary. Also, bring a pen and a pad of paper to take notes and keep your thoughts straight.

It might seem old-fashioned in our digital age to walk in with so much paper, but there is a logic to it. The resumes and work samples give you a kind of ice breaker, something to pass around early in the proceedings when things are most awkward. Meanwhile, taking notes on a phone can be misinterpreted…people tend to assume you are texting. A paper and pen avoids any confusion.

Proper preparation also includes dressing the part. Find out the company’s dress code and pick your outfit accordingly. Show up on time, looking your best and with everything you need to succeed. Do all of that, and you will at least pass the first-impression test.

Mistake 2: Not Making a Connection

If a list of qualifications and accomplishments was sufficient for getting a job, interviews wouldn’t be necessary. In that case, employers would just hire based on resumes.

But skills and experience aren’t enough. Any business success requires a host of softer abilities: Communication, leadership and teamwork (to name the biggest ones).

The interview provides your chance to show off these interpersonal skills. Take the opportunity. Don’t just repeat your accomplishments and turn the meeting into a live resume recitation.

Try to engage your interviewers…encourage back-and-forth interactions. Tell personal stories. Make them smile. By building a personal connection, you make yourself more memorable and increase your chances of landing the position.

Mistake 3: Coming With Baggage

Make sure your head is clear going into an interview. Switching jobs can be stressful, and your departure from your previous position might not have happened under the best of circumstances. But don’t let any lingering bad feelings from your past job impact your ability to get a new one.

Don’t start bad mouthing your old boss and don’t use the interview to litigate old grudges.

Instead, keep the tone upbeat and positive. As far as your potential new bosses are concerned, everything that has happened to you has been a wonderful learning experience that has brought you to the point where you can apply for this current opportunity (which, by the way, you are excited and energized at the prospect of pursuing).

You can be seething about old grudges on the inside. But on the outside, project confidence and good vibes.

Performing well at an interview gets easier when you are genuinely excited by the opportunity. It makes the good vibes and personal connections much easier to accomplish. A high-level staffing firm, like PrideStaff, can provide these perfect situations.

Contact PrideStaff Bend today to learn more.

4 Ways to Put Together a Successful Warehouse Team

Your warehouse is much more than just a storage facility. It plays a leading role in ensuring your entire supply chain system functions effectively. To make that happen, you need a strong, dedicated team of employees who understand your business goals and their own roles in meeting them. In other words, it’s their business, too – and they should feel that sense of ownership.

Use these tips to build your industry-leading warehouse team.

Hire well

When hiring, consider the culture of your warehouse and the specific qualities you need in your team members. When you build a positive culture and have employees who fit, your success rate will be higher and your turnover lower.

• Look for candidates who are self motivated. Use the right interview style, questions and techniques to determine which individuals would be motivated on their own to do a great job.

Create Team Projects

Design team-based projects to build collaboration among warehouse employees. With the right chemistry, each member will develop a sense of commitment to their workplace as they learn to rely on others.

• One good way to foster teamwork is to hold informal gatherings for lunch or to welcome a new hire. Or, arrange to take the team out after work for drinks or to a local sporting event. There’s nothing like rooting on another team to help strengthen your own!

Measure Team Performance

Performance measurement and assessment are integral to effective team building. When you give your team bottom-line objectives and standards, you show them how they can collectively deliver results.

• Communicate production and outcomes against standards. This will help people become more aware of their commitment to your organization. Be as transparent as possible; for instance, don’t hold back on sharing relevant company developments and financial details. This reinforces the importance of the warehouse’s role in your business.

Reward Team Success

Drive teamwork through incentives and rewards. When you recognize team members for reaching goals, you encourage them to hold each other accountable and to work more closely together.

• Consider bonuses for teams who achieve efficiency in receiving and shipping processes, avoid shipment errors or exceed other milestones. Work area safety standards are always excellent targets to shoot for – especially during June, which is National Safety Month.

As you build and develop your warehouse team, consider capitalizing on the staffing expertise of the PrideStaff Modesto team. Production, distribution and warehousing are among our niche specialty areas. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.

How Well Does Your Team Work Together?

Individually, your employees are talented individuals, but magic doesn’t exactly happen when they work together. Regardless of whether it’s a lack of communication, an unwillingness to compromise or any other issue — if your employees can’t function as a team, your company won’t achieve success.

As a top staffing agency in Las Vegas, PrideStaff Las Vegas knows its crucial for your staff to support one another. Here’s a few tips to help them get on the same page.

5 Ways to Improve the Way Your Team Works Together

Train Employees to Deal With Conflict

Your employees are a diverse group of people who work closely together, so conflict is inevitable. However, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Provide training to help people get past their differences in a respectable manner, without throwing insults and damaging working relationships.

Help Each Person Understand Their Value

Every individual on your team was put there for a reason. You need all hands on deck to realize success, but it can be hard for some people to see how they fit in. If they’re on the quiet side or are responsible for work that falls behind the scenes, they might think their contributions don’t really matter. Keep them inspired by helping them see how their efforts support the greater good, making it possible for the team to achieve its goals.

Make Hiring a Group Effort

Often times, the manager takes on all hiring duties as a solo effort, but it’s the team who has to actually work with the new employee. It’s impossible to see how a candidate fits in with the rest of your staff, when they don’t meet until the person’s first day. Curb bad hires by including all core team members in the hiring process, so they can choose someone they actually want to work with.

Put People in the Right Roles

Set your team up for success by carefully selecting employees for each individual role. Choose people based on their qualifications, not their tenure. For example, don’t put someone in a leadership role, just because they’ve been with the company the longest. Everyone wins when each staffer is in the position that best suits them.

Promptly Address Poor Performance

One slacking employee can lower morale for the entire team. If you know someone isn’t pulling their weight, take them aside immediately to address the issue. The longer this goes on, the more energy the rest of the group will spend feeling hostile toward the person, instead of focusing on their work.

Build a Winning Team

Your company is only as successful as the employees powering it, so team up with PrideStaff Las Vegas to hire right every time. Contact us today to find out what we can do for your company!

What You Need to Do Before Applying to a New Job

Once you come across a job posting that you’re interested in, it’s important to stop and take some time to prepare, rather than just hurrying to submit your application out of excitement. Attention to detail is crucial at this stage, because if you don’t represent yourself in the best manner possible, you could get an automatic rejection. Learn more about what you need to do before applying to a new job.

Thoroughly Review the Description

Don’t just briefly skim the job posting – thoroughly review the description. Not only do you need to ensure you comprehend what the job entails, but having a clear understanding of what the hiring manager is looking for can help you determine your most relevant skills and how to most persuasively present yourself.

Research the Company

It’s important to have a clear grasp of the company before you apply, so do some research. Review their company website, social media, and online reviews to get a sense of whether you would be a good overall fit (and if it’s someplace you even would want to work) and be able to personalize your cover letter to appeal to the company’s particular needs.

Tailor Your Resume and Cover Letter

Writing a resume and cover letter is not a onetime event in which you develop generic documents to be used for all jobs. For each job you apply to, tailor your application materials in order to highlight your most relevant skills and achievements for that specific role, such as by reordering your bullet points to put the most important ones for the job up top or eliminating unrelated skills.

Proofread Before Submitting

It can’t be emphasized enough: never apply for a job without proofreading your cover letter and resume – and ideally having someone else review it too. Typos, formatting issues, and other seemingly small errors can make you seem unprofessional and lacking attention to detail.

Review Your Online Presence

At some point in the hiring process, hiring managers are likely to screen potential candidates’ online presences, so clean it up before you even apply. Take a look at your social media profiles, blog, or other online channels and see what’s in public view. If there is anything you wouldn’t want hiring managers to see, delete it or update your privacy settings.

Contact PrideStaff for Help with Your Job Search!

Find new opportunities by working with PrideStaff Akron. Our team of recruiters can match you with the jobs that are the best match from employers across industries. Search our database of current available jobs to get started.

5 Goal-Setting Tips for Getting Ahead in Your Career

Launching a job search involves more than just writing your resume, hitting networking events, and scouring the job boards. Your first step in the process should actually be to take one step back, so you can fully assess where you are now and where you want to go in the future.

To help you with the process, here are 5 tips from PrideStaff – one of Phoenix’s top employment agencies – for effective goal-setting for your career:

Tip #1: Gain clarity.

Before you make a move, it’s important to gain some clarity about your current situation. To do that, ask yourself questions, such as:

• • What do I like / don’t like about my position?
  • What am I great at, but can’t do enough of in my job now?
  • What don’t I like about my current company and its culture? What do I like?
  • What does my ideal position look like and what skills do I need to attain it?

Once you have a more defined perspective, you’ll begin to see the possibilities and what you’re looking for in your next role.

Tip #2: Be realistic.

If you have two years of experience, it’s unreasonable to expect to land a senior-level role as your next job. Not only that, but you’re setting yourself up for disappointment when you go after positions you’re not well-qualified for yet. Instead, be realistic when it comes to the types of positions you’re applying to. You’ll achieve job search success faster when you do.

Tip #3: Commit to small changes.

Realized you don’t have the skills or experience you need for the job you want? Commit to making small changes that will help you get there, whether it’s going back to school, enrolling in an online certification course, or participating in a company-offered training program. Whatever avenue you take, if you want to advance in your career, then it’s 100% up to you to make it happen.

Tip #4: Set deadlines and milestones.

Goals can be hard to stick to. That’s why you need to set deadlines in order to make the most of your efforts. This will help to add a sense of urgency so you’ll be more motivated to stick to your plan. Likewise, it will help you to measure your efforts to ensure you’re not falling behind.

Tip #5: Stay positive.

If you’re passionate about achieving a certain career goal, stay positive about it. If it’s a lofty one, then it could take some time to get there. However, if you set your goal wisely and work patiently toward achieving it, you will eventually get where you want to go.

Need help advancing your career to a new company?

PrideStaff can help. As one of Phoenix’s top employment agencies, we can assist you with every aspect of your search, start to finish, so you land your next great opportunity and get ahead your career in the New Year. Contact us today to learn more or get started.

Tips for Hiring the Right Receptionist

It’s right there in the job title: receptionist.

The person you hire for this role literally receives people, as the first person they encounter when they enter your building, call on the phone or send an online inquiry. Since they are one of the most, if not the number-one, customer-facing employee on your team, you need to hire a receptionist with just the right blend of skills, experience and personality.

Start by defining the role.

This is step one in hiring the right receptionist. Determine the scope and specifics of your new hire’s responsibilities, and communicate them clearly in your posting and during interviews.

• While the exact qualifications will depend on which duties you assign to your receptionist. A few generally-accepted traits are strong organizational skills, an eye for detail and strong communication.

First impressions are critical.

Just as your receptionist will be critical to people’s first impression of your company, pay close attention to your first impression of candidates. Every detail – from a person’s wardrobe, posture and demeanor to their overall aura of professionalism – should be a consideration.

The right personality is a must.

Your receptionist should be friendly and cordial without overdoing it. They should portray a sincere sense of welcome and interest in the eyes of everyone with whom they come in contact.

• If they appear too eager to please, a person may come across – not only to you as a prospective employer but also to customers and other stakeholders – as a pushover. Think carefully about how you want to be represented.

Find someone who can think on their feet.

Receptionists deal with the unexpected. It comes with the territory. Every day could bring uncommon requests, calls from upset clients, unusual questions and schedule changes. To do their job well, these professionals must be able to think quickly and maintain their composure.

• Think of some unexpected situational interview questions, so you can use them to judge how a candidate thinks on their feet.

Create a positive candidate experience.

Attracting and retaining top talent is dependent on providing an exceptional work environment and candidate experience. Receptionist applicants are no exception. Considerations include:

• Offering fair compensation. Be sure your pay range is competitive for your industry and geographic region.
• Treating people with respect. This doesn’t stop after a candidate has been hired. Continue to take such steps as voicing your appreciation for work well done, communicating often and consistently, and avoiding sudden deadlines and changing expectations whenever possible.

Remember, the happier your receptionist is, the better impression people will have of you and your entire organization. For more tips on hiring the best when it comes to administrative and customer support positions, contact Pridestaff Modesto today.

Non-Monetary Rewards to Give Your Employees When They Go Above and Beyond

If you want to boost employee engagement, rewarding your team when they go above and beyond is key. However, positive reinforcement doesn’t need to come in the form of financial incentives to be effective. In fact, even if budgetary issues aren’t a concern, other types of rewards tend to be more meaningful. Learn more about non-monetary rewards to give your employees when they go above and beyond.

• The Gift of Time

Whether you allow for an extra day off, a more flexible scheduling, or working from home options to save on commuting, the gift of additional time will be appreciated greatly by your employees. It also has the added bonus of encouraging work-life balance, which in turn also increases employee engagement and job satisfaction.

• Public Acknowledgement

When employees feel appreciated, they are more likely to want to continue to give it their all. Public acknowledgement, such as a complimentary email with influential higher ups copied on it or recognizing their effort at an official award ceremony, is a free way to show you notice and value their hard work.

• Group Activity

Boost morale and team-building while rewarding employees who have gone above and beyond with a group activity. A potluck lunch, an outing to a sports event, or performing volunteer work together can give your employees an opportunity to have fun and socialize and return to work recharged and motivated to continue to excel.

• A Personal Note

Sincerity is free, but it pays off greatly in making employees feel like they truly matter to you. Rather than a generic “Great job”, instead, take some time to write out a personal note to each individual that includes specific details about what you appreciate about them and how they went above and beyond.

• Professional Development

Demonstrate your trust in your employees and concern for their overall career progression by giving them opportunities to help with their professional development. Offer paid training or chances to lead projects to build their skill sets and develop experience help them boost their resumes for the long term goals.

We Have the Best Employees in Akron Ready to Work for You!

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