Make These Tweaks to Your Resume Before Pressing ‘Send’

The expression “You never get a second chance to make a first impression” rings extremely true when it comes to resumes. When you consider that for any given position, hiring managers can receive 250+ applications, you better make sure yours is as close to perfect as it can be.

• Start with a master resume.

You may have put together a resume within the last year that has all of your basics on it: Work history, skills, and basic information. Consider that your master resume, the one from which all others will come. Then you can revamp, move things around, and emphasize certain information based on each separate application. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel each time; the master resume will save you time and stress.

• Make keywords your friends.

Considering the average resume gets no more than six seconds of viewing, you need to catch a hiring manager’s eye (or the hiring software’s scanning feature) and do so quickly. Look carefully at the job description and pull out keywords that you can then sprinkle throughout your resume. Whether human or software, each quickly scans for those words that tell they’ve got someone who fits the description. A good match means you move on to the next round.

• Tailor your resume using these four points.

Once you have your master resume and know what skills they want, use one of these categories to specialize your resume:

• Job-related skills: Those absolutely necessary to do the job
• Transferrable skills: Skills that go easily from one job to another such as knowing Microsoft Excel
• Adaptive skills: Skills you use in everyday life such as reliability and integrity

Boost Your Resume with the Help of PrideStaff Akron!

Generic works great for buying things at the drugstore, it makes you indistinguishable as a job candidate. Tailor your resume to stand out from the crowd, and use PrideStaff to help you find the position that best fits you.

7 Red Flags Your Employee Might Put In Their Two Weeks

Replacing employees is a drag, especially long-time veterans you respected and liked. It’s like having to start dating again after leaving a long-term relationship.

Employee departures (and breakups for that matter) are worse when they come by surprise. Not only do you have to conduct the expensive process of recruitment and training, but the unexpected nature of their decision to leave can also cause additional headaches as well.

You might not be able to prevent a worker from quitting altogether, but there are ways to anticipate the departure, letting you soften the blow somewhat. Here are seven signs an employee might be getting ready to hand in their two-week notice:

Complains More

Your employee used to have a can-do attitude and a resilient spirit. Lately, they spout nothing but complaints and negativity. It might be a sign they’ve soured on the job and will soon be looking for the door.

Won’t Discuss the Long Term

You keep bringing up the prospect of promotions or likely projects set to begin next year. Your employee gets dodgy and vague. A lack of commitment to the long term can indicate one eye toward the exit. They don’t want to talk about the future, because they envision their future somewhere else.

Seems Checked Out

Your office superstar (once first in line for overtime, never missed a day unless there was a family tragedy) begins to slack off. They arrive just on time in the morning and leave as soon as they can in the evening. They start maximizing all their vacation days. They may have concluded the extra effort won’t do them any good in a position they’ve already decided to leave.

Suffered Recent Disappointment

Long-time veterans typically don’t leave on a whim. Usually, there is some cause – a precipitating event. Maybe they got passed over for promotion, or perhaps they failed to secure the full raise they had lobbied for. When setbacks like this occur, you should keep an eye on the employee to see whether they start displaying some of the other signals of impending departure.

Dwindling Output

A decline in productivity can provide another red flag, as your once hyper-efficient employee now takes their time with every assignment. It suggests they are no longer interested in impressing you and might be looking elsewhere for future career advancement.

Don’t Respond to Feedback

Ideally, employees should improve over time, shaped by your constructive feedback. As such, a worker who has stopped taking your notes to heart may not be interested in a long career at the company. Like dwindling output, it signals a lack of desire to impress, and points to a potential desire to find another opportunity somewhere else.

Socially Isolated at Work

Work isn’t just about money and output. It’s also about people. A high-functioning team will include a social aspect. An employee who stays aloof from that, or starts to pull back after previously connecting with their colleagues, may not feel a strong attachment to either the position or their co-workers.

You aren’t going to keep every employee, no matter how supportive you are or how enticing the opportunities are at your company. People will leave. Partnering with a top-flight recruiting firm, like PrideStaff, can take some of the sting out of these departures.

PrideStaff will help you fill positions quickly with qualified, creative workers who are ready to contribute to your firm’s long-term growth. Contact our PrideStaff Bend recruiters today to learn more.

Joining a Temp Agency Could be the Missing Job Search Step You’ve Been Looking For

Finding a great new job is hard work. As one of the top staffing agencies in Las Vegas, Nevada, PrideStaff Las Vegas understands that finding the right fit can feel like a full-time job in itself.

You’ve been searching on your own for a while now, but you still haven’t found what you’re looking for. The good news is, you don’t have to go it alone. In addition to helping employers fill open positions, staffing agencies assist candidates with their job search — and the best part is, you pay nothing.

Still not sold on the idea of working with a recruiter? Keep reading to learn what you have to gain.

Five Reasons to Team Up With a Recruiter

Get on the Right Track

If you’ve been aimlessly flitting between jobs, it’s time to add structure to your professional life. Your recruiter will help assess your skills and work with you to figure out what you really want from your career. You’ll even have the ability to test drive different options by taking on temporary assignments.

Find a Job That Fits Your Schedule

Everyone isn’t available to work standard 9am to 5pm hours, Monday through Friday. If you’ve been having trouble landing a job due to schedule constraints, your recruiter can help you find a solution. Staffing agencies help companies fill temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire roles, so they’ll work with you to find something that fits your life.

Polish Your Candidacy

You might be the best person for the job, but if you’re not properly presenting yourself to employers, they can’t see it. Your recruiter will work with you to clean up your resume and help you prepare for interviews, allowing you to stand out from the crowd. The sky’s the limit when employers can finally see what you have to offer.

Get Connected

Recruiters help people find and fill jobs for a living, so their employment connections run deep. Many companies post open positions exclusively through staffing agencies. If you’re not connected to a recruiter, you’ll never even know these opportunities were available in the first place.

Gain Valuable Interview Feedback

Every job interview should be a learning experience. However, it’s rare to receive feedback from a hiring manager when you weren’t chosen for the position. This isn’t the case when you’re working with a recruiter. Your recruiter will follow up with the interviewer to see how you did, and they’ll relay the comments back to you. This will allow you to know your strengths and weaknesses, so you can improve for next time.

Give PrideStaff Las Vegas a Try

If finding a new job has proven more challenging that you expected, PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to assist. Allow us to use our extensive network to help you find your fit with a top local employer. Contact us today to find out what we can do for your career!

5 Ways to Prepare Yourself for Salary Negotiations

Once you’ve survived the interview process and actually received a job offer, it may seem like the preparation is over; however, there’s one final key step for which many job seekers don’t properly prepare: salary negotiations. Being overly aggressive and unrealistic with salary negotiations will typically backfire, but taking whatever is offered without question can set your career path back. Get the fair salary you deserve with these five ways to prepare for salary negotiations.

1. Educate Yourself on Salary Averages

   Do some online research on the average salary/ranges for the job position in question within the industry, as well as by geographical region. This will help you make educated decisions on any salary offers so you know if it’s a fair offer – plus, it gives you a non-emotional, facts-based response to counteract overly low salary ranges.

2. Research the Company’s Compensation Policies

   Talk with the company’s HR department to find out how the organization determines ongoing salary increases and promotions. If it’s based on annual performance reviews with no room for negotiation before that, you may have a case for a starting salary at a higher range; however, if you receive performance-based bonuses or commissions, a lower salary may be sufficient.

3. Determine Your Leverage Points

   Prepare a written analysis of the factors that make you valuable enough to warrant a higher salary. Brainstorm to figure out what skills, experience, or other differentiators you would contribute to the organization, that set you apart from other candidates and make you worth the investment.

4. Figure Out Your Limits

   Use your past compensation history, salary research, and leverage points to develop a flexible set of salary negotiation terms that you’re willing to work within. This includes your ideal target salary, an acceptable range, other benefits/perks that would supplement a lower offer (such as telecommuting options or schedule flexibility), and your non-negotiable walk away point.

5. Practice Your Persuasion Tactics

   Negotiation is a skill that can take experience to develop, so it is important to be prepared so you’re as persuasive as possible. Rehearse your responses to a few basic scenarios, such as responding to the initial offer with a proposed higher figure or your comeback response if they reject your proposal.

Let PrideStaff Akron Help You Find Your Next Job!

Don’t settle for a position that compromises your career objectives. Find a job that is the perfect fit by teaming up with PrideStaff Akron. Our mission as a staffing firm in the greater Akron area is to match employers with the qualified and talented candidates for their hiring needs. Search our available jobs for your next opportunity.

How You Can Spot a Top Performer in a Job Interview

With unemployment at a 17-year low, competition for top talent is fierce across the United States. The most desired candidates on the market have multiple job opportunities to choose from, so you have to be both creative and perceptive when seeking out high performers in interviews.

Look for Leadership Potential

Find candidates you can develop and groom for succession. Single out individuals with the capacity to adapt to new challenges and grow into new roles – in other words, evolve along with your organization.

Here are some key signs of leadership potential:

• Social awareness: It’s important to determine the social acumen and emotional intelligence of a candidate. Top performers are confident without being arrogant, and comfortable in their own skin without being overly casual. They are good conversationalists and listeners.
• Flexibility: A key attribute of leadership is the ability to change direction and stretch when pulled. A good way to assess agility and responsiveness is to give a candidate an assignment to complete with a quick but realistic turnaround time.
• Transparency: Does a candidate demonstrate honesty, humility and acceptance of personal responsibility? During an interview, if anything comes up that calls a person’s integrity into question, view it as an immediate red flag.

Ask the Right Questions

Certain questions can help you determine how motivated a candidate is and how well they would fit your company culture. Make sure your questions are behavioral in nature: Ask for specific examples of performance success in their past, and keep probing until you’re satisfied with their response.

Here are some sample questions:

• Can you describe an instance where you were able to maintain your passion for a project over a long period of time? This question will help you pinpoint individuals with perseverance, who will maintain their high standards until all objectives are met.
• If you were struggling with an assignment, would you push through it on your own or ask for assistance? Although you want to hire independent employees, you don’t want to recruit people who are too proud to ask for help when they need it. This shows character – and furthermore, a reluctance to seek assistance can lead to a serious waste of time.
• What skills are you hoping to improve over the next five years? If a candidate has a detailed plan for improvement in place, this is a good indicator they are self-aware and proactive about their growth.
• How do you prioritize your tasks? Asking this question will help you understand how a candidate’s mind works and how they deal with multitasking. The details don’t matter as much as the fact they are diligent and put thought into effectively organizing their work.

The PrideStaff Modesto team can help you identify and address your unique hiring needs. We specialize in talent solutions in administration, customer service, IT, finance, legal support, healthcare, and production and distribution. Contact us today so we can discuss options that fit your organization in 2019 and beyond.

How to Best Market Your Job Openings

You want to find the best people as quickly as possible for your job openings. As one of the top staffing services in Phoenix, PrideStaff knows it takes a lot more than simply posting ads on the major job boards.

Instead, if you want to attract the highest quality professionals, be more proactive in your approach. Here are 4 easy ways to do that so can ensure top talent gets their foot in the door with you:

#1: Write a great job ad.

If you don’t have a compelling job ad, then it won’t matter where you promote it. In-demand candidates aren’t going to apply. That’s why it’s important to ensure you don’t simply focus on your hiring needs but also spend time explaining why they would want to work for your company.

Also, keep the language clear and concise and get specific. Candidates want insight into the job, not vague, generic details.

#2: Get help from current employees.

Your current staff are valuable ambassadors among their network of friends, family and former colleagues for your employer brand. So ask for their support when you have a job opening. For instance, they can post the position to their own social media profiles, as well as author posts about what they like best about working at the company on your corporate blog.

#3: Put social media to good use.

There are many different ways to use social media to promote your job openings. The easiest is by posting them on your social media profiles. But it’s also important to go beyond that with a longer-term approach. This includes building a strong online presence with company-specific content on the social media channels that make the most sense for your hiring needs. This will help top candidates become more familiar with your organization, so they’re more likely to apply to positions.

#4: Give your website an overhaul.

Today’s candidates are online, researching companies and deciding whether each one is a place they’d like to work. If your website, or the careers portion of it, looks antiquated or seems clunky, it’s going to impact the level of talent you’re attracting. Give your website a review and see if it needs an overhaul. It doesn’t have to be fancy or flashy; simply clear and cohesive.

Regardless of the industry you work in, employees are still your #1 most important asset. Without them, you can’t compete. So when it comes to promoting postings and taking that first step toward hiring, make sure you invest the time and effort to get marketing right. When you do, you’ll be able to recruit better-quality employees and enhance your bottom line.

Need help promoting your jobs and recruiting top-level people?

Call PrideStaff. As one of the top staffing services in Phoenix, we can help with every aspect of hiring, from writing and promoting job ads to interviewing and evaluating candidates. Contact us today to learn more or get started.

Interview Itinerary (Part 4): The “Do’s” and “Dont’s” to Answering Tough Questions

Job interviews are all about making a great impression and proving your fit for the position. When tough questions are thrown your way, it can be hard to know how to answer them.

As a top temp agency in Las Vegas, PrideStaff Las Vegas understands these questions put you in a challenging position. Appearing authentic to the hiring manager without saying something that could put you out of the running is a delicate balancing act. Get it right by following these guidelines.

The Key to Answering Tough Interview Questions

Do Answer Questions Honestly

When asked questions like “What is your greatest weakness,” hiring managers see right through fake responses. You might think it’s clever to say you work too hard or care too much, but that won’t get you very far. Instead, share a real weakness that wouldn’t be considered a red flag. It should relate to the job, without being something that would take you out of the running.

Don’t Speak Poorly of a Former Employer

Questions like, “Describe your least favorite boss,” need to be answered gingerly. The interviewer is testing you in two areas — to find out what you disliked about a former manager and to see if you’ll share unflattering information. In your response, choose one or two aspects of the person’s management style that didn’t work for you, and focus solely on that. Don’t take the bait and make it personal.

Do Put a Positive Spin on Trying Situations

You might think questions like, “Describe your biggest failure,” are designed to make you look bad, but there actually is a way to come out on top. Share a past professional mishap — nothing overtly catastrophic — and explain what you learned from it. The interviewer knows no one is perfect, so they just want to see how you behave when things don’t go as planned.

Don’t Divulge Too Much Information

Answering tough questions honestly is a must, but that doesn’t mean you have to share all the details. For example, if you’re asked why you were fired from your last job, briefly explain the situation and move on. Unless the interviewer presses for more information, they’ll likely be satisfied with a general overview. There’s no need to spend much time dwelling on the past.

Get a Job That Makes You Happy

If you don’t feel fulfilled in your current job, PrideStaff Las Vegas wants to help you land a rewarding new position right here in Clark County. Contact us today to find a temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire opportunity that checks all your boxes!

How to NOT Treat an Applicant You Plan on Passing On

When filling an open position on your team, you’ll interact with dozens, maybe even hundreds of candidates. You’ll invite a much smaller group in to interview for the position, but ultimately, only one person will get the job.

As a busy staffing agency in Las Vegas, PrideStaff Las Vegas understands you don’t have a lot of extra time in your day, but that’s no excuse for treating those you didn’t hire in a dismissive manner. These people used their valuable time to vie for a position at your company, so you owe them respect.

Not only is it wrong to treat applicants poorly, it can also adversely impact your business. Disgruntled candidates won’t hesitate to speak out, which will tarnish your reputation. Use this advice to guide your behavior.

Three Ways to NOT Treat a Candidate You Didn’t Hire

Don’t Ghost Them

Finally finding the right person for the job is exciting, but don’t forget about those you didn’t choose. As soon as your selected candidate accepts the offer, let the rest of the group know the position has been filled. This is the courteous thing to do and it allows people to move on to the next option.

Don’t Lead Them On

If you’re not sure things will work out with your selected candidate, you might be tempted to keep other top contenders on the line. This is convenient for you, but it’s extremely unfair to them.

Letting them know you hired someone else immediately is the only fair move. It’s fine to tell them you’d like to keep their application on hold for future positions — only if you mean it — but don’t leave them hanging about this particular opportunity. Doing so will burn bridges, ensuring their interest in working for your company will be gone for good.

Don’t Refuse to Offer Feedback

Some candidates might have questions about why they weren’t chosen. Many hiring managers consider this an annoyance, and subsequently ignore their requests, but put yourself in their shoes. Any feedback you have to offer can help them in their next search. This will also allow you to leave things on a positive note that both of you can feel good about.

Find Your Ideal Candidate

There’s a lot of talented candidates out there, but not everyone is right for your company. PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to help you find the best person for the job every time. Contact us today to find out how we can be of assistance!

Take Your Job Search to the Fast Lane

Unemployment can represent one of the most stressful times a person can face. Mounting bills, dwindling savings, family and financial responsibilities weighing down on you.

Keeping that period of time as short as possible becomes crucial to maintaining your mental health (and a healthy financial situation).

Unfortunately, the length of time between jobs isn’t completely up to you. The availability of positions ebbs and flows with larger economic cycles. And individual companies operate on their own (always seemingly snail-like) timetables.

But while you can’t control every aspect of the job-search process, there are steps you can take to quicken the pace. Here are five measures you can take to fast-track your job search and shorten the painful out-of-work time period.

Keep Your Resume up to Date

The need for a new job can come up suddenly. Layoffs, mergers or other corporate restructuring can leave you without a position, even if you have a stellar record and no previous warning that unemployment loomed on the horizon.

For that reason, stay prepared. Even when you have what seems like a stable position, keep your resume current and be ready to pull the trigger on a job search at a moment’s notice.

Constantly Improve Your Job Skills

Keeping your resume up to date helps jump start a job search. But you must make sure that resume will make a difference when the time comes.

Building job skills can take time. If you find yourself behind the curve, it may take months to get the appropriate training. Or, if you find yourself underqualified while searching for a new job, you might be forced to take a lower position as a place holder.

Lay the groundwork for a quick transition. Constantly research the gold standard in your industry and make sure your resume lives up to expectations.

Engage Your Network Immediately

Resumes and job skills represent preventative precautions if the worst should happen. But when the worst happens, what’s your first step?

Most people know the best way to land a new job is through an acquaintance. Still, a lot of folks get shy at the moment of truth. They don’t want to bother people. They feel embarrassed for being out of work. They don’t want to feel indebted to anyone.

Don’t let pride slow your job search. As soon as you begin looking, reach out to the people who can help you find a position.

Treat Your Job Search Like a Job

Devoting sufficient time and energy to a job search ensures the process remains as efficient as possible. The end result is a shorter gap between positions … as well as a better choice of gigs.

So, plunge into the job search full time. If you’ve run through all the application possibilities, consider other methods. Or spend time improving your skills or upgrading your job search tool kit: practicing interviews, expanding your network and researching companies or industries of interest.

Get Professional Help

No, we don’t mean a psychiatrist (though, if you’re pulling out your hair or constantly throwing office supplies around the room, you might want to check into that as well). We mean you should look into professional services firms that can help you land a job.

There are plenty of experts available to help you hone your resume or improve your prospects. You should also consider the use of a staffing firm, which can quickly place you into an excellent long-term opportunity.

A recruiter, like PrideStaff, can steer you into the perfect situation for your current career needs. Contact our recruiting experts today to get started.

Is Potential More Valuable than Experience?

The saying “Hire for attitude and train for skill” is often echoed by business leaders, and the importance of personal attributes has facts to back it up. 89 percent of new hires that leave an organization within 18 months do so because of attitude reasons, and not for lack of skill, according to a Leadership IQ study. A candidate with potential, but lacking experience, can be trained—but mindset and other personality traits cannot. Learn how to determine how to hire for attitude and potential over set skills or experience:

Outline What Attributes Contribute to Success

Targeting candidates for potential is not simply just “winging it” or trusting your gut instinct. For this hiring style to be effective, there must be a clearly defined set of attributes that you systemically look for in candidates. What are the main personality traits that contribute the most to success at your organization? These may vary significantly by industry and company culture. Prioritize the most important attributes that candidates need to have before you implement your candidate search.

Examine Behavior, Not Theory

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. When interviewing candidates, ask for specific examples of how they’ve previously handled situations that are applicable to the job.  This is generally more eye-opening than asking “What if…” questions where candidates are likely to tell you what they think you want to hear, which doesn’t indicate much in terms of potential performance.

For example, if your company looks for proactive workers open to learning, ask for examples about times they didn’t know how to perform a task at work and how they overcame it. A candidate without some of the technical training you’re looking for may impress you with an anecdote of asking questions and researching to handle a task on her own.

Accept What Cannot Be Changed

While certain behaviors can be controlled, overall inherent personality traits cannot be changed. If a candidate has all of the right qualifications on paper, but doesn’t have the personal attributes you’re looking for, it will most likely not improve over time and prevent the candidate from being as successful as possible. If you’re hesitant on passing over a candidate with skills to pick a candidate with potential to train, just remember: only 11 percent of bad hires are due to lack of skills or experience, while the above mentioned 89 percent is attitude not fitting in.

Elevate Your Staff by Partnering with PrideStaff Akron!

Finding candidates with the right potential is a targeted process that can require a great deal of time and attention. PrideStaff is an experienced staffing firm serving the greater Akron area, and we specialize in recruiting top candidates to fit our clients’ unique business strategies. Contact PrideStaff Akron today to learn more about our staffing services.