Three Small Steps to Improving Your Morning Routine

Your morning sets the tone for your entire day. If you feel like you’re not getting the best start, it’s time to do something about it. Making a few quick changes to your current routine can change your whole day for the better.

PrideStaff Las Vegas, a top event staffing agency in Las Vegas, realizes everyone isn’t a morning person. The good news is, a productive morning routine can help anyone get up and moving. Here are a few tips to help you make the most of your morning.

Three Easy Ways to Improve Your Morning Routine

Get Organized the Night Before

It’s hard to think straight when you’re half asleep. Accomplishing as many of your morning tasks as possible the night before helps you save time and stay on schedule. Several items can easily be crossed off your to-do list before you go to bed, such as choosing your outfit, making lunch and packing your work bag. This will allow you to start the morning on a more relaxed note, because you won’t have to frantically rush to accomplish everything without running late.

Stop Hitting Snooze

If you’re not a morning person, you probably dread getting out of bed, even if you love your job. The thing is, hitting the snooze button accomplishes little beyond making you late. You’re not getting any extra quality sleep, so just get up already. After a few days, you’ll wonder why you were so attached to the snooze button in the first place.

Make a Real Breakfast

Getting organized the night before and giving up the snooze button will save you tons of time. Make the most of it by preparing a healthy breakfast. This will keep your body fueled until lunch, providing you with a burst of morning energy like you’ve never experienced. You’ll feel great and your work will reflect it.

Achieve Your Personal Best

If you’re not happy in your current job, it’s time to find something new. PrideStaff Las Vegas, a leading event staffing company, is here to help you find a fulfilling opportunity that makes you enjoy going to work each day. Contact us today to find out how we can be of assistance!

5 Intangible Skills That’ll Get You Hired

Any resume comes with a long list of measurable accomplishments. Bullet points detailing the degrees received. A list enumerating professional certifications. A litany detailing skill proficiencies and technological competencies.

But those skills usually aren’t enough to secure a position. Every candidate probably has the basic skills to adequately fill the available position. To get the job, you have to go further than these bare-bones abilities.

When companies are making their selections, the competition often comes down to more intangible skills. These are softer capabilities that help separate you from the pack and, ultimately, land the position.

Curiosity

Companies view an interest in learning and the ability to pick up new skills as crucial for long-term success. Procedures and technology change over time, and you’ll need to adapt in order to keep up.

A diversity of experiences on your resume will help clue potential employers into your innate curiosity. Also, find ways to signal curiosity during your interview. Ask questions during the meeting and show interest in a range of topics.

Work Ethic

Impeccable qualifications and a broad skill set don’t help a company if you’re not willing to use them. When a deadline is approaching or when a project needs an extra jolt, companies want to know that you’ll be willing to put in the additional work necessary.

When you interview, stress your strong work ethic. Have specific examples of times you applied notable industriousness.

Leadership

Companies aren’t just hiring for the positions they currently have open. They are looking for people who can develop over time and become long-term assets. In short, they are hiring for the future.

As such, they are looking for people who can grow within the company, eventually moving into managerial roles. Highlight leadership positions on your resume and bring them up in your interview. Even if you don’t have formal managerial positions, include more informal situations – times you led a project or were designated team leader.

Team Work

Most of the work in a corporate environment involves some level of team work. As such, companies deeply value the ability to communicate well and work constructively with other people.

A talent for improving workplace chemistry will make you an attractive hire.

Positive Attitude

Showing an upbeat, energetic attitude goes a long way in impressing a potential employer. A positive mood promotes a light workplace vibe and signals sustainable productivity.

The interview will be the best place to showcase your buoyant demeanor. It can be hard to maintain your cheerful energy when faced with a sterile conference room setting and a seemingly indifferent interviewer. But showing off a go-getter mentality might ultimately secure you the position.

Highlighting your more intangible qualities can be a subtle art. Companies seek out these crucial abilities, but the dry format of a typical resume doesn’t give much space to put them in the forefront.

You can benefit from having an experienced professional review your resume and add ways to signal your subtler skills. PrideStaff can help you give employers a more complete picture of your abilities, as well as placing you in situations where you can use your talents most effectively.

Contact the leading Oregon recruiters at PrideStaff today to find out more.

 

Job Searching 101: How to Choose Great References

You spent hours on your resume. Done all your homework and aced the interview. Now, you just have to submit your list of references and the offer could be yours. But how do you choose? PrideStaff, one of Tempe’s top employment agencies, can help. To ensure you’re able to successfully navigate this last leg of the hiring process, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Be strategic.

Your references shouldn’t simply be a list of people you’ve worked with in the past. Instead, take a more thoughtful approach to those you submit. After all, you want the insight and feedback they give a hiring manager to be consistent and showcase your strengths and abilities. To do that, they need to be able to speak to who you are as a person, what it’s like to work with you and where you excel.

Provide the most relevant references.

When you have to deliver a list of references, ask the hiring manager if there’s something specific they’d like to evaluate. For instance, if they want to check a certain ability or skill – like project management – you’ll want to list individuals as references who have been a part of past projects you’ve led.

Include a mix.

Oftentimes, candidates will send in a reference list that simply includes peers and co-workers. But hiring managers want to hear from those who have supervised you in the past. So make sure you’re including a mix of colleagues and managers. If you’ve been in a leadership position, then also include those who have worked under you. This will provide a more comprehensive perspective on your background and why a potential employer should choose you.

Prepare your references.

Before submitting your list, make sure your references are well prepared to talk about what distinguishes you. Give them information about the company, the position, and where you think you can make the biggest contribution. Then discuss the specific areas where you’ve worked closely with them that are important to communicate. The more relevant their comments, the more persuasive they’ll be.

Highlight any commonalities.

If the hiring manager and one of your references went to the same college or they share a mutual connection, let your reference know so they can bring it up in the conversation. Familiarity breeds comfort and common ground can often mean more influence.

Whatever you do, don’t get caught unprepared when you’re at the end of the hiring process. Instead, follow the tips above to put yourself in the best possible position to deliver great references and get the job.

 

Need more help with these and other aspects of your job search?

 

Contact the team at PrideStaff. As one of Tempe’s top employment agencies, we know what hiring managers are looking for in potential employees and can help you increase your odds of getting hired. Contact us today to learn more or get started.

 

 

 

Subtle Ways to Make Employees More Loyal

Cultivating a sense of loyalty from your employees can increase productivity, engagement, and retention, which all benefit your company’s bottom line. However, many employees, even top performers, simply do not feel a deep commitment to their employers. Common reasons employees feel disconnected from their employers include: feeling like the company sees them as disposable, not being recognized for their contributions, and feeling like their work lacks purpose. Fortunately, improving loyalty is in your hands – make your employees more loyal by implementing these subtle methods:

  • Create a Values-Based Mission

If you want your employees to feel loyal to you, start by giving them something worthwhile of commitment. Create a values-based mission for the company, so your employees have a reason to want to stay and something to keep working toward. Once you’ve clarified the values and mission of your company, communicate it them as you assign work, discuss outcomes, and recognize their efforts.

  • Give Them a Voice

Your employees are more likely to feel loyalty toward your company if, in turn, they feel its leadership cares about what they have to say. Ensure they feel like you value their opinions by giving them a voice. Ask their opinions, keep them in the loop when discussing company news, and be an active listener when they come to you.

  • Allow Them to Be Accountable

It’s difficult for employees to feel invested in their work if they are simply following orders and not having any input. Allow them to be accountable by giving them tasks or projects, and then stepping back. They can make their own decisions and judgment calls, while being responsible for the results. It then becomes their work instead of the company’s, so they’ll be more motivated to succeed since they’re on the hook for the outcome. This accountability builds loyalty because it demonstrates your trust in their abilities.

  • Invest in Their Professional Development

Offering opportunities for your employees to learn new skills – especially if it’s aligned with their own professional goals – is a subtle yet effective way to build their loyalty. When you take the time and resources to invest in their professional development, it shows that you care about their long term growth. This increase the likelihood that they will try to advance internally instead of leaving to go elsewhere for a career boost.

Find Your Next Super Star with PrideStaff Akron!

Attract top talent by partnering with PrideStaff Akron. Whether you need candidates for direct recruiting, temp-to-hire, or temporary staffing, our experienced team of specialists will match you with the quality candidates that best fit your needs. Contact us today to learn more about our staffing solutions.

 

Are You in a Rut at Work? Here’s How to Get out of It

Do you feel like you’re dragging yourself to work every day, only to count the minutes until it’s time to go home?

Boredom, lack of motivation or inspiration, feeling like you’re not doing your job to the best of your ability or adding value to your company … none of these are good feelings. The occasional unproductive or “down” day – or even week or two – are normal and can be expected. But if a feeling of being in a work rut is prolonged, you need to address it and take proactive steps to change it.

Conduct a self-evaluation.

Take some time to think about what got you into this rut. The more specifically you can pinpoint the root cause, the better. What triggered the change?

  • Look at your lifestyle, both at and outside of work. Stresses related to personal issues can have just as much of an impact as work-related concerns – sometimes, even more so.

Regain your focus.

When you become bogged down with busywork and day-to-day demands, it’s easy to lose sight of the inspiration that truly motivates you. If this happens, consider planning a mini-retreat so you can refocus.

  • You don’t necessarily have to travel anywhere, as long as you dedicate intentional time to rediscovering your purpose. Of course, a day or two away from the office doesn’t hurt. Turn off your phone and email, and unplug. Meditate, contemplate, and just “be.” Ask yourself the big questions, such as “What would I be doing if money wasn’t an issue?” and “When do I feel the most alive?” The answers will open doors, no matter how scary it may seem at first.

Take it one step at a time.

Multitasking is a great quality to have, but enough is enough. If you’re trying to juggle too many balls, most of them are going to come crashing down. This will lead to greater feelings of inadequacy, stress and productivity paralyzation.

  • Focus on getting one task done, and then move on to the next one. An important prerequisite is to make sure you’ve correctly prioritized the items on your to-do list. Sometimes, you need to literally check off an item after you’ve completed it. This will nurture your feelings of control and create a positive feedback loop so you can get back on track.

Which decisions have you been avoiding?

Procrastinating or avoiding a tough project won’t make it go away. Confronting a difficult issue, as unpleasant as it may sound, will allow you to move past it and, hopefully, your rut.

  • Believe in yourself. Once you’ve completed your self-evaluation and reviewed your goals, identify a decision you’ve been avoiding, so you can act on it. Like your to-do items, tackle them one step at a time. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself back at peak performance level.

A professional career coach can be your best resource to carry out all the necessary steps toward relief from a work rut – and whatever it takes to move forward. The PrideStaff Modesto team can help you get your motivation, and your long-term career plans, back in sync. Why not spend some time talking with us to explore the possibilities? Contact us today!

Interview Itinerary (Part 3): Practical Things to Bring Into the Interview

You’ve spent a lot of time preparing for your interview, and the big day is finally almost here. Part of making a great impression is bringing the right items to the meeting, but you’re not completely sure what that involves.

PrideStaff Las Vegas, a leading event staffing provider in Las Vegas, understands this can be a bit confusing. Bringing the wrong things to an interview — i.e., coffee or a sandwich — is distracting and can hurt your chances of getting hired. Here’s a list of items interviewers expect you to be carrying.

Seven Practical Things to Bring to Your Job Interview

Copies of Your Resume

The hiring manager has definitely read your resume, but it was one of many, so they won’t remember most of the information on it. Some interviewers will print a copy of your resume off to bring to the meeting, but others will expect you to have one for them. It’s always wise to have several copies on hand, just in case the hiring manager is joined by other colleagues.

Pen and Paper

During the interview, you’ll be asked a lot of questions, but you’ll also receive plenty of information. You won’t be able to retain it all, so having a pen and paper handy will allow you to jot it down. Taking notes will show the interviewer you’re truly interested in the job, and they might come in handy later on.

Reference List

If the interview goes well and you’re considered a good fit for the job, checking your references will likely be one of the next steps. Being prepared with a list of contacts — make sure you’ve asked permission first — shows initiative and will allow the interviewer to start making calls right away.

Folder or Briefcase

You’ll need something professional looking to store all your items in, so stay organized with a nice folder or briefcase. If you don’t own one, buy one or borrow one from a friend, because carrying something tattered will hurt your image.

Portfolio

When interviewing for a job where a portfolio is required or suggested, don’t forget to take it with you. If your portfolio is only available online, bring a laptop or tablet in case the interviewer doesn’t arrive with one.

Notes

Job interviews can be extremely nerve-wracking, but thankfully, it’s okay to bring notes. Writing down talking points and questions for the interviewer is a wise move because if your mind goes blank, you have a backup.

Identification

Due to security measures, some companies won’t let you in the building without identification. Forgetting this could cause quite a hassle, so double-check your wallet before leaving home.

Take the Next Step in Your Career

Ready to start your search for a new job? PrideStaff Las Vegas takes pride in helping talented candidates like you find the right event jobs in Las Vegas. Contact us today to find a fulfilling temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire opportunity with a top Clark County employer!

Does Your Accounting Department Offer Paid Internships?

Internships represent an excellent way to augment your recruitment strategy. It also provides you with relatively cheap access to talented people. You can get some grunt work done, meet smart people and maybe develop some promising future prospects.

The project comes with a cost, of course. The interns are raw, prone to mistakes and never quite as qualified as you’d imagined.

Even some of the nominal benefits come with unexpected drawbacks. Interns are curious, which can invigorate an office atmosphere. But that means they ask a lot of questions, which can slow down productivity. They are charmingly eager. But that means they have a tendency to get involved in projects beyond their skill level.

Because of all this, overseeing an internship can become a complicated production to manage.

With the drawbacks, it makes sense to try to limit your exposure. The complications might convince you to pass on the concept altogether. Or you might try to limit the cost by offering only unpaid slots.

However, you could end up missing out on a lot of value. While offering paid internships represents a relatively large investment of time and resources, a properly run program can yield significant returns.

Better Choices

The immediate value of having an intern comes from their ability to provide cheap grunt work. Copying documents. Grabbing coffee. Sorting files.

With that in mind, why should you pay them? You can get almost anyone to do those low-level jobs, so why not get them done for free?

The problem is the long-term benefits of an internship program only ramp up when the people who fill those spots exhibit high-level talent. By providing a paid internship, your program becomes more competitive, more appealing for the best candidates.

Broader Demographics

Another benefit of a paid internship program comes from the ability to draw a broader pool of candidates. In an unpaid scenario, you’re forced to deal almost exclusively with college kids whose living expenses are covered by their parents. Who else can afford to accept a gig that doesn’t come with a paycheck?

By offering compensation, you get a wider selection. You get applicants from later in their careers, who might have more developed skills and might be able to contribute more meaningfully. You might also draw in older candidates with families or prospects from different socio-economic backgrounds, further expanding your recruitment possibilities and adding to office diversity.

Motivation to Go Beyond

Interns tend to be an enthusiastic breed under any circumstances. They want to impress, that you’ll give them the opportunity to gather references and experiences.

But in an unpaid circumstance, you have to rely on this natural self-driven motivation. You don’t have much managerial leverage. Offering a wage provides more incentive.

It also sets the stage for a potentially longer-term relationship. If you find someone you’d like to keep on past the end of the internship, at least some of the funds are already available for the position.

Having different avenues for recruitment enhances your ability to find the best available talent. Internships can feed into this goal. Partnering with a strong staffing firm provides another effective strategy for improving your recruitment. Contact the leading accounting recruiters at PrideStaff today to find out more.

4 Company Culture Mistakes Employers Make

As a manager or owner, you’re focused on building your team or your company. But is culture a part of the equation? If it’s not, then it can have a negative impact on the quality of candidates you attract, as well as your retention and bottom line.

It’s a lot to handle as a busy leader, between strategy meetings, hot projects and tight deadlines. Yet, as Phoenix recruiting experts, PrideStaff knows creating a healthy culture is too important to ignore. When you focus your efforts on it, just make sure you don’t make some common mistakes, such as:

Mistake #1: Lack of clear values.

Your culture should reflect your company’s mission and values. But if you haven’t defined and communicated them, then you’ll send an inconsistent message to your team. Instead, it’s critical to understand what makes your organization tick and carefully shape your culture around those concepts.

Mistake #2: Too much red tape.

Does it take weeks to get a simple decision about time off? Are there rules and policies in place that don’t make sense for today’s workforce? Do you need multiple sign-offs to get anything done? When there’s too much red tape or a bloated bureaucracy, employees will eventually get frustrated and look for places to work that provide a less complicated culture.

Mistake #3: No transparency.

Sometimes, it’s tough to be honest with your people, especially when the news isn’t good. But openness and trust are important components of any successful workplace culture. Keep in mind that when they’re left in the dark, your staff will imagine the worst, leading to fear and misunderstanding. It’s better to be honest and communicate often if you want a more engaged, connected culture.

Mistake #4: Poor hiring decisions.

When it comes to recruiting and hiring in the Phoenix area, you need people with the right technical skills, but also attitudes and habits that are a match for your team. If you handle the hiring process too quickly, or don’t assess for cultural fit, then there’s a much higher chance of making a hiring mistake. This, in turn, impacts morale, productivity and profits.

You can’t see culture, but you can definitely feel it. And when a company has a strong, thriving, positive one, it’s going to have big-picture implications, from the level of talent they’re able to attract to organizational innovation and success.

Need help marketing your culture to potential new hires?

Connect with the Phoenix recruiting experts at PrideStaff. We can learn more about what makes your company and opportunities unique, then position your job openings to better appeal to candidates. Contact us today to learn more or get started.

 

 

 

Learn How to Improve Your Brand to Attract Top Talent

Your employer brand is your company’s reputation as an employer and also its value proposition, or what it offers to potential employees. It should be authentic, sharing “what it’s really like to work here” and providing insight into your culture, as well as candidates’ opportunities for career advancement.

  • Just as you would with your consumer-facing brand, pay careful attention to every aspect of how candidates experience your company. From your job posting and hiring process to onboarding and beyond, keep it compelling and positive. Companies with strong brand reputations get twice as many applicants as those with negative brands, and they spend less money in doing so.

Define your brand.

Create a clearly defined message, tone and feel that will attract top talent to your brand.

  • Make sure your message is consistent at every touch point. These include your career page, your social media platforms, your job postings and advertising, and all other content.
  • Highlight the unique human elements and differentiators that set your brand apart and make it unique.

Your brand should reflect your culture.

Your employer brand is a visible statement of your company culture. This ensures you bring only right-fit talent on board. So when you define your brand, consider exactly what kind of culture you’re striving for.

  • Looking to attract millennials? According to recent research results, 83 percent of them say they’re actively engaged when they feel their organization fosters an inclusive culture.

Put technology to work for you.

Technology can streamline candidate engagement, as well as application, assessment and selection processes and interview scheduling and feedback. Enable your recruitment team to provide an exceptional candidate experience by taking advantage of today’s tech and communication channels.

Treat every candidate like a customer.

Treat every job candidate like the VIP customer they are. Job searchers want to know as much as possible about your company’s expectations, work style and hiring process. In turn, they may circulate reviews about their experience, whether or not you ultimately hire them.

  • Tell a compelling story. You might want to publish videos to bring job postings to life and/or share testimonials from current employees about their own positive experiences.
  • Once you’ve initiated contact with desired talent, keep candidates engaged through regular, proactive communications. Consider tools like chatbots to help people get the answers they’re looking for, or host online career chats.

Do you need help defining or communicating your employer brand to prospective hires? Or, do you need access to those hires, including sometimes elusive, but always desirable passive job candidates? If so, contact PrideStaff Modesto today. Tap into our national client network and unparalleled market intelligence for all the results you want – and more.

The Benefits of Pre-Employment Assessment

Making the best hires requires limiting the need for subjective judgment calls and relying on objective evaluation methods. Often candidates who give great interviews and seem more than qualified end up falling short and catching hiring managers by surprise. Working with a staffing agency to perform pre-employment assessments can ensure candidates truly have the skills and traits necessary to succeed if hired. Learn more about the benefits of pre-employment assessment:

 

  • Streamlines Hiring Process

When you post a job opening, you may receive a great deal of applications – but even after filtering through the completely unqualified ones, you may still have many applications to consider. By working with a staffing firm to perform pre-employment assessments, you will only be provided the candidates who have the right qualifications and have passed the assessments. This saves you a significant amount of time and streamlines the hiring process.

 

  • Showcases Technical Skills

Pre-employment assessments can serve as a way to preview prospective candidates’ technical skills in a risk-free way, rather than hiring them only to learn after that they aren’t as skilled as they claim. You can utilize a basic skills assessment that relates to the specific job, which can measure how much they truly know about the most crucial aspects of the role.

 

  • Predicts Success at Key Job Functions

There is more to a candidate being a successful hire than possessing technical skills. While most skills can be taught, their attitude, temperament, integrity, and personality traits cannot – and they are often the most influential factors in success at jobs. By performing pre-employment assessments to measure those necessary traits, you can be more confident that you’re only pursuing candidates who have the total package.

 

  • Increases Likelihood of Retention

Turnover is among the costliest and most preventable employment expenses. Making a bad hire requires starting the hiring process over again to find a replacement, while you lose out on productivity in the meantime. If you want to hire employees who are less likely to turn over, pre-employment assessments can help ensure you are making the most informed hiring decisions possible to increase retention.

 

Ready to Hire the Best Candidates? Contact PrideStaff Akron

Delegate the time-consuming pre-employment assessments to a staffing agency you can trust. Here at PrideStaff Akron, we are dedicated to serving our clients by going above and beyond to understand and meet their unique needs. Contact us for more information on how PrideStaff Akron can help you find the right candidates for your positions.