How Your Social Media Presence Could Be Affecting Your Job Search

We live more in public now than at any other time in history. Sometimes, this is almost literally true. As Facebook gives way to Twitter, which has given way to live streaming, full chunks of our lives exist as a semi-permanent cyber-monument.

Meanwhile, employers want to know everything they can about you before they hire you. They only have a resume, and maybe an interview or two, to get a picture of who you are. They have incentive to find every piece of info they can.

Now, companies aren’t going to employ hackers or private investigators to build a secret dossier. But they will at least do a simple Google search to find out what they can. Keeping this in mind can make the difference between maximizing opportunities and missing out.

Here are a few key questions to ask yourself about your social media presence.

Can Employers Find You On Social Media?

Think about whether a potential employer can easily see your social media posts. When you set up your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram accounts, consider not using your real name. Also, you might not want to use your photo as a profile picture. Making your accounts more anonymous – so that only your real friends can find it – will make it much easier to keep it private.

Within your social media accounts, check your settings to make sure that anything you want to stay private really is private. It’s easy to accidently change something, or have one setting wrong, which opens up all sorts of supposedly private information to the outside world.

Also, don’t forget you can be tagged in things other people post online. You may exist in the cyber world in ways outside your direct control.

Is Everything You Post Appropriate for Work?

Remember: Employers want everything to be as uncontroversial as possible. So while social media might seem like a good place to vent, letting every opinion out on Twitter might come back to haunt you.

It may seem like you’re giving in to the tyranny of a surveillance culture. But then again, maybe there’s something to be said for reserve and decorum.

Either way, remember that what you say online can have consequences. You may have the right to free speech, but companies have the right to hire someone else.

Does Your Social Media Require Rehab?

Still having to answer for that thing you posted in high school? It might be time to give your social media presence a good scrubbing.

Look at James Gunn. The well-respected director of the blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy movies lost his gig at the helm of the third film in the series due to backlash after some of his posts on social media. The catch? The posts in question had happened about a decade before.

So, make sure everything embarrassing from your past has been deleted. In extreme situations, there are even professional services that will rehab your past social media for you, keeping your current job prospects secure.

Are You Using Social Media to Improve Your Cause?

So far, we’ve touched on the ways your social media presence can hurt your job prospects. But there’s an opportunity for you to actively improve your chances to land a position.

Use your accounts as your personal PR. Think of the ways companies use their social media accounts: To promote a brand and build a positive feeling about them. Do the same thing. Posting pictures from your charity 5K, or of you coaching a kids’ softball team can promote qualities about you that might not show up on a resume.

Apply Today!

When building that personal brand, it’s helpful to have a partner. A strong staffing agency can clue you into the sort of things employers are looking for. Contact PrideStaff today to talk to their recruiting experts about maximizing your career advancement.

Why Storytelling Matters in Your Interview

Think about your last interview – how did it go? Did you manage to simply answer the questions asked or truly pull your interviewer in? The best interviewee knows how to not only deliver the information asked but also manage to build good rapport in the process – all while not getting too chatty. So how do you manage that balance? Give them a great story. Whether they ask you to tell a specific one or you find a way to work it in, a well-told story can help you have a great interview.

Don’t save the reveal.

Start your story with the main concept to indicate you understand the question being asked. In other words, tell the point of your story up front, then launch into the setup of how you got there. As an example, if they ask about a time when you had to deal with a difficult decision, start off by saying, “The time I had to disagree with my boss about a major project comes to mind,” rather than starting your story and giving no hint of where you’re going with it.

Set it up properly.

You also want to give proper context right away. Any good story sets up the atmosphere clearly – let them know whether your situation was positive or negative, who was involved, and what it meant for you professionally. These sorts of small but critical details give the story the proper punch it needs to make your point and keep it interesting. So, after you say your line from above, you may want to continue with, “We had been working on a project to bring in a major client for weeks and then…”

Bring yourself into the action.

As this is a story about you and your actions, once you’ve set up the problem, succinctly detail how you managed to help solve it or how you responded. Here you get to show your skills and qualifications – the main point of your story. Note that this is a great time to use “I” instead of “we”. Obviously point out what the team did but focus on yourself. So, then you might say, “I knew my boss had something in mind, but I’d done extra research that indicated a different strategy would work better,” etc.

End with closure.

Once you’ve set up the scenario, tell how your actions made the difference, whether good or bad. If you had a negative experience, add in the lessons you learned and how they’ve driven your actions (and how they’ll apply to the position you’re interviewing for!). Your story may end with, “I realized after the fact that I should have approached her earlier on in the decision-making process, but I also earned her respect by doing the research and standing my ground respectfully. It actually helped our professional relationship as a result.”

As you prepare for your next interview, have your stories ready to help yourself shine and connect with your interviewer. For more interview advice, work with the experts at PrideStaff.

Important Questions to Ask When Conducting Reference Checks

Once seen as a simple formality, candidate reference checks have taken on a much larger role in recent years, as businesses spend more time and effort on making sure they hire the right talent. Did you know that 20 percent of job applicants are knocked out of consideration based on information obtained during these checks? So, think twice before disregarding them as a key step in your recruitment process.

Why Conduct Reference Checks

Reference checks help you ensure a candidate has been honest on their resume and application and during their interviews. When you narrow the field to a few potential hires, this check often becomes the deciding factor.

Some reference check questions are purely factual. Responses enable you to confirm such information as employment dates and degrees and salaries earned. Other questions can help you get a better feel for an individual’s personal qualities and work-performance record.
Be a skeptic. CVs can – and often are – embellished. It’s possible to become a “master interviewee” who winds up failing miserably once hired. So, use reference checks to avoid costly hiring mistakes.

When to Conduct Reference Checks

Before making an offer, carry out two verbal reference checks on a candidate. If one is positive and the other is mediocre or even negative, conduct a third check to iron out any disparities.

Questions to Ask

No matter how amazing an applicant may seem on paper or even in person, don’t let the reference check step of your hiring process slip through the cracks. Here are some important questions to ask:

When did (name) work for your company?
Why did they leave?
What was their starting and ending salary?
May I briefly review (name’s) resume with you? Do the job titles and descriptions listed match the position they held?
What were (name’s) strengths and weaknesses as an employee?
How did (name) support coworkers?
How did (name) handle conflict? Stress?
Did (name) miss a lot of work? Was (he/she) frequently late? Are there any issues you’re aware of that negatively impacted their performance?
What was (name’s) biggest accomplishment while working for your company?
Would you rehire (name) if the opportunity arose?
Is there anything I haven’t asked that you would like to share with me?

You can’t afford to make the wrong hire. But you may feel overwhelmed by all the steps involved in getting it right. From sourcing the best talent to completing all the legwork involved, making final selections and negotiating compensation packages, PrideStaff Modesto can be your go-to resource for hiring success. Contact us today to discuss your customized talent management plan.

Resume Round-up (Part 7): The Key to Making a Lasting First Impression

Finding a great new job isn’t easy, so you have to put your best self forward. Whether you want to be a temp in Las Vegas or are in search of direct hire opportunities, the resume you submit directly impacts your chances of success.

The key to making a lasting first impression is to tailor your resume to fit the job at hand. You know you’re supposed to take this step, but if you’re like many job seekers, you might try to skip it. It definitely takes extra time to customize your resume, but if you don’t do it, you won’t stand out.

Three Tips to Tailor Your Resume to Perfection

Incorporate Keywords

When reading the job description, highlight words and phrases used multiple times in the text. Find a way to work these keywords and phrases into your resume copy in a natural-sounding manner. Showing you speak the company’s language will allow the reader to instantly relate to you. Plus, if keyword scanning software is used to review incoming resumes, this will ensure yours contains a high enough percentage to make the cut.

Emphasize Relevant Skills

You have a wealth of skills, but all your talents aren’t applicable to the job. As noted in a previous post in this series, the best way to show your fit for the position is to underline your job-related abilities. This also makes it clear you understand the position and the skills needed to succeed in it. There’s no need to take up valuable resume real estate listing expertise that won’t be an asset to the job.

Display Cultural Fit

If you think you can’t demonstrate cultural fit on a resume, you are very mistaken. There’s plenty of subtle ways to show the reader that your values align with the company’s. Carefully review the organization’s website, blog and social media presence to learn as much as possible about its culture. Use your findings to subtly weave your fit into your resume copy. For example, if providing outstanding customer service is the cornerstone of the company, use several bullet points to showcase your dedication to client satisfaction.

Make a Lasting First Impression

Team up with PrideStaff Las Vegas to get your dream job! We have the contacts and you have the talent, so contact us today to start your search for a temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire opportunity that makes you excited to go to work each day.

Cover Letter Writing: 11 Quick Tips for Getting Better Results

For many job candidates, the only thing worse than writing a resume is crafting a cover letter. It can be difficult to know what to say and what hiring managers want to know.

The good news is that developing a persuasive cover letter doesn’t have to be such a struggle. In fact, as one of Phoenix’s top employment agencies, PrideStaff knows that by following a few simple steps, you can put together one that markets your skills and experiences and gets noticed next time you apply for a job.

Here are 11 quick tips to help you:

Focus on the employer.
Don’t talk too much about yourself and why you want the job. Instead, explain what you can bring to the position that’s going to make the most impact on the employer.
Connect the dots.
Don’t make it hard for the hiring manager to understand your value and why you’re a fit. Connect the dots quickly for them between their job requirements and your background.
Talk about your most relevant accomplishments.
Just as with your resume, your cover letter will need to be tailored for each unique job you apply to. That way, you can easily showcase your most relevant accomplishments, skills and experiences.
Sprinkle in numbers where you can.
Attach dollars, figures, statistics, percentages, or amounts wherever you can to better illustrate your achievements.
Don’t focus on what you don’t have.
If there’s a skill the job posting listed and you don’t have it, avoid talking about it. Focus instead on all the qualifications you do have that are a match for the position.
Don’t focus too much on education.
Instead, the cover letter should be about accomplishments and experience in your work history that are most applicable to the position.
Be real.
While it’s important to be professional, don’t be overly formal either. Remember, you’re trying to stand out among a sea of other candidates. You can’t do that if you don’t sound like a real person. Instead, use language where you come off as honest and genuine.
Write and rewrite.
Be prepared to go through many versions of your cover letter before you get it right.
Don’t repeat your resume.
Your cover letter is a fresh opportunity to showcase different strengths and accomplishments than those on your resume. Don’t waste it repeating the same information twice.
Avoid the fluff.
Words like “team player” and “strategic thinker” don’t mean much to a hiring manager. Instead, tell a story about a time you collaborated with your team to complete an important project, or where you had to strategize and spearhead a workplace initiative.
Keep it simple.
While you’re drafting your letter, it’s ok to write as much as you want. During the editing process, though, you need to pare it down so it’s less than one page. Anything longer won’t get read.

Want more professional help with your cover letter and your job search?

Turn to the experts at PrideStaff.

As one of Phoenix’s top employment agencies, we know who’s hiring and what they’re looking for in job candidates. Not only that, but we can help you start to finish with your resume, cover letter, and interview skills, all so you can land the job you want. Contact us today to learn more or get started.

The Biotech Job Market Is Booming, and so Are These Industry Trends

Year after year, biotech represents one of the biggest growth markets. This plays out in many different contexts: media coverage, corporate investment and (most important for us) job opportunities.

It makes sense the sector continues to draw attention. More and more money is being spent on health care, and biotech represents the leading edge of healthcare development. The industry has cutting-edge cache, a seemingly endless supply of investment capital and a reputation for providing potentially life-saving products.

Here are three trends within the biotech space to keep in mind if you are looking to land a job in the sector:

Specialized Skills Are in High Demand

Smaller, targeted companies are increasingly drawing talent away from big pharmaceutical companies. According to Forbes magazine, this has intensified the search for specialized skill sets. Consequently, this accelerated demand in the biotech space has created a fight for qualified talent.

A further interest in specialized skills will put a premium on niche training and targeted skill sets. This could put job candidates with distinct, or even exotic skills in higher demand. Of course, the trick will be matching that narrow skill with an employer who can use it.

Increased Interest From Non-Biotech Players

Pharma IQ, a publication dedicated to pharma professionals, notes that outside influences are likely to invade the biotech space. Quoting Greg Dombal, COO of Halloran Consulting Group, the website reports that general technology heavyweights are eying the biotech space as their next area of potential growth. The possibility of attractive profits in the space could prompt companies like Google and Amazon to initiate their own biotech programs, Dombal said.

This could lead to increased opportunity for job candidates in the field. New capital and increased competition could fuel a rise in hiring at these new entities. Beyond this, the new players in the sector could draw talent away from current companies, prompting higher turnover at established biotech players. This would create additional opportunities for people coming into the field.

Growing Application Beyond Drugs

The popular view of the biotech sector can often get summed up in a two-word phrase: baby pharma. The average person likely thinks about biotech (if they think of it at all) as place to develop drugs, at least until one of the big drug makers gets intrigued and either partners with the biotech startup or buys it outright.

But the horizons of biotech range far beyond more little pills. The same techniques that have driven the important drug discovery contributions the biotech industry has made in recent decades can apply to other realms of research as well.

As Matt Pavlovich, editor of Trends in Biotechnology, points out in a blog post, there are many other potential uses for biotech techniques. He lists such possible frontiers as “bionic plants,” bioelectronics and bioenergy. As the scope of what we think of as “biotech” expands, the opportunities in the sector will expand with it.

Getting into a new, exciting sector is easier with a connected partner. PrideStaff is a leader in the staffing space and can help you transition to a new career in exciting sectors like biotech. Contact our Central Oregon staffing experts today for more information.

How to Earn Your Employees’ Trust to Build Loyalty

If you want to keep your employees and reduce turnover, as well as foster loyalty, you must earn their trust. As in any relationship, trust must be earned, and companies who have managed this have used a few proven ways to make it happen.

Transparency and Truthfulness

Employees want to know what’s going on in the company. If you want to establish trust, you have to do what you can to shut down the rumor mill, especially when it comes to big decisions. Regarding future goals and the current state of the company, give employees as much information as you can. Letting employees know about financial results and board meeting details tells them you trust them, which will come back to you. And transparency, even in the face of bad news, shows you have the integrity to share both the good and bad with your employees. This builds trust as well.

Avoid Giving Orders

If somebody barks at you to do something, your immediate reaction probably includes a little resentment and resistance. Very few employees like being told what to do all the time. Instead of giving orders, offer encouragement. This makes employees feel motivated and empowered to do their best. When you show trust to employees by giving them guidance and autonomy, you’ll get it back because they feel respected.

Connect

The more power a manager has, the less employees seem to trust them. Yet the manager who has a personal connection with their team, who truly knows them and relies on them, builds a relationship of trust within that team. So, take time for some small talk about shared interests and backgrounds, maybe even having lunch together regularly or stepping in when they need another hand. Doing this reminds employees it’s an “us” situation, not “us v. them”.

Be Fair

Remember the teacher’s pet in school and how it felt when that student got advantages you didn’t? That feeling of resentment doesn’t change as an adult. Avoid playing favorites in the office at all costs – employees will spot it immediately and any sense of trust will quickly erode. This also goes for keeping it professional: If you badmouth other execs or employees, those under you will wonder what you say about them when they leave the room.

Use these strategies to build trust with your employees, something every successful company has. For advice on manager-employee relationships, work with the experts at PrideStaff.

Looking Back at Your January 1st Goals…Are You on the Path to Success?

Can you believe we’re already halfway through 2018? The past six months have gone by in a flash. Now it’s time to review the goals you set in January, to make sure you’re on track to achieve them.

As a top Las Vegas recruiting agency, PrideStaff Las Vegas knows how important it is to stay on top of your goals. Success doesn’t come easy, so you have to really work for it. Checking in to monitor your progress will either brighten your day or serve as a much-needed reality check.

No matter where you’re at, there’s still six months left in the year, which is plenty of time to exceed your expectations for it.

Four Tips to Make the Second Half of 2018 a Success

Review the Goals You Set in January

Hopefully your goals for 2018 have been a big part of the last six months, but if not, it’s time to dust them off and make sure they’re still relevant. A lot can happen in half a year, so get rid of any that no longer align with your current strategy. Replace them with new objectives that support the direction you’ve decided to move in.

Get to the Bottom of Poor Performance

Try not to panic if you’ve fallen short of where you hoped to be at this point in the year with some — or all — of your goals. Right now, it doesn’t feel great, but consider it an opportunity to turn things around. Dig as deep as necessary to figure out what went wrong and what you can do to make positive changes in the second half of the year.

Smarten Up Existing Goals

Vague goals are essentially meant to fail. Set yourself up for success by making all your goals S.M.A.R.T. — specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound — so you’ll have clear parameters to meet. This will give your objectives a sense of urgency, which will make you feel more accountable to achieve them.

Set Regular Dates to Review Your Progress

If this is the first time you’ve reviewed your goals since January, don’t wait another six months to revisit them again. Put bi-weekly or monthly dates on your calendar to check your progress and make sure you’re advancing at the rate predicted. This will give you the chance to change things as needed, so you can end the year on a high note.

Exceed Your 2018 Goals

Searching for new employees who can lead your company to success? PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to assist. Contact us today to connect with temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire talent ready to get to work!

Tips for Cleaning Up Your Hiring Process

Is your hiring process as efficient as it could be? If not, then now is the ideal time to clean it up for a more focused and effective approach. To help you with the job, here are a few important areas to pay attention to:

Determine exactly where you need to clean house.

What’s your current approach to hiring? Where are the inefficiencies? Are you bringing quality people on board? What’s the cost per hire? As one of Phoenix’s leading staffing agencies, PrideStaff knows you need to have a good grasp on these metrics to evaluate the overall effectiveness of your hiring process.

Another source of insight into hiring at your company is new employees. Talk to them about their experience with the process and what areas they think should be streamlined or cut out altogether.

Polish those job descriptions.

It’s easy to write a job description and then re-use it for years. But these postings are the first impression candidates have of your company and you want to put your best foot forward with each one, as a result. That’s why it’s important to refresh and polish them regularly.

In them, it’s also vital that you focus on more than simply relevant skills and requirements. Be sure you promote what makes your company unique and why a candidate should want to work there. Doing so will help you to post stronger descriptions that get candidates excited about your job opportunities.

Get rid of clutter during the interview process.

The interview process is one of the most important aspects of hiring, which is why it’s important to look critically at it. For instance, is it taking too long to schedule candidates for interviews? Are there too many rounds of interviews or too many people involved? Are you having a hard time staying in touch with candidates after interviews?

Whatever the case, hiring the wrong candidate – or not moving quickly enough to make an offer to the right one – can be costly. So look for ways to improve this part of the hiring process.

If you want to attract the best candidates to your company, you need to have a simple, effective hiring process. Follow the tips above for getting there and finding better people more efficiently.

Want professional help cleaning up your hiring process and getting better-quality candidates with it?

Call in one Phoenix’s leading staffing agencies – PrideStaff – to get the expertise and assistance you need.

Is Your Company’s Website Attracting the Candidates You Need?

Your company’s website is the way that clients, customers, and potential new hires are first introduced to you, so it’s an important piece of your overall business plan. Almost immediately, it conveys to the public how much you care about the user experience, whether you take pride in what you do, whether you go the extra mile, and how much you invest in your business. This is very valuable information to potential new hires.

First Impressions Count

Your website is the first thing people will seek out about you when they begin their job search. The website must be credible and portray your company as a world-class organization. A website that’s confusing, slow, or difficult to use is a turnoff and users will see it as a reflection of how your company is run.

Demonstrate Who You Are

Users will want to know everything about your company, including its history, its structure, founders, location, markets, current employees, and any news articles that feature the company or awards and honors won. You can feature employee’s testimonials, biographies, and anything else about company culture that might signify what it’s like to work there.

Show What You Stand For

Employees want to work for companies that have a clear mission statement and strong values, and your website is a good place to show that off, every chance you get. If you have a blog, mention them repeatedly. Boast about awards you’ve won and mention your company’s purpose so potential employees will understand what kind of contribution they’re expected to make if hired.

Share What it’s Like to Work There

Potential employees will want to know what a day in the life is like. Show them with pictures, videos, more employee testimonials, or even a blog post guest written by a current employee. This helps potential candidates see what kind of traits you might be looking for and understand whether or not they’d be a good fit.

Clarify What You’re Looking For

Under the “careers” or “employment” section of your website, keep an updated list of each position you’re hiring for. Make it easily accessible. If it takes more than a couple clicks to find that list, you’ll lose many frustrated job seekers along the way.

Simplify the Application Process

Give potential hires the ability to complete the entire application online. Outline the entire process for them and tell them what happens next and when. Should they expect a follow-up phone call in the next few days? A confirmation email? Will there be an interview? Make it user-friendly for mobile phones, too, so you don’t inadvertently turn off prospective employees without access to a laptop or PC.

Looking to Expand Your Workforce this Year?

Contact the experts at PrideStaff Las Vegas. Let our team of skilled Staffing Consultants and Account Managers find the perfect fit for your available opportunity.