What is The Cost of Making a Bad Hire?

There are many variables in determining what a bad hire may cost your company. But no matter which expert analyses you consider, you can’t afford to make such a mistake very often.

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates the cost of a failed hire is at least 30 percent of an employee’s first-year earnings.
Half of HR managers surveyed recently by Forbes said bad hiring decisions had cost their companies “thousands of dollars” – and that’s a conservative figure.
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) notes the cost of selecting the wrong candidate can run into the hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of dollars – or up to five times a person’s annual salary. The higher a position and the longer a person remains in it, the more it will cost to replace them.

The True Cost of a Bad Hire

Financial estimates of a bad hire may be all over the board, but all of them are painful to your company’s bottom line. And the damage doesn’t end there. The true cost goes far beyond the quantifiable, monetary losses involved.

A disengaged employee is like a bad virus. Unless you take preventative measures, they become highly contagious. Good employees get burned out as they try to make up for poor performers – and other weak employees simply follow in the footsteps of the culprits. Productivity, morale and possibly even your company reputation can take a nosedive. Also at potential risk are customer satisfaction levels, sales and product quality.

Some Basics for Good Hiring

Prevention is the best medicine. Avoid making a hiring mistake by using these tips:

Know what you want. Don’t simply recycle past job descriptions. Chances are, the role has changed. Take a fresh look at your needs and the skills you want to add to your team. A refreshed, detailed description will reduce the number of resumes you receive from unqualified applicants.
Hire for soft skills. Look for the intangibles. A candidate’s skill set is not limited to technical and functional abilities. Equally important are soft skills such as communications, leadership and teamwork.
Don’t cut corners. Hiring the right person takes time. The key is to develop a comprehensive plan and stick to it. Taking short cuts may ease your immediate hiring stress, but create greater angst in the long run.

PrideStaff Modesto is a smart choice as you develop a winning hiring strategy and avoid costly mistakes. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more about how we can customize a plan for your organization.

Five Secrets to Success from Owner, Bob Daniel

Finding career success is often easier said than done, but you’re a talented professional who can do anything you set your mind to. The staffing experts at PrideStaff Las Vegas — one of the best temp agencies in Las Vegas — know what it takes to get ahead in the professional realm, and they want to share it with you. Follow the tips below to take your career to new heights.

Five Secrets to Success

Do Your Damn Job

Sometimes people spend more time focusing on the tasks associated with the job than producing results. Numbers don’t lie, so if you don’t have anything to show for your hard work at the end of the day, it’s time to reprioritize. To make a good impression on your boss, you need concrete proof that you’re making a difference.

Now, Means Right Now

When your manager asks you to complete a task immediately, you need to drop everything and comply. You might not be excited about the assignment, but following the boss’s orders is a sign of respect. If you opt to ignore their request or procrastinate it, they will find out and they won’t be too happy with you.

Don’t Give Up

Finding the right opportunity is all about timing. A great employer might need your help when you’re unavailable or you might find yourself unemployed when your ideal job is filled. This can certainly be inconvenient for everyone, but that doesn’t mean you should stop trying. When you need work, let your top-choice companies know. This puts you back on their radar, so they know you’re available for hire.

Keep Your Word

Don’t make a promise unless you’re willing to stick to it. For example, if you say you’re going to paint a room purple, do just that. It’s hard for employers to trust and respect someone who goes back on their word. Companies want to hire honest, reliable people who are fully committed to the job.

Repeat Steps Above

Steps one through four effectively spell out the path to career success. If you want to get ahead, make them your rules to live by.

Reach Your Potential

You’re a talented professional with a lot to offer any company, so allow PrideStaff Las Vegas to help you find the right fit. Contact us today to find a temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire position that fits your skills and interests!

Looking for a great job in Tempe? Don’t Make These 7 Deadly Job Search Sins!

You’re experienced, professional and hard-working. You should find a new job in no time, right? Not if you’re sabotaging your efforts with these common job search sins:

#1: Not Googling yourself ahead of time.

A hiring manager is likely to Google you. When they do, what will they find? If it’s something unprofessional, or paints you in a questionable light, do what you can to get the content removed before applying for jobs.

#2: Searching online only.

Sure, there are plenty of job listings online. And they should be a part of your search. However, you need to extend your efforts beyond the major job boards, and look for opportunities elsewhere that can arise. That means networking, attending industry conferences, joining professional associations, and getting active on LinkedIn.

#3: Casting your net too wide.

You want to find a job; that said, you shouldn’t be open to any opportunity available. When you are, it wastes your time and the time of the hiring manager. Instead, you need to take a focused approach, applying to only those jobs that are a good fit for you.

#4: Not checking resumes and cover letters for typos.

One misspelled word or name can derail your best efforts. That’s why it’s so important to proofread everything before sending it to a hiring manager.

#5: Not preparing for job interviews.

While you don’t need to spend days preparing, you should invest a few hours into researching the company, thinking through your answers to common interview questions, and coming up with a list of your own questions to ask. Hiring managers appreciate well prepared, thoughtful candidates.

#6: Not knowing your worth.

When you undervalue or overvalue your skills in the job search, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. If you don’t know what your skills are worth to an employer, you could accept the first lowball job offer that comes your way – impacting your earnings for years to come. On the other hand, if you think your experience is worth more than it truly is, then you’ll get blindsided during salary talks. Instead, do your research and know your value.

#7: Going it alone.

If you’ve been searching for a job for a while without any luck, it’s time to consider seeking professional employment help in Tempe. A recruiter with an employment firm can give you access to job opportunities that often aren’t advertised. Likewise, they can also help you enhance and polish your resume, cover letter and interview skills so you make the best impression possible.

Get the help of a top Tempe employment professional!

Our Tempe employment counselors are happy to assist you with every aspect of your job search, start to finish. Contact us today to learn more or view our top jobs in Tempe today.

Seven Ways to Improve Your Emotional Intelligence

A good leader understands that they must have multiple professional and people to work best with their employees, and that includes emotional intelligence, or the ability to observe and examine the emotions of others, as well as properly monitor their own. In fact, emotional intelligence can often mark the difference between getting hired or earning a promotion. And while it’s based partially on intuition, you can improve your own emotional intelligence to respond better to stressful situations, including making tough decisions and acting as a leader.

Accept your emotions.

Rather than trying to frequently squelch your emotions, check in with yourself a few times a day to see how you’re feeling and evaluate strengths and weaknesses. Accept that you have both and that you should work on the latter.

Work on connecting thoughts and emotions.

Upon having a feeling, take a little time to examine it: What do you think about it? Is what you’re feeling healthy? Normal? Do what you can to accept uncomfortable emotions rather than stopping them or harshly judging yourself.

Lessen stressful situations.

Those who function successfully in business and life know how to stay calm in tough situations and control their emotions. Figure out your stress triggers and look at how you respond, as it usually connects with how you interact with others. Find more positive, calming ways to deal with those situations, whether it means taking some deep breaths or a five-minute walk.

Focus on the non-verbal.

So much of our communication comes through body language and tone of voice that can send unintended messages. Controlling your non-verbal cues comes from eye contact, close listening, and taking a step back before judging or offering an opinion.

Avoid acting without thinking.

You are someone else’s environment. In other words, your actions affect those around you. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and see how your actions will impact that person. If your action will have negative effects, think about how to help deal with them.

Emphasize humor and humility.

Those who meet challenges with humor tend to deal with them better, and it can de-escalate a tough situation. Similarly, those who do excellent work will naturally get the attention and accolades they may desire. Otherwise, letting others have their moments demonstrates self-confidence: You don’t always have to be the center of attention.

Take responsibility.

With emotional intelligence and humility comes the ability to accept the consequences of your mistakes or actions. Forgive instead of letting negative emotions reign, apologize right away when you’ve hurt someone, and don’t get sucked into arguments.

Emotional intelligence can help you improve both your career and your overall interactions with people. Taking these steps can help you hone your own. For advice on being a strong leader in the workplace, visit PrideStaff today!

5 Questions to Ask Your Employees on a Regular Basis

You ask employees questions during important meetings and when you’re conducting performance reviews. But what about on a random Tuesday?

By regularly asking questions – beyond just at evaluations and meetings – you’re able to gain more insight into what’s going on with employees. As a result, you can forge stronger ties with them and nip problems in the bud before they escalate.

So, what kinds of questions should you be asking?

Here’s a look at 5:

What’s going on with you this week? What was your biggest highlight?

When you’re managing a team, it’s hard to know every detail that’s going on with each employee. But asking these questions gives you an opportunity to find out about any success stories or important progress. It also gives your employees the opportunity to celebrate their achievements and gain a sense of personal accomplishment. Finally, it’s a way for you to measure and track their performance to ensure they’re getting done what you need them to.

What about challenges? Are you spinning your wheels on any projects?

Asking this question will offer insight into areas where an employee is struggling. They might be hesitant to come to you, but more forthcoming when you specifically ask. Once you know about any issues they’re facing, you can get into problem solving mode and work with your employee to overcome challenges and improve productivity.

Any ideas about how we can improve X product/process/project?

Oftentimes, your people are your richest source of inspiration and innovation. After all, they’re the ones in the trenches each day, talking with customers and fielding complaints. Asking this question opens the door for employees to offer input and ideas on how to make improvements, whether on a product, process, or individual project.

How are things going with X?

You’re busy. But you also want your employees to know you’re available for them. So, whether it’s a personal or professional struggle you’re inquiring about, asking this question shows your concern for them. Not only that, but in the process, you might come to understand any issues outside of work that could be impacting their performance.

What can the business do to help you be more successful?

It might be training and education. Or it could be an updated computer that doesn’t crash every 10 minutes. Whatever the case, asking this question will help you help employees become more engaged and productive.

Being a manager is certainly hard work. But when you’re regularly talking to employees and asking questions like the ones above, you can build a stronger team – and a better relationship with each individual on it.

Need help staffing in Phoenix or Tempe?

Give PrideStaff a call. As a leading provider of staffing services in Phoenix, we have the knowledge, proven processes, and candidate network to help you fill positions quickly with qualified, dependable people. Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about how we can help you.

Four Podcasts Everyone Should Listen to on Their Morning Commute to Get Motivated

Your start to the day sets the tone for the rest of it, so use your morning commute to get inspired for greatness. If you woke up on the wrong side of the bed or have a big meeting you’re dreading, you might need a little extra push, so turn on a motivational podcast.

PrideStaff Las Vegas — one of the top employment agencies in Las Vegas — firmly believes a great podcast can get your morning off on the right foot. Add these four inspiring options to your morning playlist.

The Tony Robbins Podcast

Start your day on a positive note by listening to the podcast of motivational speaker Tony Robbins. Designed to empower, topics run the gamut from helping listeners reach a breakthrough to advice on building a solid retirement plan. This well-rounded advice can help improve several aspects of your life. Listening to it on your morning commute will get you charged up and ready to make the most of your day.

TED Radio Hour

Based on the hugely popular Ted Talks, NPR’s Ted Radio Hour is made to inspire. Discussions include new inventions, creative approaches to old problems and innovative ways think and produce. Hosted by Guy Raz, each show follows a common theme, so enjoy something a bit different every time you tune in. This podcast will get you energized before you even touch your first cup of coffee.

The Daily Boost

Created to help you achieve your goals each day, the Daily Boost’s nine-minute episodes are packed with inspiration. New episodes are available Monday through Thursday on iTunes, offering strategies and tips to help you make the most of your day. If you really enjoy the podcast, sign up for the Daily Boost Premium and get an extra Friday episode.

Bulletproof Radio Podcast

Your health largely controls your quality of life, so get inspired to take better care of yourself by listening to Dave Asprey’s Bulletproof podcast. The show covers a variety of health-related topics, including how to break bad habits, ways to battle chronic fatigue and tips to improve your diet.

Turn Your Career Dreams Into Reality

If you’re ready to take the next step in your career, allow PrideStaff Las Vegas to assist with your search. Contact us today to gain access to exclusive temporary, temp-to-hire and direct hire opportunities with top area employers!

6 Ways to Proofread Your Resume to Avoid Silly Errors

Ask anyone in HR who has read resumes, and they will tell you that the number of people who manage to send in ones with errors is astounding. A poorly proofread resume goes straight into the trash, so take care to carefully proofread every bit of it before the hours of work you put into crafting it get tossed aside because you accidentally wrote “20017” instead of “2017” and missed it.

Print it out.

Our eyes don’t read things the same way on screen that they do in a hard copy. You may also want to print it in a larger size font so you can more easily spot mistakes.

Read it out loud.

Ears can catch mistakes that our eyes miss. In fact, our brains are trained to fill in blanks and errors with our eyes subconsciously, so carefully reading your resume or cover letter aloud allows your ears to proofread as well.

Read it backwards.

Going along with the fact that our eyes slide over errors, reading a resume backwards disrupts the flow and makes it harder for the brain to “autocorrect”. You may want to put a finger under each word as you do it as well, forcing you to look at each word individually. Spell check does not catch all mistakes!

Look at bulleted lists for consistency.

Did you add periods where needed? Sentences in bulleted lists need periods. Single words or phrases do not. Make sure that you’ve punctuated your periods consistently.

Leave room for editing.

When using those bulleted lists, leave multiple spaces to help yourself look at each one individually — then make sure you take out the spaces and check for clean and consistent formatting (are the bullets aligned? The same size?) before sending it on. Always check the headings — this is where many errors get overlooked. Then make sure the fonts are the same throughout and check for proper capitalization.

Have a friend look it over.

It always helps to have a fresh pair of eyes who may well spot a mistake that, even with looking it over carefully, you may have missed. A friend can also listen and read for tone to make sure it sounds right. Have them read it as a hard copy and read it aloud to them to check for any awkwardness or repetition, etc.

Proofreading your resume is the final, crucial step that can be the difference between getting an interview and getting passed over. For advice writing your resume, visit PrideStaff.

Avoid Putting THESE People on Your Reference List

When a potential employer requests a reference list, you know things are going well. Most hiring managers only ask top candidates for references, so consider this a sign you’re under serious consideration for the job — but it’s not yours yet.

It doesn’t matter if you’re searching for temp jobs in Las Vegas or direct hire opportunities, you won’t get the job if your references fail to impress. Knowing who not to include on the list can be the difference between a job offer and a disappointing rejection.

Leave These People Off Your Reference List

Friends and Family

You trust your loved ones implicitly, so you know they’ll paint a glowing picture of you to the hiring manager. While this might seem like a great strategy, putting your mom or best friend on the phone with a potential employer is an amateur move that will make you look hugely unprofessional. Unless specifically requested, personal references are always a don’t, because even if they somehow do know intricate details of your work abilities, the interviewer will assume they’re biased.

Bosses Who Didn’t Like You

Having a former manager on your reference list looks great, but things can quickly go south if the two of you didn’t have a great relationship. If you’re not completely sure the person will give you a positive recommendation, do not put them on your reference list. Clients and colleagues of past and present might not hold quite as much weight as a former boss, but if they can be trusted to speak highly of you, they’re always a better choice.

Colleagues From Years Ago

People you’ve worked with in the past make great references, but don’t dig too far back into your past. Colleagues from 10 years ago don’t know your current capabilities and probably won’t be able to answer detailed questions about your work. Plus, not having enough people from recent years to fill a reference list is a red flag to employers. They’ll likely assume your skills, personality or both must be pretty bad if you have to rely on reference from years back.

Be the Best Person for the Job

Need a little help finding a great new job in Clark County? Contact PrideStaff Las Vegas. Whether you’re searching for temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire roles, we have connections with the area’s top employers, and we want to share them with you!

What You Need to Include in New Hire Training

Starting a new job is one of the biggest transitions a person experiences. The way you welcome a new employee to your team makes a crucial first impression – and sets the stage for their future at your company.

You worked hard to hire this person. So, work hard not to lose them. Studies show that, on average, 25 percent of new employees leave within 12 months of being hired. And the average tenure of employees aged 25 to 34 is just three years. Effective new hire training helps you retain top talent for the long term.

Speed to Productivity

Poor productivity opens the door to sinking morale and increasing frustration and an employee’s poor work ethic may stem from a lack of understanding of their core responsibilities. This points back to new hire training: Was it engaging? Or was it disorganized and as a result, left the person confused or overwhelmed?

Ineffective training leads to misunderstanding. Present a clear picture of a new hire’s role, as well as company processes, systems and culture. Ideally, you will have gleaned much of this through the hiring process, but now is the time to solidify it and clear up any grey areas. Establish a new employee’s interest in your organization’s goals and missions, right from the start.

First Impressions Count!

Effectively transfer key knowledge to new hires in ways that enable them to quickly adopt, adapt and apply it. Be welcoming, give good instruction, show off your unique culture and encourage feedback. Make the entire experience memorable and engaging.

Have clear learning objectives. In addition to grasping organizational culture, these include new hires understanding the role of HR, their direct managers and their colleagues, and knowing how they can develop relevant skills and build their careers under your corporate roof.

Tips for Supervisors

People don’t quit their jobs; they quit their bosses. A new hire’s immediate supervisor plays a leading role in your successful new hire training strategy. Have a new employee’s manager:

Make a list of key contacts. Managers should provide their new team member with the names, titles and roles of people with whom they will need to interact. Include common personal ties, such as kids, favorite baseball teams and hobbies they might share.
Go to lunch. Have managers take new employees to lunch on their first day, and make sure someone else does the same for their first few days. This can help new hires get to know those key people who will help them succeed.
Provide resources. Supervisors should give new hires a list of go-to resources to make their transition easier. These may include annual reports, recent marketing materials, and any relevant documents, links or presentations. A word of caution: Make sure your new employee is not overloaded with too much information all at once!
Be accessible. Managers should check in with new hires several times a day and encourage them to ask questions. The more comfortable they are made to feel, the faster they will feel part of the team – and the greater their chances for longevity and true buy in.

Hiring, training and onboarding your winning team is an ongoing challenge. PrideStaff Modesto offers the best tools and techniques to ensure your ongoing progress. Read our related posts or contact us today so we can tell you more about how we can help you succeed.

The Right Way to Quit a Bad Job

As sometimes happens, unfortunately, you may well get stuck in what can only be considered a bad job. Whether you have a horrible boss, find yourself overworked and underpaid, or just come to realize that you’ve simply made a bad match, the time will come when you finally decide you’ve had enough and you want to quit. However, you do need to take some time and care with how you do it. You may have heard or seen the stories of employees who quit in grand gestures on social media, only to have it come back and haunt them as a result. So even if you have dreams of cursing out your supervisor and then exiting with a flourish to applause from your co-workers, try these tactics instead.

Always keep it professional.

Do this even if your managers or boss do not. Finish up any projects you worked on and try to set things up so the next person will be able to have a smooth transition (especially if you didn’t have one – make it better for them). Wrap things up with co-workers and leave on the most dignified note. And when you land a new, better job, drop a note to your former boss to thank them for the experience (again, keep it professional – short and sweet will work best) and wish them luck in the future.

Leave on the best note possible.

You never know when someone at your former place of work may make a good reference later on, either for advice on something within the industry or a networking contact. So make sure to tell your trusted colleagues you have a good relationship with and tie up as many loose ends as you can. Contact any clients you work directly with to let them know you’re leaving and have a plan in place for who the contact point will be moving forward. Show gratitude toward anyone who truly helped you by writing a short note of thanks. And do your job as best you can – never finish up with lackluster performance.

Prepare for questions.

While you know you’re going to quit, your boss probably doesn’t. So any pre-quitting work you can do will help you leave gracefully. As noted above, carefully tell your clients: Have an email ready to send after you speak with your boss. You may come across the rare situation where you give two weeks’ notice but your employer wants you to leave that day, so have everything ready to go. Have answers ready for when they ask why you’re quitting and questions about your next move/new position. You do not have to tell them about where you’re going next, what they offered to pay, or how you found the position. Again, keep it calm and professional when you refuse to answer and say that you simply want to make a smooth transition with your remaining time.

Quitting a bad job takes some forethought so you can exit unscathed. For advice finding your next great job, visit PrideStaff.