How to Bring up Salary on a Job Interview

The interview has gone fairly well: You’ve answered the questions as thoroughly as possible, shown yourself in a positive light, and engaged well with the interviewer. Then the time comes for you to ask your questions, and in your head you have your own private query: Do I bring up salary? If I do, how do I manage it without looking like I only care about money? You don’t want to come off as demanding or arrogant, and you’ve heard the horror stories about others who asked about compensation and never heard from the company again…

The old adage, “Never bring up salary on an interview; let the interviewer do so first” doesn’t necessarily apply if you manage it right. If you made it to the interview, you have a background and skills that they value, and you have value as an employee. Bringing up salary early on allows you to negotiate; it’s much harder to do so when your future employers have already decided what you’re “worth” and given you the number. In their minds, the salary number has more or less been settled. So what can do you?

Find Your (Salary) Range.

Before bringing up anything, arm yourself with knowledge of average salaries for your position. Check out sites such as Payscale, Salary, and Glassdoor, and be ready to give a salary range for a full-time and consultant assignment. Factor in benefits and how much they mean to you in case you end up negotiating.

Wait for a Second.

In other words, do not bring up salary during your first interview. It comes off as cocky and implies that money is your main focus. Wait until you’re called for the second interview, and then ask if it’s a good time to discuss salary. Reference the compensation at your previous job as your jumping-off point and, if they’re ready to offer something comparable, keep talking. This puts you in control of the conversation.

Keep it Clear.

Before sending over your references and discussing when you’ll start, have the compensation question clarified — have no questions about what salary will bring you in. And avoid game playing. If it gets to be too much back-and-forth, that’s a sign you may not want this position after all. And you don’t have to give them any W-2s in terms of salary verification — you can simply say your financial information is private and you understand if they aren’t ready to give an offer based on your previous conversations.

Do it like the higher-ups.

Know who gets jobs negotiating this way? Executives. So figure out a way to negotiate salary that’s comfortable for you, but know that you’re sought-after and have more worth than what an HR rep has decided you do.

So, while this may sound daunting, when you do get to that interview, don’t consider salary off the table. Put it on there yourself and go after what you want. They want you, and you have certain practical needs to attend to. If you want help broaching the subject, talk to the folks at PrideStaff for quality advice.

How Successful People Handle Office Politics

The word “politics” comes from the Greek “politikos” meaning “of, for or relating to citizens.” At its very root, it’s not a negative concept. Politics is simply the art and science of influencing people.

However, office politics can be a tricky road to navigate. Some people prefer to steer clear of it all together. But your best strategy is to charge up your internal GPS, learn who the influencers are in your company, and make the system work in your favor.

How to Get a Handle on It

A recent study of 400 U.S. workers supports the importance of acknowledging and working within the parameters of office politics. Nearly 60 percent of respondents said this approach was at least somewhat necessary in order to get ahead. Here are some helpful tips:

• Observe, listen and learn. See how things get done in your organization. Ask key questions so you can truly learn company core values and how they’re enacted. Find out how decisions are made and how much risk is tolerated. This information should help solidify your sense of organizational culture.
• Build a coalition of support. Lobby for the respect and trust of all your colleagues, including those at the grass roots level. Make sure as many influencers and decision makers as possible are supportive of your actions and choices.
• Play by the rules. Pay careful attention to protocol. If you slip up, apologize and quickly make amends.
• Communicate persuasively. Be assertive but not aggressive. Focus attention on your ideas and proposals, backed with solid facts. Tailor your message to different audiences. Avoid aligning yourself with a single group. It may be favorable for a moment or a situation, but things can change rapidly.
• Connect with your constituents. Learn the unique styles, priorities and communication preferences of your colleagues in order to best advance your approach.
• Get to know those who practice bad politics. Instead of distancing yourself from them, get to know them better. Try and understand their motivations so you can work more harmoniously with them. Be polite. Disclose information at your own risk and watch what you say in confidence.
• Keep an eye out for any turmoil that may be directed toward you. If a coworker tries to denigrate you, blame you for something you didn’t do or take credit for your work, keep your cool. Don’t be confrontational. First, make sure that your assumption is true and then, discuss the situation privately with your boss.

The recruitment and workforce pros at PrideStaff Modesto can partner with you to keep your career on a progressive, positive and professional track. Contact us today to access our resources, expertise and database of opportunities.

10 Employer Brand Mistakes You Might Be Making

Does your company have incredibly slow computers? Are the chairs at least a decade old – or older?

If so, then those inconveniences are likely wearing down your staff. As one of the top staffing agencies in Phoenix, PrideStaff knows that one or two might not prove to be a big deal. But problems occur – in the form of lower productivity and unhappy employees – when frustrations abound in your office.

So what are some annoyances that are impacting employee morale? According to Expert Market, an office supply marketplace for employers, these are the top 10:

1. Slow, old computers. When it takes someone five minutes to save a Word file, it’s going to eventually drive them up the wall. In those cases, it’s time for a rebuild or a new computer entirely.

2. Uncomfortable chairs. Bad seating can literally be causing your employees pain. While you don’t need to buy high end office chairs, you do need to ensure your team has comfortable seating.

3. Malfunctioning printer. A printer that’s constantly breaking down – 4 minutes before a big client meeting – can continuously send your employees into panic mode. If the repair company is on speed dial, it’s time to invest in some new equipment.

4. Faulty heater or air conditioning. No one wants to be boiling and sweating, or ice cold. When the temperature in your office is one extreme or the other, it’s time for an upgrade.

5. Photocopier not working properly. There’s certain office equipment that’s regularly in demand. The photocopier is one of them. If yours doesn’t work right – or is always breaking down – save your staff frustration by getting a new one.

6. Bad office lighting. Poor lighting can cause employees to strain to see their work. It can also impact their mood in a negative way.

7. Unreliable phone system. When customers continually get disconnected, it’s time to replace the phone system.

8. Unpleasant communal toilets. Communal bathrooms are one thing. But communal bathrooms that are rarely cleaned are unacceptable.

9. Cramped, old desk. You may not be able to offer high end office space to every employee. But at least make sure their office furniture isn’t battered and broken.

10. Broken coffee machine. Many employees live on their daily doses of coffee. So when the coffee machine is perpetually broken, it’s going to lead to unhappy staff.

While these issues may not seem like a big deal, the fact of the matter is that if they’re impacting employee morale, then they’re also impacting retention. And if people don’t want to work at your company anymore, they’re going to tell their friends and contacts, harming your employer brand in the process.

Need more help improving your employer brand – and finding top-notch people for your team? Call PrideStaff. As one of the top staffing agencies in Phoenix, our specialists can help you with the process from start to finish, giving you access to the skilled and dependable people you need. To learn more, contact us today.

Following Up With Rejected Candidates Shouldn’t be a Hassle

It can be daunting to sift through anywhere from tens to thousands of resumes for any given open position. But managing your communication with applicants can help to improve your reputation among job seekers, possibly increasing the quality of candidates you attract. Develop a system of staying in touch with candidates throughout the entire hiring process, even if they have not made the final round of interviews or been offered a position.

Send an Email

Have your human resources department send a generic email to applicants who have been rejected from consideration without being asked to interview. This early in the process, contact can be minimal and does not need to be personalized. Automated emails can be customized for use at various stages in the hiring process. The emails can also be combined with phone follow-ups for candidates with whom you have had a greater degree of engagement.

Write Thank You Notes

Follow up with rejected candidates with a thank-you note. The note can express appreciation for their time, their interest in the company and even provide them with information on the next steps if their resume is being kept on file. If you are rejecting the candidate outright and will not be considering them for future positions, remain professional, but considerate.

Use Rejection Postcards

Rejection postcards can be useful for large hiring campaigns. Simply drop the postcard in the mail when a candidate has been eliminated from consideration. Use postcards for candidates who applied, but did not have direct contact with you or a hiring manager.

Make a Phone Call

If the candidate has reached the interview stage, consider calling them to let them know they will not be getting an offer. The five or ten minutes you take out of your day to explain your decision to them and offer to answer any questions can be worth it if you would seriously consider them for a future opportunity.

Tell them that their resume will be kept on file for at least six months and that they should apply for any other job openings they come across at the company – but only if you have genuinely interest in speaking to them regarding other opportunities. Be as polite and forthcoming as possible, but don’t lead them to believe they have a shot at future opportunities if they don’t.

Looking for Additional Hiring Support in Las Vegas?

Our team is happy to help. Experts in staffing Las Vegas, PrideStaff Las Vegas has the team on hand to help you with the growth and development of yours. Contact us today!

3 Reasons Your Top Employees Quit

As reported recently by the Department of Labor, the average tenure of an employee in the United States is 1.5 years. According to one HR study, in 88 percent of voluntary job turnovers, the root cause is something other than money.  

As your company addresses the pressing issue of employee churn and minimizing turnover, consider these primary reasons why top-performing talent tends to leave their company and seek new opportunities elsewhere.

Management Shortfalls

The familiar adage is true: People don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. Not everyone is skilled enough to manage processes or lead people. Hire or promote people into management only if they have the necessary attributes to influence others and can see, buy into and execute your company mission and vision.

• Lack of management feedback is a leading cause of performance problems. Research has shown that 60 percent of employees say they need more dialogue and feedback in order to succeed in their roles. Too many managers have not been coached in two-way communication themselves so, lacking good role models, they either give no feedback at all or resort to an unhealthy YST (Yelling, Screaming and Threatening) approach.
• Companies whose employees have high trust in their managers outperform their competitors by nearly 190 percent. Yet, only 39 percent of Americans report that they trust their senior leaders. Your executives and managers cannot inspire commitment from their employees unless they first show they are committed to them.

Lack of Advancement Opportunities

While 85 percent of employees say career growth is a key reward for them, only 49 percent say their companies are providing it. Obstacles include supervisors who are reluctant to discuss career progression, rigid policies that restrict workers from advancing, and managers who hoard talent by blocking movement to other departments.

• Provide self-assessment and career discussions, supported by coaching and training. Prepare all involved parties to have ongoing conversations about talents, needs, and new options within your organization.
• Create career paths that are well communicated and understood. Every employee should be clear about how they can move horizontally or vertically within your company. Make sure their goals and future visions align with yours when it comes to the ongoing roles they will play.

Too Much Work

Your best performers can typically handle more work – so you tend to give it to them. This is good strategy and mutually beneficial, up to a point. When these superstars begin to feel that they can’t escape from work due to the extent of the demands it places on them, then you have a problem.

• Forty percent of Americans say their jobs are extremely stressful. Another 70 percent feel they don’t have a healthy work/life balance and 60 percent note that they would give up some pay in exchange for more personal time. This is especially true among members of Generations X and Y, who soon will make up the majority of your workforce if they don’t already.
• Be sensitive to employees’ personal needs. Those who work in “cultures of sacrifice” are lined up at the door, ready to exit at the first possible opportunity. At one large bank, when an employer allowed some branches to adopt flex time, customer retention rates were seven percent higher and employee retention rates were double those without the flexibility option.

The recruitment and workforce development experts at PrideStaff Modesto can help you to not only attract A-level talent, but enable top performers to grow within your organization, versus outgrow it. Contact us today to learn more.

The Benefits of Using a Staffing Agency in Akron

Need to bring on staff but lack the time or resources to do so? The answer lies in using a staffing agency to help you. If you haven’t used an agency before, read on to discover the numerous benefits of using one to help you with your hiring needs.

Why should you use a staffing agency in Akron?

Think of it this way: A staffing agency exists to help companies find employees. They’re experts at the entire hiring process, finding quality candidates and matching them up with employers to find the best possible fit. They come in a range of hiring choices, from temporary or temp-to-perm to direct hire. And they will likely have more resources and expertise (and time) than the average HR department – why pay for hiring consultants, recruiters, and the like when you have all of that combined in a staffing agency, and at a lower cost? Plus they know employment trends and recruitment practices simply through doing their jobs.

Regarding cost, staffing agencies take on the added expenses of background checks, drug screening, and pre-employment testing – they manage the whole employment process for you. Add to that the cost of benefits administration and payroll processing, and staffing agencies are particularly ideal for small businesses who need quality staff.

That quality staff often comes from the networks staffing agencies have. Agencies maintain relationships with numerous current and former employees, all vetted workers who might be looking for a new opportunity or a seasonal hire, taking the pressure off you to find the right fit. Because of their extensive networks, staffing agencies can often find the person you need in a matter of days (and sometimes sooner!). And if you want to cut down on turnover, use an agency to bring on temporary employees for high-volume placements – you can see if that person will be the right person for the job on a sort of trial basis, thus saving you stress and money when you don’t have to hire somebody else because of a poor fit.

Using a staffing agency in Akron, OH, like PrideStaff is really a win-win situation: You can find just the right employees you want for current or anticipated openings from an agency whose mission is to help match employers with employees. Why not call today? Get in touch with one of our staffing and recruitment experts and see how we can help you reach your goals.

Should You Accept a “Homework Assignment” to Land a Job?

Imagine this scenario:

You’re a hiring manager at a company. You find a candidate with a stand-out resume who aces the interview. You hire him, only to have to fire him in just a few short weeks because he doesn’t have the skills to perform the job.

Sounds pretty awful. But as one of the leading employment agencies in Phoenix, PrideStaff knows that truth is, many employers go through this scenario and pay the price. The next time they need to hire, they require their top-pick candidates to take on a homework assignment, as a result.

What are the benefits of assigning homework to candidates?

These types of projects give an employer the opportunity to evaluate each candidate’s skills and experience in a real-world way. In addition, if they’re giving several candidates the exact same work, then it offers a yardstick with which to measure and compare abilities. A bad candidate may be able to provide all the right answers in a job interview; but they can’t fake skills and experience in a real assignment.

More and more hiring companies out there are requiring their candidates to complete a project before a hiring decision is made. So if you’re given an assignment, count yourself lucky. You’ve made it to the final round.

If you do decide to accept an assignment, how should you approach it?

Start by asking lots of questions. You want to ensure that you are clear about what’s expected of you. Inquire about the due date and how you need to submit your work, whether via email or during a presentation. In addition, ask for details and get input about the project, the audience, and the goals. Ask about whom you should reach out to if you have any questions. The last thing you want is to be unclear about a certain aspect of the project and deliver incorrect work as a result.

That said, if a potential employer gives you an assignment that’s going to take five full days to complete, then that’s not reasonable. In fact, they may be trying to get you to work for free. In these kinds of situations, it’s completely acceptable – and actually advised – to politely turn down their request.

Need more advice on landing your next job?
Turn to the professionals at PrideStaff. As one of the leading employment agencies in Phoenix, we can help you with the entire job search process, from writing a resume that gets results to connecting you with rewarding opportunities that aren’t always advertised.

Don’t Make the Hold on Seasonal Hiring Much Longer

It’s hard to believe we’re nearing the end of March.

With Q1 wrapping up and spring approaching it’s easy to understand that the search for summer help is just a few weeks away.

Whatever the reasons may be for your hiring need, here are a few good ideas for finding top employees in a competitive market, because after all, you don’t need just another employee…you need the right employee.

Leverage LinkedIn as a Source for Great Candidates

The social network for professionals, LinkedIn, continues to be a great source for finding top candidates in many different fields. With the network’s collection of groups for many different occupations and professional interests, you are able to easily find potential candidates in your local area suitable for your organization. Pay close attention to any endorsements or recommendations received by the persons who hold interest for your firm.

Publicize your Company Culture and Benefits

If your company is known as a great place to work, with a fun corporate culture and a generous benefits package, the top talent will definitely be sending you résumés. Leverage your company’s website to detail your benefits package as well as emphasizing the aspects of your company culture that stand out from the pack. Take advantage of other forms of media and social networking to “sell” your organization as a top place to work.

A Partnership with a Top Staffing Agency helps in Finding Talent

Don’t forget to develop a rewarding partnership with a top notch staffing agency in your region. The best agencies maintain a collection of thoroughly screened candidates in addition to employing recruiters and other staff with the keen business insight useful for any organization.

As one of the top staffing specialists in Las Vegas, we can help ensure your firm’s success this summer and beyond. Make it a point to schedule a meeting with us as soon as possible.

Personality Traits of Good Warehouse Employees

If you’re looking to staff your warehouse, you probably want someone with a strong back and a good attitude. But there’s a lot more to a quality warehouse employee than that. Consider these points before you make your next hire.

Personality Traits of Good Warehouse Employees

If you’re looking to hire a warehouse manager, you want someone with solid organizational skills and an eye for detail. Running a warehouse requires having quite a few balls in the air at once, and if one gets dropped, it affects everything else.  A manager has to consider coordinating multiple departments; he must be able to organize everything and ensure everyone’s needs are met. He also needs to be authoritative and calm under pressure — as a supervisor, he has to work well with all employees and get the most out of them while simultaneously dealing with and solving any problems that occur.

As for warehouse employees, it really isn’t just heavy lifting anymore. A good warehouse worker has to have computer skills and the ability to interact well with customers — drivers in particular see more customers than salespeople, and they need to have a positive customer service attitude. And you also need to keep pay rates competitive to get higher quality workers and avoid turnover. You also want an employee who’s willing to take direction and listen well to his manager. Above all, as with any position, a quality warehouse employee should have a good sense of integrity and honesty. Asking behavioral questions rather than those that require simple answers will give you a good measure of the candidate.

Running a warehouse is just like any other business in that it requires solid employees whom you can depend on. For help with your hiring, visit PrideStaff, a leading staffing and recruiting agency in Akron, OH, to get qualified advice and suggestions. If you’re looking for top notch talent to fill your light industrial or warehouse job vacancies, we’ll help you get the talent you need.

Telling Your Team an Employee Was Fired

As one of the top staffing services firms in Tempe, PrideStaff knows firing an employee is never easy. But what can be just as challenging is telling your team about the situation. Not only will it result in many questions – some you may be able to answer, and others you won’t – but it can also impact morale.

How can you properly communicate about it to your staff? Start by following these two rules:

Rule #1: Respect the employee’s privacy.

Even when a firing is for cause, you should always respect the employee’s privacy and ensure they maintain their dignity. As a result, even when other employees have questions and ask for details, don’t get too specific.

Rule #2: Communicate that the firing wasn’t arbitrary.

Your employees are probably not aware of the ample warnings and meetings you had with a problem employee before they got fired. As a result, some of your team members may be thinking, “Am I next?” That’s why it’s important to communicate to your staff that you put a lot of thought into the decision and that it’s your job to hold people accountable for their actions (without going into specific examples about the employee who was terminated).

So what should you say to your team? Something like:

“Mike’s last day was today. We wish him luck in the future. You may be wondering about his sudden departure after he worked here for so long. Out of respect for Mike’s privacy, I’m not going to delve into details. But please understand that this termination was the end result of a long process and it was not a decision made lightly. Going forward, his tasks are going to be handled by Mary until we hire someone else, which we hope will happen in about six to eight weeks. In the meantime, if you have any questions, let me know.”

The bottom line is that you don’t need to share all the details of an employee’s termination. But you also can’t just ignore it either and go on like nothing has happened. You must communicate with the rest of your employees about the situation. Doing so will deepen the trust between you and your staff.

Do you have an open position you need help filling fast?
Call PrideStaff. As one of the top staffing services firms in Tempe, our specialists can help you with the process from start to finish, giving you access to the skilled and dependable people you need. To learn more, contact us today.