Declining a Job Offer When It’s Not the Right Fit for You

Declining a job offer – even if you’re sure you don’t want it – is never easy. But it may be inevitable in order to land the position of your dreams. Knowing how to decline graciously ensures that you gain respect and protect your professional reputation and relationships.

Whether you’re faced with an offer you’d never consider or one that you’d accept if you hadn’t gotten a better one, here’s some advice on saying thanks but no thanks:

Show Your Appreciation

Thank the hiring manager for the opportunity to be considered and selected. Sure, it’s their job. But they’ve invested significant time and energy into researching and working with you. They may have gone out on a limb to pitch you to other team members.

Say a simple, heartfelt thank you. For instance: “I sincerely appreciate this generous offer.”
Consider whether or not you can refer another candidate for the position.

Give a Good, Brief Reason

Be brief and honest about your reason for declining a job offer. Don’t leave the employer in the dark or voice any negativity.

There’s no need for drama or details. Elaborate only to the extent that it makes sense. If it was a tough decision, say something like “After much thought, I’ve decided now is not the best time to leave my current position” or “After careful consideration, I’ve decided to accept another offer where I can focus on building my social media marketing skills.” If you really didn’t want the job, simply say “It’s not the right fit at this time in my career.”

Stay in Touch

If done correctly, declining an offer can help set up a future successful job search. Your goal is to make every employer you turn down feel good about you as a candidate and about their role in recruiting you.

At the very least, wish the hiring manager the best. If appropriate, reference a topic you discussed, such as an event or conference you’ll both be attending.
Send your interviewers a Linkedin invitation. Take time to personalize it. Set the stage for successful future interactions.

When it comes to the peaks and valleys of your job search, the specialized recruiters at PrideStaff Modesto can work with you to stay on track and ultimately achieve your personal and professional goals. Read our related posts or contact our experts today to learn more.

Increase Employee Retention with These Tips

Employee retention is a critical issue facing today’s employers, as they compete for top talent in the newly-recovered global economy. With the cost of turnover estimated at between 1.5 and 2 times an employee’s annual salary – plus such related soft costs as plummeting productivity and morale – it’s a serious threat with a resulting domino effect that hurts on many levels.

Effective retention starts with your hiring process and continues throughout a person’s tenure with your company. If your employees feel valued and excited about working at your organization and are fairly compensated, they won’t want to go elsewhere. Moreover, their commitment and enthusiasm will be evident to your customers.

Hire right to begin with.

Retention starts with identifying the right combination of skillset and cultural fit in job candidates. It’s also important to look for patterns of longevity in their work history.

Look beyond a person’s resume. Have they stayed with previous employers through ups and downs? This speaks to loyalty, perseverance and engagement.
Tweak your employment practices. The first stages are critical. Evaluate and optimize your approach to recruitment, hiring, orientation and onboarding.

Train and develop your workforce.

Employee education and development must be more than afterthoughts. Rather, they should be a core focus and an integral aspect of your culture and business strategy. Your commitment to training is accurately perceived by your workforce as an investment in their worth and is a powerful incentive for them to stay at your company.

Provide growth and advancement.

It’s your job as an effective leader to identify your employees’ unique talents and abilities and match them with their career goals. Then challenge them to grow and turn those aspirations into reality.

The best performers always want to be learning. Continually find ways to teach employees new things that will not only benefit your company, but also help them advance.
Promote from within. This provides people with clear, forward-looking paths to greater responsibility and compensation. It also sends the message that you value your employees and reward their business contributions.

You can never over-communicate.

Open communication between employees and managers helps foster a sense of community and shared purpose.

It’s a two-way process. Hold regular meetings where employees can offer ideas and ask questions. Have an open-door policy, encouraging dialogue at all organizational levels without fear of repercussion.
Reward and recognize. When you express your genuine appreciation, employees respect you and want to impress you even more. Utilize both ongoing, informal and more formalized “above and beyond” recognition strategies.

Offer the right compensation.

Assess your wage and benefit packages and be sure they’re tailored to the needs of individual employees. Salaries must be competitive, but the total picture is much larger.

Find out what it takes to solidify retention. For some, it may be family health insurance, dental plans and on-site day care. Others may place a high priority on tuition reimbursement and discounts on gym memberships. Flexible scheduling and telecommuting continue to be among the most popular benefits that a company can offer.

Partnering with a specialized staffing expert can provide you with the resources and expertise you need to achieve your sourcing, hiring and retention goals. The PrideStaff Modesto team offers the service scope of a national recruitment firm along with the service level you’d expect from a local team. Contact us today to learn more.

Four Things you can learn from a Thorough Reference Check

When engaged with your company’s hiring process, one step that sometimes gets overlooked involves checking a candidate’s references. Sure, interviews arguably remain the most important part of determining whether or not the person is worthy of a job offer, but references offer their own useful insights. Checking references remain a great choice for finding out everything you can about someone before making a final hiring decision.

Here are four things you can learn from a full reference check.

How well the Candidate worked with Others

While the candidate’s answers to your interview questions offer some insight on how they got along with their coworkers, it’s probably more accurate to get a third party opinion. In this case, their references can detail their own opinions, allowing you two (or more) sources of information to influence your final hiring decision. If the reference had a managerial role over the candidate, their opinion holds more weight.

True Insight into their Career Goals

Additional insight into a candidate’s career goals is helpful, lest your company hires a candidate whose heart is in another city or another field, leading them to leave your organization before one year is completed. Once again, it is the opinions of a third party that offer a better view than simply the candidate’s.

What Tangible Benefits they bring to your Company

The bottom line is simple. Your organization needs to make a hire that quickly brings a tangible benefit to your company’s operations. A reference, again one with a managerial relationship with the candidate, is able to give you meaningful opinions on how soon that person will make a positive impact after their hiring day.

Their Suitability for a Future Leadership Role

Your company wants its employees to reach their full potential, and a reference can give you their opinion on whether the candidate has leadership ability just waiting to be developed. This might be the final piece of insight that makes your hiring decision the right one.

If your company needs additional input on the hiring process — including vetting a candidate’s references — talk to the expert recruiters at PrideStaff Las Vegas, we provide both the business insight and quality candidates to help ensure the success of your organization. Schedule a meeting with us today!

4 Keys to Uncovering the Real Candidate in a Job Interview

As one of the top staffing services firms in Phoenix, it’s a story we’ve heard time and again. A candidate looks great on paper, aces the interview and gets the job offer. Only, once they start on the job, it quickly becomes clear that they either don’t have the right skill set or their personality is all wrong for the position or the company. It’s a mistake that will wind up costing you too – from lost productivity to lowered morale.

So how can you uncover the ‘real’ candidate when you’re interviewing so you can avoid expensive hiring mistakes? Start by following these tips:

Tip #1: Prepare ahead of time.

Don’t wing it during the interview process. Just like the candidate, you too should be preparing ahead of time for the interview. Re-read the candidate’s resume, make notes on it about the kinds of questions you want to ask based on their background, look up their LinkedIn profile, and dig deeper so you have the information you need to ask meaningful questions and spot any red flags or inconsistencies.

Tip #2: Focus on the follow up.

Too often, candidates give boilerplate or vague answers to job interview questions. One way to get them to truly open up is to ask follow up questions. For instance, when you ask things like: “how so?,” “tell me more,” “how did you achieve those results?,” and “what would you have done differently?,” you can take a deeper dive into a candidate’s background and uncover more detail that will aid you in your hiring decision.

Tip #3: Schedule more than one interview.

If you’re feeling uncertain about a particular candidate, schedule more time with them. There’s no rule that says you only get one shot at interviewing a potential employee. In fact, you may even want to have other decision makers at the company participate in a second interview. That way you can get objective advice and opinions on the candidate.

Tip #4: Test your top pick candidates.

If you’re trying to decide between a small group of candidates, give each homework to help you make a final decision. Develop a mock project or assignment that will give you the chance to assess their skill level, work ethic and ability to meet deadlines.

Every manager makes hiring mistakes. However, most can be avoided when you spend the time to dig deeper and reveal the true nature of each candidate. When you do, you’ll gain a clear sense of who they really are and whether they’re the right fit for you.

For more help with hiring, call PrideStaff.
As one of the top staffing services firms 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.

Four Resume Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make

At a time when jobs are at a premium and you’re likely competing against at least 100 people for a spot, you have to do everything possible to get yourself into that “yes” pile. The resume is one of the first documents that gives an HR manager a look at you — so you need to be sure to not make mistakes that:

cause a bad first impression; and
get your resume tossed into the “no” pile.

Read on to make sure you avoid these all-too-common mistakes.

Typos.

You. Must. Proofread. Your. Resume. Any resume with a typo will immediately go into the recycling bin, no matter how experienced or accomplished you are. Think of it as a huge red sign that says, “I don’t pay attention to detail.” And this can happen to even the most meticulous of people, most likely because they went back for one more tweak and, in doing so, caused an error. Take care with readjusting your resume too much and read it out loud, word by word, phrase by phrase. Or have someone else who’s a good proofreader look it over — your eyes may gloss over a mistake because you’ve looked at it so many times.

Too long.

You want to get everything in, but remember, this document gets you in the door for the interview; it doesn’t get you the job. Use this rule of thumb: One page for every ten years of work. Considering the average resume gets about seven seconds of viewing, a three-page resume probably isn’t going to get read closely. Focus on the salient points that apply most closely to the particular position and keep it crisp and to-the-point. This also shows you know how to use words economically to make your point and prioritize what’s most important – good skills in any job.

Lying.

Don’t do it. Whether it’s padding or stretching the truth or just outright falsehoods, it’s not worth doing. HR managers can find out the truth so easily by talking to your former employers or checking the truth of your claims online. A 3.52 GPA does not round up to 4.0, and if you were the head of a team project, that doesn’t make you a manager. Plus if you get caught, that lie will follow you for the rest of your career. And there’s no statute of limitations — just ask former Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson or the former MIT dean who worked for 28 years before it was discovered that she never received any college degrees.

Lack of clarity.

If you have seven seconds to make your point, you have to create a resume that’s easy to read. Have the important points near the top so the reader doesn’t have to scan for them, and use keywords from the job description that will jump out and catch the eye. Use numbers when possible; these give concrete proof of accomplishments (e.g. “Brought sales up by seven percent last quarter”). And stick with the tried-and-true combination of white paper and black ink. Avoid the complex fonts (use at least a 10pt font); keep spacing consistent and columns aligned. Keep it focused as well: Whether you choose a chronological or functional resume, it has to follow a logical progression.

You want to give yourself every opportunity you can to land a job. Think of the resume as your opening statement — create a strong one that makes them want to know more. Are you looking for a great new career opportunity? Contact PrideStaff, a leading recruitment agency in Akron OH, to see how we can help.

Your Workforce Needs a Superhero Leader

“The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in others the conviction and the will to carry on.”

These are the words of iconic American writer and political commentator Walter Lippmann, who passed away in 1975 after a sterling career that included two Pulitzer Prizes. And true to form, he hits the leadership nail on the head.

To some extent, great leadership skills are innate. However, learning to be a better leader is within everyone’s ability – whether you’re charged with leading multiple teams, an entire company or a single employee.

Here are three traits to embrace as you find the leader within you:

Honesty

Leaders model honesty. When it comes to ethical behavior, your team is a reflection of yourself. Whatever standard you personally uphold, it’s important to raise the team bar even higher.

Make a list of the core values and beliefs that both you and your brand represent. Post it where your team members will regularly see it. Constantly encourage everyone to live up to these tenets.
Honesty means more than just telling the truth. While being truthful is a critical part of good leadership, honesty also means acting fairly and being straightforward in your conduct. This builds trust in those you lead.

Commitment

By proving your commitment to your role and your brand, you not only earn the respect of your team, but you also instill that same hard-working energy among all members.

Lead by example. There is no greater motivation than seeing the boss down in the trenches, working alongside everyone else. In the words of another great leader, 20^th century industrialist Andrew Carnegie, “I have never known an able leader in business or industry who did not endeavor at all times to render more service than any man under his authority.”
Show your commitment to your promises. If you vow to implement casual Fridays, flexible work schedules or cross training to enhance development, stick to your word.

Communication

Great leaders are, by necessity, great communicators. If you can’t effectively present your ideas to your team, you’ll have a hard time earning their trust or even gaining their support.

In order for everyone to work toward the same goal, you must continuously communicate your vision. Being able to clearly describe what you need done – and why, how and when – is critical.
Make yourself accessible to provide updates and answer questions. Then, your team members will learn to trust and rely on you. As a result, they’ll work harder and more willingly.

The HR and workforce development experts at PrideStaff Modesto can partner with you to not only source, attract, hire and retain top talent, but also develop the leaders within your organization. To learn more, read our related posts or contact us today.

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Are your Employees looking for Other Job Opportunities?

No matter how happy your employees always seem you tend to wonder — are they out looking for another job? The average time workers stay at one organization remains on a downward trend, so don’t feel like you are alone in this situation. You keenly understand how important employee retention is to your organization’s overall operations, so is there anything your company can do to stop this trend?

Let’s take a look at a few strategies to improve employee retention at your company.

Make sure there are Opportunities for Professional Growth at your Organization

One of the main reasons the best and brightest workers look for new jobs is the opportunity for advancement and professional growth. A top notch employee isn’t going to stay in what they feel is a dead end position. Ensure that your company is providing enough opportunities for growth for your employees that deserve it.

For example, consider promoting from within instead of looking for an external candidate to fill a position.

Enhance the Rewards you offer your Employees

Even if their salary is competitive, some employees may still look elsewhere for employment. Considering enhancing your bonus structure or add other perks like extra comp time for a successfully completed project. Hold regular company outings or bring in lunch on Fridays to improve morale and build your corporate culture.

Allow Employees to enjoy an Improved Work/Life Balance

Maybe your employees feel stressed out and overworked? Make an effort to allow them to build a better balance between their work life and their personal life. The previously mentioned comp time perk for hard work is one idea worth exploring. Allowing flex time also helps to keep your staff happier, and hopefully they’ll remain your team for years to come.

If your company needs any additional advice on hiring and developing great employees — and retaining them — talk to the experts at PrideStaff Las Vegas. As one of the leading general staffing agencies in Las Vegas, we can offer your organization great business insight as well as a robust supply of quality candidates. Make it a point to meet with us today!

Using LinkedIn to Check Candidate Consistency

In the hiring process, once you’ve got a group of seemingly qualified candidates, the temptation may arise to simply take their resume (and interview, if you’ve gotten that far) at face value and move on to the next stage. A word of advice: Don’t.

More companies than would care to admit have stories of hires whose resumes and backgrounds revealed more fiction than fact — and the cost of letting an employee go and then replacing that person can put a dent in your budget, your time, and possibly your reputation. A great and relatively easy way to check the consistency of candidates’ resumes is through LinkedIn.

First of all, if the person doesn’t have a LinkedIn profile, has only posted a name, or has a scant or incomplete profile, take note. LinkedIn is used by millions of people – why hasn’t your candidate taken advantage of it? It also suggests he’s not entirely media- or tech-savvy; most people going for jobs today understand that employers check their social media profiles, and that goes beyond Facebook and Twitter feeds. The candidate today who doesn’t have a full LinkedIn profile that, at the very least, mirrors his resume, might not be the person you’re looking for.

Next, look at their LinkedIn profile and check it against the resume. Check for resume padding: Does the candidate claim she’s vice-president of her division on paper but only a junior manager online? Is that four-year college actually a two-year stint that never saw completion? Are duties exaggerated when comparing one to the other? While this doesn’t necessarily mean you toss that candidate into the “no” pile, it bears questioning. Some job seekers don’t pad to be deliberately deceptive; they just think they’ve done more than they have.

You can also use LinkedIn to see if you have any mutual connections. A shared connection may be able to give you some insight into the candidate, and tell you if he’s as qualified as he claims. Simply another version of checking references, LinkedIn can connect you with someone the candidate may not have chosen but who can give you good insight into his background – and any skeletons hiding in the closet.

You should also check their profile to see if a candidate has any recommendations listed on her profile from former employers, co-workers, or clients she worked with in the past. These are a good way to see if the candidate’s claims live up to the truth.

While LinkedIn shouldn’t necessarily make or break your choice of hiring a candidate, considering 69 percent of employers have chosen not to hire someone based on a profile on a social networking site, it’s a good idea to check it out. For further hiring advice, visit PrideStaff.

Put Me In, Boss! 5 Ways to Get More Challenging Work

Are you ready for more challenging assignments at work? Does your boss keep giving you the same kinds of projects to handle? As one of the top employment firms in Tempe, PrideStaff can tell you it’s up to you to make the case that you can handle more. How do you go about convincing your boss? Start by following these tips:

Tip #1: Think about your performance.
If you’re regularly late, unprepared for meetings, and don’t deliver consistent results, then your boss isn’t going to want you to take on more. In fact, he or she may be on the verge of letting you go. Before your boss will give you more responsibility and better assignments, you need to have a strong and steady record of positive results. That means doing great work, showing up on time, and being someone your boss can rely on, time and again.

Tip #2: Learn as much as you can about your industry.
Make sure you’re on top of industry news and familiar with your company’s daily operations and challenges. Read trade journals and join online industry groups and communities. You’ll impress your boss when you’re knowledgeable about hot topics and industry and company issues.

Tip #3: Be a problem solver.
Try to present a solution for every problem that comes up. If you’re aware of any particular issues or challenges your company or department are facing, talk to your boss about them and be prepared to pitch several possible solutions.

Tip #4: Ask at the right time.
There’s no ideal time to ask for more responsibility, but certain times are definitely better than others. For instance, if you have a performance review coming up, then it’s a built-in opportunity for you to promote your past accomplishments and make the case as to why you’re ready for more.

Tip #5: Have a plan for ensuring your existing work doesn’t slip.
Your boss may want to let you handle more responsibility…but he or she may also be concerned that you won’t be able to get your existing work done. That’s why it’s important to have a plan in place – before you talk to your boss – for making sure you can complete all your work.

No matter how much you enjoy your job, there comes a time when you need a new challenge. Follow the steps above to convince your boss you’re ready. And if your boss says “no,” then find out what you need to do in the future so you can take on more responsibility. He or she should be able to offer you some valuable insight into what skills and areas you need to develop.

Ready for more responsibility – in a new job?
Call PrideStaff. As a leading employment firm in Tempe, 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.

Do You Typically Follow Up With Your Interviewer?

After your job interview, you still have a measure of control over the hiring process. In fact, in some ways, your interview is only the beginning of the conversation. The right follow-up strategy can significantly increase your chances for success.

After a Phone Screen

After a telephone screen, send your interviewers a quick email message. Thank them for their time and indicate your continued interest in the job. Your note should include verbiage like “I look forward to hearing from you in the near future” and “If you need further information at this time, please let me know.”

After a Face-to-Face Interview

Now, you’re a serious contender. Starting even before you leave your interview, follow a more structured, step-by-step follow-up process:

At the end of your interview, ask about the next step. Before you shake hands and head for your car, find out what the hiring time frame is and when the employer plans to contact candidates.
As soon as you get home, write down your notes and key interview questions. It’s important to do this ASAP before you have a chance to forget details such as interviewers’ names and who asked which question. Also record your observations and any questions you may still have about the job and the company.
Hold a post mortem. Analyze the entire experience with a trusted friend. When you’re in the midst of an interview, it’s easy to be dazzled by the positive attention you’re getting. After the fact, a smart, objective and even slightly cynical friend will keep you grounded.
Send handwritten thank-you notes to each person you met. Here’s where your notes will come in handy. Even in today’s social media age, hiring managers continue to report that well-written, thoughtful notes often are the deciding factor between two equally qualified candidates. Use a blank notecard and keep it short. Make each interviewer’s note different and specific to what the two of you discussed. Mail them within one to two business days.
Your thank-you note should have three elements: Begin by thanking the interviewer. Then reiterate why you’re a good fit. Close by saying you look forward to the next step.

Breaking the Silence

What happens if an employer tells you you’ll hear back from them by Tuesday, it’s already Thursday and you’ve had no feedback? It’s possible that you didn’t make the cut. But it’s equally likely that the hiring manager just got busy.

Call or email. If there’s no reply, try again in a few days. Be brief, polite and professional. Most interviewers will be impressed by your perseverance, communication skills and interest.
Keep your message positive. Don’t sound defensive, desperate or accusatory. Just remind them of your conversation, say you enjoyed it and ask where they are in the hiring process. It’s helpful to prepare a script ahead of time.

The specialized recruiters at PrideStaff Modesto will help you improve your career opportunities and find great temporary or full-time positions within our broad network of clients. Our goal is to help you to not just search, but succeed. To learn more, read our related posts or contact us today.