Tips to Overcome Interview Nerves

It’s rare to meet a person who actually likes going on job interviews.

For most of us, it’s an anxiety-filled, stressful process that requires a lot of preparation. It’s difficult to be charming, friendly, knowledgeable and confident all at once. Add to the mix that you’re also meeting a new person for the first time and suddenly you’re dealing with a perfect storm of nervous energy.

However, pulling yourself together for an interview is imperative if you want to perform well. Even if you’re experiencing a major case of pre-interview jitters, it’s always important to remain calm and collected.

Here are few great ways to overcome your nerves.

Prepare Talking Points.
You always want to walk into an interview feeling as prepared as possible. And you’re much more likely to feel at ease when you know you’ve done your homework. Learn as much as you can about the company in advance and prepare some questions that you might ask. You should also consider preparing how you might respond to your interviewers questions. While you can’t predict the exact questions they’ll ask, you can anticipate a few common ones that will likely come up. The more time you spend preparing, the better you’ll feel walking into that room.

Remember an interview is Just a Conversation.
When you’re nervous, it’s easy to forget that an interview is supposed to be a two-way street i.e. a dialogue between you and the interviewer. Some people get nervous and talk way too much in an interview situation, completely forgetting to address the other person in the room. Others talk too little and fail to ask their interview any questions at all. The key is to strike a good balance between speaking and listening. Plus, thinking of an interview as a conversation—rather than an interrogation—should make the prospect of going on your interview slightly less daunting.

Stay Loose. Work out the Tension.
Many professionals swear by hitting the gym before a big interview. Going for a run or working out at the gym can help relieve your nervous tension and reduce any physical manifestations of stress. Moreover, the endorphins released by getting some cardiovascular exercise are great for elevating your mood.

Try these techniques before your next interview. Chances are you’ll be feeling much more at ease. For additional interview tips, contact PrideStaff Modesto today. An expert in the staffing industry, we are more than happy to discuss any questions you may have.

Choosing the Right Staffing Agency to Meet Your Needs

Most employers say that choosing a staffing partner was one of the single most important decisions they ever made for their organization.

If you’re beginning your search for the right agency, there are a number of factors to consider. The most important, of course, is what your company needs and what you’re looking to get out of an employment agency relationship.

Perhaps you’re understaffed during a peak period. Maybe you’ve noticed a major skills gap in your company. Whatever your reasons are, it’s highly recommended that you begin the process by asking yourself the following questions.

What do I want to achieve?
Companies tend to approach employment agencies when they are planning to quickly expand their workforce. What is your company hoping to achieve? In advance of making a decision on a staffing firm, don’t forget to spend some time reflecting on your organization’s goals. Different employment agencies specialize in different types of services and it will be much easier to decide which ones to reach out to if you have a firm grasp on your company’s goals and expectations.

What am I hoping to overcome?
Is your workforce simply too much for your HR department to manage? Is there a skills gap in your current staff? Do you have problems around employee retention or recruitment? Formulate a list of your company’s primary staffing struggles before you contact an agency. This will help guide your initial meetings and give them a strong sense of the type of help that you need.

Answering these two basic questions will bring you to a place where you can begin considering different agencies.

Then it’s time to weigh your options.

• Do Some Research.
  Every employment agency has specific areas of expertise. For example, some primarily fill temporary placements. Others specialize in placing skilled professionals in more full-time roles. Some focus exclusively on staffing within a particular industry e.g. healthcare. Research and familiarize yourself with the staffing agencies in your area and learn more about where their expertise lies.

• Ask for References.
  Once you’ve found a few agencies that seem like a good fit for your business, don’t hesitate to ask them for a list of past clients. It’s important that you have concrete evidence that your employment agency of choice has worked with reputable organizations and delivered solid results in the past.

• Shop Around.
  Employment agency rates will vary depending on a variety of factors. Be sure to shop around for prices before you commit to one agency. Even though the old adage tends to ring true that you get what you pay for, it’s important to find a staffing partner with a rate that’s manageable for your workplace.

For more information about working with a staffing agency in the Las Vegas area, contact PrideStaff Las Vegas today. One of the leading staffing firms in the area; we have an experienced team to provide you effective staffing solutions.

Attract Top Talent With Your Mobile Recruiting Site

In today’s day and age, more and more candidates are using their smart phones and tablets to search for job openings. So if your mobile site is clunky and confusing, or worse, your website isn’t optimized for a mobile device, then you could fall behind your competitors when it comes time to recruit.

In order to impress candidates with your mobile site – and attract the top ones –keep the following thoughts in mind:

Engage Your Audience

Your mobile site isn’t about you. It’s about the job candidates. So you have to think about what’s important to them when creating your mobile site.

For instance, mobile sites are more about look and feel and less about text heavy pages. So skip the long-winded paragraphs and instead incorporate big graphics and videos with short, punchy headlines.

If you’re still not sure where to begin, then look at other mobile recruiting sites and take note of what they’re doing that’s working.

Work With a Reputable Vendor

Once you have a good sense of your vision for your mobile recruiting site, start seeking out vendors to create it. You’ll want to ask them for references to other client sites that you can review before making a decision. Even better, choose a vendor who has specific experience developing mobile recruiting sites.

One must-have you’ll want from whomever you ultimately choose is the ability to easily change the site. If you’re going to be posting new jobs and other related content to the site, you need a content management system that is easy to use.

Think Through the Application Process

One deadly mobile recruiting mistake employers make is to simply use the same application process they have on their website in their mobile sites. But a long process will turn candidates off. Look for areas where you can streamline the process and only ask for candidates to submit the basics via their mobile devices.

Schedule Interviews Via Text

Use an enterprise text messaging system to communicate with candidates about interviews. You can send interview locations and directions to their phones and link it to Google Maps. Candidates can then click on the link and create a route to the location.

While it will take some time and effort to develop an effective mobile recruiting site, the good news is that many companies out there don’t have sites optimized for mobile devices. That means by creating a functional and engaging site for your company, you’ll be one step ahead in your recruiting strategy.

Need More Help With the Recruiting Process?

If you do, give PrideStaff a call. As one of the top recruiting agencies in Phoenix, we can help you create a strong employment brand online and off – and attract top talent in the process.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about how we can help you.

Implementing a Company Policy that Lasts

Change of any kind can be hard. There’s simply no way around it. And it’s no different in the workplace.

Yet change is sometimes necessary. For example, if outdated company policies and procedures are no longer meeting your organization’s needs today, something has to change whether your employees like it or not. Ineffective polices can act as a major impediment to your company’s success and there’s simply no excuse for keeping them around.

However, an unfortunate reality of the working world is that implementing a new company policy often causes more chaos than resolution. There will inevitably be certain team members who are reluctant to adopt new practices and resistant to the changes that are taking place.

Here are a few ways to make change easier for your staff and implement an effective new company policy:

When in Doubt, Collaborate. 
Your staff will have a much easier time understanding and abiding by a new policy if they are directly involved in the revision process. Let them be a part of identifying and sourcing both the problem and the solution. Include key members of your staff in policy-creation meetings whenever possible. Collaborating will boost morale while also easing the transition into the new policy.

Communicate Clearly. Open the Floor to Questions.
 When you introduce a new, unfamiliar idea into your workplace, you need to anticipate a lot of questions and concerns. Make sure that you’re always communicating as clearly as possible, as well as letting your team know that they can ask questions whenever they need to. Early and regular communication will help to smooth the transition, keep them in the know and minimize confusion and/or frustration.

Make it Accessible.
Once your new policy is ready to be presented—after having it looked over by your legal counsel— be sure to provide a printed copy for each and every employee. This gives your team the opportunity to read it carefully on their own time and keep it in their personal files for future reference.  It’s also a good idea to consider putting the new policy into your employee handbook in order to make it easy for any new staff members to familiarize themselves with it immediately.

Want to learn more about implementing company policies? How about available employment positions within the Modesto area? Contact PrideStaff Modesto today for more information!

Controlling and Minimizing Workforce Costs

Keeping workforce costs down is a primary concern for any manager or organization leader. When labor costs begin to rise steadily, this can have a major impact on revenue.

In addition to auditing your internal processes and cutting down on unnecessary costs, a common way of developing a strategic and cost-effective workforce plan is to leverage temporary employees whenever possible.

How Can Temporary Employees Help Your Organization?

• Reduced Costs.
• Increased Productivity.
• Less time and effort spent on human resources.

The benefits of using temporary employees are seemingly endless. Many companies swear by their temporary staff and rely on them throughout the year to support their full-time workforce.

Let’s take a closer look at a few of the other ways that temporary employees can help to drive profits and improve your workforce.

More Staff for Peak Periods.
Every company experiences high volume periods from time to time—many of which correspond with a particular season. Staying on top of the workload during peak periods without overspending or forcing your staff to rack up overtime hours can be a real challenge. Yet a team of temporary employees can easily alleviate this pressure, saving you big money as well.

Smoother Employee Transitions.
Whenever an important member of your staff requires time away from the workplace—for a vacation, a maternity leave, a medical procedure etc.—your company can’t help but suffer. Hiring skilled temporary employees ensures that there is always a smooth transition into both short-term and long-term absences. And smoother transitions mean less company spending and bigger profit margins.  

Advanced Skills and Knowledge.
Temporary employees also bring a wealth of skills and knowledge to your organization. Temp agencies, for example, specifically match employees with companies where they know they will add value and excel in their roles. So if you’re trying to fill a particular skills gap in your team, working with an agency gives you immediate access to temporary employees with the exact expertise that you need.

Want to learn more about controlling workforce costs with temporary employees?
Contact PrideStaff Las Vegas today! One of the leading temporary staffing agencies in Vegas, we are more than happy to discuss any questions you may have.

An Inside Look at Modesto, California

Modesto, California is a mid-sized city located in Stanislaus County. With a population of just over 200,000, Modesto is known for its proximity to rich farmland and a large agricultural industry.

In terms of geography, Modesto is approximately 90 miles north of Fresno and 92 miles east of San Francisco. Many local residents find work in Modesto and the surrounding areas.

Fast Facts:

• Population: 203,547
• Average number of people per household: 2.93
• Median household income: $49,852
• Homeownership rate: 57.4%

Over 79% of Modesto residents have a high school education or higher. 17% received a university degree. And 26.8% of Modesto residents are minors under the age of 18, which is 2% higher than the California average.

For job-seekers considering looking for work in Modesto, here is a partial list of some of the city’s largest employers.

E&J Gallo Winery
Employees: 3,181
E&J Gallo is the largest exporter of California wines in the state. Both their winery and their distribution facilities are located in Modesto.

Memorial Medical Center
Employees: 3,023
Memorial Medical Center is a local hospital affiliated with Sun Health, a family of non-profit hospitals, physician organizations and other medical services. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, they provide cardiac care, cancer treatment, orthopedics, obstetrics and newborn intensive care.

Modesto City Schools
Employees: 3,010
Modesto City Schools (MSC) is the elementary and high school board for the Modesto region. Current enrollment is approximately 29,000 elementary and high school students. MSC is also the third largest employer in Stanislaus County.

Seneca
Employees: 2,100
This leading processor and distributor of affordable food has a large office in Modesto, CA.

Doctors Medical Center
Employees: 1,962
Doctors Medical Center in Modesto has been in operation for over 50 years. It’s a 465-bed multi-specialty hospital that meets a variety of healthcare needs for the local community (including: trauma, cardiology, neonatal intensive care, neurology and oncology).

Del Monte Foods
Employees: 1,700
Headquartered in San Francisco, Del Monte Foods—a large food production company—employs over a thousand people at its Modesto location. In addition to food products, Del Monte is also one of the largest US producers and distributors of branded food and pet products.

If you would like to hear about any open positions from the companies above, contact PrideStaff Modesto today.

Using Temp-to-Hire to Eliminate Bad Hires

Many employers have a similar story when it comes to hiring.

You interview a prospective candidate for an available position. They seem smart, professional and capable. You offer them a job and they join your team. And that’s when everything goes downhill.

Maybe they just aren’t a good fit for your organization. Or possibly they stretched the truth on their resume and don’t in fact posses the skills that they listed. But whatever the reason is, you’ve now made them a full-time job offer and they don’t meet your company’s needs. At all.

Sound familiar?

Hiring new staff can be extremely tricky. It takes time, resources and a lot of attention to detail. For a lot of employers, it’s simply not possible to fully determine whether or not a candidate will be a good match for your organization when you hire them. While you can make an educated guess—and check references to back you up—there are large risks involved when it comes to hiring.

This is precisely why so many companies swear by temp-to-hire.

What is Temp-to-Hire?
Temp-to-hire staffing is exactly what the name implies: offering a temporary position that has the possibility and potential of turning into a full-time role. What happens is that an employer hires a new employee in a temporary capacity, for a fixed amount of time then—if all goes well—offers them a full-time position within the organization. Temp-to-hire placements are often facilitated by staffing agencies and offer a number of great benefits.

So What’s In It For You?
Temp-to-hire essentially gives employers the chance to continue interviewing a staff member while they’re on the job. Think of it as taking a car out for a test drive before you decide to purchase it. Temp-to-hire placements allow you to hire an employee that you think will be a good fit for your company and then carefully observe them in the workforce. You get to know how they work within your current team and what they would be like as a full-time staff member. And once you’ve made up your mind, you can easily make them a full-time offer.

This approach eliminates the risk associated with hiring someone full-time, which results in a more efficient organization and a happier overall workforce.

For more information about temp-to-hire staffing, contact PrideStaff Las Vegas. We are happy to address any questions you may have.

Join the Conversation: Like us on Facebook

How to Let a Job Candidate Down Gently

There are a few tasks managers dread most: dealing with workplace conflict, firing an employee, and telling a candidate they didn’t get the job. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Phoenix, PrideStaff knows that when it comes to the latter, most simply send off a vague form letter that typically includes a statement about “going in a different direction.”

While this is all fine and good (especially considering that some companies don’t communicate at all with candidates), there is a better way to let down a candidate.

But why would you want to spend the time and effort? Because one of those candidates could be your next great hire. Just because someone wasn’t the right fit for a particular job doesn’t mean they won’t be an ideal fit for the next one.

However, if you leave a bad taste in their mouth, then they simply won’t want to work with you in the future. Plus they’ll tell all their friends about the poor treatment they received from your company. And in the age of social media, is that really a risk you’re wiling to take?

To help you deal with this sensitive situation – and let a candidate down as gently as possible, here are a few tips to consider:

Be Direct
That means no stringing candidates along. If you’ve already found one or two great candidates you want to hire, then let your other candidates know. Don’t leave them out in the cold wondering why they haven’t heard back after an interview three weeks ago.

Call Them if You Can
If you received hundreds of resumes, clearly you’re not going to make a personal phone call to each and every one. However, if you interviewed half a dozen candidates and selected one, then do take the time to call the other five and inform them of your decision.

Email or Write Them
If you have a plethora of candidates to get back to, then an email or letter is your best option. Even if they were never interviewed, they will have peace of mind knowing that their application was received, even if it means they’re not the right fit. The truth can hurt, but not knowing hurts worse.

Offer Feedback
If you can (i.e. if your employer doesn’t prohibit you from doing so for legal reasons), offer some feedback to the candidate as to why they didn’t get the job. Perhaps they didn’t have the right skill set, or other candidates were simply more experienced. Whatever the case is, be gentle but honest.

Job candidates spend a lot of time applying for positions. While rejection can be discouraging, wallowing in the resume or interview black hole, with no feedback, is actually worse. So do your candidates a favor. Let them know when they’re out of the running. They’ll appreciate your honesty and feel free to move onto other opportunities.

Need Help Finding Your Next Great Hire?
If you do, let PrideStaff know. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Phoenix, we can find qualified employees who are a great fit for your company, so you can focus on running your business and improving your bottom line.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about how we can help you.

The Importance of Sending Follow-Up Email Post-Interview

There’s a highly important step to the interview process that 3 out of 4 job seekers routinely forget: the follow-up email.

Within 24 hours after your interview, it’s essential to email the individual who interviewed you to increase your chances of staying top of mind and relevant in the company’s job search. A short, polite and timely email can go a long way in terms of keeping you in the running for a position.

But what should your follow-up email include?

Well, it goes without saying that you should thank the interviewer for meeting with you. Let him or her know how enjoyable it was to discuss the position and that you’re extremely appreciative of being considered for the job. Interviewing candidates takes a considerable amount of time and effort for human resources departments. Hearing that you acknowledge all of the work that they’re doing will make them feel good and, in turn, improve your chances.

Here are a few other suggestions for what to include in your follow-up email:

1) Answer any questions that you weren’t able to address in the interview.
Sometimes an interview simply isn’t enough time to address everything. If you think there’s any information that a company might need that you weren’t able to provide during the formal interview, don’t hesitate to briefly discuss it in your follow-up email. Or, more importantly, if you feel you didn’t fully answer a question to the best of your ability in your interview, take another shot at it here. Showing that you’re still thinking about the interview and trying to give them as much information about you as possible will demonstrate your commitment to the position.

2) Let him or her know the best way to contact you.
You want to make yourself as available as possible after the interview. In your follow-up email, reiterate the best ways to contact you. Express your enthusiasm once more time and end with a professional, yet enthusiastic, sign-off.

For more tips on how to write a follow-up email, contact PrideStaff Modesto. We are more than happy to answer any questions or

Back to School: Launching a Training Plan for Your Company

Before you know it, summer will be winding down – and fall is actually a great time to launch a training program for your company. With people being your most important asset, a training program can ensure they have access to the resources and support they need to reach their full potential.

But as one of the leading Tempe staffing services firms, PrideStaff knows that to get your program off to a great start, you first you need a plan.

To help you in your efforts, here are some thoughts to consider:

Determine Your Needs
When developing a training program, you should focus your efforts where there are skill gaps or other needs to fulfill. To determine those areas, ask yourself questions such as:

• Are there areas where mistakes are always happening or deadlines aren’t being met?
• Are there areas in which customers are always complaining?
• Are there technologies or pieces of equipment that employees aren’t well versed in but need to be?
• Are there shortages in a particular skill set that’s important to the company?

Talk to Your Employees
Bring your employees into the conversation and ask which areas they think they need training in. Doing so will not only get them to “buy in” to the program, but it can also help uncover weaknesses that weren’t previously on your radar.

Also, keep in mind that different people learn better in different situations. So when talking to employees, ask them how they prefer to be trained, whether in person or online, in a group or individually.

Decide on Your Options
There is no shortage of options out there when it comes to training programs. The trick is to first determine your company’s unique needs and then find a training program that suits them, rather than trying to fit your company and its employees into an existing program.

Some examples of your options include:

• Mentoring
• Job shadowing
• Conferences, seminars and workshops
• Lectures by guest speakers
• Off-the-shelf training classes
• Online classes

Evaluate the Program
Once you’ve had the training program in place for a while, take a step back and evaluate it. Ask your employees for input and asses the areas that were previously weak to see if they’ve improved.

Still Having a Hard Time Getting People With the Skills You Need?
If – even after training – your company is still experiencing a skill gap, give PrideStaff a call. As one of the leading Tempe staffing services firms, we can give you fast access to people with the skills you need, where and when you need them.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about how we can help you.