How To Become A Better Leader

Being in a position of authority is not necessarily the same as being considered a leader. Effective leadership requires developing and implementing particular characteristics to guide employees to be motivated to succeed and achieve departmental and organizational goals. Learn more about how to become a better leader:

Clarity

Since employees look to leadership to provide direction on where to focus their efforts and what results they should aim for, it is crucial to set clear expectations. When you are assigning any task or project, communicate in direct terms all details, such as the deadline, how to prioritize it within their workloads, or anything else you are expecting from them. 

Trust

A common issue employees experience is not feeling like they can trust leadership. This is often because leaders are not transparent enough when it comes to communication and sharing information, so employees question their motives. Make it a priority to facilitate a trustworthy relationship with your employees – keep them in the loop as much as possible with company happenings and express interest and get to know them to create a connection. 

Empathy

From making decisions to coaching employees, it is essential for leaders to be able to understand other people’s perspectives. The best leaders are those who are empathetic to the experiences and feelings of others. Proactively ask for your employees’ insight to use as a foundation for determining the best approaches to conversations and overall processes. 

Consistency

Leaders are not respected if they are seen as unreliable or contradictory in their words and actions. Hold yourself accountable for being consistent with how you treat your specific employees and handle situations. If your team sees you only correcting behaviors of certain employees and not others, or you are doing something you wouldn’t accept from others, it can make them question your judgment. 

Encouragement

Among the core competencies for leaders is the ability to coach each of their individual employees with tailored approaches that will most effectively motivate and help them reach their potential. It requires getting to know each of your employees and understanding the motivation style that will work best and be most encouraging to them. 

Partner with Us for Recruitment

Find top talent to join your team with PrideStaff Akron. Our experienced team of staffing experts will work with you to understand your needs and provide you with qualified candidates. Contact us for more information.  

PrideStaff Bend Wins President’s Circle Award

To celebrate top performers’ sales achievements and adaptability during a year of constant change and critical labor shortages, PrideStaff, a nationally franchised staffing organization, is pleased to announce that PrideStaff Bend was named a President’s Circle Award Bronze winner for being a top producer in revenue and profits in 2022.

Left to right: Tammi Heaton, Matt Ertle, Caitlin Granberry, Courtney Marshall, Quin Hanson

Matt & Ashley Ertle and the entire Bend team were recognized at PrideStaff’s Annual Conference; a three-day, in-person event held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Featuring world-renowned keynote speakers, as well as breakout and networking sessions on key industry topics and trends, the conference connected Strategic-Partners from across the country to review results, exchange best practices, learn from industry partners and speakers, and improve proficiency at owning and operating a full-service staffing firm.

When interviewed, Matt & Ashley Ertle, Owners/Strategic-Partners of the PrideStaff Bend office shared the credit with their entire team. “I’m incredibly proud of what our team accomplished last year, and I humbly accept this award on their behalf. Despite the challenges we faced during a critical candidate shortage, our talented staff remained flexible and focused on creating solutions to our customers’ changing needs,” said Ertle. “PrideStaff provides everything we need to help our clients thrive in any economy; industry-leading technology, proven processes, a reputation for excellence in our market, and Our Mission to ‘Consistently provide client experiences focused on what they value most.’ By continually focusing on delivering results and creating a great service experience for the employers and job seekers we serve, we’ve already made a strong start in 2023—and we’re looking forward to future years in the President’s Circle.”

“We are thrilled to honor Matt & Ashley Ertle and the entire Bend team for hitting the ambitious growth and profit targets they set for 2022,” said PrideStaff Co-CEO, Tammi Heaton. “By consistently living Our Mission, leveraging the technology and resources PrideStaff provides, and adapting our approach to help job seekers and employers thrive during a year rife with uncertainty, PrideStaff Bend not only met, but exceeded their lofty goals. We are tremendously proud of what Matt & Ashley’s team achieved in 2022, and we can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the year ahead.”

By investing in the client and talent experience, PrideStaff has become the only staffing firm in the U.S. and Canada with over $100 million in annual revenue to earn ClearlyRated’s coveted Best of Staffing® 10-Year Client and Talent Diamond Awards for five years. The 10-year Diamond Award is earned by fewer than 1% of all staffing firms, placing PrideStaff in a truly elite group of companies that lead the industry in satisfaction.

For more information about PrideStaff, please visit our website.

About PrideStaff
PrideStaff was founded in the 1970s as 100% company-owned units and began staffing franchising in 1995. They operate over 80 offices in North America to serve more than 5,000 clients and are headquartered in Fresno, CA. With 40 plus years in the staffing business, PrideStaff offers the resources and expertise of a national firm, with the spirit, dedication and personal service of smaller, entrepreneurial firms. PrideStaff is the only nationwide, commercial staffing firm in the U.S. and Canada with over $100 million in annual revenue to earn ClearlyRated’s prestigious Best of Staffing Diamond Awards ten years in a row, highlighting exceptional client and talent service quality.

For more information on our services, or for staffing franchise information, visit our website.

How to Be Confident During A Job Interview

Job interviews can be high-pressure situations, making you understandably nervous. However, it’s important to not let your anxiety get in the way of you demonstrating that you believe in your ability to excel in the role and be the best choice to hire. Check out these tips on how to be confident during a job interview:

Practice Breathing Exercises

The culprit behind sounding shaky is generally due to taking rapid short breaths while talking. Deep breathing can help you slow down and sound more steady and confident during your interview. Practice inhaling through your abdomen and then slowly exhaling, which will result in natural pauses and keep you more in control of your speech. 

Visualize the Ideal Outcome

To feel confident in your interview outcome, you have to truly believe it will be successful. Imagine in precise detail how your interview will play out, from your arrival to your introductions to answering the hiring manager’s questions with ease. 

Give Yourself a Pep Talk

It is absolutely essential to treat yourself with kindness and remind yourself of all you have to offer to an employer. Repeat to yourself your qualifications, skills, achievements, etc. to boost your confidence before your interview. 

Prepare Key Points

Interviews are often so nerve-wracking because of the feeling of not knowing what to expect. Be as prepared as possible by deciding ahead of time what key points you want the hiring manager to know about you, and rehearse delivering them until they come naturally to you, even when you’re flustered. 

Focus Your Body Language

One of the most influential factors that contribute to how confident you come across is your body language. Master your non-verbal communication so you can command respect as you meet and interact with the interview. Practice maintaining proper posture, making eye contact, smiling, and avoiding fidgeting or other nervous gestures. 

Connect with Authenticity

Ultimately, you should not be aiming to impress the hiring manager – this can backfire and make you feel like you have to put on an insincere act. Instead, your goal should be to make a connection with the hiring manager and establish a rapport. Respond as your authentic, professional self and simply aim to have a conversation with a fellow person where you get to know one another – this will ensure your natural confidence shines through. 

Find the Right Job for You

Get your job search started with the help of PrideStaff Akron. We work with area employers to fill their open positions and can connect you with opportunities that are best for your needs. Search our current available jobs to get started.   

Why Fewer Men Aged 25-55 Are In Labor Force

Hiring continues to get more difficult. A long-term trend — known as the sansdemic — has seen the labor market get tighter in recent years, a shift that promises to continue into the foreseeable future. This will significantly change the way you think about your team-building process, making hiring and retention more difficult.

Among the causes for this building crisis: a growing number men aged 25-55, who should theoretically be in the prime of their careers, have been disappearing from the workforce. Where have they gone and how can you connect with this potential source of talent?

A Mysterious Hole in the Labor Market

Much has been made about the wave of retirements that has impacted the labor force. As Baby Boomers have pushed further into their golden years, this crucial generation has been removing itself from the job market. This has contributed to an overall lack of available workers — making recruiting more difficult for employers and contributing to higher costs.

However, the departure of older workers only represents part of the story. Other demographic groups have also played a role in the overall tightening of the labor market. Specifically, there has been a growing number of prime-career men who have faded from the labor force.

A report published in the New York Post places the number of missing workers at seven million. These are able-bodied men between the ages of 25 and 55 who are not working and not actively seeking a job. This absence is putting pressure on a labor market already stressed by Baby Boomer retirements and decades of declining birthrates.

Where Are These Workers and How Can You Find Them?

Changing market dynamics has put a premium on finding workers. Given the growing sansdemic, any steps you can take to discover hidden talent will give you a competitive edge. This involves connecting with those mid-career men who have stepped away from the labor market.

Doing this requires understanding why they’ve left and what you can do to attract them back into the workforce. Based in part by research conducted by The Brookings Institution, here are some challenges faced by men aged 25-55:

• Skills Gap: Many of the potential workers in this group lack the skills necessary to compete for many positions.
• Long-Term Economic Discouragement: A lack of employment can become self-reinforcing. Laid off or dislocated workers can become discouraged if they can’t find a position immediately after losing their previous job.
• Family and Other Non-Work Obligations: More men have taken on roles such as stay-at-home parent.
• Post-Pandemic Issues: The pandemic created havoc for the labor market. Many workers have had trouble finding their way back into the workforce.

Given these conditions, here are some steps you can take to reach out to workers impacted by this trend:

• Provide extensive on-the-job training.
• Be more flexible in your expectations for job candidates.
• Advertise your willingness to consider candidates with limited experience.
• Offer remote-work alternatives where possible.
• Allow for flexible scheduling options.
• Look for passive talent through methods like social media.
• Launch an employee referral program, allowing your current team members to recommend friends and family for open positions.

Many broad trends are contributing to a lack of workers. Still, you need to make the best of the current labor market, whatever the challenges. A top recruiter, like PrideStaff, can give you the edge you need.

Contact PrideStaff Bend today to upgrade your recruiting process.

Why You Should Invest in the Leadership Competencies of Your Managers at All Levels

Successful companies need leaders. They also need managers. While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they’re not synonymous. If you run your own business, or are the person responsible for talent management, it’s important to understand the differences between managers and leaders, to be able to spot key leadership skills, and to know how to develop people into leaders.

Managers vs. Leaders

“Management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things.” (Peter Drucker, author, educator and management consultant)

Every manager isn’t a leader, nor is every leader a manager. When the two roles are balanced within your organization, you’ve found the secret to success.

• The basic mindset of a manager differs from that of a leader. Managers have direct reports, and they monitor and track progress. They focus on systems and structures – and that’s all good. A leader can be any employee who steps up to inspire and motivate others. With a focus more on the end goal than the day-to-day, leaders make everyone on their team feel empowered and encourage them to learn and grow.
• Managers plan details, while leaders set direction. While managers focus on delegating specific tasks, leaders seek out experts in different areas and enjoin them to create teams of people whose strengths and weaknesses balance each other out for peak performance.
• Leaders give their teams direction and trust that everyone can do their jobs, without micromanaging. This is not to say managers aren’t trusting or trustworthy, only that they may fit one of two common molds: those who lose sight of the bigger picture by trying to oversee every single project detail, or those who spend too much time trying to appease a variety of people who have different ideas about the same tasks.

Promoting someone to a manager doesn’t make them a leader. But you may find great leadership potential within promising members of your management team. Or, you may find those leaders elsewhere, so keep your eyes open for diamonds in the rough.

Crucial Leadership Skills

There are numerous core skills that constitute strong leadership. When you spot an employee with leadership potential, help them further develop in areas including:

• Communication: Active listening, emotional intelligence, having difficult and courageous conversations, and honing their written and verbal skills.
• Coaching: There’s an important difference between knowing how to do something and teaching someone else how to do it. Teams succeed when their leaders understand how to give feedback on both the technical and motivational aspects of their work.
• Teamwork: Leading collaboration is different from being an individual contributor. Leaders recognize the contributions of each team member and encourage their continued input and contributions.

Training and development, including spotting the potential leaders within your organization and turning that potential into reality, are among the specialties of the staffing and workforce strengthening experts at PrideStaff Modesto. Our mission is to deliver what matters most to you, starting with a better imprint for hiring, promoting, and ensuring your team members and your company are positioned for long-term growth and success. Contact us today to learn more.

Work the Night Shift? Here’s How to Stay Healthy

Working the night shift might come with extra pay and perks. However, at the same time, your health can take a hit if you’re not careful. How can you maintain good habits while also working the night shift? Here are a few tips to help you.

Skip the coffee and junk food.

While these might provide a quick boost during your shift, the fuel is short-lived and you’ll end up more fatigued. Instead, stick to one cup of coffee and make sure you’re hydrating with plenty of water. If you don’t have healthy food options available at work, then bring in food from home, like fruit and yogurt, rice and vegetables, or a salad. These kinds of snacks and meals will provide the fuel you need without the crash at the end.

Limit screen time and get more sleep.

If you’re not feeling your best, evaluate your sleeping habits. If you get off your shift and spend an hour on your phone, then can’t sleep, it’s time for a change. Instead, limit your screen time and aim for healthier sleep habits. You might also need to take steps, like installing blackout shades or getting a noise machine to mask outside noise, if you’re trying to sleep during the day.

Lighten up before your shift.

If it’s getting dark just before your shift, this sends the message to your body to get ready for bed. To combat this, use light to alert your brain it’s time to wake up. As you’re getting ready, turn on all the lights in your room, so you can wake up and get energized. At work, expose yourself to as much light as possible. You can even invest in a lightbox that’s mobile and take it with you to emit artificial light wherever your go.

Get your family involved.

A night shift schedule can be difficult on you and your whole family. It can put a strain on relationships and make marriage and parenting more stressful. Plus, if you’re sleep-deprived, it makes the situation even worse. Instead, work together to plan family time and also communicate what you need to sleep and get enough rest. When you’re all on the same page, it will be far easier to manage your schedule.

Don’t Let Job Rejection Break Your Heart. Move On With These Steps

Job searching is often filled with emotional highs and lows, from the initial excitement about an opportunity to dealing with the self-confidence issues that may arise when you are not selected. Unfortunately, getting rejected for jobs is truly part of the process; therefore, it’s crucial to learn how to handle it with your pride intact so you can be in a better position to successfully achieve your job search goals. Don’t let job rejection break your heart – move on with these steps:

React in a Professional Manner

The way you respond to a job rejection can determine if you build a positive reputation that could keep you in consideration for future opportunities. React in a professional manner – thank them for taking the time to meet with you and that you would be grateful if they kept your contact information for other openings down the road. 

Establish a Connection

Often when you are not selected for a job, it is only by a narrow margin. Establish a connection with the hiring manager by sending them a LinkedIn request – if they have openings in the future, you will easily be able to be contacted. Plus, it shows that you are professional and still enthusiastic about working for them, even if you were turned down this time. 

Request Feedback

Empower yourself by reframing a job rejection as an opportunity to grow. Request feedback politely and without expectation – ask if they could provide you with any tips for improvement or insight into why you weren’t what they were looking for. There is a chance they may not be able to give you feedback due to company policies, but if they are able and willing, you could gain valuable information for going forward. 

Reflect on Your Actions

Take some time to think through objectively how the hiring selection process went. Reflect on your actions and determine what areas you seemed particularly strong in and other aspects that perhaps you could try to improve or change tactics on. This can give you a starting point to take control to reassess your strategy, and get closer to your desired outcome in your job search endeavors. 

Practice Positive Self-Talk

As upsetting as a job rejection can be, it does not mean you are a failure. Practice positive self-talk in the aftermath of being rejected – remind yourself of your achievements and skills and that you are a talented professional who will eventually find the right opportunity. 

Explore New Opportunities

Get help with your job search by teaming up with PrideStaff Akron. Our team of recruiting experts can help you find new opportunities that are the best fit for your qualifications and professional goals. Search our available jobs to learn more.  

Are Lower Birth Rates Playing a Role in Today’s Workforce?

There are massive changes taking place in the labor market — ones that will have a dramatic impact on how you operate your business. The economy is running into a condition known as the “sansdemic,” a general lack of workers that will make hiring and retention more difficult over time. But what’s causing this shift?

The sansdemic is being driven by core demographic changes. Among these conditions, a low overall birthrate means that there aren’t enough younger workers to replace the older ones now reaching retirement age. Each time you lose a team member, your choices for a new hire get slightly narrower.

The Impact of a Lower Birth Rate on the Sansdemic

What is causing the sansdemic? The term itself refers to a general lack of workers. Many causes have combined to fuel this trend, but a key trigger comes from the retirement of the Baby Boom generation — a process that is removing an important part of the workforce.

However, these departures are only half the story. Theoretically, those retiring Boomer workers should be replaced by younger ones. As older employees retire, replacements should be exiting school and entering the labor market, keeping the supply/demand dynamics roughly equal.

However, an imbalance has developed, driven largely by lower birthrates. This process, which has been accumulating over the course of decades, means that there are fewer younger workers available to replace the aging ones leaving the workforce.

To put things in perspective, the current birthrate in the U.S., according to the CDC, sits at 11 births per 1,000 population. In 2000 (roughly the year many current college graduates would have been born), that number stood at 14.7.

Looking further back, the U.S. birthrate in 1960, around the birth year for many workers currently considering retirement, was 23.7. This represented more than double the current birthrate and significantly above the figures seen around the turn of the 21st century.

Operating in a Sansdemic

The dynamics in the labor market constantly experience minor alterations. You’ve gotten used to dealing with the routine ebb and flow of worker availability. However, as we’ve seen, the evolution underway now has been building for decades and involves extremely broad demographic trends. As such, the situation is not likely to see a permanent reversal in the near future.

There’s nothing you can do about lower birthrates and the overall demographic forces impacting the labor force. However, you can take steps to make the most of the current market and to prepare for the future. Here are some strategies to consider:

Improve Retention

As hiring becomes more difficult, the ROI balance between recruiting and retention begins to change. Investments aimed at keeping your current workforce begin to make additional sense. As such, look for improved ways to build bonds with top performers you already have on your team.

Upgrade Productivity

The sansdemic might cause a lack of workers. Yet, you still have the same amount of work to get done. The best solution is to improve your processes to minimize the amount of labor needed. By upgrading productivity, you limit the pressure that comes with a shallower labor pool.

Increase Automation

How do you get more out of your current staff? Technology provides a key tool. If you can find places to automate your operations, with computers taking over some of the functions previously completed by workers, you reduce your hiring needs.

Optimize Your Recruiting

Even in a sansdemic, you’ll need to search out new employees. You’ll also need to get better at the process. Take steps to upgrade your recruiting process, letting you find the best hires in an increasingly competitive market.

A strong recruiting partner can help in this effort. A top staffing agency, like PrideStaff, can give you the support you need to operate in any labor market.

Contact PrideStaff Bend today to get the most out of your recruiting process.

Preparing for the Future of Work: Skills That Job Seekers in Las Vegas Need to Develop

Las Vegas is constantly changing, meaning the types of available jobs and the responsibilities attached to them are also shifting. As a savvy job seeker, you want to make sure your skill set still aligns with employer demand.

In some cases you’ll need to learn entirely new abilities — especially those related to technology — but you’ll be relieved to know many tried-and-true behavioral skills are just as relevant as ever. Here’s a look at five abilities you’ll want to acquire or strengthen to ensure you’re a competitive candidate.

Five Skills That Job Seekers in Las Vegas Need to Develop

Technology Monitoring

There’s no way you haven’t noticed that Las Vegas has become more automated than ever. While features like self-service check-in and robot bartenders might allow employers to cut down on staffers, it certainly doesn’t eliminate the need for human employees. The watchful eye of a human worker cannot be replaced, as they’re needed to step in when technology malfunctions or another issue occurs that can’t be solved by a computer.

Innovative Thinking

Clearly, Las Vegas is moving forward at a rapid pace. Employers are very aware of this, so they want to hire people who will take the initiative to find ways to propose and implement positive change. This can be anything from new product ideas to suggestions on how to make processes more efficient.

Emotional Intelligence

Working with a team of people can be stressful, but you have to keep your emotions in check. Employers value workers with the ability to understand colleagues who have a different perspective, practice effective conflict resolution, and promote a peaceful work environment. Anyone known to cause drama will be viewed as a distraction that disrupts the productivity of the team.

Adaptability

At most companies, no two days are exactly the same. Therefore, hiring managers want employees who can be flexible. This might mean pitching in to help a team member with a task or modifying their work schedule during a busy period. If you’re too rigid, you won’t be viewed as a team player.

Creativity

When an issue arises at work, there’s not always an obvious solution. This makes creativity a highly-sought skill, because employees with the ability to produce imaginative ideas can really save the day. Unique ideas can also give the company a competitive edge, because doing things a little differently is a great way to stand out from the crowd.

Get Your Career on Track

Ready to find a new job that feels like a perfect fit for your skills and interests? PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to help you find new opportunities that you can grow into a meaningful career. Contact us today to get started!

Unlock Your Career Growth Mindset With These Tips

Growth is about moving forward – and so is developing a growth mindset.

Psychologist Carol Dweck coined the term “growth mindset” in her 2006 book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Her studies show that those who believe they can develop their talents tend to achieve more than those who feel their abilities are innate, fixed, or “just what I was born with.”

• A fixed mindset is a belief that one’s skills and talents are stagnant: No matter what they do, those capabilities will not significantly improve.
• A growth mindset is a belief you can progress through hard work and dedication: Even if you’re initially incapable of doing something new, this can change.

How to Develop a Growth Mindset

Not everyone can achieve everything – and it’s important to realize that no one has an entirely fixed or an entirely growth-oriented mindset. Realistically, most people fall somewhere in the middle. But, that being said, there are ways you can move the needle towards personal and professional growth versus stagnancy.

To unlock and benefit from your career growth mindset, try these tips:

• Identify your current mindset. Where do you fall on the fixed vs. growth scale? Consider how you approach challenges at work and in your personal life. This awareness is the first step toward change.
• Look at improvements you’ve already made. Think of something you’re better at now than you were in the past. Why is it easier now, and how did you make it happen? These thoughts will help steer you toward a growth mindset.
• Look at the successes of people you admire. Picture something you’ve seen someone else do, against the odds. Think about how they achieved their success, what it says about their ability to develop their strengths, and how you may be able to model that behavior.
• Seek feedback. Seeking – and listening to – feedback from others is a great way to develop a growth mindset. It may not always be easy to hear, but it will give you the needed insight into what needs improvement in your own life.
• Embrace the concept of “yet.” Dweck addressed this idea in a TEDx talk. It’s about acknowledging there are things you’re not good at – yet. But with work and perseverance, you can improve in these areas.
• Challenge yourself to learn something new. Pick something that piques your interest and at the same time, pushes you out of your comfort zone. Maybe it’s a second language, a musical instrument, or kick boxing. It’s a significant step toward continuously being more open to learn new skills.
• Don’t be afraid to fail. Are you familiar with the quote by coach Jimmy Dugan in the movie A League of Their Own? “It’s supposed to be hard. The hard is what makes it great.” Rather than think mistakes equal ineptitude, look at them as learning opportunities.

Do you need further guidance or resources to find your full potential and reach your career goals? If so, reach out to PrideStaff Modesto today.