4 Job Search Tips if You’re Over 40

Job searches are never easy. When you’re just out of school, starting your career, you get turned away because of your lack of experience. Once you build up an impressive work history, you start to feel the pinch of age discrimination.

As a result, you need to have an updated strategy for career development once hit your 40th birthday. After all, about one in five workers over 40 (21%) have suffered age discrimination. Meanwhile, more than a third (36%) say that they have lost out on a job opportunity because of their age.

While these experiences are unfortunate (and often illegal), you need to be prepared for this bias. As such, take what steps you can to avoid this type of discrimination and keep your career moving forward. With that in mind, here are four job search tips for candidates over 40:

Downplay Older Experience

Sorry, no one really cares about what you did in 2007. If you’re main selling point comes from accomplishments you earned a decade or more ago, you need to update your experience. Instead, emphasize the achievements you’ve had in the last five years or so.

Part of the value you provide as an older professional comes from your wealth of experience. However, you have to weigh the relevance of events that happened while some of the people making the hiring decision were still in school.

In terms of tactics, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Don’t include dates for your education on your resume
• Don’t reference older work history items unless they are specifically relevant
• Give the heaviest weight to your most recent experience

Rely on Your Network

You may face ageism if you go through the normal job-search channels. You can avoid this by skipping those channels entirely. A strong network lets you do this.

One of your advantages as an experienced worker is a long history of employment. At each of those stops along your career, you worked with people who might be in a position to help you find opportunities. Use this wealth of contacts to sidestep any bias you face.

Stay Flexible and Expand Your Skills

Don’t become overly rigid in your job search. Your career might not consist of an unbroken drive forward. You may experience detours and cul-de-sacs along the way. The best way to move forward is to stay flexible about your approach.

This includes continually upgrading your skills and improving your resume. This will help you increase your current value as a job candidate. Here are a few steps you can consider:

• Take classes: Add to your skills with additional training. Professional certificates make a nice addition to your resume.
• Accept part-time/contract assignments: Build experience and expand your network with shorter-term assignments.
• Stay flexible about the jobs you’ll consider: You might have to take a step back to make a bigger leap forward. Consider the entire opportunity, rather than focus on things like job titles.

Take Control of the Situation

Yes, it can be difficult for older candidates to find a position. As a result, you might need to get creative about the next stage of your professional development. Instead of simply waiting for a job offer, take steps to create the kind of opportunity you’re looking for.

Create an employee brand

Build a reputation that precedes you into job discussions. If you’re known around the industry as successful and innovative executive, new opportunities will find you.

Target specific employers

Setting a wide net theoretically expands your possibilities. But it also means your time and effort are spread out. Instead, target companies that best suit you and focus your efforts there.

Start your own business

Don’t wait to get hired by someone else. Launch a startup or found a consulting firm. These can become the springboard for future opportunities.

Partner with a staffing firm

Let someone else do the heavy lifting. A top recruiter, like PrideStaff, can speed your executive search and put you in the perfect position to drive the next stage of your career.

Contact PrideStaff today to get started.

The Keys to Keeping Your Team Morale at a High Level

Things are pretty great right now at your company. Business is booming and your employees seem happy and fulfilled. In fact, you’re even looking for candidates searching for Las Vegas jobs hiring immediately.

You’re feeling really good about all of this, but as a seasoned manager, you know keeping morale high requires work. Here’s some advice to help keep both spirits and retention levels high on your team.

Four Tips to Keep Morale High at Your Company

Keep Your Team in the Loop

You might think you’re protecting employees by opting not to share updates — or delaying them as long as you can — that might cause them to worry. While your intentions are good, this will likely cause morale to take a hit, because no one likes to be left in the dark. If people have to learn news about the company from someone other than leadership, they’ll feel like you didn’t care enough to tell them yourself.

Recognize Outstanding Efforts

Your employees don’t put in extra effort for the sake of being praised, but a few kind words from the boss always feels good. So, speak up when someone goes the extra mile and really impresses you.

This might involve sharing their accomplishment with the entire group at a staff meeting, stopping by their desk to thank them privately or even emailing them a gift card to a local coffee shop. Calling out their hard work will make them feel valued and let them know you appreciate everything they do for the team.

Make Time for Fun

All work and no play is a recipe for low morale. Help your employees relax by prioritizing team-building activities.

Choose something everyone enjoys, so this time is something people look forward to — i.e., team lunches, happy hours, bowling nights, company picnics, etc. Having the opportunity to really enjoy themselves with their peers helps create stronger bonds, which keeps morale high.

Ensure a Solid Work-Life Balance

Your employees are committed to their jobs, but that doesn’t mean they don’t also need time away from the office to recharge. While some overtime might be inevitable during busy periods, this shouldn’t be a frequent occurrence. Let people know they aren’t expected to return messages after hours, so they can sit back and enjoy their personal lives.

Hire Right, Every Time

Need help finding a new employee who perfectly fits with your team? PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to guide your search. Contact us today to get started!

Take a Creative Approach to Onboarding New Employees

Whether your new employees are working remotely, from your workplace site, or a hybrid of both, effective onboarding is essential in assimilating them into your company and its culture. It’s also a key first step in setting clear expectations for all involved, coordinating the delivery of the right technology and other job tools, and completing all the sometimes tedious albeit necessary hiring paperwork.

To help new hires get up to speed ASAP and feel like they’re truly part of your team, make their onboarding experience fun, festive and fulfilling as you continue cementing your positive first impression on them.

Roll out the welcome mat.

Virtually or in person, be creative as you make your new team members feel at home.

• Social distancing may rule out team lunches, but you can schedule virtual nosh sessions and have meals delivered to employees’ homes. You can do this once or over a series of meetings. Also send along some company swag, like tee shirts, caps, and job-related gadgets.
• Be proactive in communicating your expectations. This includes focusing on how work gets done, how company values are manifested, and especially for those working remotely, how often updates will take place. A lack of communication, especially during uncertain times, can lead to people thinking the worst. So fill that void, even if your regularly scheduled update is simply that you have nothing new to report. Leave the door open for newbies to contribute, ask questions, and clarify anything they need to know.
• About that paperwork: consider e-sign options. For instance, set up electronic verification of Form I-9s. If you have a payroll service, see what else is available as a starting point.

Keep thinking outside the box.

Here are some additional ideas to keep the spring in your onboarding:

• Send out a company-wide email introducing your new hires. In addition to their professional background, include information about their personal interests, hobbies, favorite teams, and so on.
• Hold a Q&A session hosted by company leaders, to address questions.
• Create a customized message to appear on in-house TV monitors and on everyone’s computer screens.
• Start a buddy program that pairs new hires with more seasoned employees. You might want to partner newbies with workers from different departments so they not only have a friendly face to turn to, but also have an opportunity to learn how things work in areas besides their own. This could have the added benefit of morphing into an ongoing mentor/mentee relationship.
• Ask your new hires for suggestions on how you could further improve onboarding. This is a great way to acknowledge their contributions right from the start and further enhance their feeling of belonging.
• Throw a 100 Day Party, in person or virtually, to mark this milestone for new team members.

As you strive to match skilled professionals with the right roles at your company, consider partnering with the sourcing and talent management team at PrideStaff Modesto. Our mission in helping you find, onboard and retain top talent is simple: we strive to consistently provide an experience focused on what you value most. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.

Should You Hire a Referred Candidate Faster?

When you’re hiring a new employee, referrals from someone you know are still the best source for talent. However, should you follow the same stringent screening protocol you do for other candidates or speed it up for a referral? Here’s what to know.

You can often hire a referred candidate faster, but not because you’re skipping steps in the process. Rather, the process is quicker because you’re able to streamline it. For instance, you don’t have to spend as much time sourcing and reviewing resumes. Nor do you have to conduct a phone screen. You can jump right into an in-person interview.

That said, just because someone you trust referred a candidate doesn’t mean you should speed up the vetting process or skip steps in it. You should be just as thorough for a referred candidate as one who sends in their resume from an online job board.

Why? While a referred candidate might be highly talented and hard-working, that doesn’t mean they are the right fit for your job. It’s your responsibility to assess fit to make certain when you do extend an offer, it’s with confidence.

So, just as you would with any other candidate, make sure you:

• Review their resume and research their reputation online by Googling them and checking out their LinkedIn profile.
• Interview them carefully, asking questions that are behavior-based, so they have to provide examples of their abilities.
• Assess their personality by asking questions, such as what kind of job environment they work best in. This will help to ensure they’re a match for the role and the company.
• Get a list of references and check each one, verifying their job title and tenure with past employers.
• Conduct a background check if you have the kind of position where it’s important to look into certain details, like a potential criminal record.

Even with all the technology at your fingertips, referrals are still the best source of candidates. And accessing them can help you hire faster. But that doesn’t guarantee you’ll always get a great hire from every referral. That’s why carefully vetting each one is still vitally important. You can avoid mistakes and reduce risk, all while hiring with peace of mind.

Need help recruiting and hiring great employees?

At PrideStaff, we make it easier. Even during a worker shortage, we have a pipeline of talented candidates ready to hit the ground running with your organization. Whether you need employees for temporary or temp-to-hire roles or full-time jobs, we can connect you to your next top-notch employee, so you can build a strong team. Simply contact us today to get started.

5 Things to Negotiate in Your Job Offer

We’ve all heard about the Great Resignation by now. More than ever, workers have decided to seek out new opportunities and take advantage of a strong labor market. But how can you make sure you negotiate the best deal when you get that new job offer?

Improving these skills will help you maximize your career development. Economic circumstances will likely give you additional leverage in 2022. Still, it’s up to you to ask for the compensation you deserve.

How can you make the most of this opportunity? It starts by understanding where you can boost your compensation and having a plan to optimize the situation. With that in mind, here are five things to negotiate in your next job offer:

Salary

Of course, this represents the key topic of discussion when a job offer comes. However, very few job seekers feel confident asking for a higher starting salary.

Whether you can score a higher opening pay rate will depend on the circumstances. The key is to be informed. Research competitive salaries for the position and have that in mind when you receive the job offer. At that point, you’ll have the data you need to make a good decision about requesting a higher amount.

Schedule

Your compensation only represents the start of the factors you should keep in mind. When and where you work are as important as how much you make. As such, keep your schedule in mind as you go into negotiations.

Ask your potential employer about:

• Remote Work: Find out if there are remote options for your position. This could let you skip the commute and work from home at least some of the time.
• PTO: Talk about vacation days and holidays. If you aren’t getting the money you think you need, paid time off can help balance the scales.
• Flex Schedules: Depending on the responsibilities in your job, you might have some influence into your hours. Maximizing flexibility might be as important as salary size if you have family responsibilities or other personal matters to consider.

Benefits

It’s often difficult to negotiate benefits. Companies subscribe to group plans for many of these offerings and specific policies are determined by the providers, not by your employer. At the same time, many of the benefits have strict regulatory or legal rules that limit a company’s flexibility.

That said, you might be able to find some areas of accommodation. The discussions might get complicated but if you understand the benefit landscape, you can occasionally find areas where concessions are possible.

At the very least, you should have benefits in mind during the negotiation process. Even if you can’t make changes related to individual benefits, the details in this part of your compensation package will inform what you want to achieve elsewhere. For instance, a high employee contribution to the health care plan might give you leverage to ask for a higher salary to offset the expense.

Here are some of the key benefits that companies provide that you should ask about during your negotiations:

• Health Insurance
• Dental
• Vision
• Life Insurance
• Retirement Benefits

When Your Review Comes Up

Not happy with your initial salary? If they won’t budge on the number for a newbie, one strategy involves showing what you can do and then asking for more money. However, you don’t want to wait a year to make your case.

Ask them for an earlier review, maybe six months into your tenure. That way, you can reopen salary and other negotiations, only this time with several months of stellar work behind you. If you’ve excelled at the position, you’ll have more leverage to request a raise than you had when you were just an anonymous job seeker.

Reimbursements

The little things add up. Doing your job often involves taking on additional expenses, whether that means buying supplies or paying for continuing education to expand your skills.

Often, a company will reimburse you for these items. However, it’s up to you to clarify the rules during the job offer process. You might be able to negotiate additional support. Here are a few types of reimbursement to keep in mind:

• Expenses
• Relocation
• Education
• Childcare

Ready to find the perfect job for you? Working with a top recruiter, like PrideStaff, will let you find a position that will provide the challenge – and the compensation – that you need.

Contact PrideStaff today to find out more.

Question: Why Are Job Interviews So Difficult for Me?

You’re searching for Las Vegas jobs hiring immediately, but you’re not having much luck. While you’ve scored a few interviews, you have yet to be offered a job — and you think you know why.

It’s hard to find anyone who enjoys job interviews, but they’re seriously not your thing. The mere thought of sitting in the hot seat while a prospective employer asks questions that could impact your career trajectory makes you weak in the knees.

Here’s some advice to help change your outlook on job interviews, so you can stop dreading them.

Three Tips to Feel More Confident in Job Interviews

Prepare Responses to Common Interview Questions

You won’t know in advance exactly what you’ll be asked in your job interview, but hiring managers tend to focus on the same core questions. There’s a very good chance you’ll be asked questions like “Tell me about yourself,” “Why do you want this job?” and “What is your greatest strength/weakness?” so prepare responses in advance.

This will give you a major confidence boost walking into the interview because you know you’re prepared for the questions headed your way.

Dress to Impress

When you look good, you feel good. Put some extra pep in your step by choosing an interview outfit that boosts your confidence. Your attire must follow the general rules of being one step above the company’s standard dress code, but should also be something that makes you feel powerful and ready to prove you’re the best person for the job.

Research the Interviewer

Part of the reason job interviews can be so nerve-wracking is that you typically don’t know much about the interviewer. If you know their first and last name, conduct a quick LinkedIn search to gain valuable background information. This will help them feel less elusive and allow you to learn information you can subtly use to build a common bond — i.e., a shared hometown or alma mater.

We’re Here to Help You Get Your Dream Job

Feeling lost in the job search process? PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to help. Contact us today to find out what we can do for your career!

How to Include Your Work Experience on Your Resume

It goes without saying that your resume will provide an overview of your previous experience. But, there’s a right and a wrong way to do it. So, make sure you choose the first option! Your work history is typically the primary source of material for your resume. But this section may encompass much more than just traditional full and part-time jobs.

Internships, freelance assignments, temporary gigs and volunteer roles also qualify.

• Keep it relevant. This simply means including experience on your resume that applies to the position you’re seeking. Read through the job posting and note the skills and duties mentioned. Then, make a list of your related past responsibilities. Base the content of your Experience section on this information.
• Include keywords from the job posting. This will help your resume pass applicant tracking systems (ASTS), which is often the first step in a hiring process. And when your resume does reach an actual recruiter, it will make it easier for them to understand why you’d be a good match for their open job.
• Relevance applies to everything on your resume, including how far back to go. If you’re more established in your desired field and aren’t looking to make a significant change, you can probably fill most of this space with information on your last one or two roles. As a general rule, you don’t need to include more than 10 to 15 years of experience. Otherwise, however, you may want to incorporate less traditional experience.

How should my Experience section be formatted?

For most job seekers, a chronological format works well, with past jobs listed in reverse order. But if you’re just entering the workforce, you may want to use a functional or other format. Regardless, start with a clear section heading. You might simply call it “Experience, Work Experience” or “Relevant Experience.” Keep it clear and simple. The key is to make it immediately noticeable to anyone who may quickly scan your resume.

• In some cases, you may want to showcase experience from a previous career; namely, transferable skills that would be valuable in your new field as well. To do this, you can simply create another section and title it “Additional Experience” or, if applicable, “Volunteer Experience.” For each item you list, include position details, duties and achievements – with relevance always in mind.

How do I explain employment gaps?

There’s no shame in having taken some time away from the workforce. You can explain such gaps and make them work in your favor, either on your resume or in your cover letter.

If your employment gap was brief (less than six months or so), you probably don’t need to address it. But if it’s longer, you may want to add a bit of context in the form of an additional bullet point entry. If you took time off to go back to school, you can list it under your Education section.

Perfecting your resume and tailoring it to each job you apply for doesn’t have to be a tedious, endless effort. Neither does finding those jobs in the first place. PrideStaff Modesto is ready to help, and our job network offers top temporary, temp-to-hire and full-time opportunities in areas including administration, warehousing, manufacturing, skilled labor, and finance and accounting. Contact us today to learn more.

How Do You Know if It’s Time to Hire or Just a Period of Increased Productivity?

5 Tips to Drive Employee Engagement

No matter your business, employee engagement is a must. It’s contagious, spreading not only from coworker to coworker, but ultimately to customers as well. It positively impacts not only morale and company culture, but also productivity and your bottom line.

Hopefully, you’re already familiar with these tips to drive employee engagement, and practicing them on a regular basis. Or, maybe it’s time for a tune up when it comes to:

Getting Involved

Take a genuine interest in what your employees are working on. Check in with them regularly and, if it helps, be ready and willing to roll up your sleeps if they need on-the-spot assistance. Engaged leaders consistently show that they care and that the work their team members are doing is valued and appreciated.

If you don’t already have one, start an employee recognition program. Peer-to-peer recognition connects people to a common purpose. As workers acknowledge one another, your workplace becomes more inclusive and human.

Getting Personal

Get to know your employees as the unique individuals they are. Learn their names, and spend time managing by walking around. Ask people about their lives, their families, and how things are going. Emails and phone calls will never replace face-to-face conversations, even if remote work means holding them virtually.

Getting Communicative

Communicate with your employees clearly and regularly, using whatever methods and media work best. Be as transparent as possible so people know what’s going on with your business, as well as understand your expectations – and vice versa. Take enough time to ensure each team member is on the same page as you and has all the information they need to deliver on shared goals.

Consider employee surveys to learn what’s working and what’s not when it comes to company leadership, job and career satisfaction, and how to better communicate.

Getting Away from Micromanagement

Effective delegating increases engagement, but micromanaging has the opposite effect. Start by hiring and placing the right people in the right roles. Then, give them the tools, resources and support they need to be successful. Keep your door open and your finger on the pulse of progress – but otherwise, get out of the way and let people shine. Check in frequently and be open to answering questions and encouraging discussion. Beyond that, you do your job and let your employees do theirs.

Building Trust

Mutual trust is a fundamental building block for workplace engagement. It fosters loyalty and the willingness to stay with a company. It lowers stress levels and hostility, builds teamwork and collaboration, and breaks down communication silos and isolating behaviors.

Lead with honesty and integrity. Keep your promises, without exception. Model the behavior you’d like to see reflected back at you by everyone on your team.

Are you looking for reliable, engaged employees or additional tips on building engagement within your existing workforce? For staffing and team development plans tailored to your company and its unique needs, contact PrideStaff Modesto today.

Don’t Forget to Onboard Your Temp Workers: Here’s How

If you’re adding to your team on a temporary basis, you still need to onboard your workers. When temporary employees are onboarded and trained properly, they’re more likely to understand your expectations, work harder, and integrate with the team better.

Yet, when it comes to onboarding these workers, what should your program look like? Whether you have a formal program in place or a casual approach is up to you. However, it should include the following steps:

Letting your full-time workers know ahead of time.

If you don’t give your staff a heads up that new temporary employees will be joining them on the job soon, it can cause tension and concern. Your existing team members will wonder whether they’re being replaced and how to go about interacting with their new counterparts.

However, if you let them know ahead of time and why you’re hiring on a temporary basis, they’re more likely to be welcoming and helpful during the process.

Give temps a tour and introduce them around.

Just as you would with a full-time hire, make sure you’re giving your new temporary workers a tour of the workplace so they know where everything is. Also, introduce them to their co-workers and key players at the company. This will help them to fit in faster and feel like a part of the team, so they get up and running quickly.

Train them on the job.

Temporary workers need to be trained too. You might not require a comprehensive training program, like with a full-time employee. However, do make sure they are trained in their tasks and where their contribution fits into the big picture. Also, make sure they know your door is open for questions or concerns at any time.

Pair them with an experienced worker.

Give your temporary workers a senior team member to turn to. They can shadow, ask questions, and have someone to turn to when challenges arise. This frees up your time to focus on other business priorities while ensuring your temporary employees have the resources and support to perform their jobs properly.

Keep your staffing agency in the loop.

Your staffing agency does more than help you hire temporary workers but can also ensure they are trained and onboarded properly. They can serve as a guide and resource for you during the process, even handling some of your training.

Need more help hiring on a temporary basis for your team?

At PrideStaff, we’re a leading temporary staffing agency, connecting top Tempe employers with the flexible workforce they need. Whatever industry you work in, we can help you find talented temporary workers to complete projects, fill skill gaps, cover employee absences, and improve productivity. Simply contact us today to get started.