How Can I Avoid Hiring Unproductive Employees?

There’s a lot of talented people searching for good jobs in Las Vegas right now. As an employer, you’re excited about this, because you have your choice of candidates. However, it’s important to realize some are only interested in collecting a paycheck — not actually doing the work.

The last thing you want is to hire lazy employees, so you need to know how to spot those submitting applications for the wrong reasons. Here is some advice to help you weed out candidates who will hold your team back.

Three Ways to Avoid Hiring Unproductive Employees

Ask Pointed Interview Questions

You can learn a lot about a candidate’s future productivity during their job interview. Asking questions like “How do you deal with distractions at work?” and “What did you do when you had downtime at your last job?” will give you a solid look at the person’s level of drive.

It’s also wise to ask questions like “Why do you want this job?” and “Where do you see yourself in five years?” to make sure the position aligns with their career trajectory. If it doesn’t, there’s a good chance their motivation will quickly decline, because the passion isn’t there.

Check References

Past performance is the best way to predict a candidate’s future productivity. Therefore, checking references is a must, because former managers, colleagues, and professors can offer telling details about the person’s level of output.

Some might be limited in what they can say due to company policies, but if possible, try to get them to answer specific questions like “Tell me about a time this person exceeded expectations on a project.” The more information you can gather, the better.

Don’t Rush Your Decision

When you need to hire quickly, it’s easy to overlook red flags that indicate a candidate isn’t particularly motivated. Avoid this at all costs, because you can’t afford to have a lazy employee drag your team down.

If you don’t feel like you have time to follow proper vetting protocols, work with a staffing agency to secure temporary talent in the interim. This will keep you from having to pay overtime costs and help your team avoid burnout until you find the right fit.

Boost Productivity With the Right New Hire

Having trouble finding a candidate with the level of drive you need? PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to connect you with ambitious professionals who are excited to roll up their sleeves and get to work! Contact us today for more information.

4 Reasons Why It’s Important to Offer Employees Flexibility

The COVID-19 pandemic will eventually be behind us. Throughout it, offering scheduling and workplace flexibility has been a must for a range of reasons – from office capacity limits to children learning at home. However, when normal does return, you should consider maintaining a more flexible work environment. Here are four reasons why:

Reason #1: You can save money.

At this point, you know which employees like working from home and which are struggling. You also know who needs to be on-site and who can work remotely. Consider giving employees who can work off-site the option to do so in the future. When you do, you’ll save on overhead in the form of supplies, office space, utilities and more. You can even consider downsizing your office space if a portion of your staff continues to telecommute.

Reason #2: You can attract top talent.

As new candidates hit the marketplace in search of jobs, flexibility will be top-of-mind for them. Make sure you’re appealing to them with your job postings by promoting the flexible perks you offer. When you do, you’ll set yourself apart from competitors with more rigid work schedules and attract better quality talent. You’ll also be able to appeal to those younger generation of workers who expect employers to offer flexibility.

Reason #3: You can achieve higher retention rates.

In addition to recruiting top talent, flexibility will also help you retain key people. Employees want to work for companies who understand and embrace a healthy work life balance. In addition, some employees might work better from home since they’re less distracted. When you enable them to continue telecommuting, they’re going to be more loyal to your team in the long run, as a result.

Reason #4: You can improve engagement.

When employees are able to decide for themselves which arrangement and schedule works best for them, they’ll be more empowered and engaged. This will pay off over time as studies show that employees who are engaged are also more productive. They’re also less likely to miss days from work and more likely to remain at your company for longer.

Get Flexible Staffing Solutions With PrideStaff

Clearly there are many benefits to offering flexibility in the workplace. If, however, you don’t have the time or resources to develop the right plan, call in the experts at PrideStaff. As one of Phoenix’s top staffing agencies, we can help you create a staffing plan that works for you, as well as recruit and hire the top talent you need. We’ll make the entire staffing function more efficient and effective, so you can build a stronger team and gain a sharper competitive edge. Contact us today to get started.

How to Set Realistic & Achievable Career Goals for 2021

Goal setting is crucial for preventing complacency, and the fresh start of a new year is the ideal time to reassess your long-term career objectives. The way you set your goals will significantly influence whether or not you succeed. Set realistic and achievable career goals in 2021 with these tips:   

Get Specific 

A major issue with goal setting is that people often make them too broad and vague, which can make it difficult to figure out what actions to take. Get specific when setting your goals – they should be clearly defined, such as “I want to get promoted to XYZ position” versus “I want to advance my career.”  

Make it Measurable  

Measuring your progress can make you more likely to succeed in reaching a goal because you get feedback that what you’re doing is or isn’t working. To set a realistic goal, figure out a way to make it measurable. For example, in the aforementioned goal of landing a promotion, you could measure how many times you volunteer to take on new tasks or projects or track any feedback you receive from current leadership.  

Determine Your “Why?” 

When your initial motivation wears off, what will actually keep you going to achieve your goals is having a personal reason for why you want to. Determine your “why?” by reflecting on the importance of the goal to you and how it would positively impact you or those around you – such as, “I want to get a promotion so I can provide more financial stability for my children.” If you get tempted to give up, a deeply personal “why?” can help you persevere.   

Develop Your Plan  

Once you have set your goals, you’re not quite done: you have to develop a plan for taking actionable steps toward achieving them. Break down your major goal into the absolute smallest sub-goals as you can. Then, clarify the steps in order needed to accomplish them. Decide when you will fit in time for working toward your goals and then get it on your schedule, whether that’s a specific day per week you block out or even just a 15 minute block in the morning – as long as it’s consistent, you will move closer to your goal.  

Call Us Today to Find New Opportunities in 2021

Are you ready to look for new opportunities in 2021? Work with PrideStaff Akron for your job search. We can help you find the openings that are the best fit for you and align with your career goals. Search our available jobs to learn more.   

Implementing Workplace Diversity Policies for 2021

Experts generally agree that a diverse workplace leads to significant concrete benefits for a company. However, in the current environment, devising and implementing new inclusion efforts may seem like a secondary concern. Still, don’t ignore these long-term goals. Even with the business challenges likely in the new year, take steps to implement improved workplace diversity projects in 2021.

It may seem like a daunting situation. Encouraging diversity can be tricky, even in the best of times. With the added burden of COVID and economic turmoil, the process gets even more overwhelming.

Don’t give up though. Unlocking the value of diversity is crucial, especially in difficult situations. Here’s how you can implement workplace diversity policies for 2021 and beyond:

Recognize the Challenge of Implementing Diversity in 2021

Going into the new year, the economic environment remains in flux. The recent surge in COVID cases has prompted a new wave of business restrictions. In drastic circumstances, it has put many companies in serious peril. These crisis-level conditions have pushed many other concerns to the back burner.

In this way, the spread of COVID has dramatically changed priorities at most businesses. Employee safety and dealing with an ever-changing regulatory landscape have become the main topics at most planning meetings. Often, a firm’s survival is at stake.

In the light of these immediate concerns, other important goals, like promoting diversity, are likely to receive less attention than they would otherwise demand. This is understandable. Still, even in turbulent times, it’s crucial to plan for the future.

2021 might seem like the wrong year to think about diversity. But, in actuality, there’s no perfect time to make important strides in that direction.

Realize the Value of Diversity…Especially in a Challenging Economic Environment

So how can you encourage diversity in troubled times? Part of the trick is recognizing the value of diversity. Don’t think of it as something extra, something that brings added value when business is booming. Rather, diversity provides strength and flexibility during challenging stretches as well.

With a diverse workforce, you have added flexibility to overcome difficult situations. You can tap into wide-ranging life experiences to come up with unexpected solutions. You also have a better understanding of varied markets and customers. As a result, you can call on additional innovation to help you weather trying times.

Promote a Welcoming Atmosphere

2020 wasn’t a very friendly year. The COVID outbreak scattered offices and sent people into quarantine. Even when seeing people in person, the pandemic forced folks to communicate through masks and through social-distancing protocols.

These precautions might be necessary. But they shouldn’t contribute to an unfriendly atmosphere at work.

In order to encourage diversity, you need to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. Find ways to encourage communication and to stay connected with your employees, despite any ongoing COVID protocols. In other words, promote an inviting atmosphere. That way, you’ll develop an environment conducive to fostering diversity.

Diversity should be a core goal in any team-building process. Having professional assistance can improve your chances of finding the perfect contributors. By teaming with a strong recruiting partner, like PrideStaff, you maximize your ability to locate the ideal workers for your circumstances.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about how they can take your team building to the next level.

Want to Make a Career Change in the New Year? Here’s How

New Year’s is nearly here and with it comes the season for resolutions. If a career change is on your list, how can you approach it during such an uncertain time. It will take a little more effort and ingenuity; however, the good news is employers are still hiring and looking for hard-working, talented people like you. Here’s how to take the leap and find the job you really want:

Decide to make a change.

Don’t let the fear of change cause you to stay where you are. Change can be scary, even if it leads to a positive outcome. However, if you want to transform your career you need to commit to making a move. So stop thinking and talking and start taking action, instead.

Figure out what path to take.

There are so many options, from a lateral move in your existing company to a promotion to working in an entirely different field. If you want to find your ultimate dream job, you need to determine which is the right step for you to take. This can’t be a nebulous thought process. You must have a very specific goal and job title in mind, so you’re clear on what you want. If you don’t, you’ll start a journey that won’t end well.

Ask yourself the right questions.

If you’re not completely sure about next steps, take some time to ask yourself questions. These can include whether or not you want to work from home, the kind of company culture you’re looking for, what type of boss you work best with, and which skills you have that are transferable. Once you have the answers, you should have a clearer picture of the kinds of jobs that will be ideal for you.

Identify where you have gaps.

If you’re making a move to a different kind of job or industry, you’ll certainly have skill and experience gaps. Identify what they are and ways to fill them. For instance, maybe you can take an online course now and get certified in a certain area that will help you secure the job you want.

You can also tap your social network and ask about the possibility of informational interviews. These are interviews for information, not jobs, so you can learn more about a particular field or role and find out what it takes to be successful in it.

Revamp your resume.

Before you launch your search, rework your resume to reflect your new direction. Focus on the skills that are transferable to the kinds of positions you’re applying to. Also highlight accomplishments that are most relevant and quantify the impact they had wherever you can. Finally, now that you’re more familiar with the industry, use keywords that will help your resume stand out when being screened by an Applicant Tracking System.

Spread the word.

Let your people – your family, friends, colleagues, neighbors and anyone else in your network – know you’re searching for a new job and ask if they have any recommendations. If not, explain what you’re looking for and why you’re a great fit, so they can notify you if they hear of any opportunities. Also be ready to explain why you’re making a switch.

Looking for professional help with your career change?

Turn to PrideStaff. Changing careers is a big step, but with our professional employment agency, serving the Phoenix area, we can help you through it all. From polishing your resume and preparing for interviews to connecting you with potential employers, we’ll work with you to help you land the job that’s the right fit for you. Contact us today to get started.

What is the Best Way to Help a Friend Who is Looking for a Job?

There’s a lot of people looking for the best paying jobs in Las Vegas right now, and your friend is one of them. Whether they’re currently out of work or simply looking to move up the ladder, you want to help them take the next step.

Your generosity will likely be very well-received, but just be sure to let them take the lead. The last thing you want is to make them feel pressured to take their career in a direction that isn’t right for them, so listen carefully. Here are a few ideas to offer your assistance.

Three Tips to Help a Friend Looking for a Job

Reach Out to Your Network

Get in touch with your contacts to see if anyone knows of a job opening that might meet your friend’s needs. It could also make sense to check job postings at your current employer and ask around to see if there are any available openings — as long as you’re happy at the company.

If your search turns up any leads, pass them along to your friend and offer to make a personal introduction. Be clear you don’t want them to feel pressured to act on any jobs they’re not truly interested in. You’re there to help — not guilt them into pursuing a job they don’t want.

Offer to Review Their Resume and Cover Letter

Many people don’t truly understand the importance of their resume and cover letter. However, they’re the first impression your friend will make on a potential employer, so they need to be impressive.

If it’s been a while since your friend last searched for a job, they might not understand the importance of customizing both their resume and cover letter for each opportunity. Explain this to them and offer to help them write — or edit — these documents. Having another set of eyes review a resume and cover letter before submission is always a good idea.

Help Them Prepare for Interviews

Interviewing for a new job can be a very nerve-wracking experience. Ease your friend’s nerves by offering to help them prepare for a mock interview.

In this scenario, you’ll be the interviewer, asking them a list of prepared questions. This will help them get more comfortable saying their responses out loud and allow them to see where they need to improve before the big day.

We’re Here to Help You Get to Work

If you’re ready to start the new year with a new job, PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to help. Get in touch today to find out what we can do for your career!

I Didn’t Get The Job…What Should I Do?

Rejection may be an inevitable part of the job search process, but it doesn’t take away the initial sting you feel when an opportunity you were excited about is suddenly gone. How you recover after not landing a job is what will determine your success going forward. Learn more about what you should do if you didn’t get the job:  

Ask for Feedback

If possible, reduce the amount of guesswork needed and ask the hiring manager for feedback on why you weren’t selected. Send a polite email thanking them for the consideration and asking if they can give you any feedback as to why you weren’t selected. Their company policy may prevent them from doing so, but if not, it has the potential to be very helpful for you going forward.  

Review Your Strategy 

In order to determine where your strengths lie and where you could make some changes in your job search, first review your current strategy. Try to remove yourself emotionally and be as objective as possible. Consider everything from where you sourced your job lead to how you wrote your cover letter to how you prepared for your interview, and then brainstorm ways you could do things differently going forward. Eventually, you’ll find the strategy that works best for you.  

Clarify Your Goals 

Once you’ve figured out your new strategy, it’s time to clarify your goals. Be as specific as possible – if you feel like you dropped the ball in the interview, don’t set the goal of “practice more for interviews.” Instead, commit to more defined goals, such as “determine my top three key points and practice delivering them with confidence” or “arrange to go through a mock interview with a friend.” This will give you a clear path on where to focus your efforts and determine if you are making progress.  

Move On 

While reflecting on the circumstances surrounding your job rejection can be a learning opportunity, it’s crucial to not let yourself wallow or get too hung up on this one experience. Let yourself feel disappointed and think over what improvements you could make, and then move on. Remind yourself that it’s not personal, it happens to just about all job seekers out there, and that you are building resilience through this adversity.  

We Can Help You Find a Job

Make your job search more successful with the help of PrideStaff Akron. We work with area employers to match them with top candidates for their open positions, from temporary to direct-hire. Search our current available jobs to get started.  

4 Ways to Create an Amazing Company Culture

A positive company culture is based on a strongly held and widely shared set of beliefs, supported by your business strategy and structure. When an organization has a healthy culture, its employees know exactly what is expected of them – and vice versa – and they truly believe in and support those expectations.

Culture impacts everything, from recruitment and engagement to long-term career development and staff retention. According to recent research, 94 percent of executives and 88 percent of employees believe a distinct corporate culture is important to business success.

• The right culture gives an organization a competitive advantage. People want to work for companies with good reputations. And word spreads quickly. An attractive culture places your business as a place where the best talent wants to be – not just for a short-term stepping stone, but for a rewarding career.

A healthy culture emerges over time and is shaped by your leadership team as they drive home that shared vision, mission, and core values. Here are four ways to make this happen, starting now:

1. Listen to your employees.

Research also shows that 86 percent of employees at companies with strong cultures feel their senior leadership actively listens to them, versus only 70 percent of employees at companies that lack a strong culture. Make sure people know that their voices are being heard.

• Tip: Consider offering communication training that focuses on listening skills, and consensus-building, and handling confrontation or disagreement at an early stage.

2. Promote self-care.

Especially during this turbulent time, it’s critical to encourage employees to care for themselves and others – and make it known that this is your primary objective. People need to be at their best – physically, mentally, and emotionally – to perform at their best. Ensure that every team member has the resources, tools, and healthcare opportunities they need.

• Tip: Develop, strengthen and/or communicate how to use your employee assistance program.

3. Reward and recognize.

Highlight employees’ achievements and extraordinary efforts with public recognition for their hard work.

• Tip: If a customer compliments an employee via a letter or online comment, have your CEO, or business owner sent them a personal thank-you note for personifying what your company is all about.

4. Support shared community initiatives.

A positive culture is about shared business goals and a shared vision for supporting your community. Even though it can’t be done via crowded events or gatherings, there are countless options available.

• Tip: Form a company team to participate in an online run, walk, or similar fundraiser for a community organization located right in the neighborhood or near and dear to employees’ hearts.

Do you need a plan to optimize your company culture to attract and keep top talent? PrideStaff Modesto can help. Our client relationships are built on a foundation of mutual trust, collaboration, communication, and results – a philosophy that will blend seamlessly with your principles and your team. Contact us today to learn more.

Find and Hire the Best Talent in Your Area!

If you’re hiring, you need to find exceptional people for your team: well-qualified individuals who mesh with your culture and work to their full potential. Over the long-term, great hires produce more, stay longer, and even refer to other high performers to your organization.

How can you ensure you attract and hire the best?

A national staffing and employment agency like PrideStaff is an ideal partner to make the process simpler, faster, more cost-effective, and successful. Here’s how our local offices help you find and hire the best talent in your market:

• Attract qualified candidates. PrideStaff uses multiple, proven recruiting tactics (including social recruiting, referral programs, and direct recruiting from targeted companies) to cast a wide net and attract both active and passive candidates. Our experts can help audit your job descriptions, prioritize key requirements, create compelling job postings, and set the right pay rates to appeal to high performers – and get the cream of the crop to apply.
• Immediately access prescreened talent. Your next hire may already be part of our talent network – and available for work immediately! We actively nurture a community of qualified, interested candidates in your local market who have been screened and tested for in-demand job skills.
• Find the ideal fit. PrideStaff’s multi-step selection process ensures we refer to candidates who are a great total match for your job, your company, and your culture. We use a combination of a robust application, phone screening, interviewing to identify skills, an in-person behavioral interview to identify where a candidate would be the best fit, reference checks, and an in-depth PrideStaff orientation.
• Accelerate hiring. We speed up the initial screening and vetting process and help you expedite your interviews with recommended candidates. Our recruiters are also experts in streamlining the job offer and negotiation processes to increase offer acceptance and close quickly.
• Reduce hiring risks. Our Temp-to-Hire solution is like a working interview – allowing you to gauge an individual’s performance on the job and cultural fit before extending an offer for direct employment. If you choose our Direct Hire Recruitment services, you never pay a fee unless you hire a candidate we refer – and we guarantee results.
  

It’s never too early to start your search.

Although unemployment may still be high, we’re still seeing employers struggle to recruit great people in a timely manner. Your local PrideStaff recruiting team can help you develop a proactive recruiting plan to help you:

• Plan your future hiring needs.
• Update position descriptions now to quickly source candidates once you’re ready to hire.
• Accelerate recruiting to speed time-to-hire without sacrificing quality.
• Improve the quality of candidate matches.
• Prevent the disruption position vacancies cause.

Find Your Next Great Hire

Looking for that great new hire? Contact your local PrideStaff office today to get started.

Best LinkedIn Advice For Active Accounting Job Seekers

With COVID complicating the economic situation for the foreseeable future, finding an accounting job could remain a tricky endeavor. Even with specialized skills, you need an extra push to find that ideal position. Sometimes a solution is hiding in plain sight: LinkedIn provides an excellent resource for active accounting job seekers.

LinkedIn has long been a core tool for hiring managers. One set of data indicated that 122 million people have received an interview using the platform. Of those, 35.5 million eventually landed the position. Meanwhile, another study showed that more than 95% of recruiters regularly tap LinkedIn to fill positions.

Beyond its broad appeal, LinkedIn has power as a niche tool as well. That’s what makes it ideal for finding the perfect accounting position. But to get the most out of the platform, you need to how to use it properly. Here’s our best LinkedIn advice for active accounting job seekers:

Make a Good First Impression

Just like meeting someone in real life, it’s crucial to make a good first impression on LinkedIn. A hiring manager can pursue your profile in a few seconds. You want to encourage them to look more closely before moving on to the next candidate.

Start with your headline. Come up with something pithy that sums up the value you’d bring to any accounting position. From there, make sure your best attributes are easy to see. You don’t want prospective employers missing out on your top qualifications.

Finally, consider your profile picture. It may seem vain to put too much thought into an image. But it’s part of making a first impression. Choose a picture that communicates both personality and professionalism.

Remember: Numbers Don’t Lie

You’re an accountant. Hard numbers are your specialty. Remember that fact while you fill in your LinkedIn profile. As you look to detail the value you’d bring an organization, tell the story in facts and figures.

After all, the way you communicate is often as important as the message you’re trying to deliver. For this reason, quantify your achievements as much as possible. It will give weight to the information you include.

Leverage LinkedIn’s Networking Power

At its heart, LinkedIn exists as a networking site. It’s meant to connect people and to help you find new opportunities. Place these goals at the center of your LinkedIn strategy.

Use the platform as a tool to build your web of contacts in the accounting world. Search out former coworkers and supervisors. Check-in on friends from school. Make as broad a footprint as possible, so you can call on these connections as you probe for your next accounting opportunity.

Customize Your URL

Part of the process of networking is making yourself memorable. Your LinkedIn URL doesn’t matter much when you’re connecting via text or email. But try giving out your profile info in a conversation. How could anyone remember a long string of random numbers?

A custom URL will help in these situations. Come up with something interesting and memorable. It will help you cement that first impression and will improve your ability to spread the word about your skills and background.

Don’t Let Your Profile Get Stale

Once you create a killer profile, don’t get lazy about maintaining it. Within a relatively short period of time, you’ll have accumulated new skills and additional experiences. However, unless you take the time to upgrade your profile, the wider world will never know about your expanding professional development.

Make upgrading your LinkedIn page a regular occurrence. Schedule routine maintenance to make sure the information posted remains up to date. That way, you’ll be ready for any accounting opportunity that comes along.

You should use every tool at your disposal to find exciting jobs in the accounting field. Along with LinkedIn, turn to a strong staffing agency, like PrideStaff, to locate the perfect opportunity.

Contact PrideStaff today to find out more.