Are You Getting Ready to Return to Work? Learn How to Stay Safe

Returning to work during the Covid-19 pandemic can be a scary and stress-inducing thought. But by being sensible and taking the right protective measures, you can ensure that you’re keeping yourself and others safe.

As noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the more closely you interact with others, the longer the duration of that interaction, the greater the risk of Covid-19 spread. Think through the role you have at work – and if you have any doubts about returning, check with your healthcare provider. And when the time comes, here are some additional tips:

Know your masks – and how to wear them. The CDC recommends that everyone wear masks when they go out. Workers on the front lines require masks called N95 respirators. These are firm, rounded masks that offer a higher level of protection than standard masks. And masks are not effective unless they cover both the nose and mouth.
See what protection your employer has in place. Find out about their cleaning and sanitizing protocols, as well as procedures for checking temperatures and exposure. Is hand sanitizer readily available and social distancing rules in place? Are extra masks provided in case people forget their own?
Avoid commuting with others. Check into the safety of any public transportation you use. If you must commute, do so only with people you live with or have been recently tested for Covid-19, and those you share the same values with regarding social distancing and mask-wearing. If you take public transit, bring hand sanitizer or wipes to use on any surface you must touch. Keep your hands off your face.

Practice social distancing on the job. CDC guidelines call for staying six feet away from others and wearing a mask or face shield. If you have to sit near people, ask for Plexiglass to separate your cubicle or workstation from others. Stay off crowded elevators. Remember to maintain social distancing in break rooms, especially if people are eating and remove their masks.

Sanitize your workspace. Have sanitizers and cleaning supplies handy. Avoid touching handrails and other surfaces whenever possible. Wash your hands properly and often – and always after you do have to touch something.
Create a safe team environment. Ask your coworkers to collaborate with you. Have them remind you if you touch your face or do something else that may be unsafe- and you can do the same for them. You can beat this thing together!
If you have concerns, speak to your employer. Don’t be confrontational, but do express them. Remember: it’s for everyone’s good. Try to include not just your concerns, but also suggestions or recommendations. Take a constructive, positive approach.

For more ideas on improving your job or workplace, or advancing your career, contact PrideStaff Modesto today. Industries we specialize in include administrative, warehousing, manufacturing, skilled labor, and finance and accounting. And stay safe!

How Can I Speed up My Hiring Process and Make It More Efficient?

You’re a manager trying to fill high-paying jobs in Las Vegas. These positions come with a great deal of responsibility, so you don’t want to hire just anyone.

However, you’re currently short-staffed and need to fill your open positions as quickly as possible. You’re looking for a way to speed up your hiring process and make it more efficient, so consider partnering with a staffing agency. Here’s a look at what you have to gain from this arrangement.

4 Benefits of Working With a Staffing Partner

Hire Faster

Filling open positions is just one aspect of your job. Therefore, hiring tends to take awhile, because you have plenty of other responsibilities on your plate. When you work with a recruiter, hiring is their full-time job. This means they can spend all day finding the right fit for your team, which will allow you to have a new hire in place in no time at all.

Enjoy Flexible Staffing Options

When you need to hire immediately, it can be tempting to choose the first seemingly-qualified candidate. However, that won’t help your team reach its true potential. Working with a staffing agency allows you to hire on a temporary basis, so you can have someone in place in the interim, while you search for the perfect fit.

You can also give candidates a trial run with a temp-to-hire arrangement, where there’s no obligation to keep them on staff if things don’t work out.

Streamline Your Search

There’s a good chance your current hiring process has a few unnecessary steps that are causing it to drag on longer than necessary — and turn potential candidates away. Your recruiter will optimize your hiring process, so it only includes steps that are truly necessary. Simplifying the process will attract higher quality candidates, because top talent doesn’t want to jump through hoops.

Expand Your Reach

Recruiters work hard to build talent pipelines every day. Working with them grants you access to scores of passive candidates you won’t find anywhere else. This allows you to hire faster and better, as they’re standing by, vetted and ready for the right opportunity to come along.

Fill Your Open Positions Immediately

Finding the right person for the job is hard work — especially when you have plenty of competing priorities. PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to make your hiring process quick and efficient, so contact us today to get started!

Choosing Between Top Candidates: What To Look For

You’ve sifted resumes, conducted interviews, checked references, and weighed the value of each candidate. Now, you’re ready to make a hiring decision. Except, there’s a problem: you can’t choose between your two top candidates. The result of your long, intricate hiring process is a tie.

In many ways, this is one of those “good problems.” You win either way. You’ve got two great candidates to pick from. But, as with any tough decision, the selection comes with anxiety. How do you know you will choose the right one?

Well, before you resort to a coin toss, there are some considerations you can use to make the optimal choice. Here are some steps to take and some subtle traits to look for when you have to choose between two top candidates for an open position:

Figure Out Points of Differentiation

Your two top candidates may seem equally good. But they likely aren’t good in exactly the same way. Look at the factors that make the applicants different and weigh the value of those particular attributes. You may find that one has the edge in an area of greater need.

Look at Soft Skills

Your two top candidates might seem equivalent on a hard-skill basis. But how do they stack up when you start looking at their soft skills? The question might prove decisive. Considering talents like leadership, teamwork, and communication might point to the best choice.

Conduct Another Interview

You might need more information to make a decision. Even if it wasn’t part of your original recruiting plan, you might have to schedule another discussion with your remaining candidates. This can take the form of a phone chat, a video interview, or an in-person discussion (social-distancing circumstances permitting).

Come up with some key questions to ask that will help you make the final choice. You can then judge the ultimate result based on your applicants’ answers.

Bring In More Voices

You’re having problems choosing between two closely matched candidates. Maybe you should bring in some tie-breaking votes. By asking other people to add their input to the conversation, you might get perspectives you didn’t expect. The answer might be obvious – you just don’t happen to see it on your own.

Make Culture the Ultimate Tie Breaker

Hiring someone isn’t about finding a drone capable of performing certain tasks. You’re also inviting someone to join your organization and to become your coworker for the foreseeable future. You want them to live up to the values your company strives to embody. For that reason, make culture a key part of your decision.

Hire Both

If both candidates are truly special, you might consider bringing them both into the fold. Team building should represent a long-term process. Given the opportunity to bolster your staff with two amazing candidates, you should consider grabbing it. You might need to reconsider your near-term budget. But, in the right circumstances, the additional hire should pay for itself (and more) in the long run.

Even if you can’t offer both candidates a full-time position, you still have options. For example, you might offer the runner-up additional part-time or contract work. At the very least, you should maintain a relationship with the applicant who lost out this time around. They will likely represent your first choice for the next open position.

Choosing between two top candidates presents a complicated challenge. Still, facing the dilemma is much better than not having a qualified applicant at all. Make sure you have top talent to select from. Partner with a top-flight staffing agency, like PrideStaff, to attract the best candidates to your open positions.

Contact PrideStaff today to learn more.

6 Interviewing Tactics that Can Frighten Off Great Candidates

When you’re in the midst of hiring, the interview provides an invaluable opportunity to get more insight into each candidate. However, they’re also evaluating you in the process. That’s why it’s important to take steps to put them at ease, rather than stress them out. If you’re doing the following, though, you might be scaring them off instead.

#1: Making the interview feel like an interrogation.

There’s a lot on the line for an employer who’s hiring. However, rather than grilling each candidate about why you should hire them, approach the situation more like a conversation. Remember, just as you’re trying to get to know the individual, they’re trying to get a sense of whether your opportunity is the right one for them. Strike a friendlier tone with a conversational approach.

#2: Painting the job as perfect.

When a candidate asks you specific questions about the role and the company, be transparent. If you only talk about the positives, then they’ll walk away with a sense that the job might be too good to be true. They’ll also be disappointed if they’re offered it and it’s not what they expected. Instead, provide a more balanced view of the benefits and the challenges.

#3: Being disrespectful of their time.

For instance, don’t leave them in the reception area for a long time without explanation. Also, avoid looking at your phone or responding to emails during the interview. Otherwise, you’ll come across as rude. Your time is valuable and so is the candidate’s; keep that in mind for each interview.

#4: Being unprepared and only asking generic questions.

This is your time to dig into the background of each candidate and gain a stronger sense of whether they’re a good fit. A smart candidate knows this and expects careful questioning specific to their experience and abilities. If, however, you don’t seem prepared or ask basic questions, they’ll wonder about your interview skills and whether they really want to work for you.

#5: Failing to set expectations.

Don’t tell a candidate they’ll hear back in a week and then leave them hanging. If there’s a communication black hole, the best candidates will move onto other opportunities. Instead, be clear about what to expect with next steps and follow through by communicating often, even if you have no new information to offer.

#6: Not letting the candidate ask questions.

During the interview, you should give the candidate time to ask their own set of questions. If you don’t, or aren’t forthcoming with details when they do ask, they’ll be left to wonder what the truth is. Remember, this is a life-changing decision for the candidate and they’re depending on you for more information to help them make an informed choice.

Are you looking to hire, but don’t have the time to handle it on your own?

PrideStaff can help. We offer a team of recruitment experts across Tempe who will learn about your hiring needs, and source and screen candidates on your behalf, including through careful interviews. You’ll get the most qualified candidates to choose from, so you can hire quickly and with better results. Contact us today to get started.

Here’s How You Can Explain Gaps on Your Resume

Taking time away from work is common, for both personal and professional reasons, so it isn’t necessarily an automatic red flag to hiring managers if you have gaps on your resume. However, you do need to be ready to address it so you can alleviate any potential concerns and show that you’re qualified for the job. Here’s how you can explain gaps on your resume and land a new job:

Prepare a Response

This is definitely not an interview question that you want to answer off the top of your head, as a poorly worded explanation could leave the hiring manager unconvinced about taking a chance on you over candidates with more recent work history. Take time before your interview to decide what you want to say, and then practice your key points until it becomes natural and you can respond quickly without much effort – even accounting for interview nerves!

Be Upfront

The worst strategy for resume gaps is attempting to undermine them or being anything less than completely straightforward. If you’re overly vague, it can make the hiring manager wonder what you’re hiding and question your integrity. Instead, be upfront about your resume gaps and briefly state the reason why you haven’t been working (i.e., you were laid off or being a primary caretaker) in a confident tone.

Highlight Your Skills

Hiring managers may hesitate when they see gaps in your employment history because of the concern that your professional skills are not up-to-date. No matter what the reason is behind your resume gap, it’s very likely you were able to keep some skills sharp, such as time management or learning new technology if you were helping kids with virtual school. Even better is if you can show you have actively kept your skills sharp, such as taking an online course or gaining a certification.

Fill in Gaps

If your resume gaps seem to be holding you back no matter how you try to explain them, there’s only one solution: fill them. Think outside the box beyond a steady job and consider other ways to gain more recent work history, such as temporary employment, freelance, gig work, or volunteering. Even if it’s not the type of work you’re interested in long-term, it shows that you have work ethic and recent experience in the workforce.

We Can Help You Re-Enter the Workforce

Get back into the workforce 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 Must-Do Tips to Find a Job in Las Vegas ASAP

You’re searching for jobs in Las Vegas, and you need to find one now. Whether you’re currently unemployed or seriously eager to quit the job you currently have, you’re hoping to be hired as quickly as possible.

The unemployment rate in Las Vegas was a sky-high 16.4%, as of July 2020, so you’re facing plenty of competition. However, you’re a talented candidate with a lot to offer any company, so if you’re willing to put in the effort, you’ll get hired quickly.

4 Tips to Find a Job in Las Vegas ASAP

Tailor Your Resume

No doubt, you’re probably applying to a lot of jobs right now. This can make tailoring your resume for each opportunity a very time-consuming process, but this is a step you can’t afford to skip. Customizing your resume allows you to really sell yourself for each position and shows potential employers you’re truly interested in the job at their company.

Reach Out to Your Network

Who you know can definitely help you get a job — and fast. Inform your contacts that you’re in the market for a new position because people enjoy helping those they know and trust. You might be able to score an introduction to a manager looking to fill a role with someone like you. Having a recommendation from a shared contact will give you a competitive advantage.

Work With a Staffing Agency

Recruiters fill open positions for a living, so they know which Las Vegas employers are hiring and how to impress them. When you work with a staffing agency, you gain access to jobs not posted publicly and free career advice. Your recruiter will help you polish your resume, prepare for interviews, and provide valuable post-interview feedback that will help you learn and grow.

Be Flexible

If you’re like most job-seekers, you’re searching exclusively for roles of a full-time nature. However, many employers prefer to hire on a temporary or temp-to-hire basis — especially in this economy. Being open to this type of job can help you get hired faster, so you’re earning a paycheck in no time.

At worst, you’ll gain skills that will boost your resume, and at best, the company will offer you full-time employment at the end of your contract.

Get Hired Fast

Needed to find a new job yesterday? PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to help you find the perfect fit for your skills and interests. Contact us today to start your search!

6 Reasons to Consider Flexible Staffing During Uncertain Times

From economic conditions changing spending habits to natural disasters impacting supply chains, businesses have always needed to be prepared to deal with and mitigate outcomes that could negatively affect their bottom lines. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it even more crucial for businesses to be able to adapt very quickly to make continuity possible. Flexible staffing, in which you work with a staffing agency to hire workers on a temporary, as-needed basis, may be the solution you need. Learn more about the benefits of flexible staffing:

1. Offers a Sense of Security and Control

While you may not be able to control external circumstances, you can prevent having to commit to higher staffing levels on an ongoing basis. This ensures you are only hiring workers as permitted by business demand, which offers a sense of security and peace of mind.

2. Boosts Productivity

When you utilize a flexible hiring strategy, you can get more work done by hiring temporary employees during times when demand is higher (but unlikely to sustain long enough to justify a full-time hire). This can also help keep productivity on track if your full-time employees are out on sick leave, quarantine, or taking vacation time.

3. Reduces Turnover Rates

Employee burnout is a common problem in the workplace, especially in the midst of uncertain times. Prevent losing the engagement and productivity of your best employees with flexible staffing. Rather than relying on making your employees work overtime, and putting them at risk of burnout (which also increases the chance of them getting sick and having to take time off anyway), hire temporary employees to alleviate the workload during busy times.

4. Improves the Quality of Hires

When you work with a staffing agency for flexible staffing for your team, you get the benefit of their expertise and vested interest in the success of the hires rather than doing it yourself. This improves the quality of the temporary employees that are hired because the staffing agency not only knows how to effectively assess prospective candidates, but also wants to ensure you are completely satisfied.

5. Saves on Staffing Costs

Hiring new employees requires more expenditures than their hourly pay – the costs of advertising the new position, performing pre-employment background screenings, and training can also add up. With a flexible hiring strategy, you save on staffing costs by paying one rate to the staffing agency to handle all of those tasks for you.

6. Provides Opportunity to Hire in Different Areas of Expertise

There may be times in which you don’t currently have a position that requires a specific skill set, but that may be useful in the short term, such as for a specific project. If you hire employees on a temporary basis, you can bring in different areas of expertise than your current team possesses. Plus, if you were undecided about the need for creating a new position, this can be a way to test the need for it without commitment.

We Can Help You Find Qualified Candidates

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 on how PrideStaff Akron can help you with your staffing needs.

8 Tips for Effectively Giving Feedback to Your Employees

Effective feedback enables employees to grow as professionals. It increases loyalty and engagement – and can be equally valuable for the giver, as you seek to strengthen and develop as a leader.

Giving feedback is not always easy, but it’s essential and well worth the effort. Here are some tips for success:

Be prepared.

Prepare for an employee feedback session as you would for any important meeting. Use facts, examples, and statistics to support your message.

Be upfront and transparent.

Even if it’s uncomfortable, always deliver feedback tactfully and directly.

Avoid the “sandwich approach” of slipping in criticism between two compliments. While it may seem like a more natural way to deliver constructive criticism, the praise message is diluted. Plus, delaying the inevitable evokes anxiety – and employees see right through it.

Be an active listener.

Effective feedback is based on good communication, and a key aspect of communication is active listening. In other words, present your case while withholding further comments or advice until the time is right and your input is requested.

Help your employee feel comfortable and confident enough to absorb your point and then ask for your advice on making improvements. Unsolicited advice adds stress and accomplishes nothing.

Be specific.

Keep feedback clear, specific, and to the point, with a focus on solutions. Avoid vague comments like “your work needs to improve” in favor of something like, “Your last two client reports have been late and missing specific product data. I’d like to work with you to ensure that all the requirements are met in a timely fashion.”

Be empathetic.

If you need to tell an employee they have a shortfall or lack certain knowledge, do so with empathy. Picture yourself in their shoes. Otherwise, the response may take the form of anger, frustration, or defensiveness. Give them some time and space to react, and then take the right steps to alleviate confrontation and move forward.

Make feedback ongoing.

The practice of limiting feedback to quarterly or, worse yet, annual reviews is quickly becoming passé. Feedback immediately following an event or situation has the greatest positive impact. Issues left unresolved will only worsen or eventually spiral out of control.

Keep criticism private.

Never criticize an employee in front of others. Some people never want to be the center of attention, so even praise may best be delivered in a private conversation – but this is always the case with criticism. It can be difficult to give and receive, so privacy is the best option for both of you.

Follow up.

When you see needed improvement as the result of your feedback to an employee, follow up, and express your appreciation. This shows you care and motivates people to keep up the good work. Bonus: It can also be contagious and inspire others as well.

Contact the workforce development experts at PrideStaff Modesto to help you improve your processes for feedback, performance reviews, and other aspects of building your winning workforce in customer service, IT, accounting and finance, legal support, healthcare, and production. We’ll help you develop strategies custom-tailored to your business and its short and long-term needs.

The Key to Evaluating a Job Seeker’s Strengths During an Interview

A lot of people are searching for jobs in Las Vegas, NV right now. Therefore, you’re probably flooded with resumes for the open position at your company.

You’ve finally sorted through all the applications and selected those you’d like to interview. Now you’re preparing questions and trying to perfect your interview technique, so you’re able to identify the best possible candidate.

One question you know you’ll ask is “What are your greatest strengths?” While necessary, this one can be challenging to evaluate, but keeping both the position and your company culture in mind is the key to success.

Here’s some advice to help you determine a candidate’s fit with their answer to this question.

4 Features to Look For When Evaluating a Candidate’s Strengths

Relevance to the Job

It should go without saying that you want a candidate who highlights strengths that directly relate to the job. Consider it a red flag if the person fails to do this because they either don’t understand what the job entails or don’t have key strengths in the right areas.

Use of Examples

Anyone can say they have certain strengths, so candidates need to support their claims with examples. Those who truly do have the abilities they’re marketing will have no trouble telling you a story about a time they pull the skill in question to use. Be wary of any candidate who cannot do this, because they’re either lying or unprepared.

Unique Attributes

Many candidates will likely share strengths that are relatively similar in nature. There’s nothing wrong with this, but the best person for the job should really stand out from the crowd. Take note of anyone who offers something a little more unusual — but still relevant — as they might bring a unique perspective to the job.

Level of Confidence

You want to hire a candidate who believes in themselves and their ability to succeed in role. However, there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. Avoid candidates who brag about their successes, as this is a telling sign they’re not a team player.

Build Your Dream Team

Hiring decisions hold a lot of weight, so allow the experts at PrideStaff Las Vegas to steer your search. We’re committed to finding the right person for the job, every time. Contact us today to get started!

4 Easy Tricks for Answering Scary Job Interview Questions

Fall is officially here and Halloween is just around the corner. However, just because it’s a spooky time of year, doesn’t mean you have to be scared off by job interview questions. When you’re on the hunt for a new opportunity, you can walk into your next conversation with a potential employer with confidence when you take the right approach. Here are 4 easy tricks to follow so you land the job you want:

#1: Remember, knowledge is power.

The more you know, the more prepared you’ll be and more comfortable you’ll feel. Your answers will not only be more intelligent and informed, but you’ll feel calmer even when you’re responding to difficult questions. So invest plenty of time upfront, before your next job interview, researching the company, learning all you can about the role, the manager and the leadership team, and identifying reasons why you’re an ideal fit for it all

#2: Practice your answers.

When it comes to most interviews, the questions are similar or the same. While you might get thrown a curveball every so often, you’ll often find yourself repeating the same responses across employers. This is why it’s helpful to practice answers to common questions. Doing so will give you a chance to think through exactly what you want to say, so you don’t stumble or get caught off guard.

#3: Stay calm and keep your body language in check.

Even with the best interview answers, poor body language can sabotage your efforts. Make sure you’re working to stay cool and calm during your interview. Don’t fidget or tap your foot nervously. Instead, focus on making eye contact, keeping your answers succinct and sitting up straight and still in your chair.

#4: Share a memorable story or example.

Before each interview, read through the job description and come up with one story or example of your experience that illustrates why you’re a great fit for the job. The more specific you can get, the stronger impression you’ll make. You’ll be memorable and stand out from other candidates, as a result

Do you need more tricks and tips for acing your next interview?

PrideStaff is here for you. As a leading recruiting team in Phoenix, we know what employers want to see in candidates and can help you polish your interview skills, as well as find opportunities that are an excellent match for your background, personality and career goals. Contact us today to get started.