7 Interview Questions To Ask Job Candidates

Bad hires can generally be traced back to an ineffective interview. Obviously, as a hiring manager, it’s certainly not your intention. Still, it can be challenging to figure out the right questions to ask that will actually uncover information that is predictive of a candidate’s likely success in the role. Switch up your strategy with these seven interview questions to ask job candidates:

1. Describe a time in which you had a conflict with a colleague and how you handled it.

Emotional intelligence is a crucial skill for successful hires. Even if a candidate is highly talented, if they are unable to get along well with others, it will be an unnecessary distraction, so ensure they can handle interpersonal requirements of the job, along with the technical.

2. Tell me about a time you failed or made a mistake.

Perfection is impossible, so it’s better to find out how candidates deal with adversity. By having them discuss an example of a failure, you can get a sense of how they handle setbacks and whether or not they grow or learn from it.

3. What is a challenging area that you’ve had to overcome in your career?

Candidates are savvy regarding the standard “Describe your weakness” interview question and may try to pivot away from discussing their true shortcomings. However, everyone has natural challenges that may interfere with their performances if left unchecked. Get candidates to go a little deeper and demonstrate their level of self-awareness and their dedication to self-improvement.

4. Describe your greatest professional achievement.

Filter out the mediocre performers from the ambitious high achievers by giving them a platform to discuss something for which they are proud. If they are passionate about their line of work, it will naturally shine through in their response and be indicative of future engagement if hired.

5. What type of working style do you have?

Learning about a candidate’s working style will help you determine if they will align with your management style and the culture of your team and the company as a whole. For example, if they are an independent worker who prefers strict autonomy, they may not thrive if your work environment is more collaborative or your organization’s structure is more bureaucratic.

6. What attracted you to this position?

Candidates who are enthusiastic during the interview are more likely to be top performers. Look for signs of authentic excitement for working with your organization in particular, as opposed to them wanting to simply land any job.

7. How would your previous coworkers and boss describe you?

As a hiring manager, you need to have a well-rounded view of the candidates you interview. Beyond just understanding their work history and skills, ensure you are getting a sense of their personalities as well. This question can provide you some insight into how well the candidate will fit with your current team.

Contact Us Today

Attract qualified prospective candidates for your available positions by working with experienced staffing firm PrideStaff Akron. Our recruiting experts will evaluate candidates to match you with the prospects that fit your needs. Contact us to learn more about our services.

Learn Why Your Company Should Have a Work from Home Policy

Remote work was already a growing trend when the Covid-19 pandemic struck earlier this year. Then it became the norm, virtually overnight. It may be a positive outcome of this surreal time for many employers as they realize the numerous benefits associated with team members working from home.

Consider the following factors:

Morale

When it comes to keeping employees engaged, work/life balance is a top priority. A recent Penn State study showed that telecommuting does not blur the boundaries between work and home, but rather, reduces conflicts between people’s personal and professional lives.

• Work/life balance saves people from chronic stress and all its negative effects. Promoting this balance shows your employees that you value them and their contributions. And knowing that you respect their personal lives leads to higher morale.

• Work from home does not affect workplace relationships, if management is on board, and communication lines remain open. Penn State researchers also found that employees who maintained regular contact with their managers and peers via phone or email experienced better work relationships.

Productivity

Results of another notable study, this one at Stanford University, showed that employees who work from home were 13 percent more productive than their in-office peers.

• Remote employees have more control over their work environment. They spend more time on job-related tasks and less on commuting or chatting at the water cooler. As a bonus, they spend less money on transportation – and there are environmental plusses, with fewer vehicles on the road. Think of the emptiness on area highways during the peak of the pandemic. It’s not that extreme, of course, but there are benefits to less traffic overall.

Retention

According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the average cost to hire a new employee was $4,425 as of 2017. The cost of a failed hire can be much greater, generally amounting to the equivalent of a person’s annual salary, on average. Telecommuting and work/life flexibility are among the most popular benefits you can offer as a means of landing top talent and keeping high performers on board for the long term..

• In one Gallup poll, 37 percent of employees said they would change jobs if it meant they could work at least part of the time remotely.

Cost Savings and Safety Go Hand in Hand

Fewer employees on-site mean lower overhead costs. You save on rent, utilities, maintenance, furniture, equipment, supplies, and more.

And of course, time is money. Fewer employees call out when allowed to work from home.

• Never before has wellness at work been more critical. No one, even a person who feels like “it’s probably just a cold,” should be coming into the office. This is the new global norm. Remote employees can still get work done with higher comfort levels and without infecting anyone else.

Let the staffing and workforce experts at PrideStaff Modesto help as you build and retain your winning team – including the development or modification of your remote work policy and practices. Contact us today so we can tell you more.

Apps To Help Improve Your Problem Solving Skills

Smartphone apps are often a go-to for fun escapism; however, if you pick apps strategically, they can go beyond being a distraction and also help with your overall productivity. Brain training apps have become increasingly more sophisticated and science-based and may help sharpen your cognitive functioning, including problem-solving (a crucial professional skill). Check out these apps to help improve your problem-solving skills:   

1. Lumosity  

Lumosity is among the most popular apps for brain training, with more than 100 million users. It offers a variety of games that are based on scientific research to help improve cognitive function. There are free versions available for Apple and Android, as well as options for paid subscriptions that allow for additional games and features.  

2. Peak 

If you want a problem-solving app with activities that don’t require much time, the Peak app has more than 30 minigames. In addition to problem-solving, they also have short games that improve memory, language skills, concentration, and mental agility. It is available for both Apple and Android devices.    

3. Braingle 

Brainagle offers a wide variety of options to test and train your cognitive abilities, with more than “15,000 brain teasers, riddles, logic, mind puzzles,” according to the product’s site. It’s a bit more simple and lighthearted than other problem-solving sites, and users can submit games and puzzles. It also has a community forum function if you’re interested in chatting with other users.  

4. Elevate  

The Elevate app, which Apple selected as App of the Year in 2014, lets you pick a more systematic way of training your brain to be better at problem-solving. You can select from 3-5 games each day, and track your performance over time to meet your goals. Elevate has more than 40 short games to help with your brain’s processing speed, focus, memory, and more.   

5. Cognifit 

If you are interested in a more advanced problem-solving app, Cognifit is tailored to both individuals and professionals, including doctors, educators, and researchers. In addition to cognitive science-based minigames that train your brain to be better at problem-solving, it also offers neuropsychological assessments, real-time monitoring, and personalized training programs depending on your specific demographics or goals.   

Call Our Recruiters Today

Are you ready to look for new opportunities? 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.   

How to Get Your Career Goals Back on Track If You Find Yourself Behind From the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down. If you’re like millions of Americans, it’s also had a negative impact on your career.

If you lost your job due to layoffs, you’re probably feeling frustrated. Even if you were able to find something else to pay the bills, it might not be the kind of job that helps you climb the ladder in your field of choice.

Career development in Las Vegas takes time. It’s important to realize the current situation won’t change overnight, but the steps you take today will benefit your long-term goals. Here’s some advice to help you move forward.

Five Tips to Get Your Career Back on Track

Assess Your Situation

You know you’re not where you want to be right now, but you’re not quite sure how far you’ve fallen off your career path. Take inventory of your current situation to see what you need to do to become a competitive candidate. This will help you create a plan to learn and grow in the right direction.

Update Your Resume

If pandemic-related layoffs forced you to take a job outside your field, you’re probably considering leaving it off your resume. However, this isn’t wise, as resume gaps can hurt your chances of getting hired. Instead, think about transferrable skills you’ve acquired at this job, and put them on your resume.

You’ll be able to use your cover letter to explain the temporary shift in your career direction, which will impress employers because it shows a strong work ethic.

Take an Online Course

It’s possible your skills have become a little rusty during the pandemic, so take an online course to ensure they’re up to date. This will be especially helpful if you’re unemployed, as it shows potential employers you’ve been proactive with your time away from the workforce.

Volunteer Your Time

Plenty of nonprofits need more help than ever right now. Whether you’re unemployed or have free time you’d like to donate to a great cause, this is a great way to boost your skills, while giving back to your community. Seek roles similar to those you’re interested in pursuing as a full-time job. Put this work on your resume to show hiring managers you’re a kind and ambitious person, who found a creative way to learn during your break from the field.

Create a Professional Social Media Presence

Help employers find you on social media by creating at least one account used for strictly professional purposes. Follow industry influencers, share posts on topics important to your field, and engage with your peers. This can also help you make new contacts who might be able to help you find the right kind of opportunities for your career goals.

Get Your Dream Job

The COVID-19 pandemic threw an unexpected wrench in your career plans, but that was only temporary. If you’re ready to get back to climbing the ladder, PrideStaff Las Vegas is here to guide your journey. Contact us today to get started!

Simple Ways to Improve Your Candidate Experience

In any recruitment process, you’re trying to fill a position as quickly as possible while keeping expenses under control. It’s a lot to think about. However, there’s another concern to keep in mind: providing a good candidate experience.

You might think this represents a relatively minor consideration. However, it can have a significant long-term impact. A study conducted by Harris Interactive showed that a negative experience hurt long-term recruiting efforts. The survey indicated that 42% of candidates said they would never apply for another position at the company and, even worse, 22% revealed that would advise other potential applicants to stay away from the firm.

Clearly, building a strong employer brand requires investing in a good candidate experience. But how? How do you maximize the connection between your applicants (even the ones you ultimately reject) and your company?

Here are a few tips to improve your candidate experience:

Respect Your Candidates

We know how the math goes. You’re in the business of maximizing profits. That means using your resources as efficiently as possible. Since your job candidates don’t yet work for you, their time is essentially free, at least as far as a corporate profit/loss statement goes.

As a result of this dynamic, there’s a tendency for employers to undervalue the effort they force candidates to exert in order to apply for an open position. They ask for waves of information and compel applicants to fill out lengthy online forms. Often, the data gathered in these time-consuming procedures just repeat info included on a resume.

Don’t fall into this trap. If you want to provide an excellent candidate experience, you have to respect the time of the people applying for your jobs. Use this concept as a guiding principle as you approach your recruitment process.

Simplify the Process

Streamline your recruitment procedures as much as possible. Eliminate low-value requests, and keep your candidates in mind as you collect information. That way, candidates can put in the minimum amount of effort while still providing you sufficient information to proceed.

It helps to break the process into steps. Instead of asking for every piece of information at once, have a multi-stage elimination procedure. For instance, ask for resumes first, then make a cut. From that smaller group, request a practical test. After all, if you would have rejected a candidate based on their resume, there’s no purpose in forcing them to take a time-consuming online appraisal.

Don’t Skimp on Communication

Searching for a position can be a lonely and frustrating process. Job seekers don’t get much encouragement or support from employers. Set yourself apart by helping them through the process as much as possible.

Allowing for a back-and-forth with candidates will ensure that you get the information you need to make an intelligent decision. At the same time, it starts building a bond with your candidates. At least one of them will likely eventually become an employee, after all. Cementing that relationship early will help in the onboarding and team-building process later.

Assign a Real Person as a Point of Contact

Most online job applications are highly automated. This can make the system simpler for you. However, it can be alienating for the job candidates.

Don’t just provide a “jobs@”-style email or an anonymous online form. Instead, give your candidates an actual person to talk to. Assign each applicant a member of your HR staff as a point of contact. It will make the process more personal.

If you’re worried about inundating your HR staff with emails, there are ways to limit the impact. For instance, you can only assign a point of contact after a certain point in recruitment process, after you’ve already made some cuts.

Forming a connection with your job candidates helps promote a strong employer brand. A strong recruiting partner, like PrideStaff, can provide significant assistance as well.

Contact PrideStaff today to find out how they can improve your candidate experience.

7 Common Challenges First-Time Managers Face

Whether you’ve been promoted within your company, or secured a new management job outside of it, you’ve got some challenges to overcome. First, take a deep breathe. Every new manager faces a learning curve. Second, keep in mind, you need more than hard skills to get the job done. Make sure you’re following these tips to deal with common issues and deliver the best performance possible:

#1: Listen to your people.

As the manager, it’s easy to be the one who’s doing all the talking. However, listening is more important, especially at first, for many reasons. It will enable you to get to know your employees, their pain points, and what drives them. It also sends the message that you’re willing to factor in their thoughts, ideas and concerns into you decision-making process.

#2: Set clear goals and expectations.

One of the most common complaints employees have about new managers involves a lack of clarity. Your people need to know what you expect from them and when. To do that, meet with them individually and in a group. Talk about what top performance looks like and how you can help each employee achieve it.

#3: Change your mindset.

You were a contributor before; now you’re a leader. This means you have to change your mindset. Going forward, you’re not the one rolling up your sleeves and doing the work. You’re managing the people who are handling this process, which is why it’s so important to have a big-picture perspective. This entails understanding “what” needs to be done, as well as “why” and “how.” You also have to ensure your people have the right skills, tools, and support to achieve peak performance.

#4: Build the right skills.

In the past, your technical skills were critically important. However, as a manager, your emotional intelligence is just as vital to your success. You have to be emotionally aware, able to empathize with your workers, and understand how to manage a range of different personalities. Growing in this area will help you to better manage your people, and build a stronger, happier team.

#5: Manage time wisely.

It can be tough to manage your time with all the demands of being a manager. It’s why, to be successful in this role, you must practice good time management. There needs to be enough time in your day devoted to your team, your individual responsibilities, and your overall leadership development.

#6: Ask for help.

You might feel pressured to have all the right answers. However, you won’t and that’s normal. When this happens, make sure you reach out and get the help, information and advice you need. It’s better to seek guidance, then simply struggle on your own.

#7: Hiring for your team.

Bringing in new people is not only a difficult decision, but an expensive one. It’s why you must weigh your options carefully before hiring an employee. Ask for help from HR if you’re new to recruiting and interviewing. Or bring in a third-party in the form of a staffing agency. When you do, you’ll have the support you need, including access to pre-qualified candidates.

Ready to find out more about how a staffing agency can help you?

Connect with PrideStaff. As one of Tempe’s top staffing agencies, we have the skills, experience and candidate network to fill your jobs quickly and affordably. You’ll be able to build a stronger, more productive team, as a result. Contact us today to learn more.

Monitoring Safety – How to Reinforce Safety Measures

You may have state of the art PPE.

Your disinfecting protocols may be second to none.

Your safety policies may follow OSHA’s latest requirements.

But none of this will protect your employees or organization unless everyone complies consistently.

Creating a safe work environment is a business imperative:

• It helps prevent accidents, injuries and illnesses.
• It helps protect you from costly workers’ compensation claims.
• It protects your reputation in your industry.
• It improves morale, productivity and profitability.
• It builds your employment brand, enhancing both recruiting and retention.

If you’re looking for proven ways to reinforce the safety measures you’ve painstakingly created, here’s how to drive safety compliance in your organization:

• Create formal policies.
  If you haven’t already, document your policies and procedures in writing and add them to your employee handbook. Then, require all employees to read and acknowledge their understanding and willingness to comply.
• Properly train employees.
  Employees can’t comply with safety requirements unless they fully understand them. Develop a robust training program to bridge the gap between policy and practice. Since people learn best in different ways, provide a balance of training methods, such as group instruction, hands-on training and one-on-one learning. As you build your training program, evaluate which training methods prove the most engaging and effective – and adjust your efforts accordingly.
• Implement a buddy system for new hires.
  After conducting initial safety training, assign the new employee a “safety buddy” – an experienced, safety-conscious employee who is a good communicator and role model. Have the buddy work alongside the new employee during their ramp up, reinforcing safety essentials in your workplace. While a safety buddy should not replace a supervisor or manager, they can be a resource to answer the new employee’s safety questions and help ensure proper procedures are followed.
• Hold periodic retraining.
  Over time, employees may become lackadaisical or simply forget safety procedures. In addition, safety best practices and workplace hazards are continually evolving. Keep everyone vigilant, safe and up to date by holding regular safety refreshers.
• Enforce your policies consistently.
  Just one instance of non-compliance can lead to disastrous consequences. As a result, it’s essential to create clear disciplinary policies, and then enforce them 100% of the time. When you design disciplinary policies, focus on behaviors (e.g., not wearing required PPE or coming to work with a 102 fever) and respond accordingly.
• Encourage employees to speak up.
  You can’t be everywhere at once, so train your employees to report situations which could be potentially dangerous. Make sure everyone on your staff knows how and to whom dangers should be reported – and reward individuals who identify hazardous conditions or practices.
• Address your biggest compliance barriers.
  Language barriers, uncomfortable or outdated PPE, and employee complacency are a few of the many reasons people fail to consistently comply with workplace safety policies. Consider whether these or other factors could be contributing to compliance breakdowns in your organization and develop individual action plans for remedying them on a case by case basis.
• Build a true culture of safety.
  A safety culture is more than a collection of procedures and regulations; it’s an organizational atmosphere that puts safety and health at the heart of everything you do. Lead by example. Regularly incorporate safety messaging into employee communications. Hold supervisors accountable for doing their part. Do whatever you can to thread safety-conscious actions and attitudes into every aspect of your operations.

PrideStaff can help you create a safer workplace.

As a leading national workforce solutions provider, PrideStaff works diligently with clients to ensure workplace safety. We thoroughly train and orient each temporary worker, to ensure everyone stays safe, productive and efficient on the job. Contact us for staffing solutions today.

Tips for Measuring the Success of Your Remote Employees

Six months ago, you may have had some remote employees at your company – or not. But today, chances are, that picture looks very different. Where working from home was a growing trend before the coronavirus pandemic onset, it has now become the norm at many businesses.

Do you plan to allow your employees to continue to work from home, even when the crisis has passed? If so – or in the meantime – it’s important to measure their performance just as you would if they were on site.

What works for your employees works for your business.

Whether people are in the office, on the factory floor, or working from their spare-bedroom-cum-office, they’re all part of the same team. Position yourself as a good team leader via communication, transparency, and trust.

• Clearly define expectations and evaluate based on results. That’s right. It’s the same rule of thumb for every employee, regardless of where they’re located. Spell out tasks, deadlines, goals, and desired results. Keep communication lines open and remember, it’s a two-way street. Give people ample opportunity to ask questions and provide feedback at every stage of a project or assignment.
• Set SMART goals for every employee, remote or onsite. As a refresher, that stands for “specific, measurable, achievable, realistic” and “timely.” As noted by Mike Desjardins, founder of software solutions provider Ceres Logic, “If you’re measuring performance correctly in an office environment, there will be very little difference in how you evaluate a remote employee … Performance is best determined by outcomes, and when an employee is meeting measurable benchmarks.”
• Make sure every employee understands the entire scope of their activities. This way, they’re collaborating toward mutual goals, even if they’re working from a dozen or more different locations.
• View team activities regularly. Remote work requires an added focus on transparency. Be sure to include the entire team in every step of project planning and management as appropriate, and present them with the bigger picture.
• Keep things inclusive. All individuals should know how they fit in, what is required of them, and their specific deliverables. If people understand how their roles align with overall company results, this transforms every task into a team effort.

Trust is the foundation of good relationships.

Unless you have evidence otherwise, believe that your employees are working at their best level of performance and commitment, even if they’re not in your building. Stay in touch with them and hold frequent one-on-one reviews – because they may be less likely to ask for input when they don’t see you daily. But let them spread their creative wings and fly – wherever their launch site may be.

Need more advice on acclimating to the “new normal” and managing remote teams? Contact the staffing and workforce development experts at PrideStaff Modesto today. We’re with you every step of the way as you keep your business strong and your people safe, happy, and engaged.

The Keys to Improving a Toxic Work Culture

Nothing is more detrimental to the success of a company than a toxic work culture. Acknowledging that your work environment needs to realize major changes is a huge first step, and you’ve already done that. You should feel good about this, because many company leaders never get this far.

As Las Vegas hiring support, PrideStaff Las Vegas has helped many companies overcome a toxic work culture. Here’s some advice to guide your team through a much-needed change.

Three Tips to Improve a Toxic Work Culture

Seek Input From Employees

Employees live your toxic culture every day. Therefore, instead of assuming you know what’s going on, it’s important to ask for their opinions. This is the best way to get to the source of the issue(s), so you know where to start. Involving employees in the process will also make them feel valued because it shows your desire to make positive changes and have them be part of the solution.

Make Hard Changes

After gathering feedback from employees and carefully monitoring the situation yourself, you’ll likely come to a few conclusions as to why your culture has become so toxic. Some of these might lead back to certain employees who are spreading negativity throughout the team.

As the boss, it’s your job to nip this behavior in the bud. At a minimum, you’ll need to talk to problematic employees, cite specific changes that need to be made and set consequences for failing to do so. You might also decide it’s best to let certain people go. These conversations won’t be easy, but they’re necessary to shift your culture in a positive direction.

Lead by Example

Improving a toxic culture takes work, which requires a major shift in the attitudes and behaviors of everyone on the team—including you. Being the boss puts you in the spotlight, so realize the impact you have on your employees. If you don’t follow your own rules, they won’t either, so make a point to shift your own behaviors. When people see you doing the work, they’ll follow suit.

Hire Right, Every Time

Finding the best person for the job isn’t easy, so allow PrideStaff Las Vegas to assist. Our expert recruiters won’t stop searching until we’ve found the right fit for your Clark County team.  Contact us today to learn more!

How to Strategically Reject Talent, But Keep Them in Your Talent Pipeline

The hardest part of the recruiting process? It’s making the final decision. Usually, it means rejecting several likable, engaging, extremely qualified individuals. It’s a shame to let all those great candidates move on to the competition.

There is an alternative. By adding those rejected candidates to your talent pipeline, you set yourself up for the future. As the need arises, you can use their skills to improve your company. Meanwhile, your future recruitment efforts get easier. You can look forward to a streamlined process and a shorter time-to-fill for the position.

Achieving this goal takes some tact and nuance. After all, you’re still initially rejecting the candidates in question. But, there are steps you can take to ease these applicants into your talent pipeline. Here’s how:

Make the Recruitment Process Pleasant

Think about how important first impressions are for the candidates who come in for an interview. Well, when you’re building a talent pipeline, that process also moves in the opposite direction. You need to make a strong impression on your candidates so that they are willing to consider a future association with you.

Build this connection by making your recruiting process as pleasant as possible. Communicate promptly at all stages of the process and show respect for your candidates’ time and effort. That way, you are set up to continue a relationship with them in the future.

Let Them Down Easy

Getting rejected is hard. That universal fact adds a significant challenge to the task of building a talent pipeline.

Consider the scenario: You tell a promising candidate that you’ve decided to go in a different direction with the current position. Then, you ask them if they want to remain in your talent pipeline. Pride and hard feelings might come into play.

You need to prevent any resentment from sinking in. Make the rejection as painless as possible. Stress their strong points and emphasize that you would like to build a long-term relationship.

Stay In Touch

Communication represents the central aspect of maintaining a strong talent pipeline. You need to stay in touch with your candidates. Periodically reach out to them to see how their careers are progressing and what they are doing in their professional lives.

This info will let you know their availability and keep you updated on their skills. Meanwhile, the communication itself will allow you to strengthen your relationship with them. When the time comes, it will be easy to contact them with help on a particular project, or to hire them for an appropriate role down the road.

Create Part-Time/Contract Work

You’ve found a candidate who fits all your criteria. However, you don’t have a full-time position available for them at the moment. By passing on them now, you risk losing them to another employer.

Often, there’s a middle ground you can reach. Just because you don’t have a staff position available, that doesn’t mean you can’t still create a business partnership. Seek out part-time or contract work for your top candidates.

This structure creates significant value. First, you get to know your candidates better. For the next round of hiring, you have significantly more information to use. Second, you create a financial bond. You are forming a connection with the company that goes beyond the occasional email or text.

Finally, you get operational benefits. Having a contract staff available to support your full-time employees gives you flexibility and a safety valve for intense situations, like a sudden spike in demand.

Building a strong talent pipeline can take your team-building efforts to the next level. Partnering with a top-flight staffing agency, like PrideStaff, can represent an important component of that strategy.

Contact PrideStaff today to find out how they can complement your talent pipeline.