The Importance of Prioritizing Inclusion in Your Company

Diversity and belonging can’t be thought of merely as projects, initiatives, or fodder for a new task force. Those tactics are all great, but they’re temporary. Everyone in your organization plays a part in upholding your values, so your commitment to inclusion needs to be permanently embedded in your company culture.

An inclusive culture fosters a healthy work environment. It ensures that everyone, regardless of their background or experiences, is connected with equal opportunity and a prosperous future with their company and their colleagues. It also fosters engagement and productivity because people who are comfortable authentically expressing themselves are more likely to perform better. According to a recent study by The Economist, diversity and inclusion promote better talent management, employee satisfaction, collaboration, and corporate reputation.

How to Create a Culture of Inclusion

There are some simple but very powerful steps you can take to ignite change for the better when building an inclusive company culture. They include:

Start from the top down. Company leaders must have a sincere desire to build a diverse culture. This means sending clear messages by continually displaying inclusive behavior and attitudes. Once leadership sets the right tone, it’s easier to cascade it through the entire organization.

Get regular feedback from team members. Ask people for their ideas and suggestions on how to improve diversity in your workplace. Give them a sense of ownership by letting them be part of the solution. It also helps to provide outlets to help people connect with others and share their stories. Your tools might include an employee survey, a campaign, or a town hall forum. The goal is to provide multiple ways to share input and perspective that fosters open dialogue.

Provide safe spaces. Go the extra mile to build every employee, customer, and visitor’s safety and comfortability, especially those from marginalized groups. One easy way to do this is to offer unisex bathrooms. On a broader level, you can encourage virtual team lunches and other informal events where people can casually connect. Or create a support group or network for employees to communicate with others who share their experiences.

Connect with people on a personal level. Be transparent regarding your own life. If you are real with others, chances are greater that they’ll reciprocate. And when you reach out, remember the simple gestures, such as their “spouse” or “partner” rather than assuming someone’s sexual orientation using gendered terms.

Incorporate inclusion into all individual and team objectives. Publicly reward those who demonstrate these values. Over time, you will see sustained positive incomes as a result.

If you want to strengthen inclusion as you staff your business, why work with PrideStaff Fresno? Because we share your goal – and our mission is to deliver what matters most to your vision. Contact us today so we can custom tailor a solution for you.

Learn About Employee Advocacy and Why It’s Important

When you buy a product or service, what are the driving factors behind your purchase decision?
Ads, coupons, or a company’s Facebook page can all be helpful sources. But, there’s helpful – and there’s influential. More likely than not, you’ll be influenced to finalize your selection by someone you know and trust: perhaps a friend, a close family member, or a loyal coworker.

The same holds true when it comes to marketing your company and its brand image. Your strongest advocates – and those most likely to influence their peers and contacts – are your rank-and-file employees. In a nutshell, that is what employee advocacy is all about and why it can be such a win-win strategy for your organization.

The Value of Employee Advocacy

Employee advocacy is an effective method for boosting your brand and initiatives through people who work for your company, typically using social media and other digital channels. You empower high-performing employees to become your spokespersons, ideally reaching out to people who work in various roles, who are willing to promote your messaging voluntarily.

As noted by the Marketing Advisory Network, company messages have 516 percent further reach when employees share them. They are shared 24 times more frequently, and 44.5 percent of people say they are more likely to apply for a job they saw through a friend’s social media post than on a job board.

How to Make it Work

To reach your full marketing potential via an employee advocacy program, you need to put the right processes in place, with a well-designed and communicated plan.

Start by defining your goals, as well as the key performance indicators (KPIs) you’ll use to measure the success of your efforts.

Get C-suite level buy-in. From the top-down, build a company culture conducive to employee advocacy and engagement. (Yes! Advocacy and engagement go hand in hand.) Explain the concept of advocacy to senior executives as it pertains to their position within the company. Focus on the bigger picture, and long-term improved business results.

Then, get employees to participate. Explain to your best team members how being part of an employee advocacy program will help them understand their company and industry and be more valuable to their company.

Show your appreciation for employee support. Include them in your marketing efforts and provide regular, consistent feedback

Last but not least: Content is key. It’s up to your marketing team to curate high-quality, relevant content for employees to share. You need a diverse content strategy that utilizes different messages, photos, videos, and infographics to make people want to share it.

For more ideas as you perfect your company’s employee advocacy strategy, contact PrideStaff Fresno today. Let it be part of a customizable solution to keep you competitive and ahead of the game regarding your talent management success and overall business growth.

4 Tips for Addressing Your Covid-19 Layoff in a Resume and Interview

Are you one of the millions who have been laid off as a result of the coronavirus pandemic? This ongoing crisis has significantly impacted the job market in many industries, nationwide and around the world.

As you recover, exactly what you should say about your Covid-related employment gap on your resume, in your cover letter, and during job interviews depends on your specific situation and personal choice. But here are four general guidelines that will help facilitate your job search:

1. Acknowledge – and then fill – the gap on your resume.

On your resume, be honest in acknowledging your pandemic-related layoff, and focus on transferable skills.

Concisely describe what happened, and then describe the ways you’ve filled your employment gap. Have you been volunteering, learning a new skill, or working toward a professional certification? Create an entry in your Experience section.
Place an end date on the job you lost. Being upfront and not trying to couch this information will pay off in the long run. If you try and camouflage it, an employer may question your trustworthiness and integrity.

2. Stay positive and build your network.

Keeping an upbeat attitude can be challenging when you’ve been out of work – not to mention socially cut off from everyday life – for a while. But if you maintain and communicate your enthusiasm and keep building your professional network, you’ll be more successful in your job search, and you won’t feel like this time is all for naught.

Take at least one concrete step in the right direction. For instance, retrain for an in-demand job or set up a weekly Zoom coffee klatch to stay in touch with peers and discuss options, ideas, and possible opportunities.

3. Provide context in your cover letter.

Your cover letter has more room than your resume for flexibility and creativity. Add helpful context to support your job search case.

If you’re considering an industry switch, elaborate on how your past experience and skills still apply and would add value.

4. Be interview ready.

Be prepared ahead of time by anticipating which questions you may be asked during a job interview. Use your responses to relieve any concerns an employer may have about your time off.

Make sure you sound enthusiastic but not desperate. And always stay honest as you discuss how you’ve been spending your time during this job transition.
Remember, it’s a two-way street. During an interview, you’re assessing an employer just as much as they’re assessing you. If they’re inconsiderate about your Covid-19 layoff, do you really want to work for them? If red flags crop up about this or any other issue, think twice.

The career development experts at PrideStaff can help from start to finish as you bounce back from your Covid-19 layoff. Whether it’s fine-tuning your resume, preparing for interviews, networking, or any other step along the road to success, we’re right there with you. Contact us today to learn more.

How to Develop a Plan for Employees Returning to Work

The Covid-19 pandemic started as a short-term crisis – or so everyone thought. But soon, it will enter its second year. What was perceived as a sprint has become a marathon and a total shift in the way people think, work, and live.

As your employees return to the workplace in the shadow of coronavirus, it’s up to you to make sure they’re safe, comfortable, healthy and productive, during and after the transition.

Safety First

Before bringing people back, ensure that your workplace is – and will remain – safe.

Clean and sanitize. Invest in a professional cleaning service. Their high-grade cleaning products kill more germs. Use them as needed to cover every nook and cranny at your site. In addition to these regular deep cleans, up your standards for day-to-day housekeeping, as well. For instance, be sure all workstations are disinfected nightly, and common areas are cleaned multiple times throughout the day.

Encourage good hygiene. Provide ample supplies throughout your workplace. Stock up on disinfectant wipes and sprays, hand sanitizer and soap, paper towels, tissues and masks. Provide visible reminders, including posters with information on coughing and sneezing etiquette, handwashing, mask use, not coming to work if you feel unwell, and Covid-19 symptoms. You may also want to include details on testing and vaccines.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide comprehensive resources for employers to use at this time.

Update Your Policies

There truly is a new normal – in the world and in the workplace. Take a thorough look and revise any company policies and procedures that apply as employees reenter the workplace.

Do you need to update your sick leave policy? How many days off are people allowed if they test Covid positive? Do you enough leave for those who live with or care for infected loved ones? The Families First Coronavirus Response Act covers requirements for extra paid leave.

Consider indefinite remote work options, as well as more flexible attendance and paid time off policies.

Change your office layout and the way you hold meetings. You can no longer cram a lot of people into a conference room. You’re probably there already, but firm up your resources to maintain social distancing and provide video conferencing. Space workstations at safe distances. If it seems impossible, maybe you need to combine this effort with your new and improved remote work process.

Support your employees’ mental health. According to the Centre for Addition and Mental Health, “people placed in quarantine or self-isolation may experience a wide range of feelings, including fear, anger, sadness, irritability, guilt or confusion. They may find it hard to sleep.” There may also be increased feelings of stress, anxiety, or depression. Educate managers about these effects and how to spot them in employees. Share mental health resources with your team members, and incorporate needed leave into your PTO policy.

For additional resources to improve your workplace, update your plans, and enhance your employer brand image, contact PrideStaff Fresno today. We’ll help ensure that your company is known as the place to work – where team members not only feel safe and strong but can also grow their careers and find needed work/life balance.

Learn More About the Most Important Parts of a Resume

What information to include on your resume depends on the job you’re competing for. The most important factor to consider is relevance. As a starting point, study the job description and think about specifically what the employer is seeking. Prepare to tell a compelling story about the unique value you would bring to the role.

What to Focus On

Include your name and contact information at the top of your resume. You may or may not want to follow this with a brief headline and/or summary.

Your contact information should include your phone number, a professional sounding email address, and a URL for your LinkedIn profile. If it’s relevant, also have a link to your website or portfolio.

If you opt for a headline or summary, keep the information concise. Use this to introduce yourself and highlight your professional accomplishments. Emphasize traits that you want a recruiter to read about first.

The following aspects of your resume are key:

Experience: Labeling it as Professional Experience or Work Experience, list any jobs, freelance work, or internships you’ve had that are directly related to the position. If you’re using a chronological format, start with the most recent and work back from there.

Education: Include an entry for each school you graduated from or are currently attending. List the name of the institution and the degree you earned, as well as your major. If you’re a recent grad and it reflects well on you, include your G.P.A., minor, academic concentration, or Dean’s List and other honors.

Skills: Depending on the industry and your format, this may come before or after your Experience section. Emphasize any skills you have that are also mentioned in the job description. If there are a lot, you may want to divide them into categories, i.e., “design skills, programming skills,” etc.

Licenses and Certifications: This information is important for certain professions, such as nursing, accounting, or teaching. This can be a separate or part of the Education section of your resume. Include the full name of a license or certification, the body that issued it, and the date you earned or plan to earn it.

Volunteer work: If your volunteer experience helps position you as a strong candidate, include it. In addition to highlighting any relevant skills you learned or improved, it can be a great way to showcases causes you’re passionate about. Format your volunteer experience in the same way as your past jobs.

What You Don’t Need to Include

You may be considering a photo of yourself on your resume. Don’t go there. This could land your resume in the automatic rejection pile because of the potential to create hiring bias.

It’s also not necessary to list references, or even the fact that they’re available upon request. If employers want them, they will ask. Just have references ready in the event they’re needed.

To best tailor your resume to a job that interests you, it helps to work with a leading professional in the recruitment business. In addition to fine-tuning your resume, the PrideStaff Fresno team can help throughout your successful job search process in areas including customer service, administration, IT, accounting and finance, healthcare, and production. Contact us today to learn more.

How to Overcome Challenges of Working from Home

How’s your work-from-home situation going?

There’s a good chance you’ve been at it for several months now. And while it has plenty of perks, the challenges remain. Plus, like everyone else, you’re just plain old tired of this pandemic and its restrictions.

Try to stay positive and look at the bright side. And whether you love or hate working from home, continue to max out your productivity and stay sane when dealing with:

Too Many Virtual Meetings

Zoom fatigue is a real thing. It’s the tiredness, worry, or burnout associated with the overuse of virtual communication platforms. Participating in these meetings can be draining after a while because you have to physically work harder to keep looking at other attendees.

Find relief by stepping away from the screen. Or at least looking away. Rest your eyes, your body, and your mind. Do this periodically throughout the day.

Performance Guilt

It’s natural to feel like you should be getting more work done at home. After all, you don’t have to spend time commuting, nor are you lingering in the hallway chatting with colleagues. Performance guilt may be even more extreme if you’re at home and some of your coworkers are in the office.

Don’t beat yourself up. Block off time for breaks during the day. Spend them by enjoying a favorite non-work related activity, such as reading, listening to music, or completing a short yoga video.

The Everyday Distractions of Home

The kids are hungry. The dog wants to go out. Your next-door neighbor saw your light on and calls to chat. Suddenly, another half hour has slipped away. Yikes.

Try the Pomodoro Technique. Select a task, spend 25 minutes on it, then take a short break. For every four 25-minute blocks, reward yourself with a longer break.

Social Isolation

Working from home can be great for thinking and concentrating, but it can feel too quiet or lonely without anyone else around after a while.

Schedule a phone call with a friend, loved one, or coworker you miss, during your break. Caveat: If you touch base with a coworker, avoid shop talk! That defeats the purpose.

If you miss office background noise, try a podcast that makes you feel almost like you’re back there. There are several options available.

Work/Life Balance

It all comes down to this, right? It was true when you went to the office five days a week, and it rings even truer now.

A great way to strike work/life balance is to dedicate a home workspace. It can be as simple as a corner of your dining room table. The point is: it creates a physical anchor for work time, around which you can build structure and routine each day. It becomes the area where you “go to work” – and just as importantly, leave it all behind.

For more tips on healthy work habits and keeping your career on track – even in the face of pandemics pr whatever other curve balls life throws your way – contact PrideStaff Fresno today. We can help in your current role – or match you with a new temporary, contractual, temp-to-hire, or direct hire position that’s exactly what you’ve been looking for.

5 Tips for Helping Your Team Stay Productive While Working from Home

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, working from home was a growing trend. One study conducted in 2019 showed that by 2028, 78 percent of all companies would have remote workers on their payrolls. And since March of last year, remote work has become the norm for an unprecedented number of businesses and their team members.
Working from home means more distractions, fewer ways to interact naturally with coworkers, and a greater chance of social isolation – all of which can be damaging to productivity. Now is a good time to explore new ways to manage and collaborate with your employees to enable them to stay engaged and connected.

Provide the right tools.

You can’t expect remote workers to succeed unless they have the tools and resources they need to do their jobs. Keep everyone on the same page, no matter where they’re working, by providing project management, chat and messaging, and videoconferencing apps to everyone. IT and related support are also critical.

Encourage dedicated workspaces.

Dedicated workspaces help free employees from the normal distractions of home life, maintain focus, and stay on task. Encourage the creation of these spaces. Consider offering stipends – or at least helpful tips – to set them up, especially as the global pandemic presses on.

Show you care.

Working from home can contribute to loneliness and negative emotions. Do whatever you can to support your employees. Encourage self-care. Advocate for them to exercise, eat well, get quality sleep, and take breaks during the workday. Help them identify their personal work/life challenges, and provide ideas and support to address them.

Manage by “walking around.”

Just as you would do if they were on-site, stay visible, and accessible to your employees. The only difference is: now, you need to do it virtually. In addition to team and department meetings, keep one-on-one interactions going via instant messaging. If it helps, regularly go down your full employee roster and individually reach out to those you haven’t checked in within a while. Continue shout outs and recognitions and share business and industry developments.

Meet all new hires.

If possible, arrange for new hires to come into your office for an in-person introductory meeting, even if they will be working 100 percent remotely. If this isn’t feasible, set up a videoconference for this purpose. Get to know them as people, not just employees. Ask about their families, passions, hobbies, and interests. Ahead of time, provide them with team and company organizational charts, including names and pictures.

As you continue to build your team and keep things productive and on track, consider partnering with PrideStaff Fresno. We’ll take a look at what your staffing and workforce development needs are at this time, and custom tailor a strategy to ensure that all your goals are met. Contact us today to learn more.

Taking Time Off During COVID-19 and Making the Most of It

If you’ve been working remotely during the Covid-19 pandemic, have you taken any time off?

That doesn’t mean that “working from home/setting my own hours/letting the workday mush into the evening and weekend” schedule that you may have adopted as the months rolled on. There’s nothing wrong with that flexibility, of course. But, you could run the risk of burnout also creeping up on you.

So, consider the question again: Have you really taken any time off? Because it’s just as important now as it ever was, and maybe even more so.

You’re Not Alone

Nobody expected the pandemic to last nearly this long. It was easy at first to postpone time off until you could actually go somewhere beyond your backyard. And career and mental health experts agree: those who have kept their regular jobs during Covid-19 tend to feel guilty, as others struggle with reduced hours or unemployment. It’s a trend seen nationwide. But everyone needs a break. These are unprecedented times, and you may be experiencing new stress factors and emotions, some of which you may not even be aware of until they suddenly hit you with a vengeance.

You may need time off for your own mental well-being. It’s harder to set boundaries when working from home. This can result in longer work hours or a feeling that you should be working when you’re not. Time off is a matter of healthy self-care.

If all you do is work, you’re only using part of your brain. To be truly well-rounded, you need to take time for non-job-related fun, activities, and relaxation. It’s dangerous to lose that critical sense of balance.

Time off can improve your job performance. Taking time to recharge helps you relieve stress and enables you to do a better job overall.

Make it Count

Even if you’re not going anywhere, make your time off truly refreshing. Don’t just take time off – enjoy it!

Plan ahead. Make sure your work is covered in your absence, or get it done in advance. If the latter is necessary, get started even earlier, so you don’t overwhelm yourself. And set a schedule for catching up at a realistic pace afterward, so you don’t erase all the good your vacation did.

Set expectations for your vacation time. Send an out-of-office message just as you’ve done in the past. If you have separate work phones or other devices, consider physically putting them away for the length of your time off. If not, consider temporarily turning off notifications or deleting work apps.

Look for some new activities. After more than nine months of pandemic monotony, it’s natural to feel stir crazy. Try to think of something you haven’t done before and give it a whirl. It may be virtually touring someplace you’ve always wanted to visit, seeking out hiking or biking trails, or taking an online course centering on something just for you, like knitting, baking, or yoga and meditation.

Maybe 2021 will be the year you find a new opportunity that makes that work-life balance more realistic, regardless of where you’re working from. Or perhaps you need some additional guidance in keeping it all on track. If so, consider partnering with the career development experts at PrideStaff Fresno. Contact us today to learn more.

Learn How Far Back You Should Go When Writing Your Resume

You’re launching a job search, so it’s time to write or update your resume. When it comes to that all-important work section, how far back should you go in listing previous jobs and professional experience?

There’s no cookie-cutter formula, and the decision needs to be made on a case-by-case basis. But there are some accepted guidelines you can follow to help ensure your resume stands out from the pack when reviewed by a recruiter or applicant tracking system.

The 10 to 15-Year Rule

Consider your industry, experience level, and qualifications, and make your resume a high-level summary of your relevant professional accomplishments to show that you’re the best person for the job.

Most experts recommend covering the most recent 10 to 15 years of your career. For most people, this covers an average of three to five jobs. Ideally, this time frame allows you to show a comprehensive overview of where you started, how you’ve advanced, and where you are now.

Be concise. As you advance and gain more experience, a two-page resume is fine. But if yours is longer than that, recruiters may not take it all in – or worse yet, they may skip it entirely if they’re inundated with applicants.

For Recent Grads and Entry-Level Pros

If you only have up to two years of professional experience, you can also include relevant academic, volunteer, work, and personal achievements on your resume. (These, along with your entry-level jobs, will likely drop off over the years, but for now, they can be an asset.)

Highlight your transferable skills. This is important at any stage of your career, and especially now. Show how you applied leadership, communication, organizational, teamwork, or problem-solving strengths in-class projects, extracurricular roles, or part-time jobs while in school. And, of course, include any relevant internship or apprenticeship experience.

Two to Five Years’ Experience

You can probably eliminate much of your college experience at this stage of your career and use valuable resume space for job-related highlights. You can also demonstrate your professional prowess outside of work, for instance, involvement in professional organizations.

For More Experienced Pros

After about the five-year mark, start to focus your resume solely on roles and responsibilities that have clearly enhanced your qualifications for your desired career move. This may mean downplaying or omitting early positions to elevate more relevant experience as your main focus.

Returning to the Job Market?

If you’ve taken a break from your career to raise a family or for another reason, you likely will have to go back a little further to round out your resume. If so, explain upfront why this is the case. You can do this in your cover letter or resume summary at the top of the page.

Still, keep in mind how relevant your experience has been. If you’ve done something in the meantime, such as volunteer or part-time work that has helped keep you up to date in your field, include it.

The right job is closer than you think. At PrideStaff, our best-in-class approach has helped thousands of candidates find it. From resume prep to networking, interviewing, and sealing the deal on your next career opportunity, contact us today. We look forward to sharing in your success!

Learn How to Properly Review a Resume

Every resume tells a story. The best job candidates use theirs to grab your attention and leave you wanting to know more. They give you that “aha moment” that tells you that this is someone who deserves an interview.

When you’re faced with a daunting pile of resumes for a job opening, what can you look for to effectively narrow down the field and ultimately make the right hiring decision?

Create a checklist to shorten your list.

Develop a checklist of the minimum skills, experience, and education required to do the job. Use this as a guide to initially divide piles of resumes into “yes, no” and “maybe” piles.

Watch for red flags.

Certain warning signs of potential problems outweigh a candidate meeting the basic requirements for a position. They include:

Unexplained employment gaps: An applicant should be prepared to explain any long breaks between jobs. It’s not a deal–breaker; in fact, it may be a strength – if they used the time to go back to school or care for a family member, for instance. But without a good reason, these gaps should leave you wondering.

Excessive job–hopping: One or two quick jumps may be a sign of ambition. But, too many jobs in too short a time period could indicate a lack of commitment or clear direction.
Careless errors: There is simply no excuse for typos, grammatical errors, or other signs of a poorly-organized resume. If a candidate hasn’t proofread, it’s a pretty clear sign they lack attention to detail. Resumes also should be formatted correctly.
TMI: It’s okay to know a little bit about a person’s interests or hobbies outside the realm of the job, but too much is too much. It suggests that this content is there only to fill space and make up for shortfalls in areas that really matter.
A generic resume: Serious candidates customize their resumes to the job description you have posted. Look for content that has clearly been crafted with your specific opening in mind.

Word choice is critical.

Laser focus on the language an applicant uses in their resume. If it’s too ambiguous, it may be camouflaging a lack of relevant experience or knowledge.

Watch for phrases like “familiar with” or “participated in.” Dig deeper to see if the candidate played an instrumental role in the effort or project referred to or simply showed up at team meetings.

Hire for potential.

Use your checklist, but remember: not everyone follows a cookie–cutter, traditional career path.

Critique resumes in their broader context. If a candidate spikes your interest, they may be worth pursuing even if their credentials are somewhat non-traditional. It may be best to find someone who fits your company culture and then let on-the-job training fill in the gaps.

At PrideStaff Fresno, our mission is to deliver what matters most to our clients as they seek new talent – whether it’s reviewing a plethora of resumes, screening candidates, interviewing, negotiating, or any other step in their recruitment process. We can help you achieve better results and quicker placements in customer service, IT, accounting and finance, legal support, healthcare, and production. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.