Job Seekers: 2014 Recap and Top Posts

2014 has been a solid year for job seekers.

 The U.S. economy grew at a 4.6 percent rate in the second quarter and job growth averaged more than 200,000 a month, up significantly from last year. Q2 was the nation’s strongest quarter since 2011 based on gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services produced. Companies showed increasing confidence in their long-term outlooks, which bodes well for continued employment opportunities.

What were the hottest topics for those looking for work in 2014?

Not surprisingly, interest was high in areas related to making a career change. For instance, what are the pros and cons of quitting your job? What does your employment history say about you when you list it on your resume or discuss it in an interview? And how do you effectively search while still employed?

The Pros & Cons of Making a Change

Leaving your job is a big deal, regardless of the economy. If you have your next position lined up, be sure that the culture, work environment and transition will succeed as you envisioned. If you’re facing unemployment, you must fully prepare from a financial standpoint.

• Explore options. Socially and personally network to get a feel for the overall market. Then you can make a realistic plan and develop any skills you sense may be lacking.
• Unless you have a better job lined up, take a hard look at your finances. A general rule of thumb is allowing one month of search time for every $10,000 you earn. Also consider your continued health care coverage and other benefit needs.

About Your Employment History

Your employment history should enable a prospective employer to quickly tell how long you’ve performed duties and realized accomplishments relevant to the job being offered.  

• Ensure the best possible results. Be sure all information is truthful and accurate. Emphasize your value by showing that you’ve consistently produced critical, measurable results.
• Make it reader friendly. Use a combination of short paragraphs and bullets on this section of your resume. Paragraphs describe the scope of job responsibilities, while bullets draw attention to specific achievements while giving the eye a place to rest.
• If you have employment gaps, use a functional resume format. While dates cannot be omitted, this allows you to place emphasis on your strengths, experiences and talents.

Job Searching While Employed

Experts agree that conducting a job search while you’re employed is the best approach since it makes you more attractive to potential employers. But you walk a fine line as you balance current work responsibilities with future plans.

• Keep it quiet. Use your own phone, email and computer and schedule calls and interviews on off hours. It only takes a single slip-up to alert your manager or coworkers to your plans.
• Be careful with your resume. Explain that your search is confidential. Even providing your resume to be privately circulated can be risky.

Will your 2015 resolution be a new job? For the professional recruiters at PrideStaff Fresno, every candidate is a valued customer and every search is an adventure. Contact us to learn more about how you can not only search, but succeed as you advance your career in the year ahead.

A Recap of the Most Viewed HR Content for 2014

Walking the Thin Line of Becoming Friends with your Boss

Friends are great – and good bosses are great, too. But what happens when they become one and the same?

It’s nice – and even career important – to be friendly with your boss, but you may want to limit making friends with those outside your professional reporting structure. In other words, there’s a line between divulging your most private feelings and partying on into the night with those who have ultimate power and influence over your career, salary and general workplace happiness.

The Potential Consequences

If you and your boss naturally become friends, be sure you can truly separate business from your personal life. If you think you can do this and are aware of the potential risks involved in such a relationship, okay. But tread carefully.

Your friendship could make asking for a raise awkward.

It’s never easy, regardless of who your boss is. But if you’re close friends, it becomes even more difficult. A good boss wants you to earn as much as you possibly can, but sometimes their hands are tied. They may have no choice but to deny your compensation request. Having to say no will put them in a difficult spot – and you may never personally recover from it.

It’s business, not personal.

Managers are charged with constantly giving feedback to their employees in order to keep their teams performing at optimal levels. It may be harder for your boss to provide constructive criticism you when you’re also friends. Knowing that you could take their suggestions personally, they may water them down, rendering the feedback far less effective.

Perception equals reality.

Everyone from senior management to support staff and the janitor will notice your relationship with the boss and have an opinion about it. Make just one mistake, or even get the promotion you’ve truly worked so hard for, and the water-cooler conspiracy talk will start. You want your good work to stand on its own – not be tarnished by your being seen as a “teacher’s pet.”

No secret is safe.

There’s that grey line again! But in a healthy boss/employee relationship, there are some things you simply cannot discuss. In a friendship, you will eventually divulge information you normally wouldn’t dream of mentioning at work. As a result, you’ve armed the person who has the authority to promote or fire you with your dirty little secrets. And in turn, you may know theirs. Chances are, it will come back to bite you.
Never break the “always” rule. Most rules have an exception, but not this one: It is never OK to party excessively or otherwise behave inappropriately with your boss. Ever.

The recruitment and career coaching staff at PrideStaff Fresno can help you navigate the land mines of launching and advancing your successful job strategy, as well as finding your dream position. To learn more, read our related posts or contact us today.

Top Managers offer this Advice to Motivate Employees

What’s the best advice you can give your team as you continue to motivate them, especially as another calendar year winds down? Finish 2014 strong by keeping your workforce inspired, engaged and truly looking forward to coming to work each day.

“My door is always open. Talk to me and I’ll listen.”

Communicate with your employees regularly, giving them the information they need to feel “in the know” and to perform at optimal levels.  

• You can’t over communicate. Be in touch daily with everyone who reports to you, even if it’s just a simple “good morning” or inquiry about their family, weekend plans or a shared interest in a hobby or sports team. Make a point of stopping by their worksites to make this happen.
• Hold regular one-on-one meetings. These are more structured and employees can join you in your office for them. Have them come prepared with questions, ideas and suggestions. Be prepared to actively listen. Maybe they just need a sounding board – or you can give direction and advice if asked. Of course, use these sessions as opportunities to keep their work on track, with everyone on the same page in terms of vision, goals and objectives.
• Also schedule open communication meetings. These can be in small groups – serving the dual purpose of employees having a chance to get to know one another better. Rather than have a formal agenda, leave the floor open to questions and discussion. But take care not to let any one participant monopolize the time. Give everyone the opportunity to speak; whether they choose to do so or not is their prerogative.

“Always grow in your job and career. Let me know how I can help.”

With few exceptions, workers join an organization not just for a paycheck, but to build their careers. Expand their jobs to include new, higher level responsibilities that enhance their knowledge and skillsets. Guide them through these stretch assignments and encourage and support them as they pursue development opportunities.

• Training motivates employees. Individuals who are engaged in their jobs want to learn skills that will further build their performance. Work with each of your employees on the right training and development plan to meet their goals as well as help grow your business.
• Weave employees’ career objectives into their performance development plans. Provide cross-training and related opportunities so they can master new roles and responsibilities. Assign them to head up teams and enable them to spend more time with their bosses. Most will find this highly rewarding.

“Perform at or above expectations. I appreciate everything you do.”

Employees place high value on a responsive and involved relationship with their immediate supervisors.  Knowing that their management team recognizes their efforts and is grateful for their contributions is an excellent motivator.

• Demonstrate your appreciation in meaningful ways. For instance, single out a noteworthy employee at a staff meeting and mention outstanding achievement. Provide a token of appropriate monetary value – or at least offer sincere words of thanks and acknowledgement before their peers.
• Thank employees using as much detail as possible about their positive contribution. This reinforces the behavior you want to continue to see.

Do you need more ideas on motivating and engaging your workforce? Read our related posts or contact the workforce development experts at PrideStaff Fresno today. We can help design a tailored initiative to help you reach new heights of success now and in the New Year ahead.

Preparing for Weekly Tasks Should Start on Friday

TGIF! The weekend is almost here and phew … two full days before you have to start stressing out about Monday morning …

Sunday night anxiety in advance of the upcoming work week is very real. According to a recent research study, more than 75 percent of employees experience it. Half of them reported that their Sunday night angst was so severe that it made them consider changing jobs. Only 22 percent of more than 3,600 survey respondents said they were never nervous to return to work after a weekend.

How can you avoid this weekly downer and set yourself up for success, starting first thing on Monday? Just a few simple steps can help immensely, as long as you build them into your Friday afternoon routine.

Update & Sync Your Calendar

Before you leave on Friday, be sure you have a good handle on next week’s tasks, deadlines, meetings and responsibilities. This will enable you to start off strong on Monday, setting the tone for a less stressful, more productive workweek.

• Prioritize your to-do list. Start with the “must do” items. If you get through those, plus handle the unexpected crises and interruptions that will inevitably occur, the week will be a success.
• Make your goals realistic. If necessary, break seemingly insurmountable tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. And rather than try and plan for every single minute, allow some down time for those unplanned occurrences. Last but not least, don’t be too hard on yourself if a few items go unchecked at week’s end.
• Apply the 80/20 rule. Which parts of your job, if completed correctly and on time, would pay the biggest dividends? Generally, 80 percent of your value comes from 20 percent of your efforts, so identify the biggest potential wins and direct your focus there. Get the most important, critical things handled first.
• Plan for some R and R. Identify times during the week to do things for yourself – both alone and with others. Whether it’s your gym workout or book club, dinner with friends, or time spend reading a good book, it will keep you from despairing when work starts to pile up.

Clean Up Before the Weekend

Literally and figuratively, try to get organized for next week before you lock up for the weekend.

• Look over work completed this past week. Run through relevant emails, invoices, meeting records or your to-do list. You should have some way of tracking progress on tasks. If not, create one. This gives you context for where you’ll need to pick up after the weekend and a chance to shuffle tasks around if needed.
• Clean off your desk. Clean work areas are linked to higher productivity. Leave your work area neat, even if it means simply creating organized piles of paper or putting it all into your inbox and then processing through it.
• Leave as few dreaded tasks as possible. Take care of the things you least want to handle before you go home on Friday, if possible. If they have to wait till Monday, plan to get them out of the way early so you don’t waste the day procrastinating. Make that call or have that uncomfortable conversation. You’ll feel better and your productivity level will soar.

For more tips on achieving your career goals – both short and long term – read our related posts or contact the recruitment and development experts at PrideStaff Fresno today.

Hiring Based on Overall Value to Your Organization

When you hire a new employee, you not only want to avoid a bad hire, you want to make a good one – the first time around. This means selecting the candidate who will add the most overall value, starting just as soon as they become acclimated to your company and its culture.

And therein lies the key to hiring based on value: Look beyond skills and experience and find the right cultural alignment. Moreover, never disregard an individual’s character or integrity. Keep these goals in mind, even before you begin to sift through that initial stack of resumes.

Start by Assessing Your Culture

You can’t hire for cultural fit unless you know what your culture looks like. An accurate culture assessment can range from conducting an intensive organization-wide review to simply sitting down with high performers and decision makers to determine the types of people who have succeeded at your company in the past.

• Have your staff develop a list of core values. Once this is done, you can think about whether you want your new employee to contribute to your existing culture or be part of changing it for the better.
• Question your team about best practices. How does your organization most effectively get work done – collaboratively or independently? Are decisions consensus-driven or authoritative? How do you communicate- verbally or in written form, directly or indirectly, via voice mail, email or in person? How do you reward people who do well? What types of people do best – those who are proactive or more responsive?
• Create a specific inventory of what you’re looking for. Define the types of personalities and work styles that best fit your organizational goals.

Be Confident in Finding the Right Employee

By proactively developing a list of ideal fit characteristics that go beyond your basic job description, you’ll have greater confidence in your hiring process. Take it a step further by learning as much as you can about each individual applicant through formal and informal interactions.

• Use a 360-degree approach. Have candidates meet with not only the people they may report to, but also those who might be their peers or report to them. Get feedback afterwards from everyone who meets a candidate, starting with the receptionist at the front desk.
• Ask good interview questions. In order to properly assess fit, ask questions such as, “What did you enjoy most about the last place you worked?” or “What are you looking for in a boss or coworkers?” The responses you hear will help define whether or not a candidate’s favorite experiences match your work environment and personalities.

Never Compromise

If you can’t trust a person to do the right thing, it doesn’t matter how likable, passionate or talented they are. Never compromise when it comes to a candidate’s character or integrity.

• Stay committed to values-based hiring. If you’re going to probe something, probe for character. In the long run, this will enhance performance, collaboration and morale while creating a more stable culture and minimizing staff turnover.

The recruitment experts at PrideStaff Fresno can collaborate with you to ensure that every hire you make adds optimal value and drives your organizational goals forward, even in today’s competitive job marketplace. Contact us today to learn more.

3 Ways to Get Away from Work during the Workday

Working for too long without a break is bad for your brain. Maybe you’ve been trying this argument on your boss for years, but now you can back it up with some fact-based research. A 2008 University of Illinois study showed that the brain’s attention resources drop after extended periods spent focusing on a single task, thus hindering overall performance. During these long work spans, the brain exhausts its supply of oxygen and glucose, which are primary energy sources.

So there!

Not surprisingly, research also proves that short breaks during the workday boost your concentration, physical fitness level, and mood. More and more employers are realizing that frequent “micro breaks” are beneficial in keeping employees motivated, satisfied and productive.

How can you make sure you get the breaks you need – and make the most of them when you do?

Schedule Your Breaks

When you plan your daily schedule, slot in pre-set times for breaks. For instance, you may want to take a two minute break every hour or a five-minute respite every 90 minutes. If you have back issues or a repetitive stress injury, you’ll want to change up your routine every half hour or so to avoid muscle atrophy or unnecessary stress on your spine.

• Set a timer. Working on a computer or other equipment can distort your perception of time. Use your cell phone, email calendar feature or old-fashioned kitchen timer to audibly remind you when it’s break time.
• Software such as Enuff PC or Scirocco Take a Break is available. You can download these programs and they’ll actually block you out of your computer at pre-set break times.

Leave Your Work Area

Don’t sit at your desk and check email, text or update social media sites during your break period. This is not effective in rebooting the brain. Save personal online time for non-working hours. Instead, physically leave your work area and walk around to stimulate circulation. This will enhance your comfort level throughout the day.

• Build your cardiovascular fitness. A short walk helps your heart as well as your productivity. One study showed that, over a 28-year period, workers who skipped breaks were more stressed and had higher rates of heart disease – as one health risk contributed to another.

Plan Breaks to Suit Your Personality

Gauge your break activities to what is best for you, whether it involves social interaction with coworkers or time spent alone. Either way, make the most of it.

• Strong workplace ties can boost performance. If you’re extroverted, schedule breaks with others. This also will encourage you to be on time and not skip breaks.
• If you’re introverted, find a quiet place where you can be by yourself. Read, do a puzzle, or listen to your favorite music. Meditate or take a short power nap. The first two activities encourage concentration and distraction from work-related pressures. The second releases endorphins into your body. Meditation is a surefire stress reliever. And who can dispute the value of a nap, as long as you can find a private place – and be sure to set that alarm!

The career development experts at PrideStaff Fresno have a wealth of ideas and resources for finding your ideal job, enhancing your workday, and realizing your ideal career plans and strategy. Read our related posts or contact us today to learn more.

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Hiring Couples in the Workplace

One of your better-performing employees – a good team member with strong potential – recommends their spouse or significant other for a job at your company. Your hiring policy says that it’s okay, as long as they work in separate departments. From your initial review of the prospective employee’s resume, it appears that they have the required skills and experience. So far, so good.

But there are some valid “what ifs” …

• What if the couple has a huge fight or breaks up? What will that do to their productivity? Will their beefs become yours – and vice versa?
• Will they be able to interact professionally? This means setting and sticking to clear boundaries, behaving as colleagues when at work and leaving all suggestions of intimacy at home.

Keep it Above the Board

Not only do your employees have to be professional, but so do you. Make your decision based on the same criteria you’d use when hiring any other employee, although you can’t ignore the romantic elephant in the room.

Take a glass-half-full approach and consider the possible positive implications. Because the couple works together, they have the same vested interest in your business success. It’s likely they’ll contribute even more time and energy – and one will certainly understand when the other has to put in extra hours to meet a deadline. They can even help each other out when it comes to work-related challenges, although they must ensure there’s no favoritism, conflicts of interest, or violations of confidentiality.

Ask the Right Questions

When interviewing, look for the same cultural fit you would with other candidates. In this case, that culture includes an already established, close interpersonal relationship. And ad is the case with all applicants, get to know your prospective hire as an individual. Use your interview conversation to pick up on their motivators, interests, and personal behavioral style.

Keep your questions appropriate, but it would be astonishing to ignore the obvious. Be sure that the candidate – and their significant other – understand your policy and will be able to separate their personal and work “selves.”

Continue the conversation until you’re comfortable with your decision one way or the other. Utilize additional interviewers if you feel you need a second or third opinion. Bottom line: Does this hire have the potential to add value and enhance quality, productivity, and profitability? If so, then you most likely have your final answer.

Making the right hire the first time around isn’t always easy, and when it involves a current employee’s spouse or significant other, there’s an added layer of possible positive or negative outcomes. For further guidance with these and other hiring challenges, read our related posts or contact PrideStaff today.

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Is Making a Career Change Worth the Risk?

Are you considering a career change – perhaps to a new occupation or industry, or even starting your own business? The risk involved is almost never black and white – and the decision you make will impact choices you encounter down the road, possibly for the rest of your professional life.

It’s a big deal.

It’s exciting. It’s also terrifying and potentially a nail in your career coffin. There simply is no way to accurately predict the outcome. However, an honest evaluation beforehand is a must. In other words, look – hard and long and strategically – before you leap. Then, anything is possible!

Weigh Your Options

If your current situation is not getting you where you need to go, then taking a calculated risk is the best way to move towards achieving your ultimate career goals.

• Know what you’re trying to achieve. Is it a raise, a promotion, or a completely new career direction? Then, determine whether you’re planned action will help you reach that goal. For instance, give it careful consideration and talk it over with trusted colleagues before you suddenly walk into your boss’s office and submit your resignation letter.
• How big is the risk? You may want to consider starting small. Take a night class or do some relevant volunteer work in order to test the waters in a new field.
• Outline a best and worst case scenario. Consider both the ideal outcome of your career change (“I’ll make a million dollars the first year!” or “I’ll be promoted to CFO within six months!”) and the most horrible possible fallout (“I will completely bomb, be a laughingstock among my peers and never work again.”) Most likely, reality will fall somewhere in between. But once you’ve considered both extremes, you can free up your thinking so you can envision the most likely outcome.

Evaluate Risk

A good evaluation is an honest reflection on all the possible consequences and an assessment of what works best for you, both now and in the long term.

• Are you afraid or unmotivated to change? Sometimes, the scariest part of change is that it actually involves action. You may be unhappy or dissatisfied, but your current position is familiar (the old “devil you know” theory). It’s easy to choose comfort over passion, but successful risk takers are those who are ready and willing to put in the effort to get what they truly want.
• Follow your heart and listen to your gut. People often know immediately whether or not something is a good idea – and they’re usually right. The first step toward taking the right risk is to tune into your instincts and learn to trust them. But, balance them with common sense.
• Finding a job you love should be your priority. There’s always some amount of risk, but if you’re truly unhappy where you are, it will be worth it if you make a change. However, mitigate that risk by doing thorough research before you make the leap. Then, you’ll know what to expect after the dust settles.

A professional recruiter can be an invaluable asset as you reflect on your future career plans and how to turn them into reality. Contact the specialized career coaches at PrideStaff Fresno to learn more.

Q4 is Right around the Corner: How to End the Year Successfully

What does your company need to do to meet its objectives before the clock runs out on 2014? Finishing the year on a winning score is just as important as your favorite NFL squad trouncing its rival this weekend. Often, the fourth quarter is make-or-break time.

Huddle up your team and take a look at year-to-date high and low points. Note anything that produced strong reactions or results, both positive and negative.

Fourth Quarter Analysis to Tweak Your Annual Strategy Accordingly.

Incite Motivation
Motivation and engagement on the part of every member of the workforce are essential for organizational success, especially during crunch time.

• Let employees be heard. Challenge them to contribute and share ideas. Your job is to listen, encourage, and provide constructive feedback. Incite them to try something they’ve never done before or is a little beyond their reach – and help them succeed. This is an opportune time to welcome new thinking and set the stage for next year. The end result will be enhanced morale and productivity.
• Generate excitement about the bigger picture. Review your 2014 objectives and determine if all of them are still relevant. Then make sure every employee knows what those objectives mean to them. Show how senior leadership and management share the same goals by walking the walk and leading by example. Celebrate successes to show employees that their work is valued.
• Emphasize the impact of each individual contribution. Employees are more likely to own the final product if they take pride in their work. For instance, the auto worker who welds the same chassis piece day after day should realize how delivering his flawless component is critical to the perfect vehicle that rolls off the assembly line.

Keep Costs in Line
Don’t let that budget get away from you – you’re almost there. Reexamine your budget, plan for 2015, and revise operational and sales goals.

• Renegotiate vendor contracts. Many vendors raise prices at the start of the calendar year. Renegotiate now to avoid those pending increases.
• Spend budgets down.

Keep Communicating
If you’ve been doing your job, employee communication has been regular and ongoing all year long. Kick it up a notch to focus on setting priorities and meeting year-end goals.

• Make it visual. Post lists of goals and progress toward meeting them on white boards, flip charts, screen savers … wherever employees will see them. Pop up the big wins. Just a few well-publicized success stories go a long way toward exceeding overall objectives.
• Schedule team meetings. Keep them short and high tempo. Manage by walking around. Senior leadership should be visible, interacting and dialoguing with employees at their work stations. Consider holding larger town meetings where you can field questions and gather valuable team feedback.

Do you need an organizational shot in the arm as your 2014 time clock winds down? Or direction in finalizing your 2015 game plan? Contact the workforce development experts at PrideStaff Fresno to learn more.