HMG Success - The Advance Group

Can You Spot the Signs of a Bad Hire?

HMG Success on June 5, 2015

Being responsible for making hires at your company can be stressful because of the weight of making a new hire. You need to sift through hundreds of resumes, conduct multiple interviews with at least a handful of candidates and then whittle the crop down to a final two candidates. Then, you need to make a final decision and hope the candidate you choose turns out to be a successful hire.

The sad thing here is that the hire could turn out to be a bad hire. How do you spot a bad hire? Here are some signs to note:

I Just Want a Job

One of the biggest signs of a bad hire is a candidate who just wants a job, any type of job. The candidate might convey that he or she does not care what type of job they work simply because they need a job. But, in the long run, this can turn into a major problem. The employee will become disengaged because the pay is too low or because the job tasks are too tedious. When this happens, the employee could begin to affect the office culture in a negative way.

Lack of Flexibility

When you come across a candidate who has very little flexibility, you could be running into a bad hire. Someone with a lack of flexibility will fail to adjust to suggestions made by HR or management and continue to operate using tactics they are comfortable with from earlier points in their career. A person who does not have flexibility will also be closed-minded towards new ideas, which can result in a negative impact on your culture.

Expanding from a Small Role to a Large Role

Another sign of a bad hire is when you hand the reigns of a larger role to a candidate who worked in a smaller role in the past. The candidate might have had success in a smaller role at a previous company, but it does not mean that success will translate to a larger role at your company. These candidates tend to use strategies from their smaller role that wind up not working in their larger role. The employee might become frustrated, angered or develop a poor attitude because things are not working out well.

The Prima Donna

The prima donna is a common type of bad hire in today’s professional world. This person is typically a go-getter, highly motivated and competitive in everything they do at the office. But, this can also turn into a problem if the candidate is hired for a management position. The prima donna candidate will either force subordinates to conform to their way of doing things or have them removed from the picture.
Spotting bad hires before you offer employment helps cut back on the money spent and the time wasted. If you can spot any of these in a candidate, be sure you dig deeper into the candidate before offering employment or removing the candidate from consideration.

We Want You to Know the Truth About our Staffing Agency…

HMG Success on June 4, 2015

The staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry makes a vital contribution to the U.S. economy, and provides outstanding job and career opportunities for some 14 million employees per year.

Haven’t considered a staffing service to help you with your job search or career change? Watch the video below to see what our Michigan team has to say…

We hope you can handle the truth about our staffing agency!

Massive Mistakes to Avoid While Job Seeking

HMG Success on June 2, 2015

No matter how much of a “veteran” you are of the job market, a job search can still be filled with worries. Not only are you fighting possibly hundreds of people for the same job, but you could also be fighting against yourself. Those who make mistakes while searching for a job will find it difficult to land an offer. Today, we will discuss massive mistakes you should avoid while job seeking so you can be successful.

Providing Too Much Information Too Soon

One of the biggest mistakes you can make during a job search is to provide too much information. No matter how long you have been in the professional world, you do not need to provide every single detail to potential employers. This goes for writing your resume, your cover letter and answering questions on job applications. Employers want to know what you can do to help their company, so focus on how you helped previous employers when providing information. You need to make sure each piece of information on your resume tells employers why you are the right person for the job.

Failing to Have a Digital Footprint

Even though it has been discussed in the past that a digital footprint can be detrimental to your job search, because of what is included in it, it is still important to have one. You need to have a digital footprint, which includes Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. You should also search for your name online to find out what is posted about you on the Internet. You might come across content posted by you that is unsavory or content posted by others that is unsavory. Failing to clean up your social media profiles is also a massive mistake that can hurt your job search.

Treating a Job Search as a Battle

Another major mistake you need to avoid during a job search is treating it like a battle. How do people do this? They turn a job search into a battle by trying to outsmart recruiters or hiring managers during interviews or other discussions. Even though it might be a fight to find a job, you do not want to battle with a recruiter. A recruiter is someone who is looking out for you and trying to get you placed in a job that matches your skills and experience. This means you need an open mind to accept part-time and temporary assignments, if needed to get your foot in the door with a great company.

Failing to Request Help from Networks

Professional networking is very important today, so why would you fail to request help from your network when searching for a job? This is a massive mistake that must be avoided at all costs. Your network is there for a reason; to expand your professional knowledge and help you with career moves. Remember, your network also includes the temporary staffing agency that you choose to work with. Select one that is geared for your industry and ask for a recruiter who knows about the companies you are targeting in your job search.

If you avoid making at least some of the massive mistakes outlined above, you should have fewer troubles with your next job search.

Are You Conducting Post-Interview Reviews?

HMG Success on May 29, 2015

Companies are always looking for new ways to improve their hiring decisions because the cost of a bad hire can be astronomical. Companies also do not want to waste the time of the candidates they interview. This is why some companies have begun conducting post-interview reviews. More companies should take part in this exercise in order to improve how the interviews are handled and which candidates are hired. Learn how to conduct post-interview reviews the right way.

Include the Entire Team

One of the most important parts of conducting a post-interview review is to include the entire team. This means that every single employee who took part in the interview process should be involved in this meeting. This team should meet after each interview is conducted. So, if three different employees interviewed each candidate, they should be part of the team. If the HR head first scheduled the interview based on the resume submitted, this person should also be part of the team.

Discuss Impressions

Each person who took part in the interview process should be allowed to share their impressions of each candidate they met. The impressions discussed should be based on the notes taken by each employee who had the chance to interview candidates. Talk about any questions the candidates asked about the job or the company. Also talk about how the candidates answered the questions posed to them.

Allow Honest Discussion

When conducting such a review, you need to allow for honest discussion. This means that all employees should be honest in their opinions of candidates without worrying of repercussions from management or co-workers. If the members of this team cannot be honest, then you will not be improving your hiring process or interview process.

Rank Candidates

The post-interview review is the perfect time for your team to rank the candidates that have been interviewed to this point. Encourage each member of the team to rank each candidate he or she has interviewed from most likely to hire to least likely to hire. The ranking should be done based on the information gathered from the interview. The team members should conduct their rankings based on who they feel should be hired for the open job.

Build a List of Second Interview Candidates

Another goal of this team should be to build a list of candidates who will be contacted for a second round of interviews. It is possible that all of the candidates might be asked back for a second interview, but most likely it will be a shorter list. Even if members of your team are not going to take part in the second interview, they should still be notified of which candidates are being asked back.

Conducting post-interview reviews helps a company improve their hiring process and how the interviews are conducted. Implement these reviews today to hire the most qualified people for your open jobs.

Overqualified for a Job? Here’s Why You Should Apply, Anyway!

HMG Success on May 27, 2015

Even though many companies tend to stay away from hiring overqualified candidates, it still doesn’t mean you should not throw your name into the hat. Being overqualified for a job does not rule you out entirely, which is why you should still apply for the jobs you find. Below, we will discuss why you should apply for jobs for which you think you are overqualified.

Find a Personal Referral

If at all possible, find a personal referral within the company if you are overqualified for a job. The personal referral should be someone you worked with or for in the past who can vouch for your track record and work ethic. A personal referral can go a long way in any job search, but it can be very important when trying to land a job for which you are overqualified. The referral will be able to speak to how dedicated you will be to the company despite working a job you have done in the past.

Apply Because You Need a Job

One reason why you should still apply for a job for which you are overqualified is because you need a job. Maybe you have been unemployed for six months and desperately need to find work. Even if you have come across a job that you hold too many qualifications for, send in your resume anyway. You never know what direction the company wants to go in, so you really have nothing to lose.

Apply Because You Aren’t Worried about Promotions

Are you at the point in your career where climbing the corporate ladder has become an afterthought? Are you a veteran of the workforce? If so, working a job for which you are overqualified might be the right step to take in your career right now. Maybe you want to work your final year or two prior to retirement in a job that makes you feel comfortable because you have done it in the past. If so, send in your resume the next chance you get.

Apply Because You Thrive in These Situations

If you are the type of worker who thrives in situations such as these, send in your resume for the job. You might have to take a cut in pay, and answer to people whom you normally would be in charge of, but you are the type of person who can handle all of this. It’s possible that this job will lead to bigger and better things in the future too.

Apply to Gain Valuable Career Experience

You might not be a veteran of the workforce, but you could still be overqualified for a job. Because of this, you should apply simply to gain interview experience. There is nothing wrong with going on a ton of job interviews because the more you go on, the more experienced you will become in answering tough questions and explaining your career history. You will also learn a few new things on the job, which can be leveraged for something better.
Being overqualified for a job does not have to hinder your search for employment. Based on the reasons outlined here, you should submit your resume for jobs and take a chance even if you are overqualified.

When to Say “No” to Qualified Candidates

HMG Success on May 22, 2015

As a hiring manager, HR executive or recruiter, there comes a time when you need to say no to qualified candidates. The reasons will vary, but the situation will always be difficult because of their qualifications. Who ever thought that companies would need to turn down qualified candidates for open jobs?

The truth of the matter is that this actually happens in today’s business world. So, when does this type of situation arise – when do you know to say “no” to a candidate who is otherwise qualified?

Position Has Been Filled

One of the most common reasons why you will need to say no to qualified candidates is that the position has been filled by someone else. You might receive 50 or more resumes for your job opening and you will likely have a handful of them turn into qualified candidates. This means that one person will be chosen and three or four of them will receive disappointing news. You must have tact when informing other qualified candidates that someone else has been chosen. Be honest with them and thank them for applying.

Position Has Been Eliminated

It is quite possible that open jobs at companies could be eliminated even after a search to fill them has already begun. Reasons for eliminating the position will vary, but you should never string along candidates if you know the position is going to be cut from the payroll. Maybe the job duties have been distributed to current employees. Maybe there isn’t enough room left in the budget for the position. Or, maybe there isn’t enough work for the position to be filled right now. Whatever the reason, be sure you tell the candidates as soon as possible so they can look elsewhere for work.

Position Has Been Changed

It is also possible that the position could have changed between the time it became available and the time you began vetting potential candidates to fill it. If this is the case, you might have a couple of qualified candidates who no longer will be in the running for the job. This means you will have to say no to them. Make sure you explain that the position has been altered and that even though they were qualified previously, your company is moving in another direction.

Candidate is Overqualified

Another reason for saying no to a candidate is the fact that he or she might be overqualified for the position. Companies tend to shy away from hiring overqualified candidates due to one major issue; the candidate, once hired, could become bored with the job and begin causing issues at the workplace. This is when a company’s culture could take a major hit.
As you can see, there are a few common reasons why you might need to say “no” to a qualified candidate. Just make sure you handle the rejection with tact and professionalism so as not to create a bad image for your company. Keep the candidate in mind for future opportunities and if you can, offer them another position that’s suitable for their skills, or refer them to a staffing agency that can place them into a position sooner.

Is Following Your Heart Actually Rotten Career Advice?

HMG Success on May 19, 2015

Nearly everyone has heard someone say to them in the past,”Oh, just follow your heart”, when it comes to choosing a vocation. But, is this really rotten career advice? Maybe this was great advice when you were in Kindergarten and could imagine yourself being anything you wanted – like a fireman or a doctor or a teacher. In the real world of adulthood, it can be a good thing to know where your passions are and how they can tie into a solid career path.

Learn when to follow your heart and when to think with your head in a career.

Career Issue: Your company has not offered you any real career advancement in years and you feel “stuck”.

In this case, it’s easy to get caught up in thinking with your heart that tells you to run screaming out of the building. But, wait! Stop and think about how you can turn your career around and start asking for what you want. Schedule a meeting with your manager to talk about how you can grow in your career through advanced learning, opportunities to take on new responsibilities, and new projects that will honor your skills and interests.

Career Issue: Your co-workers are a bunch of backstabbers and the job is causing you stress most of the time.

You could follow your heart and “go off” on your co-workers concerning their behaviors. This would bring temporary satisfaction, but it would not solve the problem. Instead, you could face even more problems with getting along with peers and you could even lose your job. Think with your head and find a way to bridge any communication gaps with your peers, but be careful to keep things professional while protecting yourself.

Career Issue: You dread going to work on most days and you feel “lost”.

This is typical of someone who either isn’t in the right career or is not honoring his or her true talents. If the very thought of heading to work makes you cringe, then it’s time to try something new. In this case, you will be combining your heart-thoughts with reasonable career options. Take the time to work with a career coach or a staffing agent to help you identify your strengths and skills that match up with certain types of careers. Try taking on a new career as a temporary employee before you commit to a career path.

Career Issue: You are not earning as much as other coworkers and new hires.

Salary can be a real issue for many who have been in a job for a long time, or who may not have a degree or experience in an area where earnings can be better. If you are not earning what you’d like or if you find out you are being underpaid as compared to co-workers, it could be time to move on. Follow your heart, but use your head and look for careers that pay better. Get the training and experience through local programs and temp job assignments.

For help and support with your career direction, head over to Advance Staffing Solutions at one of our greater Detroit area locations in Monroe, MI; Sylvania,OH; or Southgate, MI today!

What Costs More – Overtime or Additional Help?

HMG Success on May 14, 2015

Most companies make an effort to try and control staffing costs in order to get the highest return on investment. Unfortunately, sometimes the work necessitates extending work hours of hourly employees. When this happens, the company may face higher than normal overtime costs. If your company is concerned with the rising use of overtime, you may be wondering if bringing in additional help can reduce these expenses?

The simple answer is, “Yes”. To explain further, let’s take a look at how bringing in additional help can support a more balanced staffing budget.

Determine your actual staffing needs

Before you start hiring additional people, you’ll want to understand the reasons for the increased need of workers. This demand may be temporary, seasonal, or permanent. For example, if you are in experiencing a sudden increase in the number of orders placed by customers could it be because of a new product line? Or is the surge as a result of a temporary trend or a busy season? Consider if the increased need for staff will fall back to normal levels in a few weeks or months, or if you anticipate a study increase.

Do the comparison math

Each job can and will differ, but it is possible to conduct a mathematical comparison of overtime vs. temporary staffers. To do this, choose a job type and calculate the actual annual cost of a new hire. Be sure to include the annual salary, recruitment costs, on boarding and training fees, as well as benefits for this new hire. Now compare this total with the annual cost of overtime for each hourly employee who will work 40+ hours during the peak season or project. Remember each person will provide the same tasks.

To calculate the cost of hiring a temp employee, calculate the annual cost of the new hire at the temporary services rate sans the overtime costs. Also subtract the cost of benefits and recruitment these because the agency will take care of this for you at no additional cost. Subtract the temporary employee total from the overtime employee total to get an idea of the savings. This is the savings for each temporary employee that you bring on instead of paying for overtime.

Performance factors to consider

Outside of the math, there are some other things to consider when deciding between paying overtime and hiring temps. When employees are forced to work more than 40 hours on a regular basis, this can lead to an overall drop in morale, productivity, and employee engagement. In other words, the employees that you have currently may be dealing with the stress and overwhelm of having to take on extra work all the time. Left unchecked, this can cause employee absenteeism, turnover and even more workplace injuries. When you hire temps you have fresh people on board who are willing to work hard to maintain productivity levels without risking your best people.

Give a staffing agency a call today and let them help you better manage your staffing costs through a custom temporary staffing plan.

3 Good Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer

HMG Success on May 12, 2015

As a job seeker, it can be easy to jump at a job offer as soon as possible. After all, you’ve been applying and interviewing everywhere and it’s taking a long time to get one. However, not every job offer is lined in gold. Some may lead to disaster for your personal life and for your career.

It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of every job offer before you accept it. Why is this important? There are several reasons, and today we will talk about the three valid reasons you may want to turn down a job offer that you’ve received.

#1 – The company has a history of failing

A job offer may seem wonderful at first, until you dig a little deeper into the company itself. A huge red flag would be a company that has a history of failing in many ways. This could be a high turnover rate among employees due to no work life balance, or it could be a company that has a shoddy financial history of layoffs and being bought out by other companies. If the company has posted financial earnings and stock reports in the last quarter or two, you can review this to see how the company is performing. Take the time to review company ratings online and you may see a pattern of problems.

#2 – The money isn’t even close to being enough

If the job offer has come with a very disappointing salary attached to it, take the time to negotiate for a higher compensation now before you accept it. Failure to do so could lock you into a job that pays a lot less than you need to support yourself and your family. This will lead to resentment and financial stress. It’s possible to go online and research salaries before walking into an interview so that you can discuss this before the job offer comes. Follow your gut on this and do not accept a job offer that pays far below what you deserve. A better job that pays more is out there.

#3 – The job is another dead end road

When people get desperate for any job they often accept a job offer that does not offer much room for advancement. Don’t get caught in this trap. Find out from the recruiter what the career path looks like for this job. Get the job description in writing during an interview or when the offer is made. Let the recruiter know that you are looking for long-term career success and the opportunity to learn more in the industry. Find out how this job will enable you to grow in your career. If it looks like it will be a dead-end job, run in the other direction.

Perhaps one of the best ways to get a great job offer is to work through a staffing agency with caring representatives who will be focused on helping you land a job that is well matched to your skills and aspirations. Often times, a staffing agency can negotiate a much better job offer then if you tried to do this on your own. You can even work temporary assignments until a better job offer comes. So, never settle for a bad job offer – instead connect with Advance Staffing Solutions for career support.

Are You Giving Killer Customer Service to Your Candidates?

HMG Success on May 7, 2015

As the old saying goes, “The customer is always right.” Even if some of your employees or managers might not believe this, it must be practiced by everyone at your company in order to be successful. Companies that find themselves struggling to hold onto clients/customers should look at the customer service being provided. If you give killer customer service to clients/customers and job candidates, your company should be highly successful. Here’s how…

Happy Employees Lead to Happy Customers

An important thing to remember here is that happy employees lead to happy customers. Because of this notion, you need to do everything possible to make your employees happy. This includes treating them fairly at work, offering benefits and perks, rewarding employees for their hard work and much more. When you do not keep your employees happy you run the risk of them not providing strong customer service to clients.

Use Guidelines and Not Rules

Companies establish policies and rules because they might not trust their employees to do the right thing. But, when it comes to providing customer service, try to use guidelines instead of rules. Guidelines will help employees better do their jobs when it comes to dealing with customers. Guidelines allow employees the opportunity to make decisions on their own when it comes to helping customers. The worst thing an employee can do is tell a customer he or she cannot do anything for a customer because of a company rule or policy.

Treat Candidates Like Customers

You also need to treat your job candidates like customers. They are choosing your company as much as you are choosing one of them for the open job. If you do not treat them well while they are in your presence, it is likely he or she will turn down an offer of employment, remove themselves from the running or badmouth the company to friends who might apply there. Make sure you welcome candidates to your office at the front door, offer them water, show them around, give them a tour of the office, introduce them to everyone they see and much more.

Turn Customer Complaints Into Opportunities

Make it a point to turn any and all customer complaints into opportunities. These opportunities should be learning opportunities for everyone involved. Do not be the company that views customers complaints as problems. When you do this, nothing is gained from it or fixed and your company’s image will suffer. Tell your employees to look for learning opportunities in every customer complaint so they can improve their customer service skills and keep customers happy.

Go Above and Beyond for Customers and Candidates

As a company, you must do whatever possible to go above and beyond for customers and candidates. This should be done on a regular basis in order to keep both factions happy. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make this happen either. Consider offering customers upgrades to products or services either for free or for a percentage off the price.
Providing killer customer service to clients and candidates is important in today’s competitive business world because it can mean the difference between success and a poor image.

A Short Work Experience Doesn’t Keep You Out of the Race!

HMG Success on May 5, 2015

Are you a new college grad with limited career experience? Have you been working a series of short term jobs with no real direction? Do not let a short work experience keep you from landing a new job. Short work experience should not prevent you from landing the job of your dreams in your industry, but it can hurt if you do not know how to sell that experience to potential employers.

Here, we will discuss how you can sell your skills and take the focus off the short work experience to employers so you can land a job.

Explain Your Skills Learned

One of the first things you need to do when interviewing for a job with a short work experience is to explain the skills learned in that short period. After explaining the skills learned, talk about how they will be useful to the company if you are hired. You should also talk about any training received while at previous companies or if you are planning to return to school for an advanced degree. You can also share other experience like volunteer work, special projects completed, and freelance work performed. All of this information will only help your case when interviewing for a job.

Discuss Your Responsibilities

Another good idea when trying to land a job with short work experience is to talk about the responsibilities you held at prior companies. Maybe you worked for one year or more as a department manager. Maybe you were put in charge of payroll at a smaller company. Both of these items will help you land a new job even if you have short work experience during your career. The more responsibilities you have to discuss, the better chance you have at the job.

Stress Your Educational Background

For most people with a short work background, many of them are just out of college or returning to the workforce after raising a family. Because of these two reasons, you must stress your education background. Be prepared to inform the company about the degree you earned, which classes were most important to your major, any internships you worked and any clubs you were involved in that would help you learn about your profession. By talking about your education, you show the employer how dedicated you were while in school to land a job such as the one you are interviewing for right now.

Explain the Short-Term Jobs

If your short work experience includes temporary jobs or a lot of job hopping, you need to disclose these positions to the employer. Instead of trying to hide these jobs, you must talk to the employer about them and explain why you worked temporary jobs or moved around a lot. Reasons could include you wanted to gain as much experience in a short period of time as possible or that you were laid off from your permanent job and wanted something to hold you over until a new full-time job came along.
The bottom line here is that having a short work experience should not hold you back from landing a new job so long as you take advantage of the tips outlined above. You can fast-track your way to career success by taking on temporary assignments through Advance Staffing and earning more career experience at the same time as getting paid.

Simple Ways to Promote Employee Loyalty and Motivation

HMG Success on April 30, 2015

As an HR manager, it is part of your job to promote loyalty and motivation within the workplace. These are two items that are needed in order to keep employees engaged so they can be productive. If you want to prevent employees from leaving for greener pastures, then make sure that loyalty and motivation are on the top of your to-do list.

Here, we will discuss how you can promote these two aspects so employees don’t start looking for a new job.

Improve Hiring Practices

The easiest answer to promoting loyalty and motivation among employees is to improve hiring practices. This is easier said than done for most companies, because it is nearly impossible to avoid making bad hires. No matter how intricate and in-depth your screening process is, every now and then a bad candidate will slip through the cracks and wind up receiving an offer of employment. Always keep in mind that happy employees will be less likely to search for work elsewhere.

Offer Strong Benefits Package

Not every company will offer employees a strong benefits package. This is a major reason why employees are unhappy with their job and tend to find work elsewhere. Your company needs to offer a strong benefits package in order to keep employees happy and loyal to your company. The package should include health insurance, a 401(k) plan, vision, dental and other perks. Paid time off, sick days and bonuses can also be lumped into this section because they are all benefits to some extent.

Access to Ongoing Training

Companies that offer their employees different types of training will find that their employees are loyal and motivated to succeed. Employees want to learn new skills and further their careers as much as possible. Training can either be offered in the office or at an off-site location. Some companies even help their employees pay for college classes if they choose to go back to school for an advanced degree.

Reward Strong Performances

If your company is in dire need of loyalty and motivation from employees, consider rewarding strong performances. This can be done by installing a rewards program that sends out gifts to employees once per quarter, or you can pick and choose when to reward employees for a job well done. Rewards can include extra paid time off, gift cards to local businesses, tickets to sporting events or concerts and even a plaque or an assigned parking spot.

Competitive Compensation

Even though it is the most important part of keeping employees happy, we still need to mention that your company must provide employees with a competitive salary and benefits. If employees working the same jobs are being paid more at another company, you will likely need to fill those jobs quite often due to high turnover.

Contact The Advance Group Today

It is not difficult to keep employees loyal and motivated in today’s workplace. So long as you offer workers one or more of the items discussed in this post, you should see an increase in loyalty and a drop in turnover rate.