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Networking: Biggest Step You’re Missing in Your Manufacturing Job Search

Raza Rauf on October 29, 2014

Networking is one of the most important aspects of business today. Not every working person is utilizing the network they have the potential to build, which could quite possibly be hurting their career. When this happens, it could become difficult for that person to find a new job when necessary, because of a lack of contacts within the industry. When you work in manufacturing, it is important that you network as much as possible in order to make your job search easier.

Benefits of Building a Network

When you build a network, you will be opening yourself up to a plethora of benefits that will only help in your manufacturing job search. One of the most important benefits of building a network is the fact that you will be collecting hundreds of contacts from within the industry. You might never need to call on one of these contacts to help you with your career, but if you do, you have a group of people to choose from when making that important call.

Another benefit of networking is that you will be building relationships with potential employers. Should you attend career fairs, events or other meetings, collect the names and business cards of all those people you meet. For all you know, someone you meet at a business conference might contact you in the future when a position becomes available at their company. Always leave those you meet with a lasting, positive impression.

Increase Your Confidence

As you continue to network, you will be able to increase your confidence. Networking forces you to interact with others, sometimes people who you never thought you would ever speak to in your life. This will help you build confidence when it comes to speaking to unfamiliar people, which is an important aspect of your manufacturing job search. The more confident you appear, the more attractive you are to a hiring manager.

Raise Your Profile

The more you network, the more you will be able to raise your profile within the manufacturing industry. One of the biggest benefits of networking is getting noticed and being visible. People within the manufacturing industry will begin to recognize you the more often you attend social and business events within the industry. You can also build your reputation as someone who is knowledgeable of the industry by offering your insights, thoughts or tips about the manufacturing field during these events.

Find New Ideas

When you are networking during a job search, you can find new ideas for your industry. This is a major benefit, especially when searching for a new manufacturing job. When you go on a job interview, you can talk about some of the fresh ideas you came across at various networking events. These ideas come from the free exchange of challenges, goals and experiences you have gone through in your career.

As you continue to search for a new manufacturing job, make sure you are networking in an effort to secure that job. And don’t forget to partner with a staffing agency, like Advance Staffing Solutions. We can take all the hassle out of the job search for you. Click here to browse our open positions today.

5 Tips for Spotting Your Biggest Time Wasters

Raza Rauf on October 22, 2014

Some employees love to waste time when at work, and the problem has gotten worse with the explosion of social media and gaming on the internet. With so many different sites to browse, people are taking large chunks of time out of their day to post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or by simply browsing the web and shopping online. When this happens, your company is losing valuable time and money. So how do you spot employees who waste time?

Follow the five tips outlined here and you should have no problem improving your Employee Time Management efforts.

Holding Too Many Meetings

If a department within your company is constantly having meetings, this could be a major sign that your employees are wasting time. In a survey from salary.com, 19 percent of respondents said that meetings at work are the biggest waste of time. These meetings might be necessary for some departments, but others could be holding them for little to no reason at all. This means that your employees are sitting around shooting the breeze or having discussions that could be easily accomplished through a department-wide email, instead of completing their work.

Inefficient Team Members

The study also found that 17 percent of respondents said that their inefficient team members cause others to waste time at work. When you have several employees who do not complete their work on time or correctly, it can cause other team members to slack off or to struggle with completing their own work. Inefficient team members can have their bad habits rub off on others, which is always bad for your company’s culture.

Assigning Busywork

Supervisors or managers who tend to assign too much busywork can create an environment of procrastinators or employees who waste too much time. This reason received 13 percent of the vote from the survey respondents. Busywork is never fun to complete, especially for employees who have been with a company for quite some time or who have levels of experience that put them past this stage of their career. While it is sometimes a necessity, try to limit the amount of busywork you assign.

Quick Reduction of the Browser

Another tip for spotting the biggest time wasters at work is those who quickly close the browser on their desktop when anyone walks by their office or cubicle. This could be a sign that they are wasting time browsing the internet, sending emails from a personal account or simply playing games on the computer when they should be working. When this becomes a common practice, especially when supervisors walk by, it is a major sign that employees are wasting time at work.

Constant Chatter Amongst Employees

When employees are constantly talking to each other either on the phone, at the water cooler, in the hallways or at each other’s desks,  it is another big sign of time wasters at work. Constant chatter can be detrimental to the culture of the company and it will hurt the chances of workers completing their work on time. It is alright for employees to become friends or acquaintances, but when they are always speaking with each other, especially about non-work related topics, then this is a sign of time being wasted at work.

For more on how to stop time wasting in the workplace, or to find employees with strong time management skills, contact the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions today.

Keep Employee Retention Up in the Fall

Raza Rauf on October 15, 2014

Employee retention is one of the main goals of a company each year, especially if the company deals with high turnover rates. There can be varying reasons why companies experience high turnover rates, but many of them are not positive reasons. As human resource departments continue the fight to keep the best employees, we have some tips for you to use this fall in this post:

Provide Employees with Ownership

Employees want to be given ownership of the work they perform. They also do not like to be micromanaged often. Employees want to be able to solve problems how they deem fit and want to be able to express their individuality while at work. Providing employees with ownership can be done by allowing them the chance to pick the paint colors for a new office or by sharing the most intimate details about the company’s finances with them at quarterly meetings.

Provide and Request Regular Feedback

Another excellent way to retain employees is by offering and requesting feedback on a regular basis. This shows employees that their work and their input are valued by the company. Make sure you use the feedback provided by the employees so they know their suggestions are not falling on deaf ears. When you offer feedback to employees, make sure it is not empty feedback. Tailor the feedback to each individual employee so they know that their work is truly being reviewed by the organization.

Form a Committee to Investigate Culture

If you are still having trouble retaining employees, then your company should consider forming a committee that investigates and works to improve the culture of the office. The culture committee should not be very corporate, but instead, it should be one that caters to the employees and tries to find new and innovative ways to make them happy while on the job. The committee should make recommendations about employee retention ideas, possible family activities and other events.

Hold ‘Stay’ Interviews

Almost every company in operation today conducts exit interviews with each and every employee who leaves the organization. Instead of waiting for employees to leave to find out why they are doing so, begin having interviews with the employees who have the most tenure at the company. During these interviews, find out why they have stayed so long. This will help you make improvements in the future in an effort to keep other employees at the office.

Let Employees Express Themselves

As you continue to work on retaining employees, it is imperative to let your employees express themselves at the office. Let them be open and honest about the job, the projects on which they are working, what they feel needs to be changed at the company and much more. You might not like what you hear from the employees, but it could help to change the way things are done.

Retaining the best employees at a company in Detroit is never an easy job, but companies need to find new ways to do so in today’s competitive market. If your company utilizes even just one of the tips from this post, it should have success with keeping employees around for the long haul. Talk with the experts at Advance Staffing Solutions about Detroit Staffing Retention methods that can help keep your workforce strong and productive.

How Personal Websites Can Land You a Job

Raza Rauf on October 8, 2014

As technology continues to become a main part of our lives, companies are utilizing it to find their next employees. This means that you need to be just as involved in technology as companies are, in order to find your next job. One such way to get involved is by utilizing a personal website. A personal website could very well mean the difference between receiving an offer for employment and extended unemployment.

Why a Personal Website?

You might be wondering why you need a personal website to help land a job in Detroit. There are two reasons; a personal website allows you to showcase the work you have performed throughout your career, and it shows potential employers how passionate you are about your work.

Not every industry has the type of work that can be showcased with a personal website, which is why the decision must come down to the line of work that you perform. For example, if you are a freelance writer or designer, it is strongly recommended that you have a personal website that showcases your portfolio. This allows potential employers to see what you have done and what they can expect from you – if hired.

Become a Thought Leader

Aside from showcasing your work, a personal website will also let you become a thought leader within your career or industry. You can increase your credibility as a designer, a writer or a tech professional when you open up an area for conversation on your personal website. The conversation should be related to your industry or career and not get off track at all. Conversations can include projects on which you are currently working, ones on which you would love to work and training seminars you have attended.

Share Expertise

Another benefit of having a personal website is that it will allow you to share your expertise with the rest of the industry. Many personal websites also have blogs, which means that you will be posting content that should be related to what you have done, or are doing right now, in your career. Make sure you do not post any inappropriate or derogatory content about others in your field. Recruiters and employers will easily be able to find your blog, so watch what you post.

Control Personal Brand

If you have a personal website, you will be able to control your personal brand. A personal website allows you to publish the type of brand you want to be known as. You can let the world know who you are as a person and an employee, not just what you have done during your career. The personal website will also let you be yourself as much as possible, which will show employers who you are and what you are like to work with on the job.

If you want to know more about the benefits of a personal website, or need help in general with your job search, contact the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions today!

Are You a Job Hopper? Here’s how to Optimize Your Job Search

Raza Rauf on September 26, 2014

There are plenty of workers out there who can be considered “job hoppers”. These are folks who, for whatever reason, do not stay in one job or company for an extended length of time. While this can be detrimental for a job search, it does not have to stand in your way of getting a great job. There are plenty of things you can do to optimize your job search if you have a penchant for job hopping.

Here, we’ll discuss several ways to overcome a history of short-term jobs with some helpful tips.

Explain Temporary Jobs on a Resume

When you prepare to search for a new job and have worked quite a few different jobs over the past handful of years, you need to explain why this has happened. One of the reasons for the job hopping could be that you were working in temporary jobs to gain as much experience as possible or to meet as many different people as possible. When you explain that you have been working temporary jobs, employers will be more likely to hire you since you have been trying to improve your career as much as possible.

Use Time Wisely

The next thing you need to do is use your time wisely when unemployed. If you are between jobs, it is best to perform business-related activities so that you can put these activities on your resume. These activities include attending business events, training sessions, networking events and much more. You will be able to meet various people within your industry, gain new contacts and even pick up some references along the way. This will help potential employers see how well you have used your time and that you stayed dedicated to improving your career.

Remove Older Jobs

An excellent way to optimize your job search if you are a job hopper is to remove older jobs from your resume. For the most part, your resume should only go back 10 years, 15 years at the most. If you have seven years of experience or more in your career, make sure you remove any internships listed on your resume. By removing older jobs from a resume, you can help with the idea that you are a job hopper.

Lump Contract Jobs Together

If you worked a lot of contract jobs during your career, lump them into one job listing on your resume in order to remove the idea of being a job hopper. For example, if you have worked on multiple contracts as a freelance writer, list all of these contracts under one heading and mention the skills you used and the responsibilities of the jobs performed.

If you are in the middle of a job search and are worried you may appear to be a job hopper, then you should follow the tips outlined in this post to optimize your search as much as possible. When you remove the stigma of being a job hopper, then you should have no trouble obtaining an offer of employment. For more help on your job search, contact Advance Staffing Solutions today!

Why Offering Flexible Hours Promotes Productivity, Happiness, and Loyalty among Workers

Raza Rauf on September 19, 2014

Companies are beginning to offer their employees flexible work hours these days in an effort to promote loyalty, happiness and productivity in their workforce. Employees want to have a strong balance between their work life and their personal life so that they can have time to relax and enjoy their family and friends. Learn more about this trend as we discuss the reasons why employees are productive, happy and loyal when offered flexible working hours at their place of employment.

Boost to Productivity

When employees are offered flexible work hours, their productivity will tend to soar. The reason for this is that they do not have to work the mundane nine-to-five hours. Instead, they will be able to work hours in which they are most productive. For example, if an employee is highly productive from 7am-3pm, the company should let him work during these hours. If the employee is highly productive from 10am-7pm, consider allowing her to work during this time.

More Happiness

Companies that offer flexible working hours for their employees will see happiness within the workforce hit an all-time high. When employees can work the schedule that best fits their lifestyle, then they will be happy when they come to work each day. This allows the employee the chance to live their lives, take care of their children, enjoy time with friends and much more. No one wants to be stuck in an office from 9am-7pm each day. Flexible working hours make this a thing of the past. Companies that offer flexible work hours are telling their employees that they value their time, which will make the employees work harder and show appreciation when on the job.

Greater Loyalty

One of the most important benefits of offering flexible working hours to employees is that they will tend to be more loyal to the company. When you have a happy workforce, you will have a loyal one. You must remember that loyalty is a two-way street. The more loyal you are to employees, the more loyal they will be to your company. Employees become loyal when their work and personal lives are balanced and they have a happy workplace to go to each day.

Other Benefits of Flexible Work Hours

There are additional benefits of offering flexible work hours to employees, and they include a reduction in absenteeism and less stress for employees. Companies that offer flexible work hours tend to see their absenteeism rates decline because employees have time in their day to complete personal tasks outside of the office without needing to take a day off from work. The stress levels of employees will also drop with a flexible work schedule because they do not have to constantly worry about how they are going to get everything done on their to-do list.

For more information on how to create a happy, productive and loyal workforce, or to find a position in a company that adheres to these values, contact the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions today!

5 Reasons a Temp Agency can Boost Your Candidate Search

Raza Rauf on September 12, 2014

Companies routinely recruit new employees so they have someone to contact when positions become available. Waiting until the last minute to fill open jobs can hurt your chances of finding the strongest person for the job. Here, we will discuss the top five reasons why a temp agency like Advance Staffing Solutions in Detroit MI can boost the candidate search for your company.

Try Employees Prior to Hiring Them

One of the most popular reasons for working with a temp agency for companies is that you can try the employees out before hiring them. This means that you can bring them into your office for a couple of weeks or a couple of months and then make a hiring decision — whether you end their assignment or extend an offer for a full-time position. They are considered temporary employees until you make an offer of full-time employment. This is an excellent way to determine if they will fit within your corporate culture.

Increase Productivity of the Office

When your company works with a temp agency, it makes productivity at the office increase. By hiring temporary workers, you can take some of the load off your full-time workers. This will prevent them from suffering burnout while on the job. Employees’ schedules can become overloaded with projects; when this happens, it is best to consult a temp agency so you can bring in a couple of temp workers to lighten the load of the full-time staff.

Avoid Unemployment Claims from Employees

When you hire temporary workers from an agency, you will be able to avoid unemployment claims when their time on the job comes to an end. Temporary workers are employees of the temp agency, so when they are let go from their jobs with a company, the company does not have to file unemployment claims. This will help keep the unemployment rate of the company at the same levels it was prior to hiring the temp workers.

Reduce Operating Costs

Working with a temp agency can help a company reduce its operating costs. This happens because the temporary workers do not have to be provided benefits or health coverage by the company using them since they are employees of the temp agency. The company will also be able to save money on overtime for full-time employees when temp workers are hired. The more temp workers you have in your office, the less overtime regular employees will need to work during the week.

Flexibility is Important

One of the most popular benefits of a company working with a temp agency is that it offers the company flexibility with their staff. Companies can bring in temp workers when large projects come in and can let them go when all the work is complete. This can be done during busy seasons for companies or every other week, it all depends on the needs of the company.

Working with a temp agency can benefit a company in multiple ways, especially the five outlined in this post. If you want to learn more about how your company can benefit from temporary employees, contact the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions today.

Standing Out at a Manufacturing Interview – 5 Tips You MUST Follow

Raza Rauf on September 5, 2014

Interviewing for a manufacturing job in Detroit, MI is stressful, especially when you are in dire need of work. Prevent the process from overwhelming you by preparing for the interview ahead of time. Preparation is key to any type of job interview. As you go on various interviews for manufacturing jobs, be sure you follow the five tips in this post to stand out from the rest of the pack.

  1. Learn about the Company
    One of the first things you must absolutely do is learn about the company. The more you know about the company, the better off you will be during the interview process. Your research should include the yearly numbers of the company, the executives at the company, and even the names of some department heads in case you run into them while on a tour of the manufacturing facility. Make sure you also know the company’s goals and mission so you can pull from your background to show how you would fit.
  2. Prepare Questions to Ask
    Prepare questions of your own to ask during the interview session. This will help you impress the interviewer and anyone else you meet along the way. Your questions should be ones that piggyback off questions asked by the interviewer or ones that you think of on your own that discuss things about the company. Ask the interviewer what types of problems the person hired for the job will need to solve, what type of person will be perfect for the job and much more.
  3. Offer a Conversation
    An important tip for standing out at a manufacturing interview is to be conversational during the meeting with the interviewer. When you provide rehearsed answers to interviewers, you are not showing them your complete personality. One way to do this is by offering them a conversation. When you are conversational during a job interview it allows you to show your personal side, something that the interviewer will want to see so they can gauge if you will fit the culture of the company.
  4. Exceed Expectations
    When you are sitting in a job interview for a manufacturing position, it is best to ask the interviewer how you can exceed their expectations. Make it known to the interviewer that you are not looking to do just the bare minimum if hired. Let the company know how far you are willing to go to perform job duties and get the projects done on-time and correctly.
  5. Recap Your Thoughts Upon Leaving
    As you prepare to leave the interview room, have a 30-second speech prepared for the interviewer. This should be a speech that thanks the interviewer for their time, reiterates how interested you are in the job and why you are the best candidate for the job.

As you prepare for a manufacturing job interview, be sure to follow the five tips outlined in this post so you can stand out from the crowd. Connect with Advance Temporary for manufacturing jobs in Detroit and other local areas.

Are your References Actually a Hindrance to Your Job Search?

Raza Rauf on August 26, 2014

Believe it or not, a person’s job references could end up being a hindrance in the search for a new job. When this happens, the candidate could struggle to land the new job they’re applying for. Candidates should consider examining their current references and making some changes in order to impress potential employers. Any negative items influencing your job search, including poor references, could automatically disqualify you from your dream job.

Read on to learn how to avoid making your references work against your job search efforts.

Common problems:

  • References Cannot be Reached
    One of the first signs that a reference is hindering your job search is that the person cannot be reached. This is a very bad sign on your part. Before you list someone as a reference on your resume, make sure they will return a phone call or an email within 24 to 48 hours to the potential employer. If they do not wish to be named as a reference, do not put them on your resume. Avoid the issue altogether – right up front.
  • References Are Not Credible
    Another way references could negatively impact your job search is if they are not credible themselves. This could mean that she is a peer in the workplace, friend, or mere acquaintance. You really should limit your references to managers and supervisors for whom you have worked. References should never be co-workers or other office peers. This will hinder your job search immensely.
  • References Cannot Speak About Your Work
    The next potential way your references could hinder your job search is by being unable to speak about your work. It is understandable that it looks very strong to have a director or vice president listed as a reference on your resume, but these people might not be able to speak to the strength of your work if you come from a large company. When references cannot speak to your work, they can hinder your job search more than you might think.
  • Failure to Notify References in Advance
    When you list someone on a resume as a reference, be sure you let them know that they will be contacted soon, and tell them the name of the company and the person who will be contacting them. If you fail to notify the references that they will be contacted, this can lead to them being surprised by the reference-checking phone call. Do not let this happen because it will reflect poorly on your part.Avoid having these things happen when a hiring manager tries to reach one of your work references. Have a list of people as a backup and routinely check your own references as you search for a job.
  • References Don’t Remember You
    One of the biggest hindrances with references is when they do not remember you. If this happens, it means that you have not spoken to the reference in quite some time or they are from a job you held years ago. Stay in touch with the people who are your references – even when you are not actively looking for a job – because you want them to remember you.

For more information on how to choose and utilize the best references for your job search, contact the staffing experts at Advance Staffing Solutions. We know everything it takes to prepare for an interview, and can help you find a perfect placement!

How to Attract, Retain and Develop Star Supervisors

Raza Rauf on August 23, 2014

Attracting, retaining and developing star supervisors is paramount to thriving in an ultra-competitive market. It’s not impossible to do, but it takes an investment in time, training and money on the part of the company, as well as an investment of commitment from the candidate being chosen for the supervisor position.

Let’s talk about how to recruit and keep the best management team engaged in your company’s success.

The Workplace Must be a Positive One
In order to recruit – and ultimately retain – star supervisors, you must provide them with as much of a positive workplace as possible. Management teams will not want to stay with their current company if the workplace is not enjoyable due to negative attitudes or poor culture. At the same time, supervisors must also be able to stay positive while at work if they want to keep their employees happy and at the company for prolonged periods.

Offer Quality Programs for Supervisors
Star supervisors will be more inclined to stay with your company if you have quality programs in place for everyone to enjoy. This means that aside from increases in salary, you could also offer supervisors programs that add extra benefits. These benefits include flexible work schedules, extra paid time off, child care, memberships to a gym, and much more.

Create a Managers’ Mentoring Program
Another excellent way to attract and retain top supervisors is to create a mentoring program. This can be company-wide, but it should have a strong focus on employees who want to be promoted to supervisory positions. The program should pair either regular employees with supervisors or rookie supervisors with veteran ones so everyone can learn how to work in such a role.

Focus on What is Right in a Supervisor’s Job
You must also focus on what the supervisor is doing right while on the job and not too much on what they are doing wrong. When you put more of an emphasis on the positives instead of the negatives, the supervisors will be more inclined to remain at their current company. This can be done by having individual meetings with supervisors and by recognizing their accomplishments in front of the entire workforce.

Increase Morale at the Office
Morale at the company must be very high in order to retain star supervisors. This can be done by showing your supervisors how they can work smarter and not harder while on the job. Have your supervisors create a list of their daily activities and show them how they can get it done smarter instead of spending more time on each task. They should work faster, show a stronger commitment, and take on as much work as possible to work smarter.

Recruiting, retaining and developing star supervisors can be a difficult task for companies to complete, but when it is done properly, the reward will be immense. Partner with a staffing firm like Advance Staffing Solutions to learn how to implement and reap all the benefits of a star supervisor program.

Lead Through Learning – Promote New Skills In the Workplace

Raza Rauf on August 15, 2014

Promoting new skills in the workplace is very important for companies around the world. Why? Leading through learning is an excellent way to promote and develop new skills, especially when there are a lot of new hires in the building. Transferring existing skills from experienced employees to new employees is a critical component of workplace operations, but so is bringing in fresh, new skills to take the company into the future.

To accomplish this, you will want to develop a process for promoting new skills amongst your workers. Here’s how.

Provide Information and Training

One of the best things you can do for employees when promoting new skills is to provide information and training to all of them, no matter how long they have been employed. When employees have access to information and training they are more likely to acquire new skills and succeed while on the job. You need to identify what skills must be developed the most within your office and then provide training programs related to those skills for your employees.

Assess the Skills of Employees

Companies must also assess the current skills of all the employees on the payroll right now. This includes new hires, veteran workers and even temporary employees. Anyone who walks through the door of your company and earns a paycheck should have their skills evaluated. In a work environment, companies can assess the skills of their employees by administering computer tests or simply watching employees to see what they can and cannot do with specific tasks assigned to them. Workplace Learning Detroit IL takes place by carefully tracking all skills and adding new ones to the mix.

Encouragement is Key to Promoting New Skills

If you are trying to promote new skills at the workplace, it is imperative that the company encourage employees as much as possible. Praise should be showered upon employees when they achieve a new skill, especially since they worked hard to obtain that skill. This can be done with the creation of an incentive program, a recognition ceremony or offering promotions to higher positions due to continued improvement by employees.

Stay Consistent

If your company has created an incentive program for employees who learn new skills, make sure you stay consistent with it. Employees want to know that the program will be available one year from now. They will not want something that is here for just a couple of months because their motivation to learn new skills will disappear once the incentive program ends.

Prepare for Mistakes

No one is perfect. This mantra should be kept in mind when promoting new skills at the workplace. Your employees will make mistakes, and even struggle at times, when trying to learn new skills. Be prepared for this and let the employees know that you are here to make their training and education as easy as possible when learning new skills.

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