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Have a “Quirky” Company Culture? How to Find the Perfect Candidate Fit For You!

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Have a Quirky Company Culture-How to Find the Perfect Candidate Fit For You

 

Is your company highly creative when it comes to the recruitment process? In today’s world, it’s becoming increasingly more popular for companies to come up with unique and sometimes even hilarious ways of recruiting people. Weird and unusual interview questions, activities, and quirky corporate cultures often come into play.

However, in some cases an unusual hiring process or corporate culture can create challenges when it comes to identifying candidates who are the right fit for the organization. The quirky company culture that you love can backfire. Some candidates may be taken aback by the process that you use to select and interview them. They may even refuse to apply for jobs out of fear that they won’t fit in well with the set of values and ideas your corporate culture embraces.

Your company may be quirky if:

  • You have an elaborate application process that uses humor in many places
  • You use odd or silly interview questions and tasks for candidates
  • The work environment is highly creative and filled with lots of playful features

So, if you identified your company as unusual or different in terms of the type of culture you embrace, it’s possible that it’s becoming difficult to find the right candidates. Here are some ways that you can get around this and hire the best talent with the right candidate fit.

Be upfront about your corporate culture

When thinking recruitment, the last thing you want to do is spring a surprise on a candidate – not the least of which should be your corporate culture. Have access to some marketing materials that highlight your corporate culture with visuals and audio tools. Slowly introduce candidates to your corporate culture. Watch for their reaction. If a candidate reels back suddenly upon learning about your corporate culture, there’s a good chance they will not be a good fit

Focus on the candidate experience

There is a lot of research around the impact the candidate experience has on the long-term success of an employee. This should be your ultimate focus when you are interviewing prospective employees. Try to put yourself into the candidate shoes for a moment. Is the application process intuitive? Is the candidate exposed to a positive impression of your company? Is the recruitment team proactively reaching out and then following up with each candidate? Make sure to zip up all of these things in order to improve the candidate experience.

Assess candidate skills with industry testing

It can be very difficult to determine if a candidate is right for the job within the span of just a few moments of reviewing a resume and meeting with them in an interview. Do not expect some quirky or challenging project assigned during an interview to accurately define a candidate’s suitability for your company. Instead, work with your staffing agency to use candidate assessment testing to validate their work-related skills, personality, and corporate culture fit.

Use a multi-layer interview process

Sometimes, creative companies do not spend enough time evaluating the behavioral aspects of candidate interviews. This is why a multiple interview process that includes several layers of team member participation is often a great way to determine a candidate’s fit for the company. People often have different perspectives when meeting someone, therefore, take the time to have at least a few of the team members present during initial interviews. Gather objective feedback and use this for making your hiring decision.

Hire temps first, employees second

Perhaps one of the best ways to recruit for a quirky company is to start everyone out as a temporary employee. This gives your company a chance to benefit from pre-screened candidates who will then have to prove themselves within the first few months on the job. Most staffing agencies have very strict pre-screening requirements and will only send candidates who they believe will be a good fit. If you have a problem with a candidate you can then easily replace them with someone more suitable. This reduces the risk of hiring the wrong person.

Want to learn more about how your company culture could affect your hiring process, or find temps to fit in with your quirky company? Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today!

 

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Exit Interviews: Do you know why your employees are leaving?

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Exit Interviews

Employees leave companies for many different reasons, but sometimes the HR team won’t be able to explain why past employees left. In some cases, employees leave for better advancement opportunities or because they are not happy with their current employer. The only way a company can know or learn why employees are leaving is by taking advantage of the exit interview, and then learning from this feedback.

Encourage Honesty

The next time you hold an exit interview, make sure you encourage honesty on the part of the employee who is leaving the company. Few employees will be brutally honesty during an exit interview, especially when leaving smaller companies, because they do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Try to encourage honesty as much as possible so the employee explains the exact reasons why they decided to leave.

Ask These Questions

The following questions should be asked of the employee during an exit interview:

  • What will you get from your new employer that you didn’t get from us?
  • How do you feel things went here for you?
  • How are your career goals being fulfilled at your new job?
  • Can you give us any suggestions for improvement?
  • Would you like to be notified of any opportunities here in the future?
  • Is there anything we could have done to prevent you from leaving?
  • In what areas did we come up short?

Reveal Undiscovered Problems

For all you know, there could be some major problems hiding at your company. The only way you can find out about these problems is via the exit interview. The questions from the previous section could help to reveal these problems, which could include issues with the culture and competition that continues to aggressively recruit your talent. An outgoing employee will be able to shed light on these issues and much more if you ask the right questions and encourage honesty.

Make Appropriate Changes

Once you conduct the exit interview, you should begin to make appropriate changes to the company. This could include improving the company’s culture, offering better benefits, increasing salaries and offering more opportunities for advancement.

Companies need to know why their employees leave for other opportunities. They also need to know if an issue at the office led to the employee searching for a new job. The exit interview is the perfect time to find out this information.

 

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5 Steps for Optimizing Your Online Job Description

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

When candidates start looking for work often times the first place they will begin is on the Internet. Online job descriptions created by human resource and recruitment teams are generally how candidates find out about the qualifications and requirements of each job type. Sometimes job descriptions are included as part of job advertisements themselves or they may just be found on the company career portal.

Writing Better Online Job Descriptions 

In either case, job descriptions must accomplish the following factors in order to be effective at attracting top talent. They should:

  • Have compelling and accurate job titles that stand out from other similar jobs advertised.
  • Make sense given the duties and responsibilities of each assignment and the scope of the company.
  • Include enough information to help candidates make an informed decision whether to apply or not.
  • Add value by shedding light on the company culture, compensation, and objectives of the company.

Getting online job descriptions right can take extra research and practice, but over time the HR team should have a fairly good idea of how to write them well. Here are some steps for optimizing your online job descriptions so they can become a powerful recruitment tool.

Step 1 – Know the job goals well.

Before you launch into the writing of an online job description, it’s time to understand that the job has specific goals. Look over the history of the job previous employees, and what has worked and not worked for this job. Re-write the description based on the duties that are aligned with company objectives.

Step 2 – Understand what kind of candidate you want.

It is impossible to write a job description without knowing what kind of candidates you’d like to attract and eventually hire for the position. Create a candidate avatar, with the qualities you are looking for. This will help you to determine how to write the job description to accurately reflect your recruitment focus.

Step 3 – Write for the search engines.

Today all recruiters must be up to speed with candidate job search behaviors, which includes looking for career opportunities using keywords typed into search engines. Include industry keywords in your job descriptions, referring to the US Department of Labor and O*Net descriptions of job types.

Step 4 – Avoid writing too much, but not enough.

Your online job descriptions need to include a good amount of information, but not so much that it becomes tedious to write and publish. Limit the first paragraph which describes the basic job details, the company, and how to apply. Include a short bulleted list of job requirements, including skills and educational level. Wrap it up with EECO information and a link to the career application center.

Step 5 – Include great incentives to attract candidates.

Your job descriptions are not only a basic listing of the kinds of work your company offers, but also a sneak peek into why people work for you. Include information about the company compensation and benefit program educational incentives, and corporate culture perks.

Use the above tips to write online job descriptions and advertisements that will attract the best candidates. For help with evaluating your job descriptions, reach out to Advance Staffing Resources a knowledgeable employment agency in Michigan and Ohio to talk with one of our recruitment pros.

10 Interview Questions That Take into Account Cultural Fit

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

One of the most important aspects of running a company is having a strong corporate culture. If the culture at your company is positive, your employees will love coming to work each day, will work their hardest to get results, and will recommend the company to clients and potential employees.

Cultural Fit Interview Questions

If the culture is negative, your bottom line will suffer, you will have a high turnover rate and it will be difficult to come to work each day. Here are 10 interview questions that measure the candidate’s fit into your corporate culture.

  1. What is the work environment or work culture in which you are the happiest and most productive?
  2. What are the strongest traits of the best boss you have ever had or wanted to have?
  3. Which management style will help you produce the most and help you give the best effort?
  4. How does a good company encourage its employees to go the extra mile to get the job done right and on-time?
  5. What are the best roles a manager plays in dealing with his or her employees?
  6. Would you ever have a best friend at work? If so, do you think this is appropriate?
  7. What is the most important factor for you that will make you happy and productive in the workplace? Now that you have answered this question, what are the other two factors you thought about mentioning, but did not?
  8. What do you like right now about your work environment?
  9. How would your current co-workers describe your role when working with them on a team project?
  10. What is one scenario when you went out of your way or above-and-beyond to please a customer?

 

Where to Go Now?

This is not an exhaustive list of questions, but just the start for interviewers who are looking to bring in the candidates who match their company’s culture the most. Make a point of having at least one follow-up question to each of these 10 questions so you can really gauge what the candidate has in terms of character and work ethic.

Make sure you also write down the answers provided by the candidate and monitor their body language and reactions to the questions. Should the candidate shrug-off some questions or make noises in response to some questions, you have a problem on your hands and should not move any further with the candidate. Candidates who are always a strong fit in a culture will have no trouble answering these questions.

When it comes down to it, hiring based on cultural fit is very important today. Make sure your company is doing it with every single hire.

Want to learn more? Explore important recruitment and employment topics by reading a few popular posts from Advance Staffing Solutions a premier Detroit MI temp agency. Please feel free to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and be sure to subscribe to our free newsletter for industry news, job leads and featured updates.

Keep Employee Retention Up in the Fall

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

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.

Your Total Resume Overhaul Made Simple!

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

Total Resume Overhaul Made Simple

 

It is a good idea to perform a total resume overhaul every couple of years whether or not you are looking for a new job. The reason for overhauling your resume is to improve it and make it more attractive to potential employers. Another reason is the fact that the items that should be included on a resume can change quite often. Here’s how to give your resume a do-over without being too complicated.

Examine Resume Above the Fold

Even though most job applications are completed online, you should still perform the resume fold test. Print out a copy of your resume, fold it in half and then examine the resume prior to the fold. The area above the fold, or the top third of the resume, will be what the employer sees first when opening the document you send them digitally. You need to make sure that this portion of the resume sells you as an employee.

Submit Resume to an Unknown

An excellent way to perform a total overhaul is to give your resume to a qualified career coach or a career counselor at your university. This means that they do not know your personal work history or anything else about your life. Have them look at the resume for only 30 seconds. Once the 30 seconds are up, ask the person three things they remember from the resume and what type of story it tells readers. Take their feedback and use it to update the document.

Edit the Header Section 

The header of your resume can make the document stand out from the rest of the pack when put in front of employers. If you are not a design expert, you can still make this happen. Simply change the font, size and color of the print of your name at the top. If you do this on your resume, make sure you match it on your cover letter in an effort to have your personal brand match.

Add All Types of Experience

If you feel your resume is lacking in substance, there is nothing wrong with adding all types of experience to it. This includes any part-time work, volunteer work, or even blogging you have done on the side. Any experience is an important one, so make sure you include it if your resume is lacking in substance.

Quantify Your Accomplishments

Make it a point to quantify as many of your accomplishments as possible when overhauling your resume. You need to tell employers how many people were impacted by your success or by how much of a percentage you exceeded your sales goals last quarter.

The next time you sit down to overhaul your resume, follow the tips outlined in this post to help make the process as simple as possible.

 

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5 Reasons a Temp Agency can Boost Your Candidate Search

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

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.

How to Create a Cover Letter – Free Template

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

How to Create a Cover Letter - Free Template

 

Many people dread writing a cover letter when they begin a job search. What makes them stress even more is the fact that different cover letters should be written for every single job applied for, no matter the similarities between them. With 2015 in full swing, it is time to revamp the cover letter sent to prospective employers. Here, we will discuss the best ways to create a cover letter and provide you with a free cover letter template for reference.

Use the Opening to Your Advantage

The opening of  your cover letter is the most important part because hiring managers typically have time to scan for roughly 20 seconds due to their busy schedules. You need to make as much of an impression as possible right off the bat. If you know a little bit about writing for the web, use that knowledge when writing your cover letter. You need to make an impression within the first 20 seconds worth of content.

Follow All Instructions!

As you read a job application, make sure you follow all of the instructions to the letter. If the employer directs you to write something specific in your email subject line or in the body of your cover letter, be sure you do it, or you will not receive a return call or email. Hiring managers do this as a simple test to see if applicants can follow easy instructions. If they cannot, then what is the use in scheduling them for an interview?

Always Provide Contact Info

No matter how many different cover letters you write, all of them must include your contact information. Your cover letter might be the best one a company has read in a long time, but if you do not give them all of your contact info, they will not be able to schedule an interview. Tell them exactly how to contact you in the cover letter. Whether this is via phone or email and the time of day that is best to reach you.

Proofread the Cover Letter

It is very important to proofread your cover letter prior to hitting send on an email or online application. Hiring managers do not want to have to figure out what it is you are trying to say in your cover letter because of too many typos or grammar mistakes. Your enthusiasm for the job must also shine through in your cover letter so the hiring manager knows how interested you are in the job.

Avoid Desperation

Do your best to avoid coming across as desperate in your cover letter. Even if you have been searching for a job for months on end, desperation should never show in your words. This will scare the employer as they wonder why you have had so much difficulty finding a job.

The cover letter is just as, if not more important, than your resume and portfolio. This is the first line of attack when trying to land a new job. So, be sure it sparkles as much as possible.

Download a FREE COVER LETTER TEMPLATE here (Microsoft Office). 

 

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

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

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.

Gearing Up For Winter Safety Regulations

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

As the seasons move rapidly into the winter months, conditions can become treacherous around Michigan and other Northern Central states. This means that companies across the country, no matter where they are located, should be preparing their employees for winter safety regulations. Your employees need to be put in a safe situation no matter the circumstances, but this is very important when the winter weather delivers its brutal punch on the country.

Review Insurance Coverage

One of the first things your company needs to do is to review its insurance coverage. You can do this by speaking with your company’s insurance agent in order to find out what the policy covers, how the employees are covered and what property you can afford to lose should the winter weather wreak havoc on your business.

Determine Largest Risk Potential

The next step your company must take is determining the largest risk potential that will be present when the winter weather hits hard. This includes the loss of heat at the office, loss of access to the property due to heavy snow or ice and water damage due to broken pipes. Take a look at the property where you do business and determine if any changes can be made prior to the winter season to prevent the risk of losing time or money to storms.

Determine Cost of Business Interruptions

Another important thing you must do prior to the winter months is calculate the cost of a possible interruption to your business. This can last one day, one week, three weeks, one month, six months or even a year or more. As the winter months move closer, your business should be calculating this major possibility, especially if you live in an area prone to major winter weather events. Your company should also consider building a cash reserve that will help it operate following a winter weather event that potentially shuts it down for a prolonged period.

Implement Telework Policies

In order to keep customers or clients satisfied should access be limited to your property, it is a good idea to create a telework policy for your employees. Not all of your employees will live close to the business, so they might have trouble reporting to work. If this is the case, or the business cannot open following a storm, let your employees know that they can work remotely. Make sure this plan is in place months in advance of the winter season so it does not have to be implemented on the fly.

Create a Crisis Communication Plan

A crisis communication plan is something that every business should have in place throughout the year, not just for the winter months. This helps employees, staff members, management, clients, partners and customers know what is happening at the office and what can be expected following a crisis.

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

HMG Success on October 7, 2026

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.

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