Career Development - The Advance Group

Can You Become a Respected Leader Overnight?

Raza Rauf on October 29, 2015

Do you dream of being an industry expert and someone who others look up to for leadership? If so, it won’t happen overnight. These things can take time. But there are some ways to fast-track your way to success. Here’s how to become a respected leader in your career.

Become a subject matter expert

Everyone is good at something, but the better you are at your job and the more knowledgeable you become, the more others will look to you for direction. Take the time to learn as much as you can about the processes and products that help you do your job, the industry updates and trends, and the people who make your industry great.

Align yourself with other leaders

As soon as you can, associate yourself with other thought leaders and become one of the pack. Attend industry association meetings and networking groups in the local business community. Network on social media groups. Elevate yourself through credentials and partnerships. Most of all, gain a mentor who you will be like someday.

Demonstrate leadership ability

If you want to be seen as a leader, then you must act like one. Find ways to stand out among your peers at work. Rise up to challenges and take on new responsibilities. Take the time to teach others what you know, when they ask. Demonstrate that you have what it takes to be a leader on your team. Learn to be a powerful speaker and presenter. Think about ways to solve problems and make your boss and co-workers look good.

Think beyond the four walls of your workplace

True leaders have a strong sense of community and the impact they are having on the rest of the world. Find a cause you believe in and support it. Volunteer once in a while and see how good it makes you feel and how you stand up for something good. The world needs more leaders, and it’s time to take your place.

By using the above methods, you can elevate yourself to leadership status in very little time. Be strategic and consistent with how you present yourself.

Why Resilience Is a Sought-After Job Skill

Raza Rauf on October 27, 2015

If you’ve spent a long time searching for a job, you know how important resilience is as a personality trait. Being able to hang in there and bend as things change can also help you in any career you choose. In fact, this is a trait that is often sought after by hiring companies. Learn how demonstrating resilience can support your journey towards a wonderful job and career, and how to develop this trait.

Waiting is just a part of being an adult

Being resilient is a trait that adults develop over time and experience. If you can be patient, wait for the right moment, and bounce back when things don’t go the way you expect, you are most likely a well-adjusted adult. This is a good sign. Be ready to talk about circumstances where you were able to demonstrate resilience on a job.

Resilience is a trait all leaders have

Think about some of the leaders of industry you’ve heard or read about: The one character trait they’ve all had was the ability to be resilient in the face of the impossible. Want some inspiration? Read about Richard Branson, the Founder and CEO of Virgin Airlines, or Henry Ford, the Founder of Ford Motors. They failed over and over again, but eventually they found amazing success.

Employers are looking for loyal employees

Another reason to develop and demonstrate resilience as a work trait is that employers want to hire people for the long term. They invest much in recruitment costs and efforts, therefore if they can keep an employee on board for a while, they’ve earned a nice return on this investment. Resilience shows you have what it takes to stick it out, even when things become a challenge.

Make sure you highlight and explain key examples of times when you have been resilient. And also be prepared to show this on your resume. Being resilient also means keeping up with your job search and treating it like a job, taking on temp assignments, and staying active in the business world.

What To Say to Your Workforce, Instead of “I Don’t Know!”

Raza Rauf on October 8, 2015

There are times in a manager’s career when a lack of enough information may leave no other answer but “I don’t know” to subordinates. However, this is not a good phrase to use because it takes away from the management role. How? Employees need strong leadership, so a wishy washy answer that implies the leader is really not in control of the situation leaves them feeling confused and worried. In order to maintain your status as a leader, you need some other ways of expressing yourself without saying you don’t know. Here are some other things you can say.

“This is what I know, and I will have more information for you soon.”

When employees know that an immediate supervisor has their best interests in mind, they are often good with this kind of response. It shows that you are going to share what you know (and maybe share some managers-only information) and that you are going to update them as soon as possible. This conveys you have things under control and they will be the first to hear when anything new develops.

“I’m not the right person to ask about this, let’s find out who can answer your question.”

As a manager, you will never have all the information and you may not always be the go-to expert on a particular subject. This is OK. Employees are simply following the chain of command when they ask a manager about something. It’s up to you to direct them to the right resources and experts in the company for more clarity on some subjects. For example, if an employee has a benefits-related question, you will use this phrase and then walk them over to the human resource office for more support.

“I hear your concern, so give me an opportunity to get the right answer for you.”

Being a good listener and using reflective phrases like this can go a long way towards fostering good relationships with subordinates. By stating that you hear what the employee is saying, you acknowledge their concern and want to do something to help them. However, if you don’t have the right answer, which is reasonable, you are asking the employee to trust in you as a manager to get the correct information for them – something they can respect.

Use the above phrases to demonstrate your ability to lead others, without leaving them scratching their heads.

There’s No Guarantee You’ll Get the Job — But This Will Help!

Raza Rauf on October 6, 2015

Have you gone weeks and even months without so much as a response to the hundreds of applications you’ve been submitting to employers? Unfortunately, just as in life, there are no guarantees with getting a job. However, there are some factors that can put you ahead of the game in terms of landing work sooner. The smart job seeker goes after jobs like a savvy marketer, using every opportunity to pitch their worth to the organization. When you approach your job search in this way, it can certainly help you get a job offer. Here’s how to go about it.

Make a strong pitch from the start.

You’ve only got mere seconds from the moment a hiring manager looks at your resume. Take a look at yours. Does it “wow” you? If not, it’s probably not doing a good job impressing any hiring managers either. Take the time to boost the top half of your resume (above the fold) and include power words that speak to your true value. Look at the company website and the job listings for ideas. Use bold headings for your name and contact information, and include a web link to your portfolio.

Get your applications to stand out.

A job application can be a dull and tedious process, but it doesn’t have to land at the bottom of the pile. Use the additional space for comments and other information for writing an outstanding cover letter, sharing more details about your abilities, or inviting the hiring manager to connect with you. This often grabs the attention of the recruitment team faster. You will also want to update your online applications weekly as most applicant tracking systems list people by the date they are active in the system.

Prove to hiring managers you are a good investment.

Your goal as a candidate is to make sure that any hiring managers and recruitment professionals you meet understand and can see your value in a matter of minutes. How can you do this? Take the time to share your skills and how they are relevant to the job, but go a step further. Dig into the corporate goals and find a direct link between your skills and the direction the company is going. Check for any recent press that indicates what the company is focused on.

If you use the above tips, you’ll soon be getting a job offer and being able to prove your worth to the company.

How to Stay Off a Recruiter’s Blacklist

Raza Rauf on September 28, 2015

Trying to find a job today is not easy. Even with the help of the Internet and social media, landing a job you want can take months because hundreds of people apply for the same jobs as you. Turning your job search into a success can be done by working with a recruiter. One thing you must know when working with a recruiter is that you need to stay off of their blacklist. Being on a recruiter’s blacklist can ruin your job search, so follow these tips to stay off this list!

Exaggerating Skills or Claims

One of the biggest reasons why a recruiter will put you on their blacklist is because you have been caught exaggerating your skills or claims on your resume. It is understandable that people exaggerate a little bit on their resumes, but it can be very detrimental their job search. Recruiters will be able to see through lies on your resume because they read thousands of resumes per year. Avoid exaggerating about your skills or claims on your resume to stay off a recruiter’s blacklist.

Self-Employed Viewed as Unemployed

Even though this seems a little harsh, many recruiters view self-employed job seekers as unemployed job seekers, even if the job seeker has been running a successful business independently. It is difficult to change this perception in front of recruiters, but it can be done. Make sure you include some stats about your independently owned business that proves you have been working for the past five-to-ten years, and not just sitting around the house.

Aggression Does Not Work

Even though being an aggressive job seeker can be better than being a passive one, it can get you blacklisted by a recruiter if you work with one. Contacting a recruiter multiple times per week via phone or email will get you blacklisted for sure. There is no need to constantly bother a recruiter about an open job or an interview you had with a company. If the company liked you, the recruiter will reach out to you when necessary.

Failure to Fit the Culture

Job seekers could have an incredible resume and all the references in the world, but not fitting in with a company’s culture could cause you to hit the blacklist. This can be determined through screening processes, an interview with the company and much more. If this happens more than once, a recruiter might have to blacklist you to avoid wasting anyone else’s time.

Stay off of a recruiter’s blacklist by keeping aggression to a minimum, avoiding exaggeration on your resume and by fitting into a company’s culture.

All Resumes Must Answer This One Question

Raza Rauf on September 22, 2015

The next time you sit down to write a resume, you need to look at one important question and see if it answers the question. In fact, instead of waiting to write a new resume, edit your current one to make sure it answers the important question discussed here. If you can answer the one question all resumes should answer, it will help you stand out from the rest of the crowd, and this is important in such a tough business world.

Goal of the Resume

The ultimate goal of your resume, no matter which version, is to entice a company to contact you for one of their open jobs. You can put as much work experience and skills as you want on your resume, but these alone will not get a company to contact you about their open job. You must be able to turn all of your work experience and skills learned in previous jobs into the reason why companies call you. You must paint a picture.

The Question That Must be Answered

The question that all resumes must answer is, “What makes you a better candidate than all others who have applied for this job?” As mentioned above, you need to paint a picture in order to answer this question appropriately. The picture you paint must tell the company why you are the best pick for the open job and not someone else.

What Answers This Question?

So, what is it about you that can provide a stellar answer to this question? You need to think past the mundane tasks you perform each day, from the minute you arrive to the minute you leave. You need to think about your biggest career accomplishments, achievements, accolades, articles and awards. When you put all of these items on your resume, in an appropriate manner and location, you should have no problem answering the question and getting a company to contact you about their open job.

Hundreds of people apply for the same open jobs at companies across the country. Because of this, HR managers and recruiters come across mediocre resumes and applicants who are not worth a second look. This means that you will need to work extra hard to get your resume noticed. Make sure you answer this question as thoroughly as possible to get noticed.

The Secret Key to Employee Development

Raza Rauf on September 15, 2015

Employee development is an important part of a business being successful, and it is also a hot topic right now. Companies are constantly looking for new ways to develop their employees into leaders, so they can promote them to management positions. Having employees who can move up the corporate ladder at the same company is a major goal of companies today. There is a secret key to employee development that can help almost any company solve this problem.

Change the Employee Performance Review

A common way to improve employee development at your company is to change the employee performance review. You do not have to change the review entirely, but it should be edited or altered in a way that the review is not just about evaluating the employee.

Even though most of a performance review involves discussing what the employee did wrong, or needs to improve upon, it also includes discussing what the employee did correctly. During the part of the evaluation where you discuss the positive aspects of the employee’s performance, be sure to talk about how they can develop within your company.

What’s In It for the Employee?

If you are considering changing the employee performance review, you must ask this question: What’s in it for the employee? Based on the job the employee has now, the track they can take within your organization, and how much experience they have, you can now determine the best method of development for the employee.

Tell employees during their review that the company is dedicated to their development and will help them develop in their career. Have a plan ready to discuss, because the employee is going to want to know what’s in it for them. The employee will want to learn something right now that they will be able to keep with them and use the rest of their career.

Find Out What the Employee Wants

Another option you have during the performance review is to find out what the employee wants. Maybe they have been thinking about career development and have an idea, but have not spoken up about it yet. If this is the case, the employee will be able to discuss their development idea with management or HR during the performance review. It is quite possible that the idea the employee has is right in line with the plan the company wants to implement.

In order to better develop your employees, think about changing the performance review to include discussions about development with each employee. Outline goals during the discussion and make sure employees know they are valued.

Are You Missing Out on LinkedIn Endorsements?

Raza Rauf on September 10, 2015

LinkedIn has so much to offer its users, especially when it comes to finding jobs. One feature of the social networking site that has become very popular is the ability to endorse connections. Endorsements are something that almost everyone does nowadays on LinkedIn. The point being to “endorse” — or vouch for — a connection’s skill or trait they have listed on their profile, and often, to have them endorse you for yours as well.

Issues with LinkedIn Endorsements

As with every social network, there are some issues with LinkedIn endorsements. For example, many users of the site are encouraged to endorse some lesser skills of their connections instead of skills those connections are actually known for. For instance, let’s say that you are known for your sound editing skills. LinkedIn will likely encourage your connections to endorse you for something along the lines of Microsoft Word or Communication. Because of this, you are not being endorsed for your best skills.

Being able to endorse connections you truly know makes it easier for users to expand their profile, because it gets posted to the profile page when a user offers an endorsement. Many users reciprocate when their receive an endorsement from a connection, which also shows up on their profile.

An issue with this is that many users simply endorse anyone they want if they are connected to them on LinkedIn. This means that the person who filed the endorsement does not really know if the recipient has those skills, or is even somewhat decent when performing those skills.

Use LinkedIn Endorsements

Despite the issues with LinkedIn endorsements, it is still a good idea for you to use them, but at your discretion. Whenever you log into LinkedIn and endorsement suggestions are presented, only approve the ones that are well known to you. Do not endorse connections who you have never met in person or whom you have never worked. This does not help you and you truly cannot speak to their skills.

The great thing about LinkedIn is that you can circumvent the issue with endorsement suggestions appearing on your login screen. If you truly want to endorse someone you know, go to their profile page. Here you will be able to choose the skill you want to endorse instead of endorsing the skill suggested by LinkedIn.

The next time you log into LinkedIn and are greeted with endorsement suggestions, visit the profile pages of those people and endorse the skills you know that person is truly great at performing.

Where Are All the Temps Going? How to Make a Hiring Plan After Peak Season

Raza Rauf on September 8, 2015

As the busy season comes to a close, seasonal and temporary employees may be leaving to head back to college or to take other permanent jobs. This can reduce your staff dramatically, which can take a toll on the business and the employees who are left behind. How can you design a hiring plan after the peak season that supports year-round growth and new opportunities to bring on at least a portion of your temps? Here are some helpful tips to accomplish this.

1. Communicate with your temp agency in advance of your hiring goals

The sooner you can let your temporary agency know you intend to hire some of your seasonal workers on permanently, the better. This helps the temp agency screen all employees to find out if they are looking for something for now or for the long term.

2. Provide rewarding projects that challenge seasonal workers

One of the ways to identify employees who may be suitable for long-term hiring needs is to assign tasks and projects that challenge them. This often brings out the leaders in each group of temps, who may be looking for better work opportunities in the future.

3. Understand the skill and knowledge gaps you have

Your seasonal employees may possess the right skills and knowledge that you need to plan your staffing after the peak season passes by. Conduct a thorough analysis of the present skills of your team to find out where there are gaps. Then offer employment opportunities to your seasonal workers who have the right skills to close these gaps.

4. Offer to rehire seasonal workers for next year

You can plan your hiring by offering to rehire the seasonal workers who perform well and who express an interest in coming back again next year. Consider that some of your seasonal workers will be college students who will be looking for careers once they graduate. The sooner you can get them to commit to coming back, the better for your business.

5. Give seasonal workers an incentive to stay employed

If you want to hire at least a portion of your seasonal workers who have done well, you can also offer a sign-on bonus for those who accept permanent placement with your company. Try offering some employment perks too, like benefits and a new office environment to work in.

Use the above tips to help retain your best seasonal workers and boost your company growth as part of a smart recruitment plan. You can secure top seasonal and temp workers from Advance Staffing Solutions.

Want to Stay in Your Temp Job? Start Building Relationships!

Raza Rauf on September 3, 2015

Building strong relationships at the office is not just for permanent employees, but also for temporary workers. Even though you might only be working at a temp job for two weeks or a couple of months, it is still imperative to build strong relationships. When temporary workers build strong relationships, it puts them in a better position to remain at their temporary job for an extended period or as a newly hired permanent employee.

Drop Criticism from Conversations

An excellent way to build stronger relationships with your co-workers at a temporary job is by dropping criticism from your conversations. It can be very easy to criticize co-workers for what they do, or don’t do, but it should not be done. When you criticize people on a regular basis, it makes it very difficult to get along with those people. You must remember that everyone makes mistakes, so be sure to focus on the positives when talking with co-workers.

Smile and Speak with Enthusiasm

Smiling when you speak with co-workers will go a long way when trying to build stronger relationships. You should also speak with enthusiasm, and not in a monotone that bores others. Co-workers will warm up to you when you greet them with happiness and a smile. Even if you do not get the opportunity to speak with them for a prolonged period, a quick smile when passing in the halls can help improve relationships.

Compliment Co-Workers

A compliment can go a long way toward building better relationships with co-workers. Compliments should never be backhanded, but should be sincere whenever you give them. People love to receive compliments, especially at work. The next time you talk with a co-worker, try to compliment them on a job well done on a recent project or about something from their personal life they told you.

Ignore the Rotten Egg

It goes without saying that there will be one rotten egg in the office who will attempt to make life miserable for those around them. Even though this person will make it their job to make your life miserable, you must ignore them as much as possible. Do not take it personally: Instead, build better relationships with the rest of your co-workers in an attempt to ignore the rotten egg.

If you enjoy the temporary job you are working right now, make an effort to build stronger relationships with co-workers there so you can have your contract extended or picked up permanently.

How to Tell When You Love Your Job

Raza Rauf on August 25, 2015

Have you ever really loved your job? Not just enjoying the day to day tasks of your job, but eagerly anticipating each day feeling like you are the luckiest person on earth because you get to do what you love to do. Liking a job and loving a job are two totally different things. They are not even close in comparison.

So, at the job you are working right now, do you love it? Do you even know how to tell if you love your job? If not, we will give you a helping hand figuring it out. We have put together a handful of tips to figure out if you love your job or not.

You Enjoy Being at Work

One of the biggest ways to tell if you love your job is that you actually enjoy being at work. This includes overtime work and even if you have to be in the office on weekends every now and then. If you dread going into the office each morning, then you definitely do not love your job. But, if you cannot wait to arrive and speak with your co-workers and clients, then you might love your job.

Your Manager is Viewed as a Co-Worker

People who love their job tend to view their manager as a person they work with and not a person they work for, no matter the industry in which they work. You don’t have to make this known to people, but it can be something that you feel inside when at work. There is nothing wrong with this and it doesn’t mean you have a lack of respect for the manager. It just means that both of you view each other as equals.

Clocks Don’t Exist

When you love your job, the clock on your desktop or hanging on the wall in the breakroom does not exist to you. Rarely do you check your watch or the time on your phone because you don’t care how quickly the day is going or not.

Retirement Does Not Enter Your Mind

While working, retirement never enters your mind — which is a major sign that you love your job. Even though retirement is inevitable, it is not avoidable, but you tend to keep it far from the front of your mind because you are worried that retirement would be boring for you.

You Worry About Letting Down Co-Workers

People who love their jobs tend to worry about letting down their co-workers. They don’t want to miss a deadline or flake on a project because it means their co-workers will be saddled with extra work. Because of this, these people tend to worry about letting others down and will do everything possible to avoid it.

Do you love your job? If you answered yes to any of these items, then it means you could be in love with your job. If none of these items seemed familiar to you, then it might be time to find a new job or career. You can find many part-time and full-time opportunities at Advance Staffing Solutions in Detroit MI.

You’re Losing Top Talent Because…

Raza Rauf on August 7, 2015

A certain amount of employee turnover is to be expected, particularly in tough industries that chew up and spit out people on a regular basis. But, when turnover rates remain high or become unusually high; there’s a problem. As a human resource or recruitment professional engaged in the active pursuit of talent, the issue of losing top talent can become a frustrating and costly issue.

Asking yourself why you are losing top talent to the competition? Here’s some of the hidden reasons this may be happening.

Not offering the best possible compensation

The number one reason why employees leave companies, according to workforce surveys, is because they do not believe they are being paid fairly. To prevent the loss of your best talent, make sure that all job types are matched to current salary surveys for the skills, knowledge, and region they exist. Provide above-industry benefits and other perks of employment.

Did not use an onboarding process

Not having a formal onboarding process for new hires is a recipe for disaster. It sets employees up for failure, even months after they are working for your company, because they feel lost and have no clear direction. If you match employees up with more seasoned employees, after a brief onboarding week, your talent is less likely to slip through the cracks. The extra bonus is that they can be more productive sooner.

Forgot to prepare managers to do their jobs well

People often leave companies over conflicts with managers and team leaders. When this is the case, and they do not feel supported by a manager who is interested in their career success, the only alternative is to seek employment elsewhere. To prevent losing talent this way, provide career training for managers on a continual basis, and have an open-door policy for mediating any employee and management problems in a safe environment.

Neglected to provide promotional opportunities

Most working professionals want to move up the corporate ladder. If you want to keep good people, then it seems like a no-brainer to provide opportunities to be promoted into higher positions in the organization. Not doing this well? Then it’s probably in your best interest to start doing some succession planning efforts around the workplace.

The company mission statement is out of sync with the culture

Perhaps your employees are leaving because what they thought was a good match for their work style, based on your corporate culture, is really not the case? Take a good long look at what your mission statement and vision is about, then evaluate whether or not your corporate culture fits into this context. If not, it could be time to survey your employees to come up with better ways of communicating and promoting the work culture that fits the mission of your company.