Meet Sylvia – Our Major Accounts Manager!

Meet Sylvia, our Major Accounts Manager! Before Sylvia came to Hire Up, she worked for other staffing agencies in Visalia. Sylvia started out as a receptionist and moved her way up to a Recruitment Specialist. Her excellent people skills and ability to connect with people helped to promote her through the company. Sylvia’s professional goal is to help as many people find jobs they will be happy going to day in and day out and a place where they can continue to learn and grow.

A work-related accomplishment that she is proud of is moving up in positions and always playing an important role in any company. Sylvia’s positive attitude and willingness to help have taken her far in her professional career. Now, Sylvia is excited to be part of Hire Up’s environment that has been created. Everyone is always willing to help each other succeed and she is excited to be a part of it! Outside of the office, you can find Sylvia reading, taking kickboxing and spin classes, camping, shopping, and spending time with her kids.

Avoid Burnout: How to Motivate Fatigued and Stressed Employees

Chris Rogers

Regional Vice President – Mid-West

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

August 23, 2021

The World Health Organization defines burnout as “a syndrome resulting from chronic work-related stress, with symptoms characterized by ‘feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job; and reduced professional efficacy,” (World Health Organization). If you have frequented a grocery store or medical office recently, you likely have witnessed this from some employees firsthand. Employees who were considered essential workers and opted to report to work during the depths of the pandemic, likely experienced an increased workload, fewer resources to assist them, an increased number of work hours, and a decrease in regular and/or routine days off. While these workers likely had noble reasons for sticking with the job during this time, this type of work environment comes with a rather hefty set of negative consequences. One of which is burnout.

Perhaps you are in an industry that was unable to work during the lockdown in your area. You, too, are likely witnessing another type of burnout. Have you struggled to find willing and able candidates to employ? Many people are tired, weary, frustrated. How can we work to overcome this overwhelming feeling of “is this all over yet?”

These tips listed below are important all the time, however, especially during trying times. Review this list and complete an honest and fair assessment for yourself. What areas can you improve upon to help make the lives of those you manage a little easier, a little more fulfilling, and a little more encouraging?

Do Not Micromanage. Your employees are your greatest assets, your greatest resources. You hired them for a reason. Trust that reason. Allow them room to do their job and learn from their own experiences. In an article written for Forbes, February 2021, contributor Heidi Lynn Kurter, writes, “micromanagers are detrimental to the success of a business and the mental health of everyone involved.” Do not add to their stress by showing you do not trust their abilities.
Show Flexibility. Whether it be work schedules, time off, changes in work structure or process, listen to ideas and suggestions from your team. Show you value their thoughts and needs. When your employees feel heard, they often feel valued, which offers additional benefits back to the company.
Focus on Others. Your own little world can be a stressful place—don’t get stuck there. And don’t let your employees get stuck in their own little worlds either. Force them to step outside of that world and think about something else for a moment. You can do that by leading as an example. Great managers fight for their people. Show your team that you notice their stress and that you care about their wellbeing.
Provide Proper Resources and Tools. Give your team what they need. Be sure your employees have all the necessary supplies and resources to do their jobs. When they ask for new equipment or tools, seriously consider their requests. If your budget will not allow it this year, think about other creative alternatives until it can be added into the budget next year.
Line of Sight/Big Picture. Stress can be inevitable at work. When employees don’t see or understand why they’re putting up with the stress, it simply makes things worse. When you share the big picture, your team can understand things from a new perspective. They might also have thoughts from their initial perspective that can help enlighten yours.
Sincere Compliments and Recognition. A kind word can be a very simple stress reliever. It doesn’t take much to notice the work of another. When you see something, make it a habit of saying something. Noticing something small can make the biggest difference in someone’s day.
Meaningful Meetings. There is perhaps nothing more stressful than wasted time. Any meeting with an agenda that can be addressed in an email should be canceled. At all costs, avoid meeting with your employees “just to meet.” Show you value their time and yours.
Clear Communication. Your employees should be able to solely focus on the job you have hired them to do. They should not have to allocate any time or effort to deciphering the messages they receive from management. If something is important, share it in person and allow for questions. If something is a reminder, or a quick and easy information share, send an email.
Positive Messaging. The words you choose in the workplace play a huge role in the overall corporate culture. Happier words lead to a happier culture and happier employees. Your words are currency. You are either depositing or withdrawing. Think about the words you choose and recognize their power.
Be Available for Support. Make sure to be available for questions your employees might have, be honest and avoid making promises that you can’t keep. If you don’t know the answer to a question, tell them you need some time to get the answer and then follow up with them by the end of the day.
Remove Obstacles. Start by identifying any obstacles that could be hindering productivity and/or creating unneeded stress for your team and or customers. Find solutions to remove those obstacles and then celebrate the successes that come with this change.
Provide an Outlet to Give and Receive Feedback. Feedback is a great way to gather important information from your team. However, if you ask for it, be prepared to do something about the information received. If you do not show actionable steps to making things right, your team will lose trust in this process and eventually stop sharing.
Provide Breaks. Any good management team understands the necessity of working breaks and special events added onto a work calendar. If you are not taking advantage of some fun during the downtime, consider starting it. This is an excellent opportunity to initiate some relaxation into an otherwise stressful workday. Do something to get your team to stop what they are doing and play, relax, or laugh.

As a leader your example means everything. How you choose to respond to stress, uncertainty, good news, bad news, it’s all being observed by your team. Your very reputation in the workplace is formed based upon how you handle yourself and the decisions you make that impact those around you.

In reviewing these 13 tips above, can you identify a few that you could work to improve? Write them down. Create a goal around each one and start TODAY. Start small but make the efforts meaningful.

Need help with this? Call us. Our team of expert professionals are ready and willing to coach you through it. Employee burnout is real. However, if you, as a leader are feeling burnout, too, we can help. Allow us to help you create a plan to get you and your team performing better than ever.

——–

There is no doubt that 2021 will bring forth opportunities with which to leverage new and emerging employment trends. Follow the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services Blog to stay connected with a variety of topics aimed to help support you! Whether you are an active job seeker looking for tips and tricks to land your perfect job or an employer looking to fill a challenging position, we are here to help you HIRE UP!

References:

Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International Classification of Diseases (who.int)

4 Signs Your Boss Is a Micromanager and How to Challenge Them (forbes.com)

Chris Rogers, Regional Vice President – Mid-West | August 23, 2021

As the Regional Vice President of the Mid-West operations, Chris focuses on the mentorship and development of his Hire Up staff to ensure they are equipped to provide the best service to both our candidates and clients. Chris’ extensive knowledge of the staffing industry lays the groundwork for his teams to always deliver top-caliber talent to great organizations. His expertise includes experience in all disciplines from commercial and professional staffing to executive placement. Chris and his teams strive to improve the lives of their candidates and improve the businesses of their clients. Chris’ over 15 years in the staffing and recruitment industry includes the successful management of high-performing sales and recruiting teams throughout the Southwest. Chris would love to speak with you so he can help your business reach new heights.

Meet Cerena – Our Recruiting Manager in East Bay!

As a Recruiting Manager for the East Bay branch, Cerena’s professional goal is to expand her network and start connecting with new people where she will be able to help her clients and candidates. She believes this would be a great way of sharing new knowledge. Before coming to Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services, Cerena worked as a Recruiter at a psychiatric hospital that focused on sourcing and recruiting for clinical and non-clinical roles.

One job accomplishment that she is proud of is being able to switch job fields and quickly learning the job duties. Cerena is excited to work at Hire Up because she believes she can add value to the company while learning new technical skills from her fellow teammates. When Cerena is out of the office, you can find her spending time at the gym, and trying out new restaurants and breweries.

The Recipe for Building and Maintaining a High Performing Team

Lauren Milam

Regional Vice President – West Coast

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

July 26th, 2021

If you are anything like me, you may occasionally enjoy watching a cooking show. I am often inspired by a technique or special ingredient the host is using and work to find ways to incorporate those things into my own dishes. Learning from professional chefs who are in the kitchen all day can be helpful for a nighttime and weekend cook, like me.

The idea of recipes came to mind when looking to write this blog. When it comes to building and maintaining a high-performing team, there are certain ingredients that are necessary for creating a foundational flavor, and then some spices you can toss in for additional flair. If you are interested in the ingredients that I use for building my very own high-performing team, continue reading and I will share with you some of the tricks and tips I have learned along the way.

A Recipe for Building and Maintaining a High Performing Team

Ingredient List:

The Right Hire: Choosing quality ingredients is extremely important when cooking, as well as when building a team. Identifying a candidate with the necessary skills is just a fraction of what goes into selecting the right person for your organization. Ensuring that candidate is also driven and passionate about the industry and your company is a much larger portion of the equation.

Once you have selected the right candidate, share the vision as you have with the other members of your team. Be sure they understand the company goals and that they can see what they do each day impacts the overall vision. The parallels should be clear within their daily duties of the job, their annual goals, and other measurements like KPIs.

Secret Ingredient to Kick it Up a Notch: Find a way to use their fresh perspective and work to include them on projects and meetings that could use a new set of eyes. Not only does this help to acclimate your new team member to the business, but it allows them a sense of ownership by being able to contribute early on. This secret sauce builds rapport, shows appreciation, as well as demonstrates your ability to support new ideas.

Identify what Motivates Your Team within the Workplace: Knowing more about the ingredients in your recipe and learning how to best prepare and include each one is crucial to building optimal flavor. This same idea can be used when building and maintaining your high performing team. Everyone on your team offers a unique perspective, skillset, and reason for coming to work every day. Taking time to get to know what motivates each one of them can help to build trust and gain additional buy-in from your team.

Do the members of your team value meaningful and challenging work? Do they have more basic needs like safety or job security? Do they value recognition? Or are they motivated by dollar signs, benefits, time off? Are they fueled by a sense of belonging and tied to the culture within the organization? Knowing which workplace motivators appeal to each of the members of your team can help you to connect the needs of the business with what fires them up and gets them interested, active, and involved.

Secret Ingredient to Improve Results: Learn how the respective members of your team prefer to be managed. Do they thrive in an environment that allows them to work individually? Do they prefer check-in times to be scheduled and routine? Do they need a bit more reassurance that they are on the right track than others on your team? Identify this early and work to coordinate your management style to fit their preferences. So long as the work is getting done, it is important for managers to recognize that the one size fits all approach to managing a team is no longer effective in today’s multi-generational workplace.

Understand their Goals and Provide them a Growth Track: For some cooks, seeing a photo of the finished product within a recipe can be helpful for them to attempt to gauge the level of difficulty required before even attempting it. Additionally, a photo of the recipe can serve as a way for the cook to compare their actual results to the established expectation set forth. This same concept can be used when building and maintaining high performing teams. Build this track together based upon information from your career planning discussions with the individual members of your team.

Stay curious with your team. Work with them to identify what their professional goals look like and then together, create a growth track with which they can follow and see how their growth ties into the company’s vision and future goals of the organization. It is important to show what future trajectory could look like for them and it is much more meaningful to have that plan be something based upon an individual’s specific goals. Much like the photo within a recipe book, a growth track serves similar purposes.

Set the growth tracker to have important milestones and dates, when possible. Are their goals 3, 5, or 10-year? Sketch it out. Get something down to memorialize the conversation and to use as a guidepost for future performance goals and career discussions. This technique shows your level of commitment to their future. However, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you stick to the plan and your promises for supporting them through it with additional training, coaching, mentoring, etc.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate: One cannot simply build and maintain a high performing team in a crockpot. This is NOT a set it and forget it activity. Once your team is up and running and thriving, it is ok to let things simmer and let all the flavors naturally develop. That is one of the many benefits of having a high performing team.

However, you must not forget the importance of regularly communicating with the members of your team in both formal and informal ways. Checking in and keeping an open door are both crucial elements to building effective communication patterns within your organization. Creating a sense of psychological safety allows your team to feel comfortable coming to you when they are unsure how to best move forward, or if they are placed in some type of potentially negative or ambiguous circumstance professionally.

There is little worse than an organization that fears its leader. If you use your position as a battling ram, your team will not likely be intrinsically motivated, but instead moving through the motions based upon fear. Communication is the MOST important element to building and maintaining a high-performing team, yet, HOW you choose to communicate matters.

Have FUN!: Getting to know your team, what motivates them, how to be their best leader, what, when and HOW to communicate with them can feel overwhelming at times. Being a leader is not always easy and leading a team of high performers can be even more of a challenge for many. One important ingredient to the success of your high performing team comes down to FUN.

Fun can take many forms, be it a random Donut Tuesday, a Wacky Tee-Shirt Friday or an impromptu trashcan hoop throwing contest, the ability to have fun within a workplace environment often relies upon what is modeled by leadership. If you want to get the most from your team, be sure to intentionally work to incorporate fun. If you are not sure where to start, ASK your team.

Building and maintaining a high performing team offers endless benefits, including:

Improved employee satisfaction because the team feels heard, valued, autonomous.
Enhanced customer satisfaction, most often reflective of happier employees.
Less turnover when your team is happy, thus saving you money, as well as the potential pitfalls from the fall-out of the team left to pick up the pieces when others leave.

Are you ready to get something cooking and not sure where to start? Feel like you could use some help with following this type of recipe? Contact our team. We are helping to resource ingredients like the above listed every day and would be honored to assist your organization with building and maintaining your best team yet.

——–

Lauren Milam, Regional Vice President – West Coast | July 26th, 2021

As the Regional Vice President of the West Coast operations, Lauren focuses on the development of each Hire Up team member and office to ensure they have the tools and ability to meet the needs of all the clients and candidates. Lauren’s vast experience in the staffing industry and her passion for people, results, and success is what drives her daily. This experience includes leadership, management, employee development, sales, marketing, recruitment, client retention, and candidate retention. Her goal is to ensure every client and candidate receives excellent service through every aspect of the process. Lauren would love to speak with you so she can help your business reach new heights.

Boosting Employee Engagement

Rebecca Kirkman

President

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

June 28, 2021

Several Hire Up blog posts this year have pointed to the power of relationships. Today’s blog will further highlight one of the more important connections you can have within your business. Do you have an idea which connection this might be? Here is a hint…

Simon Sinek is an author and inspirational speaker who said,

“When people are financially invested, they want a return.

When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.”

Today’s post will highlight the importance of proactively working to boost employee engagement. The concept of employee engagement was created in 1990 by Dr. William Kahn, a professor of organizational behavior at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. Kahn identified that engaged employees are involved within their organizations on three levels.

Kahn’s three dimensions of employee engagement include:

Physical: Perform the daily physical and mental aspects of their job.
Cognitive: Understand the meaning and vision of their organization and how their behaviors contribute to those associated overarching goals.
Emotional: Trust and buy-in of the organization’s goals, as well as feeling a sense of belonging.

So, how do we take this research and turn it into something that can boost engagement? Here are a few suggestions from a SHRM article, written by Carole Worth, entitled, HR’s Holy Grail: The Engaged Employee. This list is helpful when it comes to creating, sustaining, and/or reinforcing connections with employees.

Create and communicate clear values: Your team needs to know how they can exemplify these values each day through their work and how their work directly impacts the big picture.
Be intentional with building culture: Work to ensure you have tied meaning into recognition and reward programs and that your team knows their efforts will be noticed when appropriate. Rewards are not always monetary. A little recognition can go a long way. Worth shares another useful suggestion, “Empower and encourage workers to recognize one another’s achievements.”
Practice good manager hygiene: One of the most important components to job satisfaction relates to how well employees are managed. We all know the adage, “Employees do not quit jobs, they quit people.” Most often, such “people” are their managers. It is KEY to ensure your management team is walking the walk and talking the talk. Consistency and sincerity build trust, a major component in establishing relationships. Employees want to feel that they are supported and valued by their manager and that they can trust them to have their back.

Hire Up Pro Tips on Boosting Engagement:

Train and Empower Your Managers: Another thing to remember when working to boost employee engagement is not to assume all managers understand the important role they play. Getting managers on the same page when it comes to understanding the traits and behaviors successful people managers possess can be a challenge, however, it is not impossible.

Establish a training and coaching regimen for your management team to learn and grow their strengths. Work to create new processes that encourage the types of behaviors you want to see. Communicate often, seek their perspective, and ask follow-up questions that get them to challenge their current view. Help them to see things in a different way. Create opportunities for your managers to work in various work groups, if possible. A change in environment, if even for a short period of time, can allow for a much-needed perspective shift. Seeing things from another side of the business can be eye-opening and help them to see how their usual role, and that of their team, plays into the rest of the business.

Effective people managers serve as necessary ambassadors of engagement by including their teams in on projects and key initiatives. They ask for feedback often and incorporate team ideas whenever possible. These engagement boosting managers communicate in varied ways, both formally and informally. They are transparent in the sharing of information and critical decisions that directly impact the work of the team. They hold regular meetings to inform and create excitement around company initiatives. They meet individually to coach and motivate the members of their teams in ways most meaningful to the individuals themselves.

Be Generous with Your “Thank You’s”

Showing gratitude to your team is one of the better ways to create a sense of belonging and value. A simple thank you can go a long way, and, if you want it to go even further, be specific. Rather than, “Thanks for the hard work this week, John” you might instead think of one or two specific things John did to make a difference. It might sound more like, “John, I want to thank you for staying late on Tuesday. By you helping to process that order before opening of business on Wednesday, you directly impacted our overall sales and we beat plan! Thank you so much!”

John may smile and shrug it off as no big deal, however, your direct and specific thank you can have lasting positive effects for John as well as the organization. John likely feels seen, valued, and appreciated. Sincere appreciation shows a sign of respect. Because John feels appreciated and respected, he may be more inclined to share an idea or a solution to a problem he has noticed. He may also speak highly of his workplace and encourage friends and family to apply. These types of responses are direct examples of behavior from an engaged employee.

The Ripple Effect

The ripple effects of an engaged employee can be seen for miles. Happy employees have less performance and attendance issues. They are engaged and committed to the work they do every day. They enjoy the value they bring and feel appreciated for their efforts. Happy and engaged employees mean less money spent having to replace the unhappy ones.

Happy customers are made because of happy employees. A happy customer will stay loyal to a company because of its service and the people they have representing it. Happy customers make for repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals. Engaged employees often create engaged and loyal customers who are interested in your business and want to see it succeed.

Creating a positive work culture means there is a focus on including and involving people-both customers and employees alike. By bringing people together in a way that allows them to truly see a human side to the business, organizations build valuable and lasting connections. Appreciation, communication, and recognition, are key components to boosting engagement, and therefore, creating a culture that people want to be a part of.

Do you need help finding manager candidates who understand how to assist with building employee engagement? Call us. We have management candidates from a variety of industries who just may be exactly what your organization needs. Call your local Hire Up office. We can help.

——–

References:

(PDF) THE EVOLUTION OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT: A UNIQUE CONSTRUCT | TJPRC Publication – Academia.edu

HR’s Holy Grail: The Engaged Employee (shrm.org)

Rebecca Kirkman | President | June 28, 2021

Rebecca Kirkman is the President and Founder of Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services. Rebecca’s mission is as simple today as it was when she started Hire Up over 10 years ago: Connecting great Employers with great Employees. Hire Up leads job seekers to their dream careers and employers to their dream team. The true belief in the human connection and that people hire people is a true passion for every Hire Up employee. Rebecca was proudly named the #1 Woman-Owned Business by The Business Journal.

The Power of Your Thinking

Leah Perez

VP of Major Accounts

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

June 9, 2021

Have you ever woken up late for work because your alarm failed to go off? Have you noticed how these mornings are often the ones where everything seems to go wrong? Why is that?

Could it be Murphy’s Law, “If something can go wrong, it will?” Or could it be the power of our thoughts? Could it be that when one thing goes wrong, we look for other ways to validate our original negative experience? It is as though we start to create a story in our own mind about this bad day. We might continue to construct this story through a collection of evidence to prove to ourselves that, yes, indeed, this is a terrible day.

While bad things can happen, it is important to remember that one single negative event does not always equal a bad day. Maintaining perspective is important to keeping a healthy outlook on our day because as days accumulate, they become our life.

Our thoughts matter.

“Whatever you hold in your mind on a consistent basis is exactly

what you will experience in your life.” Tony Robbins

The power of our thinking constructs our day-be it a good day or a bad one. Whatever it is, we think, we feel—and often what we feel, we believe.

If you recognize that your thoughts tend to wander toward the negative, you are in luck because there is power to acknowledge that. Recognizing your tendencies to ruminate in the negative allows an opportunity for some self-guided redirection. Not sure how to harness this power?

Here are a several ways to recenter, refocus, and restart:

Stay Present

In an article written by therapists at The Center for Growth, to stay in the moment, they advise, “take inventory of the details of your current moment. Let’s say you’re driving; where are you? How many cars are in front of you? What is your current speed? Is your window up or down? Are you listening to music? What song is currently playing? What’s the mood of the song?” Asking yourself a series of questions about your current environment helps you stay in the moment. You focus on the textures, objects, things around you that can help to ground you in your space.

Stop, Drop, and Roll

You may have learned this technique in elementary school for another reason, however, this phrase can be helpful in moments of stress. Changing tasks or environments can help you to think differently and get you out of your current headspace. STOP what you are doing; DROP that task for a bit and ROLL away from your desk for a few moments. Maybe take a walk, grab a cup of coffee. A temporary change of scenery might be just what you need for a renewed mental state.

Tap into Gratitude

A surefire way to stay positive is to stay connected to gratitude. Gratitude is that state of being thankful; it gets us thinking beyond our current list of predicaments and allows us to focus on the positive things in our lives. In an October 2020 article written for Healthline.com, Bethany Fulton shared, “There are many benefits of practicing gratitude, both mental and physical. Regular practice has been shown to have measurable positive effects on health.” Fulton’s article also shared information from a 2004 research review, “Stress lowers the immune system to potential bodily threats, whereas increased mental well-being can help your body fight off illness.”

Gratitude can be expressed in many ways. Within the work environment, it is good to express it verbally, thanking someone for their support on a project or helping you talk through a problem. You can also express your gratitude at work by simply sending an email that captures your appreciation. Go a step further and CC their direct supervisor, if appropriate.

On a personal level, gratitude can also be expressed independently in a gratitude journal or simply through routine mental practice.

Taking time to focus on gratitude shows strong mental hygiene and offers long-lasting positive effects.

Build in Daily Habits of Mindfulness

Create a routine for yourself; plan for a bit of time in the morning for scheduled peace and a way to center your mind. The practice of stillness can set a positive tone for the entire day. Some find peace in quiet time with coffee, others in prayer or meditation. YouTube is an excellent resource to find a guided meditation or relaxing and calming music you might enjoy.

You may find making this time difficult. An idea to ensure you are getting time to yourself is to simply set your alarm 15-20 minutes earlier. Sound questionable? Maybe try it for a week. See if you notice any changes in your overall attitude and stress level.

The director of the Institute for Mindful Leadership, Janice Marturano, suggests, “Be disciplined about this practice until it becomes a habit. And never underestimate the ripple effect of those small changes.”

Important Reminder:

A quote by Henry Ford is fitting to this topic, “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” The truth of the matter is even if you are not making a concentrated effort to stay positive and mindful, your thoughts still exist. This means the power of your thoughts is still in play, whether being used for the positive or the negative.

Our brains are intricate systems. However, when left on autopilot, they use previous experiences to interpret information. This means, when we are not actively working to be mindful, we are allowing our minds to retrace old pathways. This will allow for previous habits to take the lead. These old pathways may be paved with anxiety, worry, and stress.

Author, mentor and speaker, Judith Johnson published a 2014 article in the Huffington Post entitled, “Do You Know How Powerful Your Thoughts Are?” In this, she shared, “Neuroscientists use the term ‘neuroplasticity’ to refer to the fact that our brains have the ability to change our synaptic wiring, which is reflected in our point of view. Thus, we have the opportunity to intentionally change our thinking by forming new neural pathways that in turn, will change our experiences. We have the opportunity to be powerful creators of our own consciousness or to be passive heirs to the autopilot programming of our own history and external authorities.”

Think back to the caveman days. Thousands of years ago, fight or flight was necessary for survival. This survival response is hardwired in our brains. It is the brain’s way to protect us from what is perceived as a mental or physical stress or threat. It is the brain’s way of preparing us to either stay and fight or run to safety. While looming deadlines or waking up late may feel like we are being chased by a saber tooth tiger, we are not. It is our opportunity to not simply rely on our brain’s autopilot to take the lead. We, instead, can take control to recenter, refocus, and restart.

Autopilot is helpful for things like making a sandwich or brushing our teeth. However, not for living our lives. Think about how a series of days and weeks can create habits, and these habits turn into how we experience months and years. These months and years turn into our lives. Leaving our life in the hands of our brain’s caveman ways seems rather tragic.

With effort, we can work to overcome our previous ways of negative thinking. We can work to create new pathways in our brains. These new pathways will create new experiences for us, and these new experiences can lead to less stress, anxiety, and, more importantly, a more fulfilling life.

——–

Redirecting Your Negative and Anxious Thoughts – The Center for Growth (en-US)

The Benefits of Gratitude and How to Get Started (healthline.com)

15347530.pdf (nih.gov)

3 Ways to Jump-Start Your Day with Mindfulness Practices – Institute for Mindful Leadership

Do You Know How Powerful Your Thoughts Are? | HuffPost Life

Leah Perez | VP of Major Accounts | June 9th, 2021

As the Vice President of Major Accounts, Leah focuses on the national level clients. Leah has over 16 years of recruiting experience in various industries from medical/clinical to administrative/accounting, all of which has launched her to being one of the most well-respected staffing leaders in California. Clients and candidates would describe her as urgent, ethical, and most importantly she takes the time to understand her clients needs so she can properly assist them. Leah would love to speak with you so she can help your business reach new heights.

Are You Maximizing the Value of Your Staffing Agency?

Rebecca Kirkman

President

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services

April 19, 2021

Partnering with the right staffing agency can be a rewarding and life-changing relationship for job seekers and organizations, both big and small. To identify whether you are working with an agency that is right for you, you must first understand what you can expect from your agency partner and what you can prepare to bring to the table to make the most of the collaborative partnership. After all, the right agency represents your best interest, and they are only able to do that based upon what you share with them about your needs.

Have you partnered with an agency before? Are you curious about it? Follow this article for tips and tricks to getting the most from the relationship with your staffing agency.

For Job Seekers:

Maybe you are an experienced professional with a background in Accounting, Administration, Legal, Management, Medical, or Clinical. Perhaps you are in between jobs and looking for a little extra cash from a temporary assignment. It could be you are just starting out and looking for an entry-level position in an organization with which you can grow. Whichever your situation, partnering with a staffing agency is a great way to find employment with a reputable company.

Here are several things you can do to ensure you are getting the most from your first meeting with your staffing agency:

Identify your career goals: Know what types of jobs that most interest you.
Know the types of opportunities available with your staffing agency: Check out their job board and apply to those with which you are genuinely interested in working.
Update your resume: Research online to see how your current resume stacks up against others in your line of work. Do you not have a resume? Or the resume you do have has not been updated since the late 90s? No problem! Visit a site like fiver.com or Etsy, pay a few bucks for a downloadable resume and cover letter template that will allow your experience to shine within a professional format.
Brush up on your interview skills (ask for feedback): Practice with a friend or family member. Create a cheat sheet for yourself with which to practice. On your cheat sheet, identify professional highlights, particular challenges you were able to overcome and how, and ways in which your skills would complement the needs of the position with which you are applying. And, then PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Questions to help you identify what to expect: Create a list of questions for your recruiter. What does this specific employer value most? How can I make sure I stand out? Once placed, how will I be paid? What if I have questions about my benefits?

If you are a job seeker and interested in what a partnership with Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services can do for you, check out our job board, apply, and schedule an appointment with one of our recruiters. We are ready and able to help!

For Employers:

Whether your organization has worked with a staffing agency before or not, you may be surprised by the amount of support available to you when choosing the right one. It is important to ask questions and interview your agency, just as you would a high-level leadership candidate. Know about their history, their goals, and what they offer. Get a feeling for their ability to build and maintain relationships because the state of staffing for your organization’s future will likely depend upon those skills.

Know your agency.
1. Do your research and ask around.
2. Once you have contacted the agency, ask questions about:
  1. Current trends or recruiting challenges
  2. Specialized support
  3. Client satisfaction ratings
  4. Any guarantees they offer
  5. Morale and turnover of their worksite
  6. Placement testimonials
  7. Rate comparison vs. benefits offered
  8. Their expectations of you for a successful partnership

Of these items list above, clients of Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services are most likely familiar with our track record for client satisfaction and specialized support. They know the benefits of our Hire Guarantee, wherein if an employee does not meet your expectations, we have a contingency plan in place to keep you happy and your business operating smoothly.

KNOW the support services your agency provides:

Do they specialize in staffing for specific industries?
1. What other clients do they currently represent?
2. What does their background processing consist of, and how do they do it?
3. Do they conduct onsite drug screening? What do they test for?
4. How is payroll handled?
5. How is onboarding handled?
6. Do they offer Recruiting, Hiring Consulting, and Guidance?
7. Will you have direct contact with your agency?
8. What other services do they offer? (Employee Screening, Payroll, HR Consulting, On-Site Opportunities)
Communicate often with your staffing agency.
Your agency team has a wealth of knowledge within multiple industries and maintains connections around the country.
1. If you are not sure, ask. If they don’t know the answer, your agency should have connections to finding the information you need.
Unsure about what type of employee you are looking for? ASK about the different types of employment relationships your agency offers:
1. Contract to hire
2. Temporary
3. Temporary to hire
4. Payrolling
5. Full time
6. Executive placement
7. Industry-specific specialty positions
Assess your needs:
1. What types of candidates are you looking for?
2. Be direct about your needs and job placement priorities.
Put your best foot forward:
1. Sell your company to the agency so that they can help sell you to potential employees.
2. Market with the strengths of your organization and have a plan to continue to strive to be an employer of choice. (For more information on this topic, check out Creating a Workplace of Choice.).
Post-Placement-Stay Connected:
1. Once a placement is made-stay connected, let your agency know what is working and what is not.
2. Be honest and direct with your observations, concerns, questions. Your agency wants you to be happy with the placement. If there are any hesitations, share them!

Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services offers many ways to hire, and they are varied based upon the needs of your specific business. Be it temporary staffing for an immediate need; temp to hire used to test a candidate’s capabilities before permanently hired; direct hire allows for the recruitment of candidates for higher-level or more specialized positions; payrolling allows an employer an opportunity for a trial period with an employee and avoids immediately hiring a new employee directly by using a staffing service. There are countless ways in which to start a candidate.

If you are working for an organization that you believe may benefit from learning more about what a staffing agency can do, visit our website and give us a call. We would love the opportunity to share more about the many things we offer our valued clients, as well as learn about how we can begin helping you find solutions to your staffing needs TODAY!

——–

There is no doubt that 2021 will bring forth opportunities to leverage new and emerging employment trends. Follow the Hire Up Staffing & Healthcare Services Blog to stay connected with a variety of topics aimed to help support you! Whether you are an active job seeker looking for tips and tricks to land your perfect job or an employer looking to fill a challenging position, we are here to help you HIRE UP!

Rebecca Kirkman, President | April 19th, 2021