Sarah Bonow, Celebrity Staff Operations Manager, after completing her first half marathon in Lincoln, Neb. on May 2.

For this employee, remaining active is a way of life. Sarah Bonow, who is the Operations Manager of Celebrity Staff, likes to stay active by participating in group fitness classes at her gym, walking with friends, and also running. Like many people, Sarah has a hectic schedule so it can be difficult to find time to fit in her fitness.

“I have to just make time. Some weeks are easier than others, and I have to turn down a lot of happy hours, but I feel so much better for it,” Sarah says.  She also recommends finding the time of day that best works for you. For her, evenings work best and give her a chance to clear her mind and de-stress from the day.

Everyone has his or her own personal reason for staying active. For Sarah, it’s the feeling she gets when finished. “I believe I’m a lot easier to be around when I have worked out. It’s a great stress reliever, increases your endorphins, and just makes me more energetic.”

On May 2 Sarah completed her very first half marathon. In the past she’s participated in several organized events, such as the Corporate Cup, Susan B. Komen Breast Cancer walk/run, and the Memorial Day Run at Boys Town; however this will be the longest organized run she’s completed. Running the 13.2 miles is a huge accomplishment because of all the sweat and dedication that went into training for it.

“Training is tough, like everything else, you are on a limited and busy schedule, the weather does not always cooperate and life gets in the way sometimes. Luckily, I have several friends also participating in the run and they keep me motivated to keep working,” Sarah said.

In fact, group fitness is one of Sarah’s favorite ways to stay in shape. She participates in free fitness classes through her gym membership at Lifetime Fitness. Some of her favorite classes include Total Conditioning, which is an interval class, Kickboxing and Dance Jam. She says the classes challenge her to work harder. With an instructor she feels she is able to not stress about what to do next, rather she just listens and reacts.

When asked about her summer plans for staying active, Sarah is most excited about yard work and mowing her lawn. “I love mowing because you get to be outside, getting something done and getting a little work out in at the same time!”

Top Ten Things NOT
to do/say in a meeting!

1. Stand up and act indignant. Demand that the boss tell you the ‘real’ reason
   this meeting has been called.
2. Spill coffee on the conference table. Produce a little paper boat and sail it
   down the table.
3. During a meeting, each time the boss makes an important point, (or at least
   one he/she seems to consider important), make a little inappropriate noise
   showing you disagree in the comment.
4. Stay behind as everyone else, including the boss, leaves. Thank them for
   coming.
5. Give a broad wink to someone else at the table. In time, wink at everyone.
   Sometimes shake your head just a little, as if to indicate that the speaker is
   slightly crazy and everybody knows it.
6. Arrange to have a poorly-dressed young woman with an infant quietly enter the
   meeting, stare directly at the (male) speaker for a while, burst into tears,
   then leave the room.
7. Bring a hand puppet, preferably an animal. Ask it to clarify difficult
   points.
8. When there is a call for questions, lean back in your chair, prop your feet
   up on the table, smile contentedly, and say, “Well, here’s the way I see it,
   J.B…” (or any other impressive-sounding initials that are not actually your
   boss’s.)
9. Complain loudly that your neighbor won’t stop touching you. Demand that the
   boss make him/her stop doing it.
10. Bring a small mountain of computer printouts to the meeting. If possible,
    include some old-fashioned fanfold paper for dramatic effect. Every time the
    speaker makes a point, pretend to check it in one of the printouts. Pretend to
    find substantiating evidence there. Nod vigorously, and say “uh-huh, uh-huh!”

Should you sell yourself at work? If you want to move up the corporate ladder and get noticed, then yes you should.

At the end of the day, we’re all salespeople no matter what job we do and in virtually all aspects of our life. We sell ourselves to potential employers, potential customers, potential significant others, and potential friends.

Selling yourself simply refers to showing others what you are capable of and promoting your skills and worth to others. In a work context, selling yourself could refer to letting your peers and superiors know about your skills and the reasons why you exist in the company.

If you work for a large company where it’s easy to get lost, the importance of some degree of self-promotion becomes even more important if you expect to get noticed by higher ups.

Do you work with people where you wonder exactly what that person does for the company? What purpose do they serve and would anyone notice if they stopped showing up to work? Learning how to market yourself is the best way to ensure you don’t become one of these people.

Here are a few suggestions to help you get noticed and to sell yourself at work:

Speak up in meetings
Obviously you don’t want to just speak for the sake of speaking, but how many times do you attend a meeting where you say nothing and let others do all the talking? Contributing during meetings is a great way to sell yourself and to get noticed by others. If you have something to say, say it. Not saying anything and not getting involved in meetings can be misconstrued by others as proof of indifference on your part.

Check out the Top Ten List of things NOT to do in a meeting. 

Get to know people in other parts of the company
I once worked for a company with more than 5,000 employees on payroll. It was easy to get lost in the shuffle and it took me awhile to get to know people and for them to know me. That changed when I was nominated to work on a project that involved several other departments.

Pretty soon, I had people from departments I’d never heard of contacting me to discuss my work and to learn more about what I was doing. I very quickly started to get known in parts of the company that would never have known me if not for me being nominated for this project.

Moral of the story: Look for ways you can nominate yourself for projects that will get your name known in other parts of the company.

Offer to work on a project or task that no one else wants to do
I once worked on a project that no one else wanted to do, a project that several other people had already tried and failed completing. I started working on the project and quickly managed to push it farther than anyone else had in the previous three years and received a great deal of praise from superiors because of it. I also got to know people in other parts of my company and they got to know me, too.

The best part of this task was that even if it had have failed, it probably wouldn’t have looked bad on me because several others had already tried and failed, too. Succeeding where others have failed is a great way to sell yourself!

Make sure you get credit when credit is deserved
Ensure that you market yourself with the work that you send to others. Your work shouldn’t come from an anonymous source. Ensure that your reports show that you wrote them and when possible make sure your boss (and their boss if possible) see what you are doing. There is no better way to sell yourself than by consistently completing good work but no one will know it’s from you unless you tell them.

Grete Ruder, Celebrity Staff Recruiter

About Grete Ruder

Grete joined Celebrity Staff in 2005 and has helped build its Kansas City office from the ground up. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas, has served as Chamber Champion for the KC Chamber of Commerce for two years, and has completed numerous training sessions on professional cover letter and resume writing.

We can all agree that the bottom line to a company’s success depends on the caliber of its employees, right? So, the number one priority in hiring is getting the most qualified candidate in the job for all parties involved. Or is it? 

Well, let’s see. There’s the process, the precedence, the principle, the budget, an existing relationship, a contract, a pricing agreement, and a dozen other factors that are often thrust into a hiring decision. Everyone involved should have the same end result in mind, but unfortunately, the more people involved in the hiring process, the more factors there are convoluting the simple concept of hiring the best person for the job.

We all hope we won’t soon need an attorney, a doctor, a pharmacist, or even a plumber, all of which are absolutely necessary professional services. Similarly, HR professionals hope they won’t need to outsource recruiting functions. Many HR professionals view staffing services and headhunters as “a necessary evil”.  Why outsource a search you can handle on your own at no additional cost? (Coming soon: The Fallacy of “No Additional Cost” Recruiting)   

Outsourced recruiters are absolutely necessary and having a relationship in place with the best recruiters in your niche is essential even if you don’t think you will ever need one. Let me explain. Take insurance, for example. We all hope to not rely on life insurance, but, if we’re smart, we buy it. We make the payments month after month just in case we ever need it. It’s a harmonious business relationship. Your insurance agent wants to sell you adequate coverage for your family needs and you want to buy it to protect your family.  This is the kind of business relationship we all want. Much like everyone should have insurance, everyone involved in the hiring process should have or develop a relationship with a recruiter, someone you trust in your niche.

The challenge in recruiting, though, is that on the surface we all have different perspectives and objectives.

HR professionals generally believe that centralizing the hiring process will streamline and create efficiencies thus controlling expenditures. They believe that managing the entire process and limiting vendor relationships will increase buying power and, once again, reduce overall costs. They’re right.

Hiring managers generally place less importance on the existing process or the existing agreement thus creating more options for themselves. They believe that maintaining control and developing their own relationship with headhunters and recruiters will result in better service and increased quality. And, they’re right.

Recruiters want to make a placement. Bottom line. But, make no mistake; good recruiters only want to make solid placements that will result in future business and referrals. Recruiters believe they will perform better if they have direct access to hiring managers. They desire to go direct to the source to see body language or hear emotion, which can paint pictures that words cannot replace. Recruiters feel that, much like the telephone game, essential information is lost in translation when they’re required to work through HR or any mediator. They, too, are right.

So, how can all three be right?

All three parties may be viewing the situation from a different vantage point, but all three ultimately have the same end result in mind – hiring the right person the first time. 

It is possible for all three parties in this relationship triangle to have his or her objectives met when all three keep the end goal in mind. None of the other factors aforementioned, such as a streamlined process or an existing contract, for example, should ever become a priority over hiring the best candidate.

HR professionals should absolutely take the necessary steps to streamline wherever possible. However, if Recruiter A is a preferred vendor but fails to produce the candidate you need, turn to Recruiter B. HR has a responsibility to manage costs. However, if the budget for hiring the department manager would be stretched to its limit with the recruiter’s fee, but the candidate presented is the best option, the budget should be secondary. Resistance to outsourcing is expected by HR, but refusal to outsource in the right circumstances can be an even more costly decision.

Hiring managers have the unique challenge of respecting and following the systems and processes in place while, at the same time, ensuring they have the most appropriate key players. Processes are important yet hiring the right person is critical. Similarly, when the hiring manager holds an established relationship with his or her own trusted recruiting source, one which differs from the preferred source of HR, he or she should be at liberty to tap into that resource with the intention of introducing all parties to one another. Furthermore, the hiring manager should be receptive to the resources HR has identified. Everyone involved, all the while, must ensure that hiring the best person remains the priority.

Recruiters who choose to partner with a company that has adopted a centralized system should absolutely involve HR at all stages of the recruiting process. The key word here is “involve”. Direct communication should never be removed. The vendor and the end user must work together to experience a truly successful partnership.  There are a number of communication mediums that can involve all interested parties to eliminate second hand messages or misinformation such as joint meetings, conference calls, e-mails, etc. Recruiters need feedback directly “from the horse’s mouth.” The emotion, the emphatic tone, the excitement or even the frustration can sometimes convey more meaning than the words themselves. Direct communication between the recruiter and the hiring manager is imperative but both must, when asked, keep HR involved throughout.

Though each party in this three-way relationship may approach the process of hiring from a different point of view, the trade-off for a bit of compromise and a sincere effort toward collaborative teamwork, as outlined above, is that everybody wins.  

So, is three really a crowd? Can the chime of the hiring triangle ring in harmony? With synchronized objectives of hiring the highest caliber of candidates into the right roles, it’s safe to assume each member of the “ménage a trios” of recruiting are sure to have a gratifying experience.

Monica Fuehrer, Celebrity Staff Account Manager

About Monica Fuehrer, Account Manager

Monica has worked for Celebrity Staff since 2000 having held a number of positions in business development, recruiting, and leadership roles encompassing internal staff development and training. Currently, Monica is a trailblazer in the attorney placement niche. In 2008, Monica was recognized by the Midlands Business Journal as a 40 Under 40 Business Leader in Omaha. She is the Co-Chair for the Media Relations Committee with the Human Resource Association of the Midlands and is also the Chairperson of the Board for Outlook Nebraska, Inc., a nonprofit with a mission to employ the blind and visually impaired. Off the clock Monica enjoys cooking, reading, music, and creating fun with her husband and two children.

I’m sure that like many of you, the man in the commercial prepared tirelessly for his big interview, ironing his shirt, researching his potential employer, rehearsing answers for common interview questions, and a host of other tasks. However, his preparation was for naught when he accidentally dribbled coffee on his shirt. While the commercial depicts a comical representation of a typical interview, I feel that it is a stunning example of how sometimes it’s not the glaringly obvious faux pas that can cause an interviewer to form a negative opinion of a candidate, but sometimes it’s the “little things” that contribute to a negative first impression.

After working in the recruiting industry for four years, I have learned a lot about myself as an interviewer. The biggest, and perhaps most shocking personal quality that I have uncovered is that I judge candidates based on their physical appearance. Yes, I said it!  I may be doing it consciously, but I may not. We live in a superficial society and whether we would like to admit it or not, individuals are judged on their outward appearance. Now, I hire individuals for administrative, marketing, and management roles, not for entertainment or modeling purposes. I am not judging people as if they were in a modeling contest, but on the basis of how their appearance and work performance correlate. I am also not judging them in the moral sense of the word. I’m sure some of the scruffiest people have hearts of gold. But at the end of the day, when you are programmed, like I am, to make decisions quickly about the suitability of a candidate for a particular role, the most easily observed criteria often play a large part in my evaluation.

I’m not alone! In fact, major findings by the Job Center of Wisconsin concluded that:

• 95 percent of the employers interviewed said a jobseeker’s personal appearance affected the employer’s opinion of that applicant’s suitability of the job.
• 91 percent said they believed dress and grooming reflected the applicant’s attitude toward the company.
• 61 percent said dress and grooming had an effect on subsequent promotion as well.

“It takes only three to five seconds to make a first impression, but it can take a whole career to undo it,” says Dana May Casperson, author of Power Etiquette: What You Don’t Know Can Kill Your Career.

When preparing a candidate to interview for a job, the biggest piece of advice I can give them is to prepare oneself knowing that the interviewer has perception biases.  For example, my dad believes that all individuals with tattoos or multiple piercings are lazy and untrustworthy.  If my dad were to interview a tattooed candidate, he would not be able to look past the surface exterior of the candidate. He may ask the perspective candidate a series of 20 questions and if one answer semi-matches his perception (all tattooed individuals are lazy) he would automatically think “Aha! I knew I was right about you!” and therefore decide not to hire that candidate. 

While Tide may have not won me over as a customer, they have made me more conscience of the “little things”.  I find myself looking closer in the mirror for stains, wrinkles, or anything else that might do the “talking” for me.  The old philosophy of hiring the most qualified candidate is long-gone. Now, it seems, the qualified candidate who makes the most of their first impression gets the offer.      

Grete Ruder, Celebrity Staff Recruiter

About Grete Ruder
Grete joined Celebrity Staff in 2005 and has helped build its Kansas City office from the ground up. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Kansas, has served as Chamber Champion for the KC Chamber of Commerce for two years, and has completed numerous training sessions on professional cover letter and resume writing.

1. Pack Like a Professional
Be prepared with extra copies of your resume, examples of your work, and something to write with. Even if you have already submitted your resume online (and they obviously got it, hence the interview), having hard copies is crucial-especially if you’re interviewing with more than one person.

2. Know the Dress Code
There’s a really cheesy saying that holds true about how to dress for a job interview: dress to impress. If you walk into an interview in dirty khakis and a wrinkled shirt, you’ve already lost the opportunity. No matter what the job is, when you look in the mirror, two words need to come to mind: neat and clean. So, unless you are applying somewhere very casual, wear a suit. You can always dress it down with a colorful top or a funky piece of jewelry for a more business-casual setting. Just be sure to stay away from anything low-cut or too form fitting.

3. Be on Time
Walk in late and you might as well walk back to your car. Nothing screams “irresponsible” more than a tardy arrival, and employers won’t take lightly to you wasting their time. Eliminate any risk of being late by printing directions the night before and you might consider taking a test drive to the location, plugging the route into your GPS, and leaving with plenty of spare time for wrong turns or gridlock.

4. Kill ’em with Confidence
You don’t want to act like you own the place, but smiling and making eye contact with your interviewer will show that you believe in yourself and your abilities and that you’ve got poise. Put out vibes that say, “I’m the perfect person for this job.”

5. Give Straight Answers
Almost every interviewer will ask you to tell them one of your weaknesses. Don’t make the mistake of saying that you work too hard. Instead, be self-aware enough to notice a fault, and follow with how you’ve been working to overcome the challenge.

6. Do your Research
Before you show up on the steps of your future employer’s place of business, you must recognize an important element of a job interview: the wooing. You must impress the interviewer with your knowledge about the company and the industry. After all, they’ll have loads of information about you, so don’t you think you should even the score? Gather as much information on the company as you can. First and foremost, check out the company Web site. This will give you a good overview of the company’s philosophy, earning power, and the power players in the office. You can also research major newspaper sites to see how the company is fairing in the media. 

7. Know the Next Step
You’ll save yourself a lot of time and stress checking your voicemails and inbox by asking the interviewer what the next steps are and when they might occur. It will also help you plan when to follow up.

8. Leave with Business Cards
After each interview, request a business card from whomever you meet. Write a thank-you note (or e-mail if the position is being filled quickly) reiterating your interest in the job, and be sure to send it off as soon as possible.

9. Avoid Stalker Tendencies
Sure, you haven’t thought about much besides the interview since it happened, but remember that not everything revolves around you. Call to follow up, but if they say they’re making a decision by Friday, resist the urge to pick up the phone at 4 p.m. that day. Stuff happens – people get sick or busy or have to deal with a sudden hold in the hiring process. So chill out.

10. Don’t burn bridges
If by some crazy chance you don’t get the gig, avoid slamming down the phone. Instead, express your appreciation that they considered you and ask that they keep you in mind for openings down the road.

The information above isn’t new or groundbreaking.  However, everyone can collect great benefit from reviewing these easy tips. In a market this competitive, be assured that any edge you have over candidates has great possibility to catapult you above the rest. With endless possibilities, comes great opportunities. As Emily Dickson would say, “I dwell in possibility.” 

Molly Hallgren, Celebrity Staff Recruiter

About Molly

Molly Hallgren has worked as a Recruiter with Celebrity Staff since August of 2009.  Molly searches for top talent by networking, sourcing, and referrals. In previous positions, she has managed marketing activity for a national N.P.O. and directed corporate salon sales for a Nebraska distributor. She also writes movie reviews for a radio station in Chicago and enjoys sharing her critiques on air. Originally from Cleveland, OH, Molly graduated with a B.B.A in Marketing and Communication. Outside of work she enjoys basketball, bike riding, and road trips.

Increased temporary work!  As business demands increase, companies will utilize temporary staff before hiring full time employees. The use of temporary employees will enable businesses to evaluate workload increases, and can help determine where full time employees are needed versus a short-term business spike.

According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, temporary staffing companies added more than 44,000 temporary jobs since July with plans to keep them long-term if the economy continues to improve. Temporary work also brings new opportunities for those who are in between jobs as a way to refresh resumes and gain new skills.

Midwest states reported good news!  Moody’sEconomy.com as reported on Stateline.com reports that Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and other Midwest states are showing indications of economic stabilization and even recovery, based on factors such as employment rates, home prices, residential construction and manufacturing production figures.

We went shopping!  Boosted by car sales, retailers posted their second consecutive gain in sales in October after more than a year of declines, according to an article in USA Today . Spending means more consumer confidence!

More first-time home buyers! USA Today  also reports that first-time buyers accounted for a record 47 percent of U.S. home sales between July 2008 and June this year, up from 41 percent in the prior-year period, according to the survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors.  A second report indicates that home prices are expected to rise next year.  

Just as the housing bubble burst helped to create the current economic situation, the effects of a positive shift in the housing market will eventually help to produce improvements elsewhere.

In addition to the all the personal joys we have to be thankful for, this is just a handful of the good news we have to rejoice in this holiday season. Molly H., a recruiter for Celebrity Staff Lincoln, shared with me the words of Mr. Bing Crosby, whose 1964 holiday classic Holiday Inn, illustrates not only his dynamic voice, but also his celebration of Thanksgiving.

I’ve got plenty to be thankful for
I haven’t got
A great big yacht
To sail from shore to shore
Still I’ve got plenty to be thankful for

Do you have other signs of good news? Please share them with us so we may all enter the holiday season with thoughts of a rebounding economy and visions of a prosperous 2010!

Patty North, Celebrity Staff Regional Manager, CPC

About Patty North
 As the regional manager of Celebrity Staff, a leading staffing and recruitment firm, Patty North has assisted organizations across a four-state region with the development and implementation of best practice strategies in the areas of talent acquisition and talent management. Her collective insight and expertise on workforce planning, garnered from her 15 years in the staffing industry, has enabled clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations to improve performance and gain a competitive advantage in their respective markets. Celebrity Staff is based in Omaha, Nebraska with offices located in Lincoln, Nebraska and Kansas City, Missouri

Recognizing a disengaged employee should not be difficult if you are conducting regular reviews, staff meetings, or one-on-one meetings.  If someone is disengaged, chances are their work will show it and their peers may notice it. Gallup estimates that actively disengaged workers in the U.S. miss 118.3 million more work days per year than their actively engaged counter parts.

An employee who isn’t happy or challenged can have a negative effect on your business. They may be less likely to care about their job, or the quality of work they do. They’ll be more likely to do the minimum when it comes to expectations, and a disengaged employee could cost a great deal more than lost productivity, considering you’re still paying for their health insurance, workers compensation, safety costs, and more. A negative attitude could be evident to your customers and deter them from working with your company since customers do business with people they like and trust. A negative attitude will likely have an effect on employees as well.  You’ve heard the saying, ‘one rotten apple spoils the whole bunch!’  When someone is negative, they want others to be negative with them.  According to the Gallup Web site, after 30 years of in-depth research, disengaged employees is one of 12 core elements that link powerfully to the success of a business and customer loyalty. 

So why don’t these employees just quit? Good question. Maybe it’s because they are employed, receiving benefits, and up to this point, no one has said anything. 

What does this employee need to get reengaged?  What are your options as an employer when you have a disengaged employee?  The obvious option is termination. In which case, taking a proactive approach and sourcing a potential replacement for a seamless transition would be a benefit to your company. Before you take action, you need to determine if this employee is not only low performing, but is low potential, or low performing, but has high potential. As an alternative to termination, a sometimes less preferred option is coaching the employee through the behavioral issue.

Often when an employee is not performing to expectations or misses too much work, an employer chooses to terminate. I personally worked with a company, Client A, which claimed they didn’t have time to coach and train. Not only was time a factor, but their resources were also limited. They had never coached through a problem before and this employer told me they would rather have a ‘revolving door’ then spend time training someone who cannot do the job after a couple days of training.  What if Client A had a partner, a resource to reach out to and partner with as concerns came up about an employee?  There are a variety of options for good partners, such as consultants or staffing services. Most staffing services provide a contract-to- program where an employee is on the service’s payroll for a predetermined amount of time. As the client, this allows you to evaluate performance, and when you have concerns on performance, attendance, or attitude, you work with the staffing firm as they communicate with the employee on your behalf.  If nothing changes with the employee after the coaching, the result, termination, is something the service will handle for you. The risk lays with the service.

Coaching through a problem with an employee can be time consuming; but coaching an employee to greatness has amazing rewards. Set a goal for yourself to step up to the challenge and motivate your employee to better him or herself.  If an employee doesn’t seem to be motivated, give them a special project, ask for their personal input on situations, or allow them to take part in a new employee’s training. If they are having trouble getting to work on time, or taking an excessive amount of days off, sit down with them and open the lines of communication. For example, “You’ve been here for six months, and in the last 2 months you’ve been late four times, and missed five days of work. How do you feel about your attendance? Does it concern you?”  Put the ball in their court. Find out what has changed. Ask how you can help. By creating a discussion, versus a dictation, you may find the reason behind the attendance troubles. If the employee is simply not performing, do your homework.  Put some statistics together on their goals, and where they line up in relation to those goals. Giving them a visual could bring things into perspective. Try pulling the same stats for one of their peers (ideally someone who is performing at or above your expectation) and without saying who it is, show them the comparison. Inform them this is concerning. Ask them, “What can I be doing to help you?”  Before you dismiss them from that meeting, both you and the employee need to have a clear understanding of what’s going to happen next. Set goals, and most importantly, a clear timeline for those goals to be achieved. Set up a follow-up meeting 1/3 of the way through the timeline to evaluate their progress and again ask if there is anything you can do. By meeting with them throughout the improvement process, you are being a ‘coach’. Offer up suggestions; partner them up with your top performer for a weekly morning meeting before the day kicks off. Your employee may feel more comfortable sharing their concerns or hesitations with a peer than with you. Don’t let that bother you, embrace it. While coaching one employee, you are motivating and developing another to take on new leadership skills.

As you go through the coaching process, being proactive and sourcing a potential replacement would still be a good idea in case termination is still necessary. If you source on your own, be sure to keep the search confidential. Use an anonymous email address, keep company specifics out of the ad, and don’t advertise the company phone or fax number. If someone with the company catches wind you are searching and tells everyone, your employee who is being coached could give up because they feel like you gave up on them. To keep the search confidential, consider contacting a staffing service.  It would most beneficial to use a service that specializes in the niche for the position you are hiring.  Communicate your current situation to them, inform them of your timeline, and the service will identify candidates based on your target skill set and salary range. They will refer select individuals’ profiles for your review and when it is time for the interview, its best to schedule those offsite. My firm, Celebrity Staff, allows our clients to use the conference rooms to interview candidates for confidential or open searches.  Another suggestion is to meet at coffee shops, bookstore bistros, or other common meeting places that have a moderate to low volume level. Try making sure they are not locations frequented by your employees.

According to the Gallup Web site about employee engagement, research showed that engaged employees were more profitable, focused more on their customers, and were more productive. In the end, choosing to coach and motivate a disengaged employee who has high potential will contribute toward a healthy work environment.  A healthy work environment will lead to long term financial benefits for the company.

Erin Reitsma, Celebrity Staff, Account Manager

About Erin

Erin Reitsma has worked for Celebrity Staff since January 2006 in a business development role. She builds relationships with companies of all sizes in the metro area that are looking for talent in the administrative, operations, sales, marketing and management areas. She recruits talent through cold call sourcing, networking, and referrals. In 2008, Erin was promoted to sales manager where she took on the role of hiring and training internal sales staff to achieve growth within the branch. Erin earned 2008’s President’s Club Award, the highest sales-related honor that a Celebrity employee may achieve. Originally from Sioux Falls, SD, Erin stays busy with kids activities, traveling and enjoying anything that allows her to be creative or active.

Although unemployment benefits vary from state to state, the unemployed are eligible to file for unemployment immediately after leaving a company. Depending on the state, unemployed can qualify for benefits any where from 14-30 weeks earning $15.00 to $400.00 per week, based on their previous earnings, so long as they can prove that they are actively seeking a new position. You can apply for extended benefits to go beyond 30 weeks in certain circumstances. As a company, your costs can add up quickly and continue for months. Of course the benefits are in place for those great employees who are swept up in a downsizing, or those individuals who have given their all, but the position is clearly not the right match. But what about those poor performing, negative and even insubordinate employees? Or employees who that have chosen to stay at home or try a new career? These are the instances where you need to protect your firm and fight for your rights.

The three most important things to remember when protecting your firm from unemployment liabilities are documentation, documentation, and, yes, documentation. With nearly 10 years of experience working with clients and employees alike, I’ve found that creating and distributing a thorough employee guide, citing incidences, and requiring a resignation letter, all need to be considered in order to protect your company from unemployment liabilities.

Let’s start with employment guides. Create a thorough employee guide to provide to each employee at the time of hire. This guide should be clear about the expectations that you have of your employees, from their attendance in the workplace, the attitude that they have in the office and with clients, to dress code and cell phone/Internet usage policies. Have each employee complete a signature of receipt of the employee guide, notating that they have received, understood and agree to abide by the terms. If you are put in a position to release an employee due to a violation of the employee guide, you can include the employee guide and signature of receipt in the packet of information you will send to the unemployment office. If the employee directly violated the employee guide, you will have evidence that the policy was known, and therefore an acceptable reason to terminate occurred.

Secondly, citing all incidents is vital. Think you will remember each time that employee was late or called in “sick”? Do you think you will remember the dates in which you caught your salesperson surfing the Web instead of digging for prospects? How about each time that employee uses foul language or acts inappropriately or not in accordance with your firm’s employee guide standards? Unfortunately with business demands today, the answer is probably not. It is increasingly important that each employee has a physical and electronic file with data regarding their performance, attitude and attendance.

Along with documentation of events, make sure that you document your efforts and what steps you have taken as an employer to let the employee in question know that their performance is unacceptable. Establish a system of verbal and written warnings, letting the employee know that future incidents of this nature will result in further disciplinary action, leading up to and including termination. Make sure that your efforts are timely, factual, and that you have a signature from your employee notating that they understand what is expected of them, and know that it is in their hands to make the required improvements. In the event that the frowned upon behavior continues, again, focus on timely execution of your system. Please note that if you have warned an employee for their attendance, you cannot terminate them for Internet usage. You must execute a separate disciplinary action process for new undesirable behaviors that arise. Should you be in a position to have to terminate your employee, you can simply provide your documentation, including written warning forms with signatures to the unemployment office and avoid a “he said, she said” battle of wills.

Finally, the importance of resignation letters needs to be addressed. Unfortunately, even the best companies have people leave. Lives and priorities change, another firm may offer a more attractive compensation package, or your employee may have decided to head out on an adventure to see the world. Whatever the case, when an employee leaves his or her employment on their own volition, your firm is not liable. To quickly and easily protect your firm, simply ask that your employee submit a letter of resignation, indicating that they have chosen to sever ties with your company. This letter alone can be sent to the unemployment office and take away any liability on the part of your firm.

In addition to the resignation letter your firm can create a standard “Employee Separation Form” that each employee must complete and sign at the time of their exit interview. The Employee Separation Form indicates the reason the employee was terminated, for example, attendance, misconduct, position eliminated, or resignation. If it is a resignation, the employee will specify their reasoning for leaving the company, such as, relocation, company culture, employer expectations, or compensation. This not only releases you from liability, but also teaches you about your company and the environment you are providing to your employees. You may find patterns in the reasons employees are leaving, and you can adjust your policies or hiring processes accordingly. Finally, the form can include an acknowledgement statement for the employee to sign, signaling that they understand any existing privacy agreements and agree to abide by their terms, as well as, denote that they have no health conditions as a result of employment with your firm.

As a rule, protecting your assets can be an easy task as long as you stay organized and vigilant. Keep in mind that although unemployment liabilities and turnover can be a burden, you do have options! Many recruiting firms offer programs to relieve liability from your company until you are confident that the candidate is the right fit for your firm. Celebrity Staff offers payrolling services, temporary or contract workers, as well as a Match HireÒ program. For each of these options, Celebrity Staff will take on the burden of payroll, unemployment taxes and even benefits for the candidate. As the employer of record for the candidate, Celebrity Staff will also offering consulting on any employment-related issues, coaching, and disciplinary activities.

Although it can be difficult to lose an employee, hiring a replacement can bring many exciting things. New employees bring fresh ideas, new enthusiasm and vigor to help the company reach their goals.

About Sarah Bonow, Celebrity Staff Operations Manager

Sarah Bonow

Sarah B. has worked for Celebrity Staff since 2001. She was hired as an Administrative Assistant, and since then, she has been promoted several times to her current position of Operations Manager. Sarah assists in the management of both clients and prospective candidates while overseeing the day-to-day happenings at Celebrity. Sarah has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and is working toward a CPC. Off the clock she likes to run and is learning how to play golf.

Admin Day, formerly known as Professional Secretaries Day, was created by The International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP), formally called the National Secretaries Association, as an event to recognize the valuable contributions of office support staff and to encourage students to consider careers as administrative professionals.

A common misconception is that Administrative Professionals Week was started by greeting card manufactures and candy companies, when in reality the event was created by IAAP to recognize administrative professionals. Since 1952, the event is held annually during the last full week in April.

On the other hand, Law Day, an annual event always held on May 1, was established by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1958 as a day to honor the “national dedication to the principle of government under laws.” Marked with community events and academic programs hosted by state bar associations, the day is much more than a celebration of lawyers, but a day to recognize the role of courts in our democracy.

Each year the American Bar Association chooses a theme for Law Day. This year’s theme, A Legacy of Liberty, was chosen in honor of President Abraham Lincoln commemorating the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. Regarded by many as our nation’s greatest and most eloquent president, Lincoln devoted much of his adult life to the practice of law and was the quintessential American lawyer-president.

Celebrity Staff is privileged to work with qualified administrative and legal professionals and would like to once again thank those who help advance the profession of law and support our office and the offices of our client companies. We appreciate all the wonderful work you do each day.

Although extensive experience would typically bode well in a job search, in an economic downturn the job market is more competitive – there’s an influx of job seekers and fewer jobs to be had. Over-qualified job seekers often fall into one of several categories in the minds of hiring managers.

• Out-of-work-and-will-take-any-job applicant: This senior job seeker is applying for a position at a lower skill level and can be seen as someone who will leave as soon as a better offer comes.
• The incompetent applicant: This job seeker worked at the same level for longer than they should and without giving a reason why s/he never sought a promotion. They could be seen as a liability.
• The over confident applicant: This job seeker, often older than the hiring manager, comes off as having way too many years experience and sounding as though s/he was responsible for every major accomplishment in the field.
• The over paid applicant: This job seeker was currently earning a significant amount more than the very top of the new position salary range and is seen as someone completely out of touch with reality.
• The over experienced applicant: This advanced job seeker has extensive experience, but wishes to return to a job with less responsibility. Without explanation s/he can be perceived as washed-up, burnt-out, or in the worst case, too old.

Combat each of these negative perceptions by adding a short statement to your job-search correspondence explaining exactly why you are seeking the position given your background. Perhaps you want to get back to doing what you enjoyed before being promoted to the next level or maybe you want to reduce your stress level at this juncture in your career. It is important to highlight why taking this step back is important to you and your overall job satisfaction, as well as what it means to prospective employers. You also want to simplify your resume focusing on skills mentioned in the job description and downplaying experience in other areas.

Be prepared and have a strategy to address the claim that you are overqualified and may get bored with the position. Rather than saying you are willing to take anything in this economy, highlight how your experience will make you an asset to the company and when the economy starts to turn around, you look forward to being able to contribute further to the growth of their organization by taking on more responsibilities. Show what you can do for the organization both now and in the future with your skills, industry knowledge, and enthusiasm.

Take salary off the table by making it clear that you are flexible about compensation. If asked if you will accept a decrease in salary, focus on the positive by saying that you are willing to take a pay cut in exchange for other benefits, such as working for a strong, stable company, a great work environment, flexibility, or the opportunity to learn new skills. You can also focus on ways in which you can save the employer money by helping to mentor less experienced workers which, in turn, will help the organization with retention and their overall succession plan.

Calling attention to loyalty when you have longevity with a past employer is a great way to show future employers that you are reliable and are not going to leave as soon as a better opportunity presents itself. Let them know you are interested in learning the business and contributing your knowledge to their organization.

Illustrate how you are the perfect candidate for the position by keeping a positive attitude, having enthusiasm and showcasing your skills without overwhelming the hiring manager with your experience, or your ego. Sell yourself, but also let your network speak for you. Nothing could be as strong as a positive recommendation from someone who knows you well.

If you feel the hiring manager still has doubts ask directly what you can do to convince them that you are the best candidate for the job. And then, if you don’t get that job, use the response to enhance your presentation at your next interview.

Click here for a list of sample answers to the interview question, “Are you overqualified for this job?”

Click here for a list of additional tough interview questions you should be prepared to answer