Career & Recrutments News | Merry Targeted Staffing

ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT KEY WORDS TO GET YOUR RESUME NOTICED ON-LINE?

Merrystaffing August 25, 2016 0

Using key words that are common to the industry that you are interested in, will be caught by search engines and recruiters; Increasing the likelihood that your resume makes it through the first round of screening.

A good thing to do is search for positions that you are interested in and use the same words they use to describe the position- in your resume. Some software systems automatically notify recruiters when a resume comes in with all the right keywords. Keywords, also make it easier for recruiters to find appropriate candidates via resume search engines.

Keywords include job titles common to the industry or positions that you’re seeking, skill sets, certifications, licenses, location, degrees and high-profile companies. A Fortune 500 company or a distinguished university can light up an application. All the resumes I find through resume databases, are found by a key word search.

Keywords can be effective anywhere in a resume. Search engines don’t distinguish the location of the key words, just that they are in there.

This is not a guarantee that you will get the job. This will help you in getting your resume headed in the right direction. Follow up, don’t be passive. The person or small group of people get inundated with resumes on line. Call, make an appointment. Don’t wait to be contacted. Just keep in mind that when we post one job, we get hundreds of resumes showing up in our in box- but the people that call us directly, usually get the appointment.

HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT CAREER PATH?

Merrystaffing August 16, 2016 0

Choosing a career path can be a daunting task for anyone. How are you to know that the career path you chose, is the right one? Many will tell you to “follow your passion” or “do what you love,” but that is not an easy thing to do. Unless you are blessed being able to join the professional aspect of your favorite sport…or at least get a paycheck from a knowledge base you have, in what you are passionate in… you join the rest of the herd.

Choosing a career that makes you happy is a good start, but how can we know what that will be? There are more than a couple questions you can ask yourself that may guide you in the right direction:

What are you good at?

Make a list of your top10 Hard and Soft skills

Read them, adjust them if you have to… and research what Industries can utilize them

An interview question that I always ask: What does your perfect job look like to you? When does the work day start? How many hours are you working in a week? How many people are working with you, at your perfect job? Are you dressed casually, business casual or conservative? How far are you willing to travel?

This helps me determine; What shift: 1^st, 2^nd or 3^rd (you’d be surprised-we are not all day walkers), what size company, and believe it or not, dress can indicate if someone is in a creative group or a more stereotypical corporate environment.

Today, more so than ever, it seems that small business’ are the most appealing. General flexibility in employee schedules, great environments to learn new skills, a close knit group of people invested in the business and each other. Large companies offer, generally a higher salary or compensation packages, travel, joining the corporate “club.” Those are highly competitive and may be everything you are looking for! But until you start somewhere, you’re not going to know what is going to be just right for you.

I suggest that you relieve some of the pressure of finding the perfect career… just find a direction.

Do you want to be outside? In an office? Large? Small? You are the only one that knows financially what you can afford to work for, so determine what you can afford for compensation and start there. The next step is to see what jobs are available in your area. It may be discouraging that your perfect job isn’t going to jump out at you on Career Builder or Indeed, but keep your chin up and keep going. It takes time, sometimes years, to figure out what you perfect career is.

One solution could be utilizing a Staffing agency to help you. We have knowledge in a plethora of industries, some that you may not even know exist! We can offer you options that perhaps you hadn’t considered, because you didn’t know about them. I look at everyone that comes before my team and I, as an opportunity to help, in one facet or another.

It is important that you establish a work history with a bit of longevity, 2 plus years- per job. So try and chose your job based on the people that you will be working with… try and meet the team, before accepting the position. Make sure you can do the commute in seasonal months that may present inclement weather, and that you can afford the compensation to accept the job… Then go for it. It’s another step on your journey. You can always change the path you are on.

IS YOUR FEAR OF FAILURE HOLDING YOU BACK FROM SUCCESS?

Merrystaffing July 29, 2016 0

I recently read an article that addresses the emotionality, of the fear of failure. The fear of making a mistake that will forever mark you, letting others down, embarrassing yourself, being judged, or not performing to your potential…further proving that all your hard work has been for not. Our only innate fears, those that we are born with, some behavioral scientists say – are the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises… making the fear of failure “learned.”

Here are some true successes based on what one may see as failure… Thomas Edison, attempted to invent the light bulb over 10, 000 times and failed on every single try, accept the last one. He responded to a question as to why he continued his work, with ” I didn’t fail at all; I successfully found thousands of ways how not to make a light bulb” It really is about learning from what is not working and continuing to strive for what will and does work.

Michael Jordan was quoted as saying “I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I lost 300 games, and 26 times I was trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over again in my life, but that is WHY I succeeded.”

Identifying your fears and admitting that you are afraid will help you overcome them. Fear comes first, then courage.

Finding a road to success can be an easy and measurable process. The steps will be different for everyone, but the process is the same. Set well-defined, measurable & achievable short term goals. Focusing on the result that you are seeking to achieve, rather than the possibilities of the things that can go wrong.

Live in the present. Focus on making positive choices TODAY … If you know something doesn’t work and you feel like you are in a familiar situation, make the choice you have not made in the past. You may find you have a different, more positive result.

Remind yourself that you CAN achieve success. Not everyone is slated to be the president, but we can reach our true potential. With patience, self-confidence, hard work and perseverance- You can be successful!

IS IT REALLY AN 8-HOUR WORK DAY?

Merrystaffing July 28, 2016 0

According to a survey administered by career builder, the majority feel it’s a thing of the past!

The traditional 8-hour day has seemed to be over taken by flex time and technological innovations that allow work to come home with you. What made us think that an 8-hour day was the most productive anyway?

Let’s get the history: In the late 18^th century during the industrial revolution, factories were utilizing a single work force 16 hours a day. These were not sustainable hours for any employee under most work environment conditions. Robert Owen- started a campaign “Eight hour labour, eight hours recreation, eight hours rest.” So there we have it, the birth of the eight-hour day…

Interestingly enough, Ford Motor company was the first to adopt the idea. The result of this was that their productivity doubled along with their profit margins…with their staggering results, they encouraged other manufacturing companies to look at their productivity model and adjust the average work day.

Fast forward 100 + years and we are once again addressing the length of the work day. Now we say Work Smarter- Not Harder. Well what does that mean? Manage energy not your time… according to the famous author Tony Schwartz. According to him, humans have 4 different types of energy: Physical, Emotional, Mental & Spiritual – Ultraradian Cycles.

Basically we can focus for 90-120 minutes at a time. Then we need to shift our focus onto something different for 20-30 minutes. Well that is great if you can do that… but most of us can’t. Instead, with today’s technology-people are taking their work home, to the gym, to wherever they have service. The dis-advantage to this, is you may be doing less during your work hours because you can fall back on doing it “later.” Then the harmonious balance between work and personal is disrupted. Unless you are in a job- where you have an awesome boss that offers you leniency when you need to take personal time to off-set the after hour work time…you are not in a good spot.

I personally believe that we are the most productive and are reaching or truest potential when we have reached a balance in all aspects of our life. Work needs to stay with work and personal needs to stay with personal. Balance IS being the most productive. Creating balance IS working Smarter, Not Harder. Don’t bring your work home with you, I am sure that there are loved ones that need your undivided attention…and on the flip side- personal issues don’t need to come to the office

Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills – What’s the difference?

Merrystaffing July 14, 2016 0

You may ask yourself… is one more important than the other? Companies today are placing emphasis

on both. Depending on the industry and the open job position, soft skills may be more important.

Let’s get a general understanding of what is meant by hard skills and soft skills.

Hard skills usually refer to your learned experiences through schooling and work. These are

learned skills in an environment where the general rules are the same.

 Hard skills can be learned in school, from work experiences, in exterior environments that hone

your skills in whatever area of expertise that you are pursuing. There are usually a designated

level of competency and a direct path as to how to excel with each hard skill.

Soft Skills usually refer to personality traits that allow you to naturally be a team player. Have

good reasoning skills and an ability to problem solve individually or with-in a group. Soft skills

allow an individual to read others well and make good decisions.

 In my opinion, soft skills are more important in most business careers than hard skills. Most

employees aspire to better their positions, which usually entails managing others. With-out soft

skills, it is very unlikely you will have staff that want to perform for you.

Something to consider:

You may be excellent at your job utilizing your hard skills, but if no-one likes you and doesn’t think

you are a team player you’ll be sitting on the bench, missing the promotions.

If you work on your Soft skills: learning how to engage well with others, listening, problem solving,

being a team player while leading, and my favorite…patience. All of these fall under

communicating well with the people around you.

How to ace that job interview

Merrystaffing July 8, 2016 0

Prepare yourself!

Do research on the company that you are interviewing with. It is important that you ask informed questions about your potential new company.

Everyone is different: We all come to the job with different experiences. Ask your interviewer what an average day’s workload entails. From start to finish.

Be yourself! It is easy to get caught up on what other people might expect from you, but interviews work both ways. If you are the right candidate for the job, you will feel confident that you can handle the position.

Dress for the job. If your day is going to be in a warehouse, do not show up in a three piece suit

Get to your interview a few minutes early, not hours. 10 minutes is acceptable.

Be confident with your skills, not cocky. Having confidence that you can achieve the expectations set forth is appealing to potential employers. But saying that you are the best worker to ever step foot on the planet is a red flag.

Be honest about your work history

It’s important that you are interviewing for THE job not just any job

Here is what we are looking for in a New Hire:

Enthusiastic

Motivated

Well-spoken with clear communication skills

Listening skills

Signs that indicate you work well with others

Having a great personality that can add positively to a team

Finishing up the interview

Reiterate you interest in the position

Show excitement and enthusiasm for the opportunity

Have confidence in being able to do the job

Now be patient. These decisions take time.

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