Alright, so you have a new employee. How do you make sure they get off on the right foot? If you have no set stable place to start, let this become your stable datum:

 T-R-A-I-N-I-N-G.

This is absolutely vital to ensuring the person you hired actually does transition into being a productive employee.   Now you may think this is something that you would do only with someone unfamiliar with an area – not so! This is something you do with the guy off the street, the guy who has been doing this same job for the last 10 years AND the guy who has his 4 year University degree.

The right type of training goes beyond just throwing down an employee manual in front of them and walking away.  While you should not overlook ensuring they do read their manual, there are some even more basic steps.

I do recommend that you document what training was done and when for HR files as well as a point of reference for yourself.

First off, where is their office? Where do they sit? How do they get more supplies? Where are the files they will need? What computer do they use? What is the product they are expected to get? What statistics are they responsible for?

Do not overlook the smallest detail and never, never assume or have the mind set of “well, isn’t it obvious?”

Next train them on their position. Take them through all of their duties, step by step.

Consult their understanding and make sure they never go past a word or symbol they don’t understand (the topic of another blog soon to come).  Once they have this down and the above details down, step back and let them do it! Don’t micro-manage, but do make sure you stay on top of the area until you can see, for yourself that there is a positive response in the areas statistics.

If you are not seeing a positive change in the area in 30 days, personally go back into the area, find what part of the training they didn’t understand or was missed.  Next get them really trained up on that trouble area. Get them really up to speed, being able to that action in their sleep!

Before you think of firing that employee who just doesn’t seem to get it, check yourself. Have YOU given him full and complete training on his area?  Is there documentation that he has been trained? If there is any doubts that this person’s training was done fully or completely, get it handled.   If all looks in order and seems to have been correctly done, then one should consider locating someone else who does have the aptitude to take the data they were taught and apply it.

You did it! You landed that perfect position and your first day of the new job is coming up.  With it is all the awkwardness of learning the ropes and crossing your fingers that your co-workers are going to welcome you into “the family.”  So, how do make sure this transition is a success?

 Believe it or not, there is a tried and true method of making these vital first weeks/month a success. In fact it just takes a little communication and 4 little steps.

 1. Find who you would communicate with on a routine basis.

 Is this the receptionist? Your direct boss? Your bosses boss? Your subordinates? The payroll clerk? HR Manager?  This can vary depending upon your role within the organization.  For example, if you are a receptionist, you are probably going to need to communicate with not only all the staff at one point or another, but you are also going to start needing to get into good communication with the clients – especially “the regulars.”    If you’re the finance director, your going to want to find out who the HR Manager, who the CFO is and perhaps who your contact person is at the local bank.

 You may ask “what does find out who you would communication with, mean?” Well, it means just that. Who are you going to need to give information to or get information from on a routine basis? Let’s take the example of the Finance Director, ask the questions:  “Who do I deal with when I need to talk with the bank?” “When I have questions about someone’s time sheet, who in the HR department handles that?”  etc.

 2. Make yourself known to those people.

 Don’t sit around and assume they know who you are. Seek them out. Introduce yourself, tell them your name, what your official job title, what you’re going to produce for the company. Be pro-active in learning who everyone is, starting out with those you will need to deal with on a routine basis. But make sure they know not only your name but your job function as well!

 3. Discover from those people you found in point #1 above what they need and want from you. 

Yep, that’s right; you are the “suggestion department” right now.   This is where you are active in learning what’s expected rather then learning by trial and error; which is really not the way to ensure job security, especially if you are like most people and are under a probationary period.  This is also a way to start establishing a good reputation for yourself – starting on day one.

 This is also the point where you find out from the payroll clerk where and when THEY would like to have your time sheet turned into (just because Joe Schmidt has been there “forever” and he always does it a certain way, this may not be the correct way and thus the accounting department ever-so-innocently, “misplaces” his paycheck and “miraculously” finds it 5 minutes after he leaves on Friday evening).  Find out from the HR Manager what time breaks are taken, from your Boss if he/she wants you to send them a weekly report, does the receptionist want you to let him/her know when you’re leaving the building?  Etc.

 4. DO, PRODUCE, and PRESENT what you found in step 3.

 Don’t just listen to what people need and want, DO IT. Show them you heard and understand by DEMONSTRATING your understanding.  Make sure the boss doesn’t have to chase up your weekly report, make sure your time sheet is exactly how the accounting department asked them to be done and be sure that you get it in when they want it. Become the receptionist favorite person to work for because your calls are so easy to deal with as the people calling in are always given correct information and thus never get upset.

  Getting off on the right foot is vital to creating a long and stable career with any company.  Make sure you stay pro-active in learning the ropes and not become a victim of a frustrated HR Manager because you made every error in the book – and you just walked in the door! 

 Remember, just because in your mind you have arrived, doesn’t mean that you have. Until you do the above your still “non-existant” as far as others are concerned.

 So there you have it, you know what to do now. I’m sure you are going to be a great success!

A brand new DVD has just been produced showing in great clarity how you can deal with emotions in the workplace. It answers questions like, why is it that some employees get so much more done than others, why are some staff so grouchy and hard to deal with, etc? The subject of the DVD goes over something discovered called the Emotional Tone Scale. This is about a technology I use extensively in my day to day recruiting work. It is an invaluable technology when it comes to dealing with people and it allows me to predict human behavior. I can tell by using the data about the Tone Scale if the person I am interviewing will be a great asset to an employer. It is almost magical in its accuracy.

Check it out at this link: EmotionsDVD.com

The DVD is about 45 min long and very entertaining and revealing at the same time. It explains soo much.

Get it and watch it. You need it for your business survival's sake.

Designing your own future is entirely up to you. You can let your life run you, or you can run your life. The same concept goes for your employment. You can let your job run you, or you can run your job.

The fact is, you can decide what sort of work you want to do and then go about getting it. Maybe you’re stuck in a dead-end job that brings in enough to feed you, but you’re miserable. You would like to make a lot more of your life. But how? And doing what?

If you have goals in your life and these goals take money to accomplish, you need to design your life so you are bringing in not only enough money to pay the rent or mortgage and eat, but also a lot more than that. You have to be able to put some money aside for the future.

Here’s a suggestion. There’s a field that is expanding greatly and expected to grow even more between now and 2016. This is the field of physical therapy.  The salaries are good and the benefits are also excellent. There is never a lack of demand for employees in this field.

Who wouldn’t want to help people with improving their functions at work and home? Physical therapists do a lot of good. They assist their patients who have become immobilized or lack strength, flexibility or endurance. The treatments they give help people and that may fit into your idea of a great career exactly.

As a physical therapist, your patients would include those who had been involved in accidents or had disabling diseases. You would learn how to restore their fitness and health as well as maintain it. Imagine the satisfaction in helping someone like this?

For this career, a master’s degree from an accredited program would be the minimum level of education required. But this is a two-year program. Wouldn’t you be willing to invest a couple of years towards a stable and prosperous future?

Of course, you could get into the area more rapidly should you decide to become a physical therapy assistant. You could even take online courses to achieve this education, and begin a prosperous career right away.

Mya

It can be a challenge these days working in the HR arena. With unemployment so high and thus so many job-hunting right now, it takes a lot of time to sift through all the applications. You end up spinning your wheels, it seems. And it’s hard to even find a really great potential employee!

It would make sense at this point to use an employment agency. You really need to find an ideal employee and don’t have all the time in the world to do so. You don’t have the money to spend either, for all the advertising!

A placement service can provide you the perfect solution. They will not only match up your job description to a great new employee, but they will do all the dirty work, like the telephone and in-person interviews, reading the resumes and scanning the employment histories and skills. They will screen applicants for you so you will likely get the right person on the first try.

An employment agency will also do testing to further screen your applicants. They will ensure you have a team player. Personnel services usually work on a contingency basis and only take a fee from you when the person they provided is hired. So this makes it inexpensive in the long run.

This service saves you a heap of time and money. You let them know what you want and they provide it. No more struggling and no more hours and hours going to waste. And if your company specializes in a particular field, there’s really no better solution. They will have a pool of potential employees who will fit right in.

Why find a “headhunter?” You may be a small company and don’t have a department or the personnel to devote to finding staff. Perhaps you don’t want to put out the kind of money necessary to advertise, and have even found that you don’t find what you want anyway through this medium. Maybe you desire very particular skills in your applicant.

With a recruiter working for you, you have them doing all your hard work, and the outcome benefits both you and the job seeker. No doubt it’s a win-win situation!

If you are a business owner, you may sometimes find your business dries up. This is a horrible feeling. Are you going to fail? Will you end up on the dole? Well, maybe this is getting a bit carried away. But it still is a terrible feeling when your regular customers don’t seem to be coming to you anymore.

Perhaps you have had only one kind of public you have been servicing in your years of business. It’s always been your bread and butter. You count on it. But now, virtually nothing! Panic time!

Well, it’s time to make a change. You must think out of the box in cases like this. You must start looking for customers elsewhere. Without stopping your normal promotions to your past customers, you have to start reaching out to new ones.

It might take a little research. Or you may almost instantly have that epiphany and know exactly who to contact. No matter, start getting out your communication lines and promote, promote, promote!

Look for those who would likely want your service. What are your talents and who wants what you have to deliver? Open your mind to all the possibilities. They are out there and someone is just waiting for you to call on them because they need you!

When you continue your regular promotions, you’ll keep what business will come your way from your old customers. But you’ll now be picking up a new bunch, and when the regular customers pick up again, you’ll have EXPANSION!

Oh yes, and don’t forget – produce a product of such high quality that your customers would never dream of using anyone else.

Mya

When you want to accomplish a successful hire, you have to search out applicants that meet certain qualifications. There’s no argument there. Each person must have the skills and experience necessary to take on the position you need filled. All this goes without saying.
 
But there’s a bit more to it. You will also be looking for other characteristics in the person that will show you he or she will be a great employee, and will contribute to your business. After all, you want to expand and meet certain goals. All your employees should help with this in some capacity.

Some of the characteristics you should look for in that ideal applicant are:

• Honesty
• Integrity
• A very positive attitude
• Willing to work hard

These are all very vital to getting that great person who will be a member of your team. If your applicant manifests all these qualities, you can’t miss. Or can you?

There is another attribute that enters in here and one that may very well be the most important one of all.

But what is this most important attribute? What is going to distinguish this particular employee and make them 99.9% more successful at their jobs than any other similarly qualified person?

It’s all in one word – purpose.

What does a person's purpose have to do with being a successful hire?

When your employee has a purpose similar to that of your company, and carries this forward into their job, you have a person who is going to get the work done. And they won’t be doing the work just for a paycheck. They won’t just be a “nice person” who is positive and honest and does what’s required of them, but they will have the intention and fortitude to go above and beyond to get an excellent result. They will strengthen your business and help you expand.

The People Link knows how to find employees who have the purpose needed to fill your position. Call us.

When you are interviewing applicants at hiring time, the questions you ask can reveal much about the potential employee. You’ll make a better decision at the end.

You will first want to list out the questions you’ll ask rather than try to keep them in your head. And don’t make it a long complicated list. An average for an in-person interview should run no longer than 30 or 40 minutes.

Cover all relevant points on the position in your questions. You want to ensure the most important ones are agreeable. Less important ones can be worked out.

Before you begin with the questioning, you should take a few minutes to outline the objectives of your company and give the person an overview of what you do in your business.

Besides questions establishing basic skills of your applicant some other questions you can ask are:

What career goals have you set for yourself and how do they relate to our company objectives as I described?

If we call a former employer, what will he tell us about your dependability?

Give me an example of a time you showed your trustworthiness in school or on the job.

Can you give me an example of a time at work that you went above and beyond the call of duty to accomplish something?

These are just a few ideas to put on your “question list.”

The People Link knows all the right questions to ask and can screen applicants to ensure you get the ideal employee as a team member in your company.

Mya

How can you really know if you are hiring an ideal applicant to fill the position you have open? After all, people can look great on paper. Resumes can present a wonderful picture of skills and credentials.

It’s the candidate’s personality, aptitude and intelligence that often marks their long-term value for your company. Usually an hour of conversation within an interview setting isn’t enough to determine factors that lie out of your view.

The best way to handle this is to test your candidates before taking them on. A unique way to judge your potential employee, testing has come into its own these days. You can identify top performers while eliminating costs in the hiring process. It’s a valuable asset in finding that perfect employee.

There are many different tests that will predict someone’s performance on the job. They can cover integrity, skills, aptitude and personality. Out of the top resumes you received and the top picks from your interviews, you can screen out the applicants that simply won’t make it in the long-term.

Although there are some restrictions on the types of testing you use, you can research these on the Internet. Some rules are vague and open to interpretation. Skill tests are always safe, but the others that test personality and so on can be important to select the right person.

Rather than take it upon yourself to do the testing, you can have The People Link do your hiring for you. It will take all the complication and confusion out of the process and ensure you get that perfect employee – one who will be a real teammate and assist you in your goals.

The tests actually takes the guesswork out of the hiring process, it is almost miraculous.

Mya

Although it seems a simple task to review a resume from an applicant, it isn’t always as easy as you’d think. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could miss out on that perfect candidate.

With all the fancy software these days that help job applicants look great “on paper,” you could very well miss that ideal person – the one who can actually get the job done and be a true member of your team. The real promising ones don’t always stand out.

Perhaps this is grossly simplified, but just following these steps can melt away any confusion or overwhelm. Taking a few minutes to screen the applicants can save a lot of time in the long run.

First of all, you should check out the resume against the qualifications you have delineated as part of your job description. In fact, before you even begin, make a list of all the important skills and experience a person must have to hold the position effectively.

Using this list, go through each resume and compare the skills and experience they have listed against your list. If it’s clear they don’t qualify, put that resume aside in a discard pile. When they possibly qualify, put it in a pile marked “likely.” And if they look perfect, put those into a “hot” pile.

Now you have your priorities. Start with that “hot” pile and start lining up interviews. You will have a much better chance to find your perfect employee this way, and save a lot of time and money in the process.

As always, I am here to help if you need any assistance in this area.

Mya

There seems to be a widespread agreement that we are having some rough times. However, a friend did an actual survey of people on the street, asking them if they were frightened by the current economic situation. About 80% were scared about what was happening with the economy and our future.

But a follow-up question was asked of these same people. “Has the current recession affected you?” The same percentage (80%) said NO. They weren’t experiencing bad effects from it.

Sure there were some out of work, and there were some struggling with mortgages. But many did not in fact have the recession impinging on them.

The worst of the news comes from the media. The spouting of their woeful tidings and hard times, with facts and figures that are likely “cooked,” scares people. And that’s what the media does best – work hard to scare people to pieces!

Here’s what you can do to survive, no matter how the recession is affecting you. You first should turn off the news. It won’t kill you to not listen to their ravings! Secondly, ramp up with everything you have to produce what you sell. Get those products on the market and give your customers the best service they’ll ever have anywhere.

Flourishing and prospering is the way to beat any oppression and fear! Stand up in the face of adversity and prove them wrong!

If you need help getting some productive people, I've got them.

Mya

I found this to be very interesting data from Yahoo Hot Jobs:

Where the Jobs Are.

"Health care is one of the fastest growing industries in the nation. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), over the next eight years health care job openings are expected to grow twice as fast as those in all other sectors of the economy combined.

In fact, seven of the top twenty fastest-growing careers are in health care. Here's where the opportunities are (with data from BLS):

1. Home care aide
Expected job growth: 53%

There are minimal requirements to become a home care aide -- and it's one of the most in-demand jobs in the country.

2. Medical assistants
Expected job growth: 36%

Medical assistants help with essential administrative and clinical tasks that keep hospitals and clinics running smoothly.

If you are in a position where you need to hire someone for an open position in your company and you placed an ad either on Craigslist, another online job board or in a newspaper, chances are that you’ve been bombarded with resumes. Based on various reports of layoffs occuring in all kinds of businesses, it is safe to say that we have an abundance of people looking for work.

For you then, the Hiring Manager, being charged with finding a good person to hire, what is the quickest way of getting through all these responses you’re getting? And how can you be certain that the one you’re hiring is a good fit for your business, rather than picking a desperate one out of the crowd. So even though we have compassion and feel sympathy for those who are now without a job, we still need to look out for our business and ensure we’re making the right choice.

If you are not employing any kind of fitness testing for your employment applicants, you are shooting in the dark. That nice demeanor you’re getting at the interview can very well just be a temporary façade, only lasting long enough to answer your questions and get out the door.

How do you tell who that person really is that you’re interested in bringing on board?

We’re using a test procedure that cuts through the PR and reveals who the person really is much closer than any other testing methodology available. It is an indispensable tool in our arsenal. Along with our in-depth interviewing techniques and another couple of tests, we’re able to very accurately get a true picture of the applicant.

Surveys have shown that businesses suffer from bad hiring practices. Both production losses and monetary losses. The missing tool is an accurate testing system.

Contacts us if you’re interested in learning more about our testing process.

If you are currently looking for work, we have a product that you may find useful and helpful. It is an eBook written specifically for job seekers to help them compile a resume that will be looked at and considered by a prospective employer. Its title is "Creating a Powerful Resume Simplified".

The data in this eBook covers the basic information you need on the subject of resumes. As you probably know, the resume is the key that opens the door to the job interview. Often an employer or a recruiter simply discards a resume after reading it for 5 seconds because it lacks basic and fundamental information. Those who compile a resume with all the right data in it will get the chance to be in the interview.

Go ahead and take a look at the book and get it. You will be able to produce a resume that will get you in the door.

Related to that, we also offer a Professional Resume Writing service. With this service you will have access to one of our professional resume writers and she will help you by rewriting your resume so that it shines of professional standards. The cost is worked out individually and depends on the scope of the work required. Contact us for more info about this. (888-773-0014) or use our Contact Form.

See you next time,

Mya

We have just added a new page to the site with tips and opportunities to make income through a Home Based Business either part-time or full-time and a few other goodies. It's available through the navbar under Job Seekers and here is also the direct link: http://www.thepeoplelink.com/money-making.aspx.

There is a ton of similar opportunities out there if you search the net, however I think these would be great for anyone to try out. Most have a free trial period so there's nothing to lose. We're researching more and and this page will be added to.

Mya

Recent example: Client was a law firm in Beverly Hills who needed a legal secretary with particular skills. They sent over the job description and the details thereof were hashed out. I went to work and reviewed over 30 resumes and found a person that fit their qualifications perfectly. An interview was set up and the employer met with this person and she liked her a lot. A second interview was arranged for the other partner in the firm to meet the prospect, but on the day of the interview the prospect got sick and that interview was postponed. The other partner also went out of town for a few days. The situation in the law firm’s office that prompted the need for hiring a legal secretary suddenly got worse, and instead of having 2 weeks to fill the position, it now had to be done by next week when the out-of-town partner returned. Because the chosen one was sick and unable to meet the other partner for the 2^nd interview, we were required to look for more candidates. Also, the other partner could not believe that the chosen one was what they were looking for, had a hard time swallowing the fact that I am able to get what the client needs on the first try. So I came up with 3 more good candidates and they interviewed 2 of them and really liked them all and were very impressed with the people that were sent to them. However, the one that best fit their needs was the first one. But, any of them could have been hired.

And, as an additional bonus, the prospect was already in the process of moving to the Beverly Hills area  and once the decision to hire was made she realized that the office is only 2 miles away from her new apartment. The first 2 interviews were done at other locations than the office so this was not known until the end.

And, they also got her at the salary that they wanted.

So, moral of the story is that if you want the right person quickly without spending time in interviews, I will get you what you want the first time.

I have a number of case histories like this.

Mya

Is there a bright side to unemployment? For some maybe it doesn't seem that way but for others, most definitely there is. And that would be small business owners who are in need of good quality people.

In times of higher than normal layoffs and downsizing by some businesses, these laid off workers and executives become available to small business often at a cost that is much lower than in prosperous times. Now is the time to go shopping for good staff !

We have that exact situation happening here. There has been a large influx of some amazing people in recent months and many of them are lowering their salary requirements just to get back in the job market. You could save 10s of thousands of dollars right now in wages and related costs.

It is all part of the normal economical cycle, when there is an abundance of supply, prices go down. Works the same for employees.

And, look at it this way. It is never as bad as the fear mongers make it out to be.

Flourish and prosper.

Mya

Welcome to our new blog. This is the first entry on this Halloween of 2008.

We will be covering various topics related to hiring good employees as well as keeping the ones you have and other tidbits.

This will be fun.

Mya