Despite the best efforts of a company’s leaders, bad attitudes can creep into any workplace. Negativity at work can produce some unpleasant side effects, such as lack of teamwork and overall low productivity. When not kept in check, a negative workplace can become a breeding ground for conflicts that can cause the business to lose out on important objectives. It’s not a good place to be.

Yet, when negativity rears its ugly head, what can your HR team to do address it? Clearly, there needs to be some kind of response that can turn things around for the better.

Here are some suggestions for dealing with and responding to negativity in the workplace.

1. Acknowledge it immediately.  As soon as you notice employees who are grumbling, coming into work late, or just not being as productive as they once were – take the time to have a meeting with your management team to find out why. There may be some things going on you are not aware of. Don’t ignore workplace negativity, because it will not go away on its own.
2. Focus on the individual first. Oftentimes, workplace negativity can originate with one or a few employees. When left unchecked, this attitude can invade other work teams, making entire departments negative. Find out if there is a source to the discontent and try to work directly with the individual(s) who are acting out in this manner. Sometimes, just a small change can alleviate issues and restore the workplace to being positive.
3. Open up communication channels. An effective way to respond to workplace negativity is to openly speak about this topic at staff meetings, then offer an open door to anyone who needs to talk, vent, or just share in a safe space. The human resource department can be a good sounding board for any issues, most of which can be resolved by acting as a good will ambassador for your company.
4. Create a positive culture. How positive is your company in general? If you cannot answer this question confidently, then perhaps it’s time to take things up a notch by creating a positive corporate culture. Start out by looking for ways to provide more incentives for employees. Schedule some fun corporate events that can boost morale. Get buy in from your corporate leadership by connecting them with the employees in meaningful ways.

Yes, negativity happens for a variety of reasons, but if you deal with it quickly and effectively, it is easier to manage. Take the time to get to the root of any employee complaints, learn to be a better listener, and use the above tips for chasing negative thoughts and behaviors out of the workplace.

If you are looking for human resource staffing services in the White Plains, NY area, contact the staffing experts at Concorde Personnel today.

It’s happened to all job seekers at some point or another. The recruiter asks at the end of the interview if the candidate has any questions, and the candidate immediately puts his foot in his mouth with a bad question. This can occur for a couple of reasons. One, the candidate is not prepared for the interview therefore lacks confidence. Two, the candidate is extremely nervous and this causes him to mess things up.

The good news is that you don’t have to be like the unprepared candidate. Instead you will walk into that interview with poise and the ability to ask great questions.

Here are some examples of interview questions you want to avoid at all costs when in the hot seat.

What is the salary / pay rate for the assignment? This is the number one interview question that all candidates are dying to ask. However, it’s always best for the recruiter to bring this up. Asking this question gives the impression you are just looking for money, not a career experience.

I read an article (any negative press) about the company recently, can we discuss? This is a definite no-no when it comes to interviews. You never want to bring up any negatives about a company, even if they have to do with recent layoffs or controversy. Do your research quietly and decide for yourself if the company is worth a chance, or not.

Does your company offer flextime or telecommuting? While this can be a perk offered by some companies, the option to work flexible hours or from a remote location is not something all companies are comfortable with at this time. Asking this may allude to potential personal problems you may have getting to work on time.

How often can I expect performance reviews/raises? Again, this goes back to the issue of money. By asking this question you are basically saying you will do just enough to get a good review and a pay raise. Instead, learn about this when you actually get hired.

Who is your competitor? Do your homework and learn as much as you can about the company before you arrive for an interview. No hiring manager wants to hear about a competitor and you could be placed under scrutiny by bringing one up in the interview. You could also give the impression that you are digging around for industry information to pass on to a competitor.

Can I still check my Facebook account while at work? Social networking is an everyday practice that most employers are aware of. However, the use of company computers to check your social updates is still frowned upon. The last thing you want to do is bring this up during an interview, because you’ll only end up looking like a slacker.

Rule of thumb during an interview, if you think a question is awkward or potentially harmful – just don’t ask it!

If you are looking for more resources to help land you a job in the White Plains NY area, contact the staffing experts at Concorde Personnel today!

Wouldn’t it be convenient if you could develop an automatic filter for identifying the best candidates? Finding the right candidate to fill the job is often a matter of figuring out the positives and negatives about each of the candidates for the job. Outside of candidate assessments and other screening solutions, sometimes, you just need a few examples to help you know the qualities you want to see. This can help you weed out the candidate traits you don’t want to bring into your organization.

Let’s look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly when it comes to candidate screening.

The Good

You want to make sure you take the effort to find employees who are willing to take the initiative and go the extra mile to get the job in the first place. Then later, you want them to have the initiative to get the job done. A recent news story out of Indianapolis, IN that’s taken the Internet by storm, was one about a teenager who walked ten miles on icy roads and in the snow for a job interview and how he impressed a different business owner so much that he offered the teen a job. This is the perfect example of a good sign.

Another positive sign is that the candidate presents him or herself in a professional manner when it comes to speech, presentation, and language skills. Candidates who cannot read and write at appropriate levels, while they may be qualified, don’t present the business in a favorable light. It’s something you should consider carefully before overlooking bad grammar and/or spelling.

The Bad

There are a few traits and characteristics that do not bode well for candidates. The two that stick out first and foremost are candidates who show up later for interviews and those who show up unprepared for the interview. As a business owner you expect the candidate to know a little bit about your business, the products you create, and/or the services you provide. He or she should also be on time and have a resume in hand as well as a list of questions ready to go too. These can be signs of poor work ethics in a candidate, and are best to avoid.

The Ugly

There are a few things that simply make a job candidate seem like a poor choice in every imaginable way. The first is to come into the interview with a list of demands or a long list of things he or she isn’t willing to do. The other things some candidates do that should give you pause is to come in talking bad about a former employer. Chances are good that you’ll be a former employer at some point in time, what is this person going to say about your business when and if that time comes?

When you look at the interview process in the proper light, it’s fairly simple to weed out the characteristics you do and do not want to bring into the heart and soul operations of your business. That, after all, is what effective candidate screening is all about – finding the right people to make part of your business.

Approaching the candidate hiring process can be difficult for many business owners. If you are looking for more resources and assistance with hiring top talent, contact the staffing experts at Concorde Personnel today

When you introduce yourself to potential employers, the introduction you choose says a lot more about you than you realize. That’s why it’s so important to work on your introductions whether you’re preparing to network, getting job interviews, or are simply working to make your first professional connection among peers.

Here are a few tips to help you nail your introductions and really influence others, including recruiters. 

1)   Keep it low key. You aren’t trying to intimidate anyone with your introduction. More importantly, those who try too hard to impress others with their introductions typically fail. Don’t recite your resume, provide your alma matter, or give a fancy title that no one in the group really understands. Unless you’re in a situation where your job title, college degree, or resume are relevant to the moment, it’s best to leave them out of the introduction. Those things can come later.

2)   Make it about others. One of the best job skills you can develop in life is that of a good listener. There’s so much you can learn from listening. In this instance, there’s so much you can learn from listening. Ask questions when appropriate and listen the rest of the time. They’ll be far more impressed by the things you didn’t say, most of the time, than they would be if you filled in the silences talking only about yourself.

3)   Keep your introductions appropriate to the occasion. Whether it’s a business or social engagement you need to keep your introduction appropriate for the occasion. That will gain you far more respect in the long run than many other types of introductions you may muster.

4)   Avoid an obvious agenda. The longer you’ve been seeking work, the more difficult this becomes. However, there are two things that will almost kill any hope of job prospects coming from an introduction. One is demanding work. The other is begging for it – even in round about manners. The job market has certainly been unkind over the past several years. Take some comfort from the fact that things are beginning to look up for job seekers and look for more creative and inventive ways to introduce yourself to others while still making a favorable first impression.

Don’t prop yourself or attempt to make yourself appear important in your introduction. Instead, offer the torch of friendship and see who takes it willingly. The value of making a connection with another human being may not be one that lands you a job in these trying times. But, that doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer something of great value that would have been lost to you without a proper introduction to get things started.

Enjoy a previous popular post on a related topic:

3 Ways to Avoid Job Search Desperation | Career Candidate Tips

No resume? Why not? Many recruiters are doing away with using a resume as the sole tool for deciding whether or not to bring someone in for a position. It is a digital world. Having a stack of 100 resumes sitting on your desk is definitely not something that is going to benefit you.

What you need to do is to find ways to learn about these applicants in a more digital format. Everything from Klout scores to Google search results matter. LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, the list goes on and on.

What can you do? To find out more about a potential candidate’s ability to fill your position, consider these tips. Perhaps the resume is too outdated for your needs. It is possible to change your recruiting methods to use more of a method that encourages openness and a fun vibe. Here are some tips.

• Consider contest-driven hiring processes. Use contests and assessments to allow applicants to set themselves apart from others. Rather than focusing on their paper skills, you’ll be able to see their performance. Staffing agencies often offer these.

• Consider a timed business challenge. Many businesses run contests for a set amount of time. They encourage submissions that are fun and creative. You can do the same. Give people a goal, a time frame, and tell them to use creative tools to demonstrate their skills. It is a part of social interviewing.

• Build a strong brand. You may be using brand awareness to market your product or service. However, you also need to brand yourself as the type of employer worth working with. You want young workers to be able to communicate with you and see you as the type of employer they want to work with not just right now, but for years to come. Today’s young employee would rather work with a company with values that align to their own rather than getting paid more.

• Ensure that innovation is a requirement. Creativity and innovation are critical components to any competing business today. Hire for innovation. This may be done in various ways, such as encouraging business challenges and providing input on design on a new service, or asking them to pitch ideas. By incorporating this into the hiring process, employers can be confident they are hiring for the right things.

• Use competition and interactivity. Gamification in the hiring process could be the move you need to make. These programs are already being used to teach and train applicants in things like critical thinking and teamwork.

The use of these methods may seem a bit out of it for some of the old style recruiters. Yet, today’s paper resume just does not provide the information and details necessary to ensure that employees brought into the company will meet the needs of the company.

More than ever it is becoming difficult for the unemployed to find work. Yes, companies are hiring. Yes, new opportunities are out there. But, the problem is that there’s incredible competition in the career market, and this means there will be rejections from companies. For many of those who are looking for work, the job search is going from being challenging to being a process of desperation.

How can you avoid finding yourself in a situation where you are desperately trying to find work?

#1 – You Have to Be Realistic

One of the biggest things you don’t want to do is to settle for a job that is not right for you or your future. On the other hand, you have to be realistic. That’s the hard line to walk. If you see a position advertised but know it will not be good for you, don’t apply to it. It may be tempting but that job desperation is going to hurt you in the long run.

Make a list of the jobs you want to have, such as a dream job. Then, make a list of those that you will be okay holding. Write down the salaries, responsibilities and the title you will hold. It will help you to define just how low you are willing to go for that position.

#2 – Take the Time to Look Further

One of the mistakes many people make is not looking out into the horizon far enough. Instead of using the same way to find a job every single day, (you know the job boards you love and use all the time) switch things up. Give yourself something new to look at.

At the same time, consider how you are looking for a job. Are you trying to do it on your own and failing? It may be time to consider another option. Work with a recruiter instead. Use a temp agency, like Concorde Personnel, to get your feet wet. Look towards career support options as alumni.

#3 – Get Positive People Around You

It is hard to be positive and to keep working towards your goals when there is no end line in sight, but that is exactly what you have to do. You need to look past the rejections you are getting.

Those negative thoughts are hard to fight off on your own, though. That is why it is best to turn to other people who can help you. Be sure you have a support system that is honest (and can smack you around a bit when you need it) but one that is not going to let you give up or settle. It may be a professor from school or someone you’ve worked with in the past that you view as a mentor.

It’s never easy to find a job, especially when there is so much you are working against to find out. Yet, falling into a position of job search desperation is not going to help. It may even delay your ability to find the position that you’ve wanted and needed.

Flexible workplaces have come a long way since being merely a perk to being a business building strategy. In April of 2012, the Society of Human Resources Managers (SHRM) and the Families and Work Institute conducted an extensive survey of businesses around the nation who were providing a variety of flexible work options to employees, called the 2012 National Study of Employers.

From flexible scheduling to the opportunity to work remotely at least part of the week, this survey found that a large number of companies are focused on helping employees restore a sense of work-life balance — an integral part of their overall satisfaction and productivity. The most effective workplaces, where employees reported being actively engaged in their jobs as a result of flexible work environments, were found to experience:

• Higher overall levels of job satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.
• More loyalty to their employer and the company objectives.
• Less negative spill-over emotions from work to home life.
• Better physical and mental well-being and lower levels of stress.
• Greater engagement with their role and assignments, leading to more productivity.
• Ability to take time off (temporary staff coverage) to cope with life’s responsibilities.

Cost savings of flexible work arrangements

In a case study of BDO, as featured in Forbes Magazine, an international accounting and financial advisory firm, that offers flexible options and benefits to its employees, the numbers speak for themselves. When they decided to open up an office in Austin, Texas, they chose to allow employees to work remotely, saving them $1.6 million in overhead. They also repeated this experience with an office expansion in New York City, reducing their office needs by another $1 million per year.

It should be obvious then, that offering employees more flexibility in the workplace can produce positive results for any employer. This in turn leads to better employee morale, greater retention, more innovation, and a healthier workforce. A vital part of this strategy is allowing full time employees the ability to take time off as needed for personal and health reasons. Having a temporary staffing agency, like Concorde Group, on board to call on for contract workers can help your employees to do this without stress. You’ll also be able to find suitable remote employees this way, as more companies are moving to this model to cut costs and provide flexible work options.

Getting promoted at work can seem like the impossible dream, especially if you work in a busy corporate environment where it’s hard to stand out. Yet, the only way to move ahead in your career is to climb the corporate ladder at the office. Before you resort to climbing on top of your desk and singing the theme song from your favorite television show to get some attention, read on to learn some ways to stand out and get ahead at work—the way the pros do it.

Painting a Picture of Your Future Success

To advance in your career, you need to have a plan. To create a plan, you need a vision. Therefore, you can take a moment to do some day dreaming to come up with this vision for your career. Start out by taking a close look at where you are now and where you’d like to see yourself in a year, 2 years, even 5 years from now. What does your office look like? What tasks are you doing in the future? How will you present yourself in front of others? This vision is what paints a picture of your future success.

Get out in the Community

Perhaps one of the more effective ways to stand out in your workplace is to get more involved outside of the office. Join some professional organizations where you can find mentors who can lead you to the things you need to be successful. Take some time to participate in local community service efforts. Make a name for yourself as a dynamic person who plays as hard as you work. This can help you to make more contacts, learn social skills, and earn the confidence you need to stand out in a positive way.

Boost Your Value with Education

An education can help you to earn the credentials you need to be eligible for a promotion at work. Take advantage of on the job training and industry certifications. Go back for that college degree you’ve always wanted. Then make sure your boss and the HR manager knows how much you want a promotion and that your education is the key to this advancement.

Learn to Communicate Well

Being able to communicate well in all forms can help you to stand out in many ways. Your writing is noticed by clients and colleagues. The way you speak on the phone and handle calls professionally is also noted. Having the ability to conduct presentations and speak in front of others can help you to be seen as a leader. It’s often the ways you present yourself to others that counts the most.

Advancing in your career is something you should take ownership of. This means researching all the avenues open to you at your current company as well as potential new opportunities at new places. Temporary and contract assignments from Concorde Personnel in New York.

When hiring for a position, do you think about what your company has to offer or do you put more time and energy into determining what the candidate really wants? As an HR manager, the goal is to get the right people in the right positions. That way, you don’t have to find a replacement in a short time and productivity numbers go up. You look good. However, many times, employers and HR managers are focused on what they have to offer rather than one what the potential applicant really wants.

What Do They REALLY Want Then?

What is it that the best applicant for the job really wants? What can you say or do to draw them in? Some of the most important things candidates want when looking for a job may surprise you.

1. They want a competitive salary. This is nothing new to any hiring manager. However, it is important to have a compensation strategy that awards talent and skill to not only pull in those key candidates but to keep them around long term. Be fair and be in the ballpark of your competing employers.
2. They want benefits. People are thinking about their future and they need to know what you can offer them to plan for it. Find out what your employees want in benefits and then structure a plan to make it happen.
3. They want the potential to move up in the company in the future. This is particularly important for those who are proven professionals in the field. They want to be able to do something more than what they are doing at their current position. They want diversity and opportunities to grow.
4. They want to balance work and life easily. This may mean not putting in 60-hour workweeks any longer. They want to be able to be successful at home, too. Having more flexible work arrangements keeps employees happy.
5. They want a thank you. Perhaps most commonly asked for, employees want employers to give them appreciation for the hard work they put into their jobs. Sometimes, even going above and beyond gets people nothing. To be different, have a plan in place to encourage appreciation.

Overall, employees want the opportunity to fit into a business and be a valued component of it. Is your job offering providing this opportunity to the candidate? If not, it may be time to take a harder look at what you have to offer your key candidates and applicants. Work with the seasoned staffing agents at Concorde Personnel in White Plains, New York for support in attracting the right candidates to your door.

Have you heard the saying that you should always do the type of work you love because then it really does not have to feel like work at all? That’s a great way to live, but is it really true? Can you really have it all?

Perhaps you have a hobby you are passionate about but you never thought you could turn it into a real business. You may even be jealous of those that can do this. Sometimes, there is no way to bridge the gap between making your hobby your job. In other cases, that is very possible. If you want this to work for you, consider a few helpful tips to making it happen.

1. Work part time first. This can be a true transition period in which you start your company, based on your hobby, slowly. That way, you can make sure it is the right move for you and you can still bring in the income you need.
2. Find a way to make it work, creatively. Sometimes, you are not going to be able to do exactly what you want and make money from it. Perhaps you love to watch TV. No one is going to pay you to do so. But, you could write a great blog about TV and that could generate money for you.
3. Start with an online audience. It is hard to market locally especially when you are brand new. However, if you build yourself a website and use that as a way to slowly launch your career in this field, you’ll feel good about what you are doing. You’ll want to incorporate marketing methods in it to allow you to rank well in search engines. This will give you some business at a pace that builds over time until it is full-time.
4. Develop your hobby into marketable skills. Chances are, someone is willing to pay you handsomely for your talents. Get more training and become a specialist. Then get in touch with companies or networks that may have a client base interested in your offerings.

Once you set up a website and begin working with it, such as through online marketing and social networking, you will slowly build a following and people will want to work with you. Over time, this will build and, sooner than you realize, you’ll be well on your way to turning the profits you want to have.

Is your hobby one that could turn you a profit? From sewing to crazy collecting, you may have some trait that you are really passionate about that others are sure to find worth investing in. All you have to do is to present what you have to offer to the public. It may be easier to do this than you think. You could be living the dream -really!

Have a unique talent, but need a job to help transform this into a life-long career? Consider how working for a temporary staffing agency like Concorde Personnel can help you develop the skills and contacts you need to be successful. In White Plains, New York and the surrounding areas, you can turn your hobby into a dream career.