Key Staffing, Inc

Author: Jackie Koster

  • Retain Your Top Talent

    Retain Your Top Talent

    In today’s candidate-slim hiring market, your top performers may end up getting offers from other companies. So what can you do to retain your team?

    The key is to identify your top performers, stay close to them, and work on finding rewards that work for them. Here are few tips:

    Pay attention
    Show your employees that you value them and their contributions. Tailor HR and benefit programs to meet the needs of your unique workforce. This may mean moving to flex time, PTO, or offering more choices in healthcare plans and adding any other unconventional policies.

    Teach, coach…lead the flock
    Provide ongoing training. Have an open door policy. Provide mentoring and opportunities that your competitors do not offer. Lead by example and follow through on your promises.

    Complete an internal audit
    Ensure your company’s goals are in line with your employee reward system. Set clear expectations on how you will reward top performers.

    Gather employee feedback
    Ask your top people why they like working at your company. Ask them why they stay. And ask them what they’d do differently. Use their feedback to make improvements. On the other hand, when someone leaves your company, ask them what made them make this decision. Knowing is half the battle.

    Contact us to learn how partnering with Key Staffing can help your business hire and retain your top talent.

  • 5 Keys to Career Success

    5 Keys to Career Success

    Certain people always have great success in their career. They always seem to land the promotion and are surrounded by opportunities. Are they just lucky? No.

    These people don’t wait for things to happen; they build their own path. So what can you do to ensure you’re successful? You can start by following these five tips:

    Have a positive attitude
    Your attitude can be a powerful self-fulfilling prophecy. If you have a negative attitude, 9 times out of 10 you will fail. But, if you bring a positive attitude and display confidence, strength, and determination, you WILL be successful.

    Stay educated
    The best way to ensure success is to stay one step ahead. Research your industry. Know what’s happening and what the experts say will happen. Look for trends. When you find them, start to train yourself in these areas. Knowledge is power.

    Create a personal elevator pitch
    First impressions mean a lot. If you only have 30 seconds to convince someone you are a hard worker and a leader, what will you say? Plan this ahead of time; you never know when it will be needed.

    Network, network, network
    Unfortunately sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know (at least to begin with). You can even network within your own company. Invite co-workers to lunch. Take the time to walk by someone’s office to say hello. And actively seek out opportunities to network outside of work by joining organizations, groups, etc.

    Be open to new opportunities
    When a new opportunity presents itself, don’t sit back and wait. Take the initiative to inquire more – and don’t be shy!

    Looking for new opportunities? Key Staffing partners with great organizations looking for great candidates like you. Tell us where you want to take your career and let our experts get you there.

  • Resume Red Flags

    Resume Red Flags

    In an ideal world, every resume that comes across your desk will perfectly describe someone you want to hire. In the real world, however, sorting through resumes can be time-consuming, and there is no guarantee you’ll find the type of team member you’re seeking.

    Resumes are an effective screening tool, but they can also raise concerns. While “red flags” should catch your attention, they aren’t a reason to reject a candidate immediately. Here are some top “red flags” that merit a hiring manager’s attention during the interview:

    Several jobs held for six months or less
    One “short tenure” on a resume, or even two, need not be a cause for concern, especially if a second glance makes it clear that the short stay occurred because the candidate went back to school, was performing contract work, or moved on to a stable, long-term position. But when a candidate lists many short time periods with no indication of having “moved on” or “moved up,” hiring managers may wish to ask about these during the interview. Maybe the candidate has a great explanation – or maybe he or she is a “job-hopper.”

    Vagueness or “buzz words”
    The best resumes describe the candidate’s accomplishments in past positions, using quantifiable terms. But a resume that discusses work in vague terms like “familiar with” or “participated in” may be masking a lack of actual experience or skill. Likewise, resumes stuffed with buzzwords like “great with people,” “good communication skills,” or “unique” may be hiding a lack of ability – or at least a lack of confidence.

    A resume that makes no sense
    Some resumes take more work to parse than others, especially if the candidate is coming to the company with no experience in this particular field. But a resume that is confusing, hard to read, badly formatted, or filled with typographical mistakes implies a candidate who is insufficiently organized to learn even the basics of resume editing. A sloppy resume is a definite “red flag.”

    Looking to hire? When you need talent, those needs are as unique as your business. Only a tailored solution will deliver results that are aligned with your strategic goals. The team at Key Staffing can help you find the candidates you’re looking for – and screen them more effectively as well.