Stewart Staffing Blog

Introverts get a bad rap. If you’re one, then you certainly understand.

For some reason, people seem to think if you’re more introverted, then you want to hide away all day, having no contact with people. But really, you know this couldn’t be further from the truth. And in fact, high profile people ranging from Warren Buffett to Bill Gates count themselves as introverts. They’re not exactly sitting in their basements, alone with a video game.

That said, as one of Southern New England’s top placement firms, Stewart Staffing knows that sometimes being an introvert can have a negative impact on your career. You could be passed over for a leadership opportunity, despite the fact that research shows that introverts can be better leaders than extroverts.

So if that’s the case for you, what can you do to move forward in your career?

Promote Yourself.

While this is a cringe-worthy concept for many introverts, it’s necessary that you speak up about your accomplishments and contributions to your boss. If necessary, keep a file of your accomplishments, positive client feedback, and awards to bring up during discussions, such as your performance review.

Find a Promoter.

Do you have a boss or manager who loves your work? Ask them to help you gain visibility and push for a promotion on your behalf.

Prepare for Meetings.

Introverts tend to do better the more prepared they are. So don’t just wing it when attending meetings. Instead, take some time to think about the points you want to bring up and discuss at the meeting. You don’t need to talk as much as an extrovert, just make sure you’re making yourself visible in a positive way.

Don’t Over-schedule Yourself.

As an introvert, you know that if you have a day jam-packed full of meetings and conference calls, you’ll likely lose steam at some point during the day. To avoid this, try to spread out activities with people over several days, rather than crammed into one day.

Want to Move Forward With Your Career in a New Job?

Let Stewart Staffing know. As one of Southern New England’s top placement firms, we work with leading employers throughout the region and we can help you find the company that best matches your skills and interests. Contact Stewart Staffing today to learn more.

Far from it, according to a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit, a business research division of The Economist Group.

In the study, 862 senior executives were polled and said they prefer face-to-face meetings when starting a new business relationship. For instance, seven in 10 executives ranked face-to-face meetings as most valuable during an initial interaction with a new team member. This is likely because relationships forged in person are stronger than those forged via email, smart phones, and video conferencing. In other words, trust is still better built face-to-face.

So what are some other situations where face-to-face meetings are most effective?

When Negotiating.

As a leading Hartford human resources firm, Stewart Staffing knows that when negotiating with a potential new hire, vendor, or other business partner, in-person communications are far more effective. Meeting in person helps prevent misunderstandings and makes it easier to find a middle ground. And in fact, according to the study, senior executives felt that meeting in person actually helped to accelerate negotiations.

When Selling an Idea.

If you’re trying to sell an idea to upper management or to your employees, face-to-face almost always works best. If you send your idea in writing instead, then it’s open to interpretation, which isn’t a good thing. In addition, you won’t be there to answer questions or to handle concerns. Also, when you meet face-to-face, the other people in the meeting will see your confidence and passion, which can make a big difference when trying to get an idea off the ground.

When Offering Feedback.

It might seem easier to offer constructive or positive feedback to an employee via an email, but it won’t be nearly as effective. So make the effort to schedule a meeting with your employee.

Want to Learn More?

For more tips on giving effective feedback, read our post about 5 Secrets to Effective Performance Reviews. And if you’d like to know more about this topic, how to negotiate with new hires, or other HR-related topics, let us know. As a leading Hartford human resources firm, we have the experience and expertise to help you overcome even your biggest HR-related headaches. Contact Stewart Staffing today.

Congratulations to Ms. Nicole Pizzo for being Stewart Staffing’s Temp of the Month for April 2012!

Can this be you next month?

As one of the leading employment agencies in Connecticut, we know that aside from the death of a loved one or a natural disaster, “getting fired” is right up there as one of life’s more traumatic events.

So how can you recover? And, more importantly, how do you deal with it in your job search?

Honesty is the best policy.

It can be tempting to view your former employer as 100% “at fault” in the situation, but be honest with yourself and think about why you got fired. For instance, were you not meeting performance requirements? What areas do you need to improve upon? Look at getting fired as a learning experience that will make you stronger in your next position.

Get over it.

While it’s important to be honest with yourself about the situation, don’t beat yourself up about it either. You need to get over it and move on. This may sound harsh, but getting fired can happen to the best of us and has happened to many people who have gone on to achieve great things. In fact, did you know that Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because “he lacked creativity”? So if you’ve been fired, know you’re in good company and then get to work finding a new job.

Damage control during the interview.

When applying for jobs, you don’t need to mention that you were fired. However, the issue will likely come up during the interview process in the form of a question like “why did you leave your last job?” So what should you say?

First, it’s important to be honest. Most employers do check references, so if you lie, it’s likely you’ll get caught.

That said, don’t go into a 15-minute monologue about what happened and how it happened. Be brief and explain what you learned from the experience. Try to turn the negative into a positive. And whatever you do, don’t badmouth your former employer or boss.

Toot your own horn.

This might be hard after you’ve been fired, but promoting yourself and your accomplishments is critically important to convincing a potential employer that you’re right for the job.

And if you need some help with your job search process, let us know. As one of the leading employment agencies in Connecticut, we can help you find a new opportunity with a company that’s a great match for your skills and interests. Learn more now.

When you interview a candidate, do you ask for their house keys so you can read their diaries and root around their bedrooms?

No, probably not.

But some employers are doing something similar by requesting logins to Facebook and other social media profiles from prospective new hires. While these employers are likely in the minority, it’s still an issue well worth discussing.

In this day and age of Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, the notion of privacy seems to have become more flexible. And, in fact, as a leading staffing services firm in Springfield, Massachusetts, we know it’s become common practice for hiring managers to look up a potential new hire on the web to seek out any additional information they can find about that person.

However, requesting login information is a whole different ball of wax and has become a hot-button privacy issue.

As a result, lawmakers are taking action. Maryland recently became the first state to bar employers from asking for job candidates’ private social media login information. Similar legislation is being pushed in Massachusetts, as well as in California, Minnesota, and Illinois.

Still, it can be tempting to request passwords for Facebook or other social networking sites. After all, you’d certainly get a truer sense of who a candidate is by doing so.

But most employment experts seem to be in agreement on this one – that looking at a candidate’s private online profile is not relevant to job skills and abilities and is against the ethics of recruiting. In addition, if you do so, then you are on notice for anything that you find. In other words, if you see a red flag and don’t act on it, and the person gets hired, then you have the potential issue of a negligent hire in the future.

The good news is that there are countless ethical – and effective – ways to source job candidates and uncover job-related information about each one.

And at Stewart Staffing, we employ many of them. In fact, as a leading staffing services firm in Springfield, Massachusetts, we have many years of experience in delivering top level talent through a variety of tested strategies. Learn more about how we can use them to help you.

As one of Southern New England’s top staffing companies, we know that when an employee is failing on the job, it can be tempting to look the other way or hope things will get better on their own. Unfortunately, both of these strategies are ineffective and can cause great harm to your company and your bottom line.

So how can you tell if you should give an employee a second chance – or give them the boot instead?

Here are a few situations and suggestions to help you decide:

Situation #1. The employee is late to work regularly

What you should do: Every employee is going to be late occasionally. You’ve probably been late to work yourself at one point or another. But if this is a regular occurrence, then it’s time to say something. This doesn’t have to be a fire-able offense…unless, of course, you’ve already talked to your employee and they still can’t get to work on time. You might not think it’s a big deal, but if you just let this kind of behavior go, then it looks like you’re sanctioning it to the rest of your employees.

Situation #2. The employee isn’t doing their job.

What you should do: If your issue with the employee in question is more serious than their tardiness and has to do with actual performance issues, then you need to sit down and discuss it with them. Perhaps they weren’t properly trained and don’t know they’re doing something wrong; or perhaps they don’t have the skills to get the job done. Whatever the case is, you need to communicate with them to get to the root cause of the problem so that you can effectively solve it.

Situation #3. The employee ignores suggestions for improvements.

What you should do: If you’ve already discussed performance issues with your employee and they’re ignoring your suggestions and continue to make the same mistakes, then it’s time to find someone who can do the job properly.

Situation #4. The employee has a bad attitude.

What you should do: A bad mood is one thing…a bad attitude is another and having one can have a negative impact on your entire team’s morale. From gossiping to criticizing to pointing the finger of blame, you need to let your employee know that this kind of behavior is unacceptable. And if they won’t adjust their attitude, then it’s time to find someone who can bring more positive energy to the team.

Situation #5. You’ve been thinking about firing them.

What you should do: If you’ve thought of letting an employee go before and you haven’t because you simply want to avoid confrontation, then you’re not doing yourself, your company, or the employee in question any favors. Perhaps the employee isn’t cut out for the job or for the company. Whatever the case may be, letting the situation continue on will certainly make it harder to deal with down the line.

And if you’ve had to let an employee go recently, and need some help filling the position, let us know. As one of Southern New England’s top staffing companies, we can help you recruit great candidates – and avoid the risk of making hiring mistakes in the future. Learn more now.

If you’ve been out of work for a while, you may be moving into a territory of desperation. And, as one of the top employment agencies in Springfield, Massachusetts, we know that when you’re in a desperate state of mind, it’s easy to develop an “anything goes” attitude regarding your job search.

So what’s an “anything goes” attitude?

It’s when you tell your friends, former colleagues, and network that you will take “anything” in terms of a potential job offer. Making statements like “I’m really open to anything” and “I’m looking for anything steady” are usually big red flags that you’ve developed an “anything goes” attitude.

But there are multiple problems with this attitude.

• First of all, if you’re looking for “anything,” then you will stand out as a “nothing” in your job search. In other words, you won’t resonate with potential employers because you don’t have a focus or area you’re trying to specialize in. For instance, “I’m looking for anything within the non-profit industry” sounds a lot different than “I’d really like to work in event planning for a non-profit organization with a national reach.”
• Secondly, the “anything goes” attitude oozes desperation – and hiring managers can smell it a mile away.
• Thirdly, your network of contacts will have a difficult time pointing you to potential job leads if you’re so open-ended.

To avoid the “anything goes” attitude, start honing in on the specific attributes of the kind of job you want. Then focus on what your best and most marketable skills are as they relate to that job. You may feel reluctant to narrow your search because you don’t want to narrow your opportunities, but you will actually be more effective the more targeted you are.

That said, you still have to maintain some flexibility…especially in this economy. If there are only three job openings in all of North America that you could see yourself in, then that’s a problem. Likewise, if you conduct an online job search and get back a million results, then that’s a problem as well. So a targeted, yet flexible approach works best.

If you’d like some additional help with your job search, give us a call. As one of the top employment agencies in Springfield, Massachusetts, we know where to look to find terrific job opportunities with some of the area’s leading employers. Get started now.

With today’s technology, it can seem like working remotely is a piece of cake. But, as Greater Hartford recruiters, we know that managing those remote employees is a different story. In fact, in many cases, managing off-site employees can pose more problems than managing traditional, in-house workers. The good news, though, is that many of these problems are avoidable if you take the time and effort to plan carefully and follow up.

So with that said, what are some mistakes that managers make with their virtual employees? And how can you avoid them? Here’s a look:

1. Not communicating enough.

Communication is key to any work situation. However, it is so much more critical when managing a virtual team. There are no quick chats at the water cooler or opportunities to swing by an employee’s office to check in on a project. When it comes to virtual workplaces, you have to make a consistent and concerted effort to communicate on a regular basis. You must also set guidelines for how you expect your team to communicate with you; for instance, require that each member email a daily progress report before the end of the day.

2. Not setting clear goals.

As Greater Hartford recruiters, we know there are definitely certain personalities that work better remotely. These tend to be more independent-minded, highly motivated individuals. But, just because your remote team likes some autonomy, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be setting clear goals and measuring results.

 3. Investing too much – or not enough – in technology.

One of the biggest reasons employers allow telecommuting is the cost-savings. But that can’t be a reason to skimp on important technology that can help your team operate more efficiently. That said, nor should you go out and invest in every piece of equipment or technology for remote workers. Evaluate carefully the jobs your virtual employees will perform and buy the technology that makes sense for those jobs

4. Not keeping track of progress.

As Greater Hartford recruiters, we know that to manage a virtual team effectively, you must be the most organized person on the team. That means tracking progress and ensuring each remote worker is meeting target goals and deadlines.

At the end of the day, managing remote employees certainly has its challenges. But with digital access to information and technological advancements, more and more businesses are realizing that remote employees can increase productivity and competitiveness – as long as those employees are managed effectively.

Congratulations to Ms. Kathy Scott on being the Temp of the Month for March 2012!

Can this be you next month?

Can this

Just because a boss is demanding does not mean they are a bad boss. In fact, if they have high expectations and constantly push you to do better, then count yourself lucky. You have a good boss. They can help you learn new skills, advance your career, and do things you might not have thought you were capable of.

That said, demanding bosses aren’t all sunshine and roses because…well…they’re demanding. So how can you navigate the negatives of such a boss and benefit from the many positives? Here’s a look:

It’s not personal.
As one of the top placement firms in Hartford, CT, we know that demanding bosses tend not to mince words. If you did something wrong, then they will tell you. But don’t take it personally; understand that a demanding boss simply wants you to be the best you can be. Also, keep in mind that most demanding bosses are harder on themselves than they are on their employees. So if you think your boss has one set of expectations for you, and a different set for themselves, you’re probably right. They have higher expectations for themselves.

Understand how your boss works.
If your boss wants weekly updates on your projects via email, then send them faithfully. If they want to touch base every Monday morning for a quick meeting, then don’t ever be late. If you know your boss is more of a “big picture” person and tends to lose sight of details, then remind your boss of those small, but important, factors so they don’t get overlooked.

Be organized and know how to prioritize.
You might have a set “to do” list each day; but be flexible with it, so when a work emergency or big project arises, you can lend an extra hand to your boss. Determine what you absolutely have to get done that day, and what can wait a day or two.

Also, as one of the top placement firms in Hartford, CT, we know how important it is to be extremely organized when you work for a demanding boss. Stay on top of all your tasks, manage details carefully, and set deadlines. The more organized you are, the less challenging your boss will seem.

Offer solutions.
If your boss is loading you with unreasonable deadlines, then be realistic with him or her. Make a list of what you can get done immediately and what will have to wait. For those latter tasks, create a schedule of how long they will take you and a projected completion date. Explain to your boss what can be done now and offer your alternative plan for getting the remaining tasks completed. Just because your boss is demanding, doesn’t mean they’re also unrealistic or unreasonable.

That said, if your boss is too demanding, regularly expecting you to deliver the impossible on a silver platter, and you’re ready for a new opportunity, give us a call. As one of the top placement firms in Hartford, CT, we work with leading companies in the area and we can help you find the employer that best matches your skills and interests. Search jobs now.