Networking with Recruiters

The other day while covering our office phones, I gave a little chuckle while hanging up after chatting with a sales representative from an office supplies company. Not because the conversation was all that funny, but at the idea of a sales person fielding a sales call. When I get these calls I often wonder, “How did that person perceive my reaction and attempt to let them down gently? Did I potentially pass up the opportunity to network with a sales professional that could be exactly what my clients are looking for?”

Why do People Work For You?

Celebrity Staff and C&A Industries received notification that we have been selected as one the “Best Places to Work” in Omaha, Neb. for the fourth year in a row. This is an honor to win once, let alone four years running!

In my 17 years at C&A, I have witnessed tremendous growth and change. We have grown from a small company of less than 50 people to a mid-sized firm of almost 500. In the late 90s we were growing at such a rapid pace that it was hard to slow down and establish the infrastructure that has now made us a “great place to work.” The drastically low unemployment rate and high demand for employees in that time meant that our first priority was taking care of the “customer” and it wasn’t until the market stabilized a bit after the turn of the century that we had an opportunity to look at our internal customers — our employees.

R.I.P. Blue Linksys Router

It had to happen eventually. My blue Linksys router, the one that everyone seems to have, is dying. The forty dollar device lasted a long time, so I have no complaints, except that now I have to buy a replacement and there is a much bigger selection than when I bought that good old Linksys. My first search on Amazon returned nearly nine thousand results. Although it’s tempting to buy another Linksys, how do I know if that is still the best thing available? I started reading the reviews, but after the first page of routers I still could not tell what I needed.

Valentine’s Day Brings Gifts of Feedback

As I write this on Valentine’s Day, I am watching many a delivery come into our office. Large bouquets of flowers, cards with loving words, and personal deliveries from family members carrying balloons and gift bags all to say, “I love you, I care about you, I want you in my life, thoughts of our future together make me smile,” and so on. What kind of response do I see from the recipient? A warm glow and big smiles as co-workers come over to praise the sender on their choice with ooohs and aaaahs. It’s hard to be in a bad mood after all that isn’t it? What do you think happens to the interaction with the sender? It is probably a bit nicer, friendlier, maybe even more helpful? Look at what a message of love can do!

Delegating with Success

Trying to do it all is a variation on the theme of doing too much at once. When you try to do everything yourself, rather than appropriately delegating tasks that others can do (sometimes even better than you can do them), you slow yourself and your company down, as well as potentially sacrificing the quality of your services or products.

Setting Goals & Planning in 2012

I have a room in my house that has about ten framed quotes by Ronald Regan. As January is a great time to evaluate goals, I often reflect on Regan’s quotes about setting goals, one being: “My philosophy of life is that if we make up our mind what we are going to make of our lives, then work hard toward that goal, we never lose – somehow we win out.”

Full Disclosure Critical When Searching for ‘A Few Good Men’

I remember it like it was yesterday. Col. Nathan Jessep sits scowling from the witness stand asking, “You want answers?” Lt. Kaffee answers defiantly, “I want the truth!” “You CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!” Awesome. Underdog Daniel Kaffee did the unthinkable. In that moment, an 11-year old me knew what he wanted to be when he grew up – an attorney. Almost immediately, I started practicing anyway I could. I gave my parents elaborate presentations that overwhelmingly proved why my bed time being pushed back from 8:30 to 9 p.m. would allow me to greater develop my social skills. I loved playing Devil’s advocate on topics I couldn’t care less about – successfully arguing why Alicia Silverstone was a better actress than Julia Roberts. I even went to college with my major set in Political Science. I was ready. Eventually, college taught me less about what I wanted to do and more about who I wanted to be. Two years into my major, I no longer wanted to be an attorney. The dream was over.

The Incredible Shrinking Candidate Pool

If you haven’t heard, the world’s population just surpassed 7 billion people. The national unemployment rate has also largely remained unchanged around 9.1% since July 2011. So it’s reasonable to conclude that you’ll continue to have an uninterrupted supply of great candidates for your positions, right? Unfortunately, no you can’t.

PUSH or PULL Your Way to Success

Do you push or pull your employees? Let me explain what I mean by describing “pushers” and “pullers”.

Pushers use deadlines and required benchmarks to motivate employees. Pushers are vocal and provide feedback, but most often when things aren’t going well. They also tend to be very reactive when handling situations. Employees avoid interaction with Pushers as it usually means they have done something wrong. Pushers often give their employees the impression that their own success is more important than that of the company. This approach makes employees think that the bottom-line is all that matters.

Celebrity Staff Recognizes Employee of the Year

Celebrating with professionals from each of the staffing divisions within C&A Industries, Inc., Celebrity Staff was thrilled to recognize the accomplishments of our 2011 Employee of the Year, Cathy F. at our Annual Awards Dinner on Thursday, September 15.