Do research on the job market in the destination city or metro area.
An effective and successful job search, whether you are relocating or not, starts with understanding the job market – unemployment rates, average pay rates for specific jobs, standard cost of living, top employers in the area, etc. Keep in mind, the degree of experience and education you have while doing your research. Having realistic expectations will help you manage the time spent on your job search. Use the resources easily available by doing a simple Google search or make phone calls to city chambers to easily find current market information.

Use your resources to increase your network within the target market.
While you’re researching, it might be helpful to simultaneously make connections with professionals in the area. LinkedIn provides the ability to connect with millions of professionals all over the world. Using the advance search and introduction options, spreading the word that you’re moving to their area is easy and very effective.  Take it a step further by using the job search feature to view opportunities within the area and connect directly with the individual who posted the job. Sending them a short message of your interest and brief summary of your qualifications will help you build credibility and recognition. If you’re not a fit for that opening, you now have a new connection that could point you in the right direction. Another useful tactic involves using information obtained through a job ad from a job board to find the hiring manager on LinkedIn. Case in point: You come across a highly desirable opportunity on CareerBuilder.com. Do a quick search for the company on LinkedIn, “follow” that company, and you instantly have access to employees who could help you connect with the hiring manager of that position. Using your networking resources is limitless as long as you are smart in using them.

Keep an open mind.
Sometimes job seekers who are conducting their search from a distance have the mindset that they’re going to be able to find exactly what they are looking for in no time at all. Those job seekers, if they’re doing their research, may find that they need to broaden their search and remain open-minded on the type of position, location, or pay scale they initially set out to secure. Keep an open mind and be flexible as it could help you land a position with a great company that will allow you to grow and advance your career. If you are willing to take two steps back to take five steps forward, it could be the key to a successful job search.

Don’t be afraid to contact staffing companies.
I’ve saved the best for last! Staffing companies, especially Celebrity Staff and its affiliates, are experts in their industry and job market. We’re able to identify first-hand what constitutes reasonable and unreasonable expectations. We are able to provide job seekers with new and confidential avenues to landing exciting opportunities with great companies. We like to think of ourselves as consultants, so even if we can’t help you right away, we’ll at least try to point you in the right direction (another connection added to your network).

A common misunderstanding of relocating job seekers who apply through staffing companies is that, if they apply too early, it’s usually ineffective. For example, I recently received a phone call from a job seeker who is relocating to the Kansas City area in September. He was trying to get a head start on his job search and thought contacting a staffing company would be the best way to go. Contrary to his assumption, I had to explain to him that, typically, open positions we acquire from our client companies are immediate openings, requiring candidates who are able to start immediately following a job offer (or two to three weeks after a job offer if the candidate is currently working). After providing some guidance on his job search, we decided to follow up in early August and move forward in our interview process at that time. This would provide him the opportunity to administer his job search independently and an invitation to come back at a time when we’d have the ability to effectively represent him as a Celebrity Staff candidate for current openings. Instead of applying with staffing companies months in advance, contact them directly to advise them that you’ll be relocating to their area and that you would like to follow up closer to your moving date. It’s all about timing!

About the Author Jyl Anderson
Jyl Anderson is a recruiter at Celebrity Staff Kansas City and has been with the company since January 2011. As a recruiter, Jyl enjoys learning the ins and outs of companies all over Kansas City and is thrilled when she’s able to match a qualified candidate with an exciting opportunity. Jyl graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business management with an emphasis in human resources from Western Illinois University. She didn’t always know that she wanted to be a recruiter, but took interest in the growing industry in a staffing course during her last semester of college. Outside of work, Jyl enjoys traveling with her new husband, Connor, and spending quality time with family and friends.

What I’d like to go over is how you, the employer, can help keep the workplace a happy medium. When an employee has to leave early to catch their son’s baseball game or even if it’s just a beautiful day, is this individual leaving costing you money? How are they going to make up for this lost time? If there aren’t already guidelines set, you need to have a conversation with your employees about the rules and regulations when it comes to leaving early. It’s a two way street and both the employer and employee need to remember that. Again, there needs to be flexibility that if they’re going to leave early for whatever the reason may be, they need to make it up in one way, shape, or form.

You have to keep morale up and nobody likes a boss that isn’t flexible with their schedule. “A recent Mom Corps survey found that 61 percent of working adults strongly or somewhat agree that flexibility is one of the most important factors they consider when looking for a new job or deciding what company to work for, and 20 percent strongly agree. Flexibility is without a doubt the most cost-effective employee-retainment tool today. All generations require some level of flexibility in their day-to-day schedule, and many progressive companies are already offering it,” said Allison O’Kelly, CEO of Mom Corps.

With that said here are a couple tips:

• Employees need assurance from their supervisors that “taking advantage” of this flexible time won’t put their job security at risk.
• Work together to create an arrangement that would have some sort of approval process.
• If your employees meet sales goals or just need that extra boost, suggest that they take off early on Fridays.
•  With this flexibility, your employees will feel more in touch with their families, thus giving them a more positive attitude at work.

Keep in mind your employees are the key individuals in your industry. Without them you may not be where you are at today. Find flexibility to keep that morale up. When an employee supports your decision and is happy with their job/employer, there is less turnover and that saves you money in the end.

From all of us here at Celebrity Staff, have a fantastic June and safe travels if you’re out on vacation or seeing family.

For most people, summertime causes a change in mood. I don’t know about you, but I get anxious. Anxious to start something new, anxious to get out and run around, and anxious to be out in the sun. Now is the time to start thinking about your next move, whatever that might be. Maybe it’s joining a social networking group, volunteering, or participating in a sporting activity. Not only is it time to start getting involved, but it’s time to start doing some of those things you love to do outdoors. This could be gardening, lying out in the sun with a good book, or working on your golf swing.

I know what you are probably thinking after reading this. Where does my job come in? I work 10 hour days. Or, looking for a job is a full-time job in itself. Well, I’ve been on both sides of the fence. I’ve been the one working those 10 hour days and I’ve been the one searching for a job day in and day out. It’s all about time management and this is something we struggle with every day. Don’t be afraid to put your feelers out there and start asking what your peers are doing. Take advantage of your resources.

It’s interesting to look at what others do with their free time. For those television watchers out there – what do you do when a new season of your favorite TV show starts? You make time to watch it! You’re anxious to see what will happen. Treat this summer season the same way. Make the time to get involved and, in turn, you will have the opportunity to start your new season. Dive in!

Lauren Cushing, Celebrity Staff Recruiter

About the Author Lauren Cushing
Lauren Cushing has been employed with Celebrity Staff since June 2011. Currently, she recruits in the Des Moines, Iowa market. Highly competitive and always eager to take on challenges, Lauren consistently strives day in and day out to find that perfect candidate match for any prospective company. Co-workers describe her as someone who brings high energy and an innate ability to consistently express a sense of urgency in her recruitment practices. Her favorite aspect of recruitment is sourcing and the opportunity to headhunt for that perfect candidate. In her free time she enjoys being an active member of various recreational sports, such as volleyball and softball.

But what I didn’t know is how and why I got off track, this feeling of being out of my zone. I feel like I’ve lost my mojo. And why? This has been my “what is keeping me up at night” issue (kind of ashamed to admit that). Can anyone relate? I’ve been pondering the why factor to my dilemma and in retrospect the answer is still yet to be uncovered.  Maybe I should point blame and thank little Old Man Winter for the last four months of long, cold, dreary days. Your agony and your moodiness that would not quit has delayed my spring time rejuvenation. What should have happened in April but didn’t is what I call “spring time refresh” and now spring is gone; we are almost done with May and next up are the lazy days of summer.  With some self-evaluation, my reality check just got really “real”. Instead of an “aha” moment, I feel the moment is “uh oh”. So with some positive self-talk I’m leaving that behind and ready to reconquer to make things happen.  The great thing is there is still six months of “game time” and that means no time for lazy. I’ve got goals to continue to accomplish, so the time is now to kick it up, refocus, and get my mojo flowing, again! Sure there are times we feel off our game. It happens to all of us; the key is to know it and you will then figure out how to get yourself re-inspired to get back in the zone. Oh, I decided it’s best to quit shifting the blame to whatever it was that got me off my track, and just get back to what I still needs my attention.   

Whether you are in an administrative role, customer relations, or sales, we all are responsible for being the best employees in today’s competitive business market to make a positive impact in what we do for the success of our company.  Our team had a discussion at the beginning of the year on an enlightening book called You Gotta Get In The Game by Billy Cox.   I just read this again as it’s a simple and easy read that provides practical insight to make you better tomorrow than today by offering spirit and energy to get you headed for improved success.  Here are a few tips from the book. Hopefully this will help you as it has for me.  Enjoy!

Drivers to Get you in the Game:  

• Make decisions, take action, then do it today
• Have goals, write it out, then always review
• Think as a winner, have a positive attitude and outlooks, expect to win, challenge yourself to stay competitive, evaluate yourself and performance and be consistent   
• Believe in yourself, sell you, create positive situations
• Have discipline, mental strength, take more initiative, be persistent and focused
• Maintain integrity, be honest with yourself, handle challenges and adversity
• Follow the rules, be fair, expect success

Angie Smathers, Celebrity Staff Senior Account Manager

About the Author Angie Smathers
Angie Smathers began her career in 1998, with 2013 marking her fifteenth year in the staffing industry.  In her time with Celebrity Staff , she has established long term partnerships with companies of various industries that include medical offices, revenue cycle management, HR, legal, advertising agencies, call center, banking, and financial investment firms.  Angie has placed countless individuals who are starting out in their career path or assisted them in their career transition. She has successfully forged positive, lasting career paths by identifying high caliber candidates with top employers!  

She is a member of the Lincoln Human Resources Management Association (LHRMA) and the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.  In 2012, Angie attained C&A Industries’ company honor of achieving President’s Club for a third time. In her free time, Angie enjoys spending time with family, walking, traveling, and reading.

“Chris, I’m still in school/a new graduate/new to the professional work force – what can I do to set myself apart from other candidates and set myself up for success in my job search?”

It’s a great question.  Surprisingly, one of the most effective tools I have in my toolbox as an account manager is one that is woefully underutilized by the vast majority of Generation Y’ers (or Millennials as they are often referred as) and the answer may shock you – it’s LinkedIn.  Yes, LinkedIn.  Crazy, right?!  Typically when people from my network ask me how to get hired on with a company that has a position they are interested in I’ll ask them what their plan of attack is.  Typically, this is what they do.  First, they go to the employer’s website and apply that way.  While this sometimes works with smaller companies if you’re trying this approach with bigger firms you might as well take that money you were going to spend on a new interview outfit and go buy some magic beans instead.  I’m not saying it doesn’t work from time to time, but I think there are far more effective ways to use your time wisely.  ‘Well, there is always the tried and true method of using an existing contact to get your foot in the door’ you say!  True, and while this is great, what happens if you don’t know anyone that is employed at the firm you’re looking to work for?  Oops, looks like we’re back to the drawing board, aren’t we? 

Here is where LinkedIn is great.  Every successful person I know networks like crazy because you never know when that next person you meet might become your next big client, potential business partner, friend, etc.  LinkedIn has groups for almost anything under the sun.  When I’m networking on LinkedIn, I’m always looking to establish some common ground between myself and the person I’m hoping to network with.  This could be anything from my alma mater to organizations I belong to.  LinkedIn allows you to send a message when you want to connect with someone; I always try to make a habit of including a personal note stating why I want to connect with someone.  It can be something along the lines of, ‘I’m really interested in pursuing an opportunity in the field you work in, I would appreciate it if you joined my LinkedIn network and would possibly be open to letting me pick your brain down the road’.  You would be surprised how often this works.  If it doesn’t, well you’re in the same position you were in before you started the process so no harm no foul as far as I’m concerned.  Networking isn’t rocket science, it just takes some hard work and a little out-of-the-box thinking.

About the Author Chris Drew
Chris has been a member of the Celebrity Staff team since September 2012.  He specializes in providing high customer touch and customizing labor solutions for his clients.  Prior to his time at Celebrity, Chris was a partner in a startup energy drink distribution company that has attained a strong foothold in the Nebraska and Iowa region.  He also has six years of experience as a successful mortgage broker where he developed and cultivated a multi-million dollar relationship with one of the largest home builders in the Omaha metro area.  Chris specializes in providing excellent administrative, legal, and management candidates to his clients in the Des Moines, IA marketplace.  When he isn’t working, he enjoys golf, traveling, and spending obscene amounts of money on shoes.

Challenge – What duties and responsibilities does this employee handle?
When a person first starts their position, everything is exciting and new. Even if they have been doing similar roles their entire career, your company and its’ procedures are new and require learning. People inherently love to learn. However, the longer they are in a role, the more the position becomes mundane and eventually the person can simply “go through the motions” and still be productive. To keep your employee engaged, see if there is anything additional work you can add to their plate. Maybe there is some training that could help with their efficiency. Some companies even reimburse for career courses. Some of your positions and employees will be easier to add responsibility or training. A data entry position may seem difficult, but simply talking with your employee and finding a new project to help break up the monotony can make all the difference in the world for them.

Location – How long of a commute does your employee make each day?
There’s not much you can do about where your company is located and you definitely can’t control where your employee lives. After all, they understood the commute when they accepted the position, right? Well that may be true, but most people don’t take into account times of day when traffic could be worse, family obligations that happen to come up, or rising gas prices. It all boils down to work/life balance. People work to live, not live to work. Look at your employee’s schedule. Could you allow them to come in early and leave early to miss rush hour periods? Some companies allow their employees to work from home some days. If nothing else, maybe your employee deserves the opportunity to leave early one day. Flexibility in an employee’s schedule can offset a longer commute and make your company a much more desirable place to work.

Advancement – Does your employee have a clearly defined career path?
Stuck. Trapped. These are the two most common adjectives I hear from discontent, long-term employees when describing how they feel about their place of employment. Not everyone has a desire to move up and one day become the CEO, but most like to have options and feel valued. Sit down with your employee at least twice a year, discuss their career desires, and compare notes. If there is a natural path for them to move onto, discuss what you would like to see them do in order to achieve it. If not, is there a new role you could create? Your performance reviews are a great time to do this. Your employee may discover that the role they are currently in happens to be the role they would be happiest in. However, at least the two of you know the expectations required for them to move elsewhere and that you recognize the potential your employee has.

Money – Is your employee being compensated a fair wage based on the current market value?
Of these five, this is the one that may seem to be the most important, but rarely will it keep an unhappy employee. Most employees will say as long as they are financially secure, their earnings simply become a sign of how valuable you view them to be. You may not be in a position to give all of your employees instant raises and I’m not suggesting that. Raises should be earned, not given. Salary.com and other sites can give you a good idea of what an executive assistant with 10 years of experience can expect to make in this market. You can use that information to set goals and benchmarks for your employee to achieve. Sit down with them and define what the expectations are, how they will be measured, and what the reward is for doing so. When they hit those goals, celebrate with the raise or bonus you previously outlined.  That should help you retain your top talent and prevent them from leaving for a competitor because they don’t feel valued. When it comes to business, compensation is costly, but your employees continue to be the most important investment you can make.

Security – How safe does your employee feel about your company and their own success?
In order for your company to be successful, you need to keep your top employees engaged. In order for them to stay engaged, they need to feel a part of something successful. Chicken and egg – which comes first? It really depends on where you are currently at as an organization. But, wherever you are, communication and transparency is imperative. It’s easy when the company is doing well – everyone knows it.  There’s a natural buzz about the office and your employees all want to be a part of it. They can be assured of the company’s stability, but don’t lose sight of showing your employee how they have personally contributed and where you continue to see them fit in the near and distant future. If your company is not successful, you may need to be more open with the company’s plan to get back on track and how your employees can help. Now is the time where you may need to communicate more frequently on the things you appreciate about your employees and how much you value them. Show them the love. 

Every interview I do, I always ask why an employee left their last few positions. The first responses are normally “for more money” or “it was a better opportunity”. That’s only scratching the surface. I probe further and ask what was it about their employer that originally caused them to consider working anywhere else. That’s when I hear about a lack of room for advancement, bored doing the same duties for five years, not enough time spent with family, or uncertainty if the company would make it through the year. Most of these interviews didn’t voice these concerns directly to their employer. How many of your employees currently feel the same? Money talks, but if you don’t recognize their C.L.A.M.S., your employees may walk.

About the Author Brad Lewis
Brad joined Celebrity Staff in 2005 and currently serves as sales manager for Celebrity’s Kansas City branch office. Prior to joining Celebrity Staff, Brad was a business consultant in the communications industry for five years working specifically in the Kansas and Missouri districts. As sales manager, Brad concentrates on ensuring excellence in the overall operations of the Kansas City branch for both clients and employees. Outside the office, Brad enjoys spending quality time with his wife, Danielle, and their two sons, Kobe and Eli.

Celebrity Staff is honored to work with such amazing contract employees and extends its gratitude to the role these individuals play in our nation’s workforce. This week we celebrated our contract employees by handing out appreciation gifts!

Guess what? It’s your lucky day because I’m going to give you the chance to make a great first impression on me, Ms. Recruiter.  I’m dialing out to you in what just might be the first in a career altering chain of events.  To give you an idea of where I am heading with this, here are a few subtitles I considered for this article:

• “Opportunity is Calling or Don’t Answer the Phone at Walmart!”
• “Opportunity is Calling or Gee, You Sound Winded Walking the Dog!”
• “Opportunity is Calling or Dang, That Ringtone Would Make My Grandma Blush”

First and foremost, if you are actively job searching, expect that you may be getting job related calls.  Let this expectation cause you to think before you answer your phone.  Ask yourself these questions:

•  Do I recognize this phone number?  If not, it might be about my job application so…
•  Am I in a quiet area where I can concentrate on what the recruiter is saying?  If I’m picking up the kids from school or buying groceries, maybe I should just let this call go to voicemail.
•  Am I driving my car?  If it’s about a job, I won’t be able to write down any important instructions, so maybe I should let this call go to voicemail.
•  Am I in the doctor’s office waiting for my name to be called? I won’t be able to finish this phone call if the nurse calls my name, maybe I should let this call go to voicemail.
•  Am I in the bathroom?  Enough said.

I think you’re starting to get the idea.  No one loses out on a job because a recruiter had to leave a message. On the other hand, you may have put the wrong foot forward by answering the phone in a less than professional manner. 

This brings us to the importance of what I’m going to encounter when I dial your number.  Ring-back tones are best left for non-job search times of your life.  If you just can’t live without a ring-back tone, keep it short and keep it g-rated.  For your outgoing message, its first impression time again.  Here are common career endangering mistakes I regularly hear on outgoing voicemail: 

• Mumbling! I am assessing your communication skills from the word “go.” I place people in communication-heavy positions and if I can’t understand your message, this does not bode well. 
• Rude messages. If you are getting so many calls from bill collectors that you have changed your outgoing message to berate them, that’s a big red flag to me. 
•  Swearing or odd attempts at humor. Save the stand-up comedy routine for after you land your dream job. 
• The dreaded “customer voice mail box not yet set up.” What? Why not? I thought you were looking for a job.
• Precocious toddler outgoing message.  Small children on your message usually don’t indicate to me that I have called the correct number or that you are covering all your bases trying to be professional while you job search. 

Best bet is to stick to the facts.  A simple, clearly spoken, “You have reached Jane Doe. Please leave me a message.” will do the trick. 

Remember, for active job seekers, a recruiter is your best ally in finding a new job. A recruiter is also like a detective and is picking up clues from you left and right to decide if they can assist you in your quest for new employment.  So anticipate those calls and prepare for them ahead of time.   Call me back (utilizing many of the same tips above) and let’s get started off on the right foot.

About the Author Sheri Connor
Sheri joined Celebrity Staff Lincoln as an account manager in 2007 and was promoted to operations manager.  She brings a wealth of experience from the banking and mortgage industries, as well as experience in small business ownership, e-commerce, and in the entertainment field. Sheri is an Ambassador for the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Lofte Community Theatre where she appeared on stage in October 2009 in a comedic role.  Sheri also consults in the music industry for independent record labels and musicians both locally and in NYC in her free time.

Needless to say not many people in our Human Resources group raised their hands when asked if they have Google searched prospective candidates.  Rightfully so.  As this could be a downward slope into a legal dispute should a candidate be refused an opportunity based on information obtained through a seemingly casual internet search.  Now, don’t worry, this is not going to be yet another blog about why these searches are potentially damaging.  (You’re welcome, because we’ve all heard it before.) 

Instead, let’s look at the flip side – when candidates do their own research on prospective employers.

So it happens like this:  You’ve worked hard to recruit the right candidate for a difficult to fill position.  The interview date is set and you have recommended for your prospective employee to do some research on your company.  Before the interview your rock star person cancels with no further contact.  Or, in the life of a staffing recruiter, the negative feedback is provided as to why they are no longer interested in the company.

The savvy candidates on the job search are aware that an employer’s biggest irritation is not being prepared for an interview.  Preparation includes knowledge about the company and what they stand for.  Most companies publicize their core values on their website in realization that this draws both customers and top talent.  Marketing and corporate culture teams work hard to ensure their brand is represented positively.  What happens when a prospective employee goes beyond the company website to do their research?  Google searching a company name can lead to so much more than a company website as it allows for reviews about businesses to be posted. Those comments, while typically posted by clients, customers, or patrons, can indicate aspects of the work culture and values. 

Add in the multitude of employer review websites which allow current and past employees to anonymously post about the company, its culture, training programs, management style, hiring process, compensation, and the list goes on. Even when the discerning applicant hopefully understands that these comments may not reflect the opinion of the masses, the seed is now planted.  And could grow into a nasty gossip vine should those suspicions be confirmed.  A recent article by Fox Business written by Emily Driscoll, What Grads Should Know About Employer Review Websites, addresses this issue by quoting “disgruntled employees are five to eight times more likely to leave a review than their positive colleagues”.  We know the old saying, you can’t keep all of the people happy all of the time.  There is bound to be at least one person not entirely blissfully in love with their job, manager, or co-workers (otherwise there would be no need for job searching). 

So should companies place stock into these reviews?  Yes, because overly negative reviews, especially in large quantities, could detract talented professionals interested in working for an organization with a strong and positive reputation; especially if those voicing their opinion have a common thread and similar story.  Through my personal and professional experiences I can tell you that outstanding candidates have walked away from an opportunity based on discovering unsavory information. 

The good news is, not all is lost if you find your organization has fallen into a rash of bad social media publicity.  Here’s some quick thoughts:

• Do not play the blame game, especially if all the blame is supposedly the fault of all those people who created the less than flattering comments.
• Take a realistic approach to determining which points might be valid; which of course means be prepared to admit there are some things that just need fixing.
• Communicate with your existing staff in a manner that will give them security in addressing concerns that could lead to such discontent as to post on the World Wide Web for all to see (conducting third party employee surveys maintain confidentiality and generally lend to more honest answers).
• Evaluate if your corporate values are actually maintained throughout all levels of the organizational structure (even your front line employees need to exemplify, believe in, and feel as though they are part of the mission of the company).
• As employee confidence and satisfaction grows encourage being vocal about it.  Social media can work in your favor too by showing how much your employees love what they do and where they are at.
• Even if you are in an industry that generally has high turnover, do not just accept that for what it is.  Push the boundaries of the norm in a positive direction and you’d be surprised how much that makes you stand out as a top notch employer.

It goes without saying that changing a reputation takes time.  And sometimes it does require some major overhauls on how your business operates.  But as the economy continues to turn around, more statistics show that slightly unhappy employees will leave for better opportunities.  Many of them are already passively seeking and quietly planning their departure based on preemptive research. 

Which side do you want to be on?  The employer that has engaged and satisfied employees who are willing to bring in more of the same through all the glowing things they say or the company that is unable to attract or retain the best in your industry because you refused to accept that your reputation matters?

About the Author Tressa Hyndman
Tressa has been in the staffing industry for two years.  Her professional background includes over nine years of retail and banking management where recruiting for her own team played a large role in building successful teams.  Since joining Celebrity Staff, Tressa has used her versatile experience to partner with clients and candidates alike to find the right match for career opportunities. 

Tressa has her Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management from Webster University.  In her free time Tressa enjoys spending time with family, listening to music and reading.