hiring

What is a “Golden Unicorn” you ask? This is the slang term we use for someone that fits the organization and role so perfectly that it almost seems magical or too perfect. Whenever we find the Golden Unicorn, regardless if it’s on the temp / staffing agency side or through direct placement, we generally get the same question shortly thereafter. “Any advice with onboarding?” Here is that advice. Most of the time when we ask someone when they think onboarding starts, they naturally answer, “On the first day”. While this is a common misconception, onboarding starts much earlier. Onboarding starts with your first contact. Keep in mind three things. Set clear expectations, make sure you deliver on those expectations, and Golden Unicorns are only attracted to the best. Great companies recognize top talent is highly sought after and they focus on serving the candidate immediately. Be understanding and accommodating. Long gone are the days of, “they are lucky to have a job”. Here’s a simple piece of advice. Complete the entire interview process in less than 2 weeks unless absolutely necessary and communicate more than you think you should. Now that you have both agreed on an offer, there is still work to be done from that day to the start date. Every time a big purchase is made, there is some kind of buyer’s remorse. Changing careers is bigger, to many people, than buying a house or new car. Make the candidate feel the love immediately. Stay in touch. Ask questions. Reinforce why they decided to make the move and clearly outline what they should expect day one and beyond. The big day is here. Is the office prepped for their arrival? Clean, organized, and their workstation/office prepped? Is the team prepared to represent your brand well or are they surprised when the new hire shows up? Every part of their experience sends a message. It's up to you to ensure the right words are on paper. Think about a world-class hotel. How do they make you feel? Are you rolling out a red carpet or is the new hire wading through the trash. Unicorns will quickly fly away from trash. Don’t be afraid to drape them in your best and give them a letter welcoming them with signatures from adoring fans. Make the important introductions and make them feel at home with a tour. Put everything in writing. People fear the unknown. Get rid of the ambiguity immediately. Everyone plays a role in this and its up to you to assign those roles. It’s no surprise they made it through their first week. After all, you made them feel like a rockstar. Now we give them a runway to take off and carry the organization to new and greater heights. Make sure they have a mentor. Dive deep into feedback and make sure they know they are on the right track (unless they aren’t and then it’s really important to find out where the challenge is). Reinforce your values and their future. After all, that is why they are there. Someone worked hard to find the Golden Unicorn, why wouldn’t we want them to shine their brightest. Some even believe that if you give a golden unicorn everything it needs, one day it will become the sun that will create nourishment and warmth for your organization to thrive.

As an unemployed individual, seeking employment that is a good fit can be grueling. Mailing applications, applying online, phone calls, interviews, emails, the list goes on and on. At Summit Careers, we work hard to provide a solution to this problem for our new hires. Working with a staffing agency alleviates a lot of these job-search stressors. 4 advantages of working with a staffing company 1. They bring the right opportunities to you. While it might be easy to find any old job, finding the perfect fit can be difficult. Staffing agencies help to alleviate this. When you walk into the agency, they already have a list of opportunities, waiting for a qualified worker. As soon as the agency gets a good sense of who you are in the interview, they will know which position fits your needs the best! Knowing which employee will work best at which establishment is a unique advantage staffing agencies offer. 2. They can get you hired fast. It is not uncommon for staffing agencies to fill positions that start later that week, or even later that day! Many agencies work directly with companies that constantly need a high volume of workers. A strong staffing agency can get you hired quickly in a crunch. 3. They are flexible! Not only can a staffing agency get you a job fast, but they can also help to get you the job you want! With opportunities to fill 1st, 2nd, and 3rd shift positions, staffing agencies can find you work at a time that’s flexible for you, your family, and many other factors that make it hard to find work you can commit to. Working with agencies gives you options. 4. They will bridge the gap!  Staffing Agencies often have a strong working relationship with the companies they staff. The agency’s job is to ensure your work experience goes as smoothly as possible both for you and the company they are staffing. Staffing agencies can assist in communication and problem solving between the employees and the employers. This takes the pressure off the employee and the company they work for as they are both assisted in the selection & management process.

The potential to recruit candidates is more than job sites, LinkedIn and emails. Brand Awareness is the king of social media advertisement. This means that the primary return you get from utilizing ad platforms on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter is more awareness to potential customers that your brand exists. You kind of need people to know you exist to sell your homemade real-hair dolls and remote scuba lessons. This is also an advantage for staffing and recruiting firms. You need people to know you exist so they can see what positions and services you have available. Staffing firms don’t always have the right job for someone right now. Therefore, ensuring that potential applicants know they can contact you for any future jobs is essential. This opens up your pool, so when you do have jobs open, you can staff them quicker from your pool. Utilizing the social ads platforms to their fullest potential can be a game-changer for your firm. Facebook: They are still king. They as well have a very robust targeting system but is limited due to EEOC laws when it comes to specifying groups. You have to be savvy in how you work their system and their “interest” targeting groups. A/B Testing will be your best friend. Facebook as well has the ability to post Jobs from your business page. This can draw in a completely different demographic than a lot of other job sites - good & bad. Instagram: They are owned by Facebook, so you use the same targeting. Just remember that their image/video dimensions are more limited due to being mobile-only. Twitter: Twitter has been dismissed by brands lately but is starting to make a comeback. I don’t recommend putting $ behind ads on here, right now. But that might be changing. Google Ads: If you’re not running a search or local business campaign, you’re losing business. ProTip: Don't put money behind the search term for your business name. If someone is local and searching for your business by name, they'll find you.  YouTube: Unless you’re producing high-quality videos, I would not recommend using YouTube’s ads (through Google Ads). If you are producing high-quality videos, their targeting platform is incredible.

Do. Not. Stress. Ok, that’s not realistic. But, try to stay calm. Being fired from a job isn’t a death sentence to your career, especially during this pandemic. If you are fired, the primary thing to remember is to not become angry during the firing process or anytime while still on company property. You do not want to burn any bridges with your company because you never know what future opportunities may arise. Next, ask your employer for a full, written account of why you were let go for your records. Then, go home and relax for the rest of the day. Get your head back straight and get ready to move forward. When preparing your next career move after being let go, focus on getting your unemployment benefits filed first. Even if you expect to get a new job soon, make sure your unemployment is taken care of in case something happens to the new opportunity. After this, it’s time to update your resume. Make sure to go through your most recent job description and include hard numbers of achievements. Lastly, start applying! If you are unsure where to start, speaking to a recruiter can help focus your search and provide someone in your corner. When a recruiter submits your application and resume to a company, they are telling the company that they also approve of you as a worker. This can mean a lot when working with the right staffing firm.  One more point, if asked, do not lie to potential employers about being fired. Be honest. Lying will only hurt your chances because there is a high probability of them calling your previous employers.

Whether you’re looking for a job or hiring for your business, understanding between temp and permanent employees is essential.  Temporary (Temp) workers are those that are hired for a predetermined amount of time. These are typically contract and seasonal employees. Pros - Temp positions allow a lot more flexibility for the employer and employee, allowing both to test each other out without a full commitment. And many times, after a trial period, temp positions can turn into full time Cons - Training a temp worker can still be costly and time-consuming, especially if the person does not work out. While it’s not a rule, temp employees are not usually offered the company’s healthcare options. This can be difficult on the employee if they have a family. Permanent employees are hired without a predetermined time frame. Employers: do not forget that if you have 50+ employees and hire a full-time, permanent employee, they are entitled to healthcare, according to the IRS. Pros - A permanent position has a significant advantage for the employee – stability. Stability in a worker helps decrease their stress and therefore increases their productivity. As well, full-time employees are offered benefits. Cons - Benefits are costly to the employer. As you can see, both have positives and negatives. We suggest speaking with one of our highly knowledgeable recruiters to learn what is best for you or your company.

We get it; working with a recruiter can see like the last hope for finding a job. You have also probably heard stories about some not-so-reputable staffing agencies out there hocking pyramid scheme “jobs.” The industry is not what it used to be! Recruiters are more than just job finders; they are networkers. They are industry experts. And more importantly, they are advocates. We at Summit are all of that and more. We work hard to ensure we get to know people in all industries because we don’t want to just help find you a job; we want to help businesses find the best candidates. This means, to be a part of our Summit team, we have to know you are the best candidate for our clients and likewise, if you are a part of the team, we’ll go to bat for you. We will also be honest with you if we don’t think we have a position that fits you at this time, but we will always keep in contact in case something comes up in the future.  This is why you work with a recruiter.

2020 sucks. That’s the reality of it. As businesses have shut down and reduced employment and services across that country, what can we do to ensure we project safety to our employees and our customers? This comes down to more than just following COVID-19 protective procedures. There is a PR side that is about ensuring your staff and customers also feel comfortable with your business. So, how do you accomplish this? Be completely transparent. It’s that easy. During a pandemic, honesty is the best policy. If you have a customer-facing, brick and mortar business, you should have a clear and concise COVID addressing statement on your website – at the top. This statement should address how many customers/clients are allowed in at a time, social distancing and masking procedures. These procedures should also be posted at the door/entrance to your place of business. Those same procedures above should be clearly outlined to your non-remote employees. Many people are wary of returning to work in-person and letting them know that you are taking this seriously and have procedures in place will help keep them calm.  In addition to employee and customer safety procedures, it is essential to outline what will happen if there is a positive Coronavirus case on your team. Institute a more flexible sick leave policy. This can be difficult to navigate, depending on the size of your business. You don’t want your employees to misuse the policy, but you also don’t want them to feel obligated to come into work if they’re sick. Ensure all employees have clear guidelines on how they are to interact with customers. These are just suggestions. You know your customers and employees best and how to navigate, making them feel more comfortable. Example Website Statement: “Due to COVID-19 and the current state restriction, we are only allowing 10 customers at a time in the store. As well, wearing your mask and maintaining social distancing procedures is required at all times while inside. We understand that these are difficult times and that these policies may be inconvenient, but we are implementing them for your and our employee’s safety. Thank you for understanding and cooperating.”