Past Five

A Great Accomplishment

I am very proud to announce that LaSalle Network was just named the “Top Five Best Staffing Firms to Work For” by Staffing Industry Analysts, the global advisor on contingent work.

This is a huge honor to be recognized by the staffing industry’s leading analyst and I am very proud of every LaSalle employee for contributing to this award.

When I started LaSalle in 1998, I made it a priority to put my employee’s first. I had previously worked in multiple companies where I didn’t feel appreciated or recognized, and I never wanted my staff to feel like this.

I implemented a team-based staffing structure, fostering collaboration instead of competition, and encouraged a policy of honest and open communication between management and staff. I wanted to make sure every employee always felt they could voice their concerns and their opinion mattered regardless.

Ultimately, the more employees know they have support from you, the more they will support your organization.

Congratulations to all of my co-workers at LaSalle...now the entire industry knows that being a LaSallian is truly something special!

Second Impressions, More Important than the First

Richard Branson’s article “For Online Customers, It’s the Second Impression That Counts,” in OPEN Forum discusses the importance of the customer’s second impression with the brand, and how many companies loose sight of this importance in world where so many transactions take place online.

But what about off-line?

The second impression with your client, customer, vendor, etc. matters just as much or in my opinion, even more than the first impression. A positive first impression will bring your customer back, but only if you sustain this positive impression will your customer become a regular.

Many companies will stop following-up after the first two weeks, but by calling on a regular and routine basis, you are continually fostering relationships and positive impressions. In my company, we implement a follow-up calling schedule for both temporary and permanent positions, called a QC (Quality Control) call. We call both the candidate and client on the first day of the candidate’s job, the last day of the first week, and then every two weeks after that.

Equally, the second impression and third, fourth, fifth impressions are just as important for the sales team. Yes, initial impressions in sales are very important, but think how many sales people make great impressions. That is their job. It is very common for a sales rep to get caught up in phone calls and emails, but continuous face to face contact is key.

At LaSalle, our sales team delivers presents when it is a client’s birthday, a plant if a client has moved into a new home, a wedding or baby gift, and even a care package if a client is sick. These acts may seem small, but they foster positive associations with your company that go way past the first impression.

Additionally, Branson alludes to the continuous annoyance of machine representatives instead of real people. Again, this irritation can apply to any business, not just customer-service industries.

Voicemail is almost non-existent in my company. If a candidate or client calls and their point of contact is unavailable, the call will be transferred to someone else on the same team. Only as the very last resort, if the whole team or business unit is unavailable, will the call go to voicemail.

Ultimately, as Branson points out, we must learn to balance technology with human interaction. By simply sending emails and making the occasional phone call, your impressions will begin to align with every other company in your industry. The real value comes from positive and continuous relationships. Remember, the first impression will either open the door or close it, but continuous positive impressions will leave it wide open.

The 2010 Opportunity

Not all statistics resulting from this economic downturn are negative. Yes, the unemployment rate has reached double digits and the number of unemployed persons hovers at 15.4 million, yet a huge opportunity lies at the fingertips of many American employers.

United States labor productivity spiked to 8.1 percent during the third quarter of 2009, the biggest increase in six years. Now, more than ever before, staff members are doing more with less. Since December 2007, there have been nearly 50,000 recorded mass layoffs, and employees who survived these cuts are becoming substantially more productive during working hours.

Production breeds more production, and in order for companies to grow in 2010, employee output must be recognized, measured and incentivized.

In anticipation of Friday's unemployment numbers, here are some thoughts on beginning 2010 strong.

Solidify Best Practices

Out of tough times comes ingenuity, and business leaders must leverage the knowledge and experience they have accumulated and implement department and company-wide policies to support continued employee productivity. Take notice of the best practices implemented during these difficult times, and don’t let them fall to the wayside when business improves. What is efficient and effective during a down economy will likely be just as useful when the market turns around. Document the improvements made to processes and protocol in the present so the company can continue to garner results from them in the future. Make executing job duties easier for the workforce by having established and well-known best practices in place, and be sure these guidelines are thoroughly disseminated throughout the entire organization.

Measure Success

Higher productivity and best practices are necessary, but without goals and benchmarks to drive progress, newly established guidelines are worthless. When benchmarks are in place, employees have a tangible goal towards which to work and will feel satisfied when their objectives are accomplished. Most employees need a balance between autonomy and guidance from their superiors to achieve optimal productivity. Providing clear targets to focus employee efforts will allow individuals to execute more efficiently, as well as garner increased employment satisfaction.

Prevent Burnout

A bonus check every quarter does not necessarily equate to satisfaction at work. While monetary bonuses and incentives can be effective, the key to promoting true employee happiness lies in the small things. Listen to employee feedback and implement new initiatives within budgetary restraints. Small rewards can go a long way, and employees will appreciate management’s interest in their opinions and will be motivated to produce if they feel their voice has been heard and respected.

Happy Holidays - You're Hired!

Contrary to common job search myths, most companies don’t cease hiring during the holidays. The months between Thanksgiving and the New Year are often the busiest of the year. With many managers scrambling to make the most of their annual budget, and others planning for January, companies are looking to add staff, or research for next year’s hires, before midnight on December 31, 2009.

Showing up when others are taking off may land you that new position to ring in the New Year!

Swim in the Smaller Pool

The holidays are swiftly approaching, and the majority of Americans will use this time as a welcome vacation from their tedious careers. Don’t make this mistake. The pool of job seekers actively pursuing open positions is significantly smaller during the holiday season, and unemployed job seekers should capitalize on this smaller pool of competitors. In a time of gluttony and excess, when others are focused on the holidays, utilize this time to prove to employers your determination and focus.

Stave away the winter blues by vowing to advance your job search one day at a time. Set a goal to complete one substantial step towards employment each day. For example, connect with 15 new contacts on LinkedIn, research five companies and apply to postings on their Web site, or attend a networking event.

Earn Extra Holiday Cash and Career Experience

Regardless of your employment status, seasonal or part-time work during the holidays is an effective way to earn extra cash and gain valuable work experience. Job seekers who take on additional part-time employment within their desired career path are viewed as going above and beyond the expected employment strategy. In some cases, a part-time or seasonal position can even lead to a full-time job within the company or industry of your career dreams.

Capitalize on Gatekeeper Absence

During the holidays, many administrative staff members request time away from the office. Gatekeepers, executive assistants, for example, who protect the process of connecting with management, will often be absent, making it more likely to reach the decision-makers within a given organization. Also, many managers spend more time in the office in the winter months to compensate for time off taken by their staff. Use this time to your advantage; call the company and ask for the hiring manager directly. In this economy, managers receive a plethora of responses to each job opening, and making a tactful and professional phone call inquiring about the status of your application can go a long way.

Don’t wait until the week before Christmas to inquire about open positions. Increase your chances of getting hired this holiday season by submitting your application early, and beat the post-Thanksgiving rush.

The Candidate Experience

I was reading Dave Lefkow's blog yesterday, and it refreshed a mantra that I have had since I started our our recruiting and staffing firm nine years ago - "The Candidate Experience." In his post, Dave suggests that candidates are the only thing that is "virtually guaranteed to grow your revenue and attract customers." So how do you attract candidates?

There is a need for companies, whether they are third-party recruiters or traditional hiring organizations, to create an experience for the job seeker/interviewer/candidate. How can a human resources or hiring manager make the process an experience that the candidate will relish? Why would you want to, unless the candidate is terrific? I get a little holistic here, so hold on for a second.

The majority of us are in business to make money. We hire people to make our unit/company stronger, which will result in more revenue, achieving more goals, and for us as employees to make more money and take on new challenges. The stronger our firm's reputation is in the marketplace and the stronger your reputation as an individual within the firm, the better the opportunities for growth all around. I interview candidates every day from a variety of backgrounds, and many, if not all, say they want to get into recruiting, at least in small part, because they like the idea of helping people.

While this is a terrific notion, the reality is, in business most people like the idea of helping people who can help them. So, if you are an HR recruiter for a corporation, how much help do you provide to those who don't make it past the initial interviews? If you are a third-party recruiter, how much do you help those you don't have a position for today? If you are a hiring manager, how do you help people you don't like for your position?

We should all believe that what goes around, comes around. If you were interviewing for a position and came across in a way that was less than flattering, wouldn't you hope someone would share with you how to improve? We all need development, and there is nothing harder than being confrontational with someone to share some less-than-flattering thoughts. You may ask, "This is creating a positive candidate experience?" Yes, it is.

When people feel that someone they have met with has made an emotional connection or taken the time to "work with" them rather than simply ask questions, they feel a connection. In fact, we get as much business from candidates we did NOT find jobs for, but purely  gave advice and helped refine their styles, as we do for job seekers we actually find jobs for. Why? Because people want to help people who have helped them.

So, how wonderful would it be if you interviewed someone, and when you were running a few minutes late, you actually apologize rather than take the attitude that because the other person is looking for a job, it doesn't matter if you are late? Wouldn't it be terrific if you gave a candidate a tour of the office to the candidates that come in, even if you only think the office is cubes and files? Four minutes isn't going to kill anyone. And how awesome would it be if one of these candidates who you opened up to and helped improve their resume, or gave a tour of the office to, actually referred the "right" candidate to your company down the road? Or, what would you feel like if one day, they were in the position to become a client to your company? It happens, believe me!