Past Five

The Best Places to Work Put Employees First

Last night, I attended the Daily Herald Business Ledger ceremony for the Best Places to Work in Illinois in 2012. LaSalle was honored in the small and medium size company category. It is a huge honor to be recognized and I am proud of every employee’s contribution to the award.

The keynote speaker, Thomas A. Klobucher, CEO of Thomas Interior Systems, explained why each company made the list using three words: putting employees first. Companies today that have the most unique culture and the most dedicated employees almost always put their staff first.

Happy employees treat customers better, subsequently improving customer service levels and sales at the organization.

Last night reinforced my belief that retaining and engaging staff is not all about monetary incentives. Almost every company that was honored offers training programs, uses recognition tools, provides regular feedback and spends quality time with employees.

They also do fun things as a company, like happy hours, baseball games, March madness parties, potlucks, sumo wrestling competitions and volunteering.

The ceremony attested to the fact that every company, regardless of its size, has the potential to be a great place to work.

Congratulations to all of my co-workers at LaSalle!

Advice for Working Mothers: How to Balance Your Career and Family

For Mother's Day, I thought it would be nice to have one of LaSalle's successful working mothers share her advice on how to balance a career and family. The post below is from Jayme Schrieffer, one of our Manager of Major Accounts who has been with LaSalle for over eleven years. Jayme oversees more than $4 million per year in revenue and is also the mother of an active two-year-old son.

Balancing a career and family is difficult, and doing it successfully is truly a skill. I've found that in order to juggle both responsibilities, it's crucial to be realistic about what can be accomplished in a day or a week at work. It's important not to take on too much that a deadline or goal will be missed. It's all about time management. Making a list of priorities every morning helps me manage my day to ensure that I get everything accomplished and still leave the office at a decent time so that I can spend time with my son before bed.

Communication with your manager is also key when trying to balance home life and a career. Communicating my goals, ambitions and concerns of trying to do it all have helped me take my career to the next level, and at the same time, has strengthened my relationship with my manager. Maintaining open lines of communication, continually checking in and asking for one-on-one meetings demonstrates a commitment to professional development and proves that your career has not taken a back seat because you are a working mom.

Being a working mom is rewarding both personally and professionally. If the skill is mastered, it can
make a woman to do more in less time, produce more and exceed goals.

-Jayme Schrieffer

Advance Your Career: It’s Simple….Work Harder Than Your Colleagues

I had dinner the other night with the CEO of a $25M corporation that is rapidly expanding into new markets. He’s bright, motivated and extremely successful…and he’s only 31. After dinner, he was deciding whether to return to the office. It was after 6 p.m., and he conceded that most of his employees had probably left. Then, musing to himself, he said, “Where do they go?” I asked, “What do you mean, where do they go? They probably go home.”

He replied, “If they aren’t out with friends, are they just at home watching TV? Wouldn’t they rather be working?”

Wouldn’t they rather be working? In his mind, the answer was obvious…of course. In the minds of millions of workers, the response is probably a resounding no. This is the difference between great, successful employees and mediocre ones. Great employees are constantly working, thinking of new ideas, reading new literature and determining how events and lessons in their everyday life can transfer to their career. These are the employees that are getting promoted and receiving raises.

So if you’re wondering why your career hasn’t taken off, evaluate whether you have put in the time and effort necessary to advance your career. Would you rather be working?

Increase Employee Moral: Move Their Desks!

Did you ever consider that your teachers were onto something when they had you change desk locations and seat partners every few months?

They knew that sometimes who you sit next to can be as important as the topic at hand. It’s as true in business as it is in education.

Think about it. If an employee sits next to a “chatty Kathy,” they get less work done because they are distracted. If they share space with a colleague who hates their job, that negativity rubs off.

Having staff rotate desks can bring a new spark to the workplace, boost energy and increase moral.

I’ve seen it happen. Employees who were underperforming improved substantially once they were removed from the distractions of their neighbor. Workers who appeared burnt out were revitalized after relocating next to a staff member with seemingly inexhaustible energy.

I’m not saying this will work every time, but it’s a simple concept that’s easy to implement and carries measurable results.

Embrace the Madness

Companies that attempt to squash the fun and energy of March Madness are approaching the situation the wrong way. The games are an ideal opportunity to boost employee morale and thank clients.

Limiting an employee’s ability to watch or discuss the games is exactly the reason articles are predicting a decrease in worker productivity during this time period. The more a person is told they can’t do something, the more they want to.

So embrace it, encourage staff to wear their favorite college jersey or start companywide brackets. Maybe even consider bringing in a few T.Vs for employees to watch the games during lunch. Allowing staff a minor “indulgence” has been known to increase productivity and spur creativity. Not to mention it will do wonders for morale.

March Madness is also the ideal time to thank clients outside of the holiday season. We throw an annual March Madness open house, where we invite all of our clients and bring in hot dog vendors, a popcorn stand, beer and snacks. The open house allows us to show our appreciation for our clients and is also a more casual forum that facilitates relaxed dialogue and helps our staff and clients connect on a more personal level.

But it’s not necessary to spend a lot of money to thank clients. Companies could hold a bracket challenge with a small prize for the winner. Any other ideas?

How to Revive a Dead Career on Halloween

Tip #1: Rise at the witching hour

Set yourself up for success before stepping into the office. Resist hitting the snooze button and wake up a few minutes earlier to do something you love. Run outside, cook a healthy breakfast or meditate as the sun rises; instead of feeling drained before you start the day, you will have more energy to power through it.

Tip #2: Carve out a relationship with your manager

Every employees main purpose is to make their boss's life easier, so work independently and anticipate your manager's needs before he or she asks about them. Connect with your manager on a personal level; ask about his or her passions outside of work, and find the opportunity to engage those interests in conversation. The extra effort and positive attitude you put into the relationship will not go unnoticed.

Tip #3: Enchant your co-workers

Everyone likes to be acknowledged for their hard work or a job well done, and your co-workers are no exception. Speak up when a colleague closes a big deal or completes an extensive project. Although their work may not directly affect you, the buzz of sharing praise can foster positivity in the workplace and a feeling of camaraderie among staff.

Tip #4: Brew something new

While you may be comfortable in your routine, it may also be the source of your dissatisfaction. Bring excitement to your job by asking for assignments outside of your job description. Challenge yourself everyday to say or do something that feels out-of-the-box. Not only will your employer be impressed with your initiative, but the change of pace and new variety of work will be a stimulating addition to your everyday tasks.

Tip #5: Don't be afraid to say, "Boo!"

If you are usually a wall flower in meetings or brainstorming sessions, it's time to break out of your shell. Don't let fear hinder you from contributing to your company's missions, and in turn, your career satisfaction. Voicing your ideas will gain respect from your peers, increase your enjoyment and make a difference in your career.

Are Women Better Bosses?

Are women better managers, bosses, leaders? Well, since four fifths of my executive team are women, I would say err toward the side of yes.

Throughout the past few years, I’ve been overly impressed by the performance of LaSalle’s female leaders. They successfully build consensus to reach decisions, openly communicate, and inspire their team for continuous achievement and accomplishment.

While some people say that women bring emotion into the workplace, I say “Of course they do!” but that’s a good thing. Give me passion or give me death!

The stereotype is that women experience more emotional extremes than men, but emotion, if positive, will create a constructive and supportive environment that is good for the workplace and critical for business success.

Throughout the day, regardless if an employee accomplishes a large goal or a small task, I hear these women cheering and outwardly congratulating their team. I see the Director of Human Resources become infinitely more excited for an employee’s birthday than her own. And I’ll see our Vice President of Sales jump up and down when a business development manager receives an order.

These women worked hard for their successes and have pushed through barriers to get there. Not one of these four women were handed opportunities on a golden platter; they worked hard and earned to be where they are today. Because of their perseverance, they equally push and elicit this out of their team.

Not only are these women great bosses, but they are role models. Without the women of LaSalle, our company would never be where we are today.

The Future of Staffing: IT

In a recent SI Review article entitled the “The Future of Staffing,” many staffing experts predicted that more staffing companies will be going global, that outsourcing will be on the rise, and that baby boomers will be heading back to work. But as I mentioned in the same article, I think the most immediate change in staffing will be the exponential growth in the technology sector.

Small, medium, and large sized companies are consistently trying to integrate new technologies into their businesses in order to increase productivity and revenue. With the expansion in technological opportunities undoubtedly leads to the demand for employees with specific technological skill sets.

For example, according to Staffing Industry Analysts, “demand for Java/Java 2 Platform enterprise edition (J2EE) is up 60% from last year; Javascript is up 74%; HTML is up 104%.  Across all skills the median increase is 49%.” More specifically, “employment of computer and information systems managers is expected to grow between 18 to 26 percent for all occupations through the year 2014,” Career Guide to Industries 2006-07.

At LaSalle Network we have seen a dramatic increase in our technology business within the past year. From 2009 to 2010, our technology unit experienced an outstanding 80% increase in revenue. Similar to the SI Analysts blog, we have also seen employers ask for very specific skill sets. The latest trends have also been in .NET developments, data management, and online security, as well as, employees who’ve worked with Java and Oracle. 

Within the next few years, there will be a large increase in healthcare technology. With the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules, which protect the privacy of individually identifiable health information and set national standards for the security of electronic protected health information, this sector will need an abundance of IT specialists to protect and safeguard information. Already a number of LaSalle Network healthcare clients are discussing staffing and recruiting strategies to take effect in the next twelve to twenty-four months. 

With technology among the economy's largest and fastest sources of employment growth, especially in the healthcare sector, there’s no doubt technology staffing will increase even more in the next few years. If you are a technology and engineering professional, your future is looking bright.

The Importance of Pride

“If a man is called a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and Earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well,” Martin Luther King Jr.

In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I thought it would be appropriate to dedicate this blog post to King’s values of hard work, determination, and pride.

Though King’s quotes were recited almost five decades ago, they still hold true today. Regardless of your job or industry, every employee should always be working to their fullest potential.

Every job whether entry-level or management, temporary or permanent, non-profit or corporate is important and affects other people regardless if you are saving a life, writing a financial report, or making the streets cleaner. And yet, while there are hardships and stress in every job, success and achievement, as exemplified by King, will only come from overcoming obstacles. After all, success is never handed to you, it is created by you.

In 2011, every employee whether working as a technician, a secretary, a accountant, a doctor, or a streetsweeper should make it a resolution to A) Go above and beyond their job duties of work and B) Take pride in every task, both large and small. Even if a raise or a promotion is not in close sight, your efforts will be noticed and undoubtedly be acknowledged in some way. And once you realize your importance, pride will come naturally.

Stand out from the sea of unemployed

With 15 million people unemployed and only 3.1 million available jobs, job seekers need to differentiate themselves from the crowd by pinpointing companies and industries instead of appealing to the masses. Prior to the Great Recession where candidates displayed a multitude of skills and expertise to potential employers, today’s job seeker needs to deliver only what the employer asks for in order to get noticed.

I've seen thousands of generic cover letters and resumes over the past 18 months. Create a niche for yourself. Just as Pottery Barn caters toward home decorators or ESPN targets sports lovers, job seekers must do the same. Whether you are a .NET developer, customer service representative, or accountant, the recruiter or hiring manager is seeking something specific, so give it to them.

Create tailored cover letters and resumes, each highlighting a specific skill set and background, and spend considerable time and energy getting the information into the right hands. It’s more effective to exhibit passion and expertise about one or two skills related to the position than a multitude of unrelated talents.

One of the largest mistakes job seekers make is not dedicating enough time to their cover letter or introductory email. Ninety percent of job seekers have generic cover letters that reiterate bullet points on their resume. A cover letter or intro email is the first document an employer reads: make it stand out. The key to a cover letter is to prove to the employer that you are knowledgeable about their company and industry and would add value from day one. Use the company website and research current events that pertain to the industry and incorporate this information. Doing this will allow you to stand out as a well-informed and valuable candidate.

Tweak your resume depending on the job; be certain to align your skills and experience on your resume with the job description provided. Remember your goal is to compose a resume that is congruent with what the company desires in an ideal candidate without fabricating your professional experience. Regardless of the vernacular used at your previous employer, always use verbiage future employers will recognize. For example, sales versus business development, telemarketing versus telesales, customer service versus account management. Companies will tell you what they are looking for in their job description, so use their words.

Don’t network. It’s just turned into an excuse to drink free booze. Instead of going through your immediate connections and attending happy hours with no follow-through, work backwards. Focus your attention on five companies you are interested in and go from there. Locate current and past employees on LinkedIn or the company’s website and schedule a meeting with them. One of the largest mistakes job seekers make is acting too desperate for a job. Instead of asking employees about job openings, take this meeting as an opportunity to pick their brain and find out about their company’s culture, growth strategy, and business practices. These meeting are twofold. One, you become knowledgeable and educated about the company. Two, you will gain internal advocates who can provide additional exposure and support outside of the traditional hiring process.