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  • How To Set Effective Goals For The New Year

    The savvy CEO knows that the start of a new year is a great time to set resolutions for the coming weeks and months. However, achieving these goals can be easier said than done. If you’re sick of abandoning your New Year’s resolutions before the end of January, then consider the following tips for setting effective and realizable goals for your business: Be Realistic Struggling to achieve your New Year’s goals? It’s good to set high standards in the workplace, however, employees may become discouraged if goals seem unattainable.  Choose challenging but conquerable obstacles for you and your team to boost your odds of keeping those resolutions. You should also make sure goals are specific and concrete, so employees understand exactly what needs to be done to achieve them. Track Your Progress Sick of carrying over the same goals from year to year? Whether personal or professional, goals are easier to achieve when you track your progress. Dividing larger projects into more manageable tasks and holding regular review sessions to track development will help to keep employees accountable. You may also want to consider rewarding employees with gift cards and company lunches along the way. Show workers their efforts are appreciated and motivate them to keep going. Consult with the Team A common mistake among managers is making unilateral decisions regarding goal setting. To raise your chances of achieving New Year goals, ask employees what improvements would raise productivity while making their lives easier. For example, your warehouse team might feel that a new inventory system would improve efficiency. Inviting your team members to participate in goal creation, increases their level of investment in a given project and boost your odds of success.

  • Building a Valuable Relationship With Your Recruiter

    Building a relationship with your recruiter is one of the most important, and potentially lucrative things that you can do.  A respectable recruiter understands your skillset and will contact you when a job becomes available. A recruiter in which you have built a relationship with not only understands what you do, but also knows what you are looking for in your next position and can be an asset to your career for many years to come. Be open and inform your recruiter of additional factors that would play a part in your decision making of accepting a position.  Some candidates are looking for a challenging project and would be willing to travel while some would prefer a comfortable role right in their backyard. Helping your recruiter to understand what really drives you will go a long way in ensuring that they are looking out for your best interests in the market will bring you the right role, the first time.  When is the best time to do this, you ask? Today! So, give us a call!

  • Everyone Needs A Recruiter, Make Sure You Know How To Pick The Right One

    Let’s face it, there are a lot of bad recruiters out there. Because of this, candidates instinctively put up a wall every time they get a call from a recruiter. It’s difficult to blame any candidate for this, as you never know the intent of the recruiter that’s calling you. Aligning yourself with good recruiters will help you get a job when you need it the most. More importantly, recruiters assist in helping you to achieve your long-term career goals. So, how can you asses that recruiter that’s calling you? When a recruiter calls a candidate, there are a few things the candidate should be on the lookout to ensure that their best interest is being kept in mind. 99% of recruiters out there are reactive. This means they receive a job order, and immediately start calling candidates to talk about that specific job. As a candidate, it’s great to get this call about a job opportunity. However, it’s important to know that your recruiter is properly representing you. For them to do that, they need to ask you what your career goals are. It’s easy for a recruiter to see your resume and just assume this is a perfect fit for you. Often, a recruiter will say it’s a perfect fit before they even understand your background. As a candidate, it’s important to work with recruiters who are thinking long term; choosing the ones who are playing chess while the others are playing checkers. Work with a recruiter who takes their time to ask the important questions to properly place you. What is important to you in a job? What are your long-term goals? In a perfect world, where do you see yourself in two years? From the candidate side, when you have a good recruiter, make sure you are being honest with them. Overcommunication is something we really value and appreciate, it makes our job easier to present you in the best possible way. Most importantly, let’s get proactive. Good recruiters will not sit around and wait for the perfect role to come in. Let’s do some leg work together to identify clients in your local area. A lot of good recruiters work nationally and could use some help from the candidate to get a grasp on their local market. When a good relationship is established between recruiters and candidates, everyone wins.

  • Do Your References Speak To Your Level of Expertise?

    Now more than ever, employers are interested in what your professional references have to say about you in the workplace. The question for prospective employees then becomes, “Did I select the right references?” Choosing a reference that will simply say that you are a hard-worker who shows up on-time is not enough in a competitive job market. Candidates need to select their references to align their resume and skillset with on the job experiences. A reference should be able to speak to your daily responsibilities, the technologies you use, and accurately portray the professional qualities that would make you stand out to an employer. Make sure you have had a conversation with your references, so they know what qualities to focus on that can really make you stand out. References can help you seal the deal and be on your way to getting your dream job!

  • Get Compensated Fairly With These Tips

    After weeks of searching for jobs and interviewing with HR reps, you’ve finally received an offer letter. The hard part is over, right? Wrong! Once you’ve landed the position, it’s time to talk about compensation and benefits. Here are some tips to ensure your next salary negotiation is a success: Do Your Research For a leg up in your new salary discussion, take the time to do your homework. Before you discuss salary with a potential employer, research the going rate for your services in a given area of the country. By providing the hiring manager with objective numbers to back your salary request, you boost your chances of getting what you want. Don’t State a Price Upfront While we’re on the subject of stating your desired salary… well, don’t. Before suggesting a dollar figure, see what salary range the company is willing to offer, in case it’s more than you expected. If the hiring manager presses in asking for a figure, don’t fret; simply say that your current contract doesn’t allow you to reveal your salary to outsiders. Talk Up Your Skill Set Want to “up” your current compensation offer? Be prepared to talk up your abilities during that all-important negotiation appointment. A great way to score a higher salary is to list your past accomplishments. After all, your valuable experience translates to more potential profits at your new company. Ask About Benefits In some cases, a company may not be able to negotiate on the final salary. However, that doesn’t mean a savvy candidate can’t score other benefits. If you can’t land your desired price, consider asking for extra vacation time, tuition reimbursement, or even the ability to telecommute. Practice Your Pitch Once you’ve determined your sales pitch, take the time to practice it with family and friends. Make an effort to predict arguments and brainstorm ways of countering them. By remaining confident and relaxed, you will boost your chances of landing your dream job at the compensation point you desire.

  • How to Select Top Talent from Your Candidate Pool

    You’ve posted your job ads and conducted the first round of interviews. Now all you have to do is choose the best person for the job. While you may think the hard part is over now, the truth is that selecting the ideal person from your candidate pool is easier said than done. Here are some tips for making sure your next hire goes the distance: Consider Company Culture It’s not enough that a candidate has the chops for the job; they must also be a good cultural fit for your staff. While it’s great to introduce some new blood into your current team, savvy hiring managers will make sure candidates are both hardworking and collaborative. After all, the last thing you want is a new hire that will spur the rest of your employees to find different jobs. Contact Employee References Trying to choose between two candidates who are equally qualified on paper? While most hiring managers will contact references, not everyone knows the right questions to use when evaluating potential employees. For best results, don’t just ask about past performance. Instead, you should inquire about a candidate’s work ethic and even sense of humor. Additionally, you should look for subtle verbal cues and silences that may suggest the reference has reservations about the employee in question. Before you commit to working with someone every day, you want to make sure they are going to be a pleasant colleague in every sense. Conduct a Test Run Want to ensure your job candidates are truly up to the task? Think about asking your frontrunners to join you in the office for a test run. Also called a working interview, test runs let you evaluate candidates while they’re in the trenches, so you don’t wind up with a worker who lacks the chops to do the job. As an added bonus, current employees can offer their two cents before you make someone an offer.

  • 3 Steps for Finding the Most Qualified Hire

    Like the proverbial rotten apple, one bad hire can have a negative effect on the entire workplace. Follow these three steps to ensure you find the most qualified person for the job at hand: 1. Create a compelling job ad. Wondering why your last few hires have been less than stellar? The problem may not be with your employees but your hastily written job description. For the most effective hiring, take the time to craft a clear and compelling job ads that list the most significant tasks and responsibilities associated with the position. Additionally, you should provide a description of the work culture. After all, if a candidate needs to work as part of a team, you don’t want to recruit someone who prefers to do their job independently. 2. Recruit in various places. Think you’re ready to make that next hire? Take a moment to diversify your recruitment efforts. If you’ve only courted candidates on job boards in the past, consider widening your net to target potential workers on social sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Additionally, you should take advantage of your business and personal networks. After all, a current or former colleague might know the perfect candidate for the job. 3. Contact a Staffing Service. Want to avoid costly hiring mistakes? Consider seeking assistance from a reputable multidivisional staffing company like BGSF. Not only do our recruiters have access to deeper and different applicant pools, but we can also screen prospective employees for you, ensuring workers are truly up to the task. Additionally, a good recruiter will evaluate potential employees to ensure they mesh well with your company culture and current teammates. At BGSF, we specialize in helping hiring managers find and recruit the best apples in the bushel to give your company a leading edge.

  • 10 Tips for Landing the Second Interview

    Preparation is key to a successful interview! All too many times, we find ourselves feeling overly confident that we are going to win the position only to find out that someone else did more homework and we did not land a second interview. Be fully prepared for those unexpected questions. Also, make sure you learn your CV and previous experience. Don’t forget to brush up on the latest upgrade or features. Remember the more prepared you are, the more confident you’ll come across. Trust us, clients like confident candidates. Check out the company you’re being interviewed by extensively. Make sure you understand their brand, product, and organizational structure. What is the company turnover? Or what are their latest news stories? Who do you know internally? Many times, we have had consultants interview with hiring managers only to find out both had similar acquaintances. Utilize social networking sites. They are a great and modern way to find more out about the company and even your interviewer. For instance, LinkedIn is a fantastic tool to inquisitively find out about a person’s career history. You’ll know how long your interviewer has been with the company, their career history and maybe even their hobbies, great for breaking the ice. As mentioned above, you may have similar people in common which can help solidify your client’s confidence in you being the right fit. Dress for interview success. It’s a cliché, but you need to look the part. We are judged on first impressions, so it’s vital that those shoes are polished, your best suit is dry-cleaned, and your nails are nicely manicured. We all feel more confident when we look good, so make sure your appearance is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are being interviewed with. Make sure you bring some spare copies of your CV in a nice portfolio. Include a pen and paper for taking notes. Be on time and research where you’re going beforehand – even if it’s a phone call. Yes, it sounds like an obvious one, but you’ll be surprised by how many candidates end up being late or turn up far too early. It can actually be a disadvantage if you turn up too early. Always try to make sure that you turn up 5-10 minutes early for the interview. Phone calls are one of our main forms of the interview and many consultants wait until the final minute to join the call. We suggest joining the call early to ensure the conference line works and usually if there is a call before, our account managers will fill you in on prior questions. Five minutes could mean the world in final preparation. Talk about yourself confidently. This is one of the most popularly asked questions at an interview. Make sure you can relax and confidently talk about your education, career history and biggest achievements to date. Practice this with friends and family until it’s perfected. Start backward with your education and work history and end with your current employment. Share your strengths, weakness and greatest achievements. Again, this is another popular question. What are yours? Be prepared for these questions. Practice and make sure you’ll highlight the right weaknesses. Focus on your strengths and how they pertain to the current job description. Be sure to highlight major accomplishments in previous positions, say you saved your past employer over $100k on their implementation. I couldn’t imagine that kicking you out of consideration. Stay calm. We know interviews aren’t always enjoyable; however, make sure you relax and stay as calm as possible. Take a moment to recoup if necessary. Have a sip of that water. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer and try to gain a good rapport. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention. It can be embarrassing if you forget the question. Don’t be afraid to ask your own questions. Hopefully, you’ll have lots of interviews lined up. Therefore, it’s important that you make sure that the company, and job, is right for you. Make sure you have a few questions (3-5) written down and you’re ready to ask. Make sure the questions are centric to the project and current and future endeavors the company is seeking to pursue. This builds the credibility that you care and plan to be there for the immediate and future. Close like a salesman. One of the biggest mistakes I see consultants make when they finish a 30 min interview is not closing the client. My favorite line to use is “Based on our conversation, what holds you back from me moving forward with this position.” It puts the pressure back on the client to divulge hesitations and gives you the chance to reassure your client you are the right fit, even if you do not fit 100% of the job description.

  • Improving and Maintaining Warehouse Efficiency

    The fact that your products usually leave the warehouse on time doesn’t necessarily mean your facility is efficient. On the contrary, you may be wasting thousands of dollars every year on a warehouse system that’s poorly organized and ineffectual. At BGSF, we pride ourselves on creating unique solutions for our clients’ warehouse needs. Here are four ways to improve warehouse efficiency and save money in the long run. Walk the Floor Want to see more efficient operations in your warehouse? Arrange for management to walk the warehouse floor on occasion. Not only can your company superstars identify bottlenecks and other areas of waste, but they can also make suggestions for improving operations to everyone’s advantage. Additionally, you may want to hire an outside consultant to make suggestions; after all, the fact that you’ve always done something a certain way doesn’t mean you should continue down that path indefinitely. Provide Employee Training When was the last time your warehouse workers attended a training program? If you’re not hosting regular educational seminars, you may be endangering both worker safety and company profits. Additionally, training your workers enables you to determine which members of your team would make good candidates for managerial positions down the line. In the long run well-informed, educated warehouse workers are more likely to improve efficiency and help your business succeed. Reexamine Workflow and Operations If something works, there’s no reason to change it, right? Wrong! If you haven’t evaluated your warehouse flow for a few years, it’s probably time to take a fresh look at operations in this all-important hub. Make sure product flow and order flow aren’t overlapping and cut steps whenever possible. The goal is to trim excess without reducing the quality of your product or service. Hire Smart Want to improve efficiency at your warehouse? Hire the best candidates from the start. A leader in full-service staffing, BGSF also offers complete on-site solutions to help optimize warehouse operations at your business. For more information about our services, call today or contact our recruitment experts online.

  • 10 Steps for Maintaining Career Growth

    Continue to be extremely successful through career ups and downs by paying close attention to these 10 keys: 1. Continually reevaluate your career. Is your career path well aligned with your priorities and interests? Do you have the experience and education needed to be successful? If not, consider developing a plan to grow your skills and advance your value. 2. Set clear career goals. You can’t achieve your goals if you don’t know what they are! The only way to gauge success is to define exactly what you want to accomplish and start your journey. 3. Create a plan. Determine the steps you need to take for your next position or promotion. Include resources and due dates. Schedule these activities in your planner and follow through. 4. Communicate your career goals with management. If you work in an organization that promotes employee development, communicate your goals to your manager and ask for his or her support. 5. Volunteer for new projects. This shows initiative, puts you in a visible position and builds new skills. It also gives you the opportunity to showcase your leadership skills. 6. Stay current in your field and in transferable fields. Become a leader in your field. Read industry publications and reports. Be aware of changing trends and position yourself accordingly. But if you’re industry is a dinosaur with no growth potential, consider transferring your skill set to another industry. 7. Take classes or obtain a certification. Use your industry knowledge to your advantage. Take a course in a new area or a specialty that will benefit your organization and give you an edge over the competition. 8. Assume a leadership role. Offer to mentor a junior associate in your organization, apply for a position on a local board, or chair a committee for a nonprofit organization. 9. Network, Network, Network. Within your organization and within the community. Increasing your visibility and gaining contacts are vital to your success when climbing the corporate ladder. No one ever got to the top alone. 10. Excel in your current position. Exceptional performance speaks for itself. You won’t get ahead with mediocre performance, regardless of how many other steps you implement.

  • Behavioral Interview Tips to Land Your Next Job

    Everyone wants to make a good impression during an interview. But did you know that your performance in future interviews might be evaluated based on what you did as well as what you said? No, that doesn’t mean you have to learn to juggle or stand on your head to make a good impression. However, behavioral interviews — in which candidates are expected to talk about their past experiences and how they handled challenges — are becoming increasingly popular among hiring managers. Here are some behavioral interview tips to help you land the job of your dreams: Use the STAR Process Want to make sure you answer behavioral interview questions in the most thorough manner possible? Use the STAR method when responding. First, state the Situation or Task in which you were involved. Next, describe the action you took to resolve the issue. Finally, describe the result of that action. Call On All Your Life Experiences If you are a younger employee or one who has recently made a career switch, being called upon to answer behavioral interview questions can be especially intimidating. However, even if you don’t have a great deal of experience in a particular field, you can still succeed in this interview format. For best results, call upon all your available life experiences, including college jobs and time spent volunteering. Prepare Your Comments in Advance Think preparing some stories ahead of time is cheating? On the contrary, the savviest job candidates spend some time brainstorming about prior work accomplishments before the big interview. For example, you may want to think up a few anecdotes to back your stated skills and abilities.

  • Allow Recruiters To Discover You On LinkedIn!

    Looking for a new opportunity or interested in staying in the know is just a few clicks away. Recruiters search LinkedIn for available consultants all the time.  Below are some tips to assist you with letting recruiters know you are looking and that you are open to being contacted for new opportunities. Make yourself available: Use that “Open to New Opportunities” feature.  Under the area that says “Let recruiters know you’re open,” you will see a button.  Turn that button to “On” and the word goes out! This setting is only visible to LinkedIn members that have a LinkedIn Recruiter subscription.  Your connections will not see that you have turned this feature on unless they are on LinkedIn Recruiter.  Also, this setting is for 180 days only, after which it is automatically turned off. It can simply be reactivated for a further 180 days. Keep your page up to date and detailed: Making sure your contact information is current will allow recruiters to reach you immediately. Highlight your skillsets that you have hands-on experience with. Recruiters with specific jobs to fill know what candidate they are looking for. Keywords associated with your field will attract recruiters and help them decide if you are the right fit.  Don’t forget to showcase your accomplishments! How did you save the company time, money, or effort? Stay connected and make connections: Having a large network benefits you when it comes to recruiters searching for a candidate with a specific skill set. Recruiters could be shown your profile because they may have a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd connection with you.  The more networks you have could allow you more opportunities for career growth. Be Responsive: You never know what the future holds and sometimes it’s all about timing.

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