Encourage your Employees to Be “Hackers”

A trend in technology and engineering companies is to encourage their employees to be “Hackers”. That doesn’t mean their employees are stealing anyone’s identity or finding their way onto top secret government sites. Rather, companies will set aside “Hack Days” when employees are encouraged to work on things that don’t fall into their daily job duties to help the company improve. Even non-technology companies are beginning to implement Hack Days in order to leverage their employee’s talents to drive workplace innovation.

Here are three ways to implement Hack Day events in your own office

1. Encourage employees to explore their passions. The idea of a Hack Day gives employees a way to engage in things that they enjoy doing which may also benefit the company. Have a plan and allow employees to volunteer for portions of that plan based on what it is they truly love to do and think they can excel at. You may be surprised what your accounting staff prefers to dedicate their time to or that your IT department has been considering ways to make things more efficient and is delighted at the opportunity to share them.
2. Encourage Participation. Make sure everyone taking part in Hack Day understands that there is no final evaluation on the ideas they might come up with. Empower your employees to explore every idea even knowing that not all the concepts are going to be good right out the gate. Some employees might be hesitant to make suggestions because they are afraid of criticism, but a manager must ensure this will not be the case. All good innovation has a failure rate, don’t be afraid of it.
3. Boost Employee Morale. When the team is actively engaged with improving the company, everyone benefits. When that improvement is implemented each employee feels their individual participation made a difference. Make Hack Day an event. Celebrate the accomplishment with something fun at the end of the day. Be sure to incorporate the final development into everyday business to whatever degree makes sense. It is very important for everyone involved to see an end result.

Looking for “hackers” for your company?  Gage Personnel can place innovative individuals on your team who can make a real difference.

Job Searching While Employed

People often say that it is easier to find a job when you have a job. It seems as though that couldn’t possibly be true, but there are many reasons why employers want to hire people who are currently working. You’ve already shown that you have value in the workforce and employers like to have some sense of security in their hiring decisions. There are a few things to keep in mind when looking for work while still employed.

• Evaluate your reason for leaving. Are you looking for something else because you don’t like your current work environment? Are there people you don’t enjoy working with? Is the commute farther than you would prefer? Do you want to make more money or do a different type of job all together?  When you search for a new job the interviewer is going to want to know your reason for wanting to leave your current position and you will need to articulate that in a way that makes the new company think very positively of you as an employee. Also keep this in mind when you turn in your notice. Your current employer might try to present a counter offer but you need to remember that the reasons you want to leave aren’t necessarily going to change even if they offer more money or a promotion.
• Maintain confidentiality. Since you don’t want you let your current employer know you’ve been looking for another job until after you have an offer, make sure you keep your search confidential. Be careful who you tell, what social media sites you share details on, and where you post your resume. Be honest with the companies you’re interviewing with and ask them not to reach out to your current employer and provide contact information of other references for their convenience. Since companies like to hire currently employed workers, this request won’t hurt your job search.
• Continue to work effectively for your current employer. Just because you are ready for a change, don’t use it as a reason to perform poorly in your current position. Schedule interviews for lunch hours or days off. Respect your current employer’s time and be sure to complete any work that is required of you. Don’t use your current company’s phone, fax, or email to conduct your job search. This will make the process of leaving more pleasant after you put in your two week notice.

Looking to start your job search? Contact Gage Personnel to find the best next step for your career.

Find Top Talent before They’re Stars

Last summer, the American Express Small Business site featured an article by Penelope Trunk, owner of the company Brazen Careerist. In it, she describes the way in which small businesses can dig top talent out of the employee mine and polish those diamonds into stellar candidates. Businesses and hiring managers can use these indicators, and other tried and true business practices, to determine if new talent will be a good fit for their growing company.

1. Evaluate their performance in school. Contrary to conventional thinking, Trunk doesn’t believe that in order to hire top performers you need to hire the top students. Look at the students who ran with the middle of the pack. Sometimes the mediocre student has a different sense of priorities that allow them to work smarter, not harder. Finding an easier or more efficient way to complete a task doesn’t necessarily mean an employee is lazy. It can often be a path toward innovation. Their motivation may not have been for grades but money changes the game for them.
2. Ask about their reading habits. Trunk suggests this is a “Quantity over Quality” question. Someone who reads a lot, no matter the subject, is someone who can absorb information well. Ask a candidate what they like to read and how much they read in a day or in a week. Also, according to Trunk, don’t dwell so much on the subject matter of the books, magazines, or websites but focus on depth of information. A thirst for knowledge is a surefire way to gage a top performer.
3. Good Employees Refer Good Employees. Referrals and networks are always the best way to find new employees. Labor statistics have shown that up to 60% of jobs are filled through referrals. Companies tend to trust the referrals of current employees and those employees are unlikely to refer someone they believe would reflect poorly on their own performance. Staffing companies leverage these networks by reaching out to successful employees on a regular basis and encouraging referrals.

Looking to find a rising star to hire for your open positions?  Gage Personnel can screen and present the best candidates for your company.

JOB FAIR – Skilled Labor and Clerical positions!

Looking for the right job?
Attend Gage Personnel’s Job Fair!

Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2012 – from 10:30am to 2:30pm!

To be held at:
Holiday Inn Express
24 South Willowdale Drive
Lancaster, PA

Jobs available immediately include:
Assembly
Accounts Payable/Receivable
Administrative Assistants
Machine Operators
Maintenance Mechanics/Technicians
Molding Technicians
Diesel Mechanics
Janitorial

Can’t come to the job fair?  Call Gage Personnel’s Ephrata office at 717.336.5959 for more information.

Job Market Recovery: Off To a Great Start in 2012

All across the country the job market is seeing small signs of improvement. Though the growth isn’t as fast as most job seekers or employers would prefer to see there are some indicators that show 2012 is off to a great start. Clients are beginning to open up their hiring process and candidates are able to see more results to their job searches.

• Fewer Unemployment Applications. In recent reports from the labor department we see that new unemployment applications fell to just 12,000 in January. Fewer new applications signal economists that there has been some improvement in the hiring landscape. The Department of Labor indicates that there has been a steady decline in applications since the fall of last year and concludes that the increase of hiring in the last 5 months has driven down the need for new unemployment applications.
• Layoffs Less Than National Average. Published at the end of 2011, an analysis on the State of Pennsylvania’s Economy by Jim Glassman of JP Morgan/Chase provides some very detailed figures in regards to the job market within the state. The document is packed with great information on the financial state of Pennsylvania but on page 7 a graph shows that layoffs have been falling in the state of Pennsylvania faster than the national level. According to Glassman’s analysis they are back to pre-recession levels. This is a good indicator that the economy is on an incline and once current jobs become more stable, new jobs will be able to be added.
• Growth in Temporary Staffing. According to the American Staffing association, half a million employees were added to the job market between 2009 and 2011 due to the temporary help services industry. It is no surprise that many businesses turn to non-permanent workers to help with growth as they begin to regain confidence in the market. Companies are not yet ready to make hiring decisions but need employees to handle the increased workload. Government data has shown that the cyclical nature of the staffing industry is a leading indicator of employment improvement especially at the end of an economic recession.

Looking to find your new opportunity in this growing economy? Contact your local Gage Personnel branch and talk to a recruiting specialist today to find out what new positions we have available.