November, 2013 | Journey

Job Search Success Simplified

By leidson on Wednesday, November 27, 2013

This Thanksgiving Express is very thankful for our dedicated and hardworking associates across the nation. We feel so blessed to get to do what we love everyday – making a difference in people’s lives by helping them find work.

If you’re curious about how we can help you, watch this short video from some of our associates to learn more.

If you’re looking for a job this season, you don’t have to do it alone. Contact an office near you to find out how we can help.

To all of you, we wish a very happy Thanksgiving!

Reader Surveys Uncategorized

End of Year Reader Survey

By leidson on Monday, November 25, 2013

As we plan for 2014, we want to know more about you. To ensure we continue to provide content that is useful for you in 2014, we’d like to know what topics you want to hear about, where you are in the job search, what made you visit our blog, and more.

Your answers are important and beneficial to us as we look forward to 2014.

At Work The Daily Grind Work/Life Balance

It’s Not Always the More the Merrier, Stay Safe this Season

By leidson on Friday, November 22, 2013

Retailers increase staff, stock, and hopefully, customers during the holiday season. Although this is great for job seekers and businesses alike, the jump in activity also means a jump in potential hazards. Retail employers need to vigilantly ensure the workplace is properly staffed and organized, and that employees are not rushing to complete all tasks to the exclusion of basic safety. You should report any unsafe condition, and supervisors should be instructed to recognize hazardous conditions and respond to them in a manner that supports employee and public safety.

The obvious hazards associated with the season are ones we talk about every day: ergonomic issues leading to numbness and pain as with carpel tunnel syndrome or other muscle and joint problems, or neck and back strain due to heavy lifting. You can protect yourself by using proper lifting techniques, avoiding twisting and reaching overhead as much as possible, and by communicating difficulties to your supervisors. Employers can help by providing well-designed work spaces, appropriate equipment for lifting awkward or oddly shaped loads, and keeping staff at proper levels to promote a safe place for employees.

Since a worker’s death in 2008 when a throng of Black Friday customers stormed a retail establishment and crushed an employee, crowd safety has also come to the forefront during this time. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a site dedicated to helping retail employers manage crowds on special event days like Black Friday. The overall message is to plan, communicate to employees, and to customers before opening, and have an emergency response procedure in place.Check out the link to OSHA’s guide for retailers here.

Lastly, an easily overlooked safety concern is the increased hazards to the public shopping in the aisles of retail establishments. With stocking activity much higher during business hours, tasks m ay be in close proximity to customers. Consumers are exposed to more equipment and stock on the sales floor and stocking activity over their heads and feet. Stay safe by moving merchandise and equipment through stores with the help of someone to direct traffic on the aisles, stock heavier items on lower shelves, and stay aware of the special hazards associated with customer interaction.
Everyone must work together during the holiday season to ensure all go home healthy and happy to celebrate with their friends and family.

Career Options New Job Tips The Job Search

Job Opportunities at Express

By leidson on Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Over the past few years, Express Employment Professionals has put over a million people to work. And we’re on a mission to help a million more. We help find the right jobs for the right people. Recently an Express office in Springfield, IL named Pam Gibbons their employee of the month. Her boss, the owner of the Springfield office, Jim Britton, stated, “Pam Gibbons has been a wonderful asset to the Springfield, IL office for almost two years. She is always pleasant and makes a good first impression when she is covering the reception desk and answering the phones. She has a positive attitude and willingly takes on any task assigned.” Pam Gibbons tackles easy and complex tasks with the same exuberant resolve. She is not afraid to ask questions and offer ideas on how to execute certain types of activities to make the best use of time and resources. Pam carries a lot of responsibility.

Just like Pam, Express may be able to help you. At Express, we provide temporary to long-term, part-time to full-time, and entry-level to executive-level positions. Whether you’re a machine operator or an accountant, Express is about helping as many people as possible find good jobs.

Want to know if Express has a job that’s right for you? Contact your local Express office today. It’s free and easy!

Check out this video to learn more.

Career Advancement The Job Search Uncategorized Work/Life Balance

Facebook and the Job Search

By leidson on Monday, November 18, 2013

A recent CareerBuilder study shows three out of five companies use social media to screen potential candidates during the hiring process. Of those companies, 43 percent said they have found information that factored into their decision not to hire a candidate. This information shows just how important your social media profile is in the job searching process. From the moment you start looking for a job and throughout your career, your social media profiles can be important in finding and keeping a job.

Secure Your Facebook

With 1.2 billion active monthly Facebook users who can easily use the new Graph Search tool to see every picture you’ve posted or learn about you, it’s smart to make sure that what you post is seen only by who you want to see it, not by the world. If you click the privacy button in the top right corner of your Facebook home page you can customize your security and privacy settings, which lets you share your life and all your information with friends and everyone else, or keep it all private.

Clean Up Your Facebook

View the updates you’ve recently shared and remove anything that could be controversial or questionable if viewed by a potential future employer. If you have inappropriate content, remove it, because it can affect whether or not you’re considered for a job.

Keep it Professional

Maybe this whole concept of using Facebook and social media in the job search is foreign to you, or maybe you’ve been using social media for a while for personal use, staying in touch with friends, or to further your career. For whatever reason, it is in your best interest to keep your social media sites as professional as possible, because you never know when an interested employer could be researching you.

Has Facebook helped you land a job, or has it hurt your job search or worse, got you fired? Share with us in the comments section below.

At Work Career Advancement The Daily Grind

3 Helpful Articles to Prepare you for Employee Reviews

By leidson on Friday, November 15, 2013

Annual employee reviews are starting to take place and we’re ready to help you prepare. With all the excitement and expectation of the holidays, it’s easy to get carried away and forget to prepare for your review. So here are a few helpful articles to assist in your employee review preparation.

1. Transform the Dreaded Employee Review
What emotions do you associate with your employee review? Fear? Anxiety? Stress? Anticipation? The thought of an annual performance evaluation can trigger a wide-range of negative responses, but it doesn’t have to. In Transform the Dreaded Employee Review, you will learn how to see things differently as you become a more productive employee.

2. It’s Time to Check your Progress – Self Evaluations
Most companies typically hold performance reviews or annual reviews at the end of the calendar year, but at that point there isn’t much you can do to improve your scorecard for the year. In It’s Time to Check your Progress – Self Evaluation, you will learn key elements for conducting a self-review.

3. Understand “the Numbers” in Your Job Search
Whether you’re crafting a résumé, preparing for a performance review, or reporting in the weekly staff meeting, knowing the key metrics used to measure the performance of your company and your job is critical. In this article on Understanding “the numbers” in the Workplace, we’ll talk about how to make sense of the numbers that relate to success in your career.

If you have any helpful tips that you use to prepare for an employee review, share with us in the comment section below.

Career Advancement Job Interviews The Daily Grind The Job Search Uncategorized

3 Tips for Your LinkedIn Photo

By leidson on Wednesday, November 13, 2013

LinkedIn encourages its users to provide a highly professional look to their profile and one way to do that is through your profile photo. In fact, some believe it’s one of the most important parts of a profile, because it helps people identify you and can immediately present a professional image.

If you’re looking for a new job or trying to improve your online presence, LinkedIn is a great place to start. This social network is built to help you find a job and help employers find you. Here are three important tips to remember when updating your LinkedIn photo.

1. Keep it Current
Don’t use an old photo. When you meet someone for the first time after making a connection with them on LinkedIn, it’s important for them to be able to recognize you. If your photo does not depict how you currently look, then it needs to be changed.

2. Convey Your Role
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, what is your LinkedIn photo saying about you? If you can show yourself in action, do it. If you have a speaking engagement or event and someone snapped a photo of you, use it. A photo can convey passion, energy, charisma, and show that you’re approachable. Make sure your photo conveys your role in your industry. Get a headshot of yourself with your desk in the background or have someone take your picture in front of your workplace. It doesn’t have to be a professional photo, but make sure it is of good quality.

3. Fly Solo
The photo you choose should be of you by yourself. Family photos or crowd shots aren’t appropriate. Don’t ever keep it blank or use a logo. That’s not attractive to potential employers or connections; it’s also against LinkedIn rules. Besides, in an interview with Forbes magazine, LinkedIn career expert, Nicole Miller explained you are seven times more likely to be viewed if you have a photo on your profile. Also, your profile picture should not be cropped out of a larger picture.

For more insight on LinkedIn profile photo choices, take a look at the LinkedIn profiles of your co-workers and see what they have chosen. Lastly, don’t forget to smile, you want to look approachable.

Have you had any experiences on how a LinkedIn photo helped create a professional image? Share with us in the comment section below.

Monthly Archives: November 2013