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Monthly Archives: August 2016

How Many Resumes Does it Take to Make a Hire?

By Job Journey on Monday, August 15, 2016

Express Employment Professionals recently asked 390 businesses in the United States and Canada how many resumes and interviews does it take for employers to fill one job. The results may surprise you as businesses spend more time than you think to make one hire.

Depending on the industry, business leaders report that candidate searches can involve reviewing as many as 16 resumes and up to five interviews. Finding the right person for the job is an important task, and businesses say they go through an intensive search process.

Even for general labor jobs, businesses say they review up to 15 resumes and conduct four interviews. This increases for administrative and professional roles, and does not include drafting and placing advertisements for job openings, recruiting, conducting reference checks, and any required testing or other screening.

Stand Out As a Candidate
The job search is competitive, and there are several ways you can stand out from the competition. Movin’ On Up has numerous articles that can help you with your resume. One of the most popular resume articles takes a look at the chronological resume versus the functional resume. You have roughly 10 seconds to grab the attention of a hiring manager and knowing the advantages of these types of resumes can go a long way in helping you land an interview.

Dress for the Job You Want
You’ve passed up some of the competition and made it to the next step. However, when you’re in the interview process, make sure you dress the part for the job you want and ask thought-provoking questions. Plus, remember to follow up by writing your interviewer a thank-you note.

Soft Skills Vitally Important
Employers often struggle with finding the right person for the job and culture. There are soft skills that hiring managers often look for such as communication, teamwork, and time management. Soft skills are vital to helping you fit in with the company culture and working with others. Here are 10 actions you can take to help develop your soft skills as you enter the workforce.
If you’ve recently made it to the top of a hiring manager’s list, tell us how you approached your job search that helped you stand out from the competition in the comments section below.

At Work

Lessons From the Sports World: Part Two

By Job Journey on Friday, August 12, 2016

When it comes to teamwork, dedication, or even defeat, the world of sports is full of valuable lessons you can apply to your job search and career path. To help you learn from sports history, Movin’ On Up is bringing you lessons from the sports world to help up your professional game and gain real-life applications for the workplace.

Muhammad Ali’s Lesson on Effort
American boxer Muhammad Ali is widely considered one of the most significant sports figures of the 20th century. The late heavyweight champion shared more than just the athletic spotlight. He also gained fame for his activism and inspiring persona. Muhammad Ali once said:
“I would have been the world’s greatest at whatever I did. If I were a garbage man, I’d be the world’s greatest garbage man! I’d pick up more garbage and faster than anyone has ever seen. To tell you the truth, I would have been the greatest at whatever I’d done!”

When it comes to your profession, it’s important to give it your all. If you want to be the best and advance your career, you must put 100% of your energy and dedication into your work. Take a moment to consider how much effort you’re making to reach your goals every day. Are you investing all of yourself into your job search? Are you aiming to be the best employee in your workplace?

If you haven’t set your sights on being the best at what you do, there’s no better time to start than right now.

Muhammad Ali’s Lesson on Vision
The famous boxer also said, “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them—a desire, a dream, a vision.”

Why do you go to work every day? What drives you to find the perfect job? What is your dream? Your goal? Your ultimate career path? Stop for a moment and ask yourself what motivates you to succeed. If you don’t know why you do what you do, you likely won’t have the inspiration to reach your goals. You must have a vision in mind if you want to succeed, so take a moment and solidify what that vision is for you.

What’s your dream, and how do you plan to be the best? Share with us in the comments section below!

Keep an eye out for more Lessons from the Sports World, a series brought to you by Movin’ On Up. A new article will be posted each Friday through Aug. 19.

At Work

Fostering Teamwork in the Workplace

By Job Journey on Wednesday, August 10, 2016

Working on a team is not a rare event in the working world. Even if your work is very individualized, rarely is the case that you won’t work on a team in some form or fashion. Knowing how to foster effective teamwork in the workplace has many benefits, and is an effort to which you can easily contribute.

Trust and Communication
Teamwork is always more effective when the members maintain good relationships with one another, which begins with trust and clear communication.

When it comes to communication, team meetings provide everyone an opportunity to collaborate and share ideas. Because of this, teammates feel informed and involved on the details of an assignment. In the same respect, it will help your teammates have a sense of belonging. Nurturing these relationships through trust and communication is a great way to foster teamwork.

Job Satisfaction
When you have a team that works well together, job satisfaction usually increases. Conversely, when you don’t have good teamwork in the workplace, it could have the opposite effect. A team that supports each other is able to focus on the bigger picture of reaching a goal or accomplishing a project on time, leaving everyone involved more satisfied with their work.

Developing Strengths
While you help foster teamwork in the workplace, you’ll likely see a correlation between a strong team and individual strengths. On a well-managed team, each person is able to bring something different to the table, complementing one another in the process. As you work as part of a team, look for ways to encourage other members and learn from their strengths to grow professionally.

How do you encourage teamwork in the workplace? Why do you think it’s important? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: What Does Your Dream Job Look Like?

By Job Journey on Monday, August 8, 2016

At some point in your life, you’ve likely been asked the question, “What is your dream job?” In fact, sometimes recruiters will even ask candidates about it in an interview. Because everyone is likely to have a different answer, we wanted to know what Movin’ On Up readers would say their dream job looks like.

The Results
According to our poll, “challenging or meaningful work” was the number one characteristic of respondents’ dream jobs garnering 29% of the votes. “Working from home” (22%) was the second most popular option, followed by “growth opportunities within the organization” (17%) and “friendly workplace” (16%).

Fewer respondents selected “frequent travel” (5%) and “no travel” (1%) as dream job descriptors, while 6% of respondents said they are still figuring out what their dream job looks like.

Readers were also able to select the “other” option and provide their own responses. Of the 4% who selected that option, responses included:

Work-life balance
Living wage
A combination of the provided choices
Flexibility
Good benefits
$12/hour
Own business

How often have you been asked about your dream job in an interview? Let us know in the comments section below.

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

At Work

Lessons From the Sports World: Part One

By Job Journey on Friday, August 5, 2016

Much can be learned from the world of sports, whether you think about teamwork, dedication, or even defeat. Over the next few weeks, Movin’ On Up will bring you lessons from the sports world to help you up your professional game and gain real-life applications for the workplace.

The Famous Michael Jordan “Flu Game”
In Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz, Michael Jordan delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 38 points. The more phenomenal part of this story is that he accomplished this while exhibiting flu-like symptoms. Those in attendance claim Jordan struggled to even sit upright during breaks, was sweating profusely, and physically leaned on Scottie Pippen late in the game.

Though the Bulls ended up winning, it wasn’t an easy contest. The teams battled back and forth exchanging the lead several times. Jordan left every ounce of energy he had on the court and heavily aided the team in coming out victorious during an important NBA Finals game.

Workplace application
There are many lessons you can take from Jordan’s “flu game.” Perhaps the most striking is perseverance. Regardless of how sick he was, Jordan knew he was an integral part of his team and played a pivotal role in the Finals that year. He put aside whatever ailment he had and persevered through the pain and the exhaustion to be there for his team.

Whether in your job search or in the workplace, there will be days when you don’t feel up to the challenge, when things seem too daunting. When those days come around, it will be important to muster the energy to keep going and keep focusing on the bigger picture. Whether that’s a team project or another interview, you must finish strong, even if you don’t feel like it.

How do you rise to the challenge in the workplace and your professional life? Share with us in the comments section below!
Keep an eye out for more Lessons from the Sports World, a series brought to you by Movin’ On Up. A new article will be posted each Friday through Aug. 19.

At Work

5 Tips for Gold Medal Job Performance

By Job Journey on Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Athletes from around the world will soon compete for a spot on the winners’ podium. While winning is quite the accomplishment in itself, we all know the true goal each athlete strives for is bringing home a gold medal. Similarly, as a job seeker or even as a new employee, you should be striving for more in your professional life. As you work to achieve a gold medal in job performance, we’ve compiled these five tips to help.

1. Set clear goals
No athlete makes it to the top without setting clear goals. While the long-term objective of any athlete is to finish first, most set milestones along the way to help them reach that success. The same goes for your professional life. As you strive for gold medal performance, set clear goals to guide you along your path to your best job performance.

2. Dedication
The world’s finest athletes are arguably the most dedicated athletes on the planet. They spend years training for the chance to be the best. But, the training is done on a day by day basis. It’s something these athletes wake up thinking about and fall asleep dreaming of. They are dedicated to their sport, adhering to the strictest of diets, training regimes, and rituals. For you, dedication to your profession is just as important to be at the top of your game. Use every day as an opportunity to be a better professional than you were the day before by finding new development opportunities.

3. Know your limits
As training intensifies, athletes have to be aware of their body’s limitations. When they push themselves too hard, they can end up injured or exhausted. When it comes to job performance, you also need to know your limits. If you take on more than you can handle, you’re less likely to provide stellar results. Instead, focus on pushing yourself to do things to the best of your ability without overdoing it.

4. Play like a team
Teamwork is just as important in the office as it is on the court. Fostering healthy relationships with your peers can help you grow as a professional, learn things you may not have known before, and get efficient, positive results.

5. Don’t fear failure
In competition, only one person or team gets to take home the gold. For those who go home with silver, bronze, or nothing at all, they have a choice. They can either give up and be done competing, or they can learn from their experience and continue training to compete again. In your career, failure is a possibility. Instead of fearing it, accept it when it happens and make a mental choice to continue striving for the gold.

How do you work toward gold medal performance in the office? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.

At Work The Daily Grind

Competition and Productivity: A Balancing Act

By Job Journey on Monday, August 1, 2016

When you think about competition, your first thoughts probably drift to sports arenas and the like. Yet, competition also lives in the workplace. And, while competition can breed productivity, it’s important to know how to balance the two to create the best workplace environment for your company and your career.

Competition Can Increase Productivity
The relationship between competition and productivity has been studied by numerous scholars, and most agree that competition can be beneficial in producing a higher level of productivity and efficiency.

Healthy competition among your co-workers is a natural way of pushing each other toward team goals. When members of a team are competitive in an appropriate way, there’s more focus, drive, and determination to provide quality work.

Along the same lines, competition in the workplace drives efficiency. As this happens, goals are met more quickly, things get done, and the company can see profitable benefits.

Finding the Balance
For competition to create productivity in the workplace, it has to remain healthy. When co-workers become overly competitive, stress levels go up, trust declines, and the overall team can deteriorate. It’s important to find the balance between being competitive enough to drive productivity and being so competitive that you drive away anything beneficial.

Here are a few ways to help you find that balance:

Learn from mistakes – You will inevitably make a mistake, but when you do, figure out how to learn from it. Sometimes when competing, you may let your competitive drive overshadow the bigger picture, allowing a mistake to happen. If and when you do make an error, take time before you react. Give yourself a breather, relax, and regroup.
Focus on relationships – When competition becomes unhealthy, it could be due to poor relationships. You won’t always get along with everyone you work with, but you have to learn to work well with others and grow relationships with those who can help you put your energy into generating productive outcomes.
Be a classy competitor – Unlike the sports world, you have to continue to work with and around those you’re competing against on a daily basis. Avoid putting others down and focus on your long-term growth at that company. Let your work be proof of your determination and skill, and if anyone tries to create an unhealthy environment for competition, maintain your integrity. The reputation you build as a classy competitor will speak volumes to your employer.

Do you have any tips for balancing competition with productivity? Let us know in the comments section below!

Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.