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Poll: What Is the Key Factor That Contributes to Your Job Satisfaction?

By Job Journey on Monday, December 29, 2014

The new year is just around the corner and with it often comes a renewed focus on goals. From losing weight to saving money, many people will create New Year’s resolutions and develop plans to stick with them. As you look toward 2015, you might plan to increase your job search efforts by applying to more jobs, landing more interviews, or even finding that perfect job in the new year.

As your job search efforts increase, it’s important to recognize and understand the key factors that contribute to job satisfaction so you know that the job you’re trying to get is the right one for you.

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

Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: How Do You Wish Your Company Showed Appreciation to Employees

By Job Journey on Friday, December 5, 2014

The holiday season is quickly approaching, and many companies are deciding how to show appreciation to their employees. In a recent poll, we asked Movin’ On Up readers how they wish their employers, or future employers, showed appreciation to employees this time of year.

According to the results, 27% of respondents would most appreciate a cash bonus for the holidays, while 13% reported pay raises as their biggest incentive. While monetary gifts are always a go-to choice for companies when budget allows, 9% chose “days off or shortened holiday hours” as their top choice for holiday bonuses.

Only 1% of respondents chose “gift items other than money,” while less than 1% selected “a holiday party.”

What Workers Really Want
In addition to the traditional gift options, readers were also allowed to choose “Other” and take the time to respond with their own answer. Readers who selected “Other” left responses that ranged from “a few hours off for Christmas shopping, and we can bring evidence of the shopping back to work” to “keep their corporate mantra to employees, not just customers.”

Of those “Other” responses, the overwhelming majority responded with answers that offer insight to an often overlooked form of holiday gifting – appreciation.

Personal responses included:

Words of praise from managers
Telling employees they did a good job
A simple thank you goes a very long way
A thank you note will suffice
A thank you every now and then
Tell us thanks and good job

The poll’s personal responses speak much louder than the pre-written choices readers could choose from. Instead of clicking and moving on, readers who selected “Other” had to take time to share their thoughts, which were highly concentrated on wanting sincere appreciation from their employees in lieu of money, gifts, or time off.

What Workers Will Get
In a corresponding poll with Refresh Leadership, Express Employment Professionals blog for business leaders, the results reveal a lack of parallelism with what workers want. In fact, 21% of respondents revealed they will not be giving holiday bonuses this year. While 9% of our poll’s respondents want time off during the holidays, only 3% of business leaders plan to provide it. Only 5% of readers want gift cards, but 12% of employers plan to give them away.

Of respondents to the Refresh Leadership poll, 7% selected “Other,” with 27% of those readers reporting answers like “our company never gives employees anything for the holidays” and “no holiday bonuses ever.” Other responses include, “a turkey,” “a ham,” and “a holiday dinner.”

One response that never appeared was “appreciation.”

The Power of Appreciation
If employers knew their employees were providing answers like “a simple thank you” or “words of praise,” would they take a different stance on the idea of never providing holiday bonuses? Would the respondent to the Refresh Leadership poll who chose to answer “coal” take a more sincere approach to the holidays?

While today’s workers appreciate monetary gifts and time at home, as can be seen by the results of the poll, their answers also reflect an understanding that it’s not always feasible for businesses to give extravagant gifts. Times can be hard, and not all businesses are profitable. Employees know that. But while they may not expect gifts from their employers, they do crave appreciation.

Forbes recently studied the 18 best companies to work for in the Fortune 500 and found that employee appreciation was a key factor to their success. According to Forbes, half of the companies on the list did things to show appreciation to employees. Google provided free massages, the vice chair at NetApp called 10-20 employees a day to praise them, and Qualcomm provided personalized notes and special lunches. Devon Energy allowed employees open access to senior executives while Whole Foods let their employees vote on new hires.

The results of the Movin’ On Poll reveal that some of the most powerful gifts are the easiest to give. From a few hours to go shopping to a thank you note, sincerity is the gift that keeps on giving this holiday season.

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

Reader Surveys

Poll: What Are Your Job Market Predictions for 2015?

By Job Journey on Friday, November 28, 2014

With 2014 coming to a close, it’s time to reflect on the year and look forward to a new one too. Last December, we asked Movin’ On Up readers what they predict the job market to look like in 2014, and 36% said they expected things to get worse, followed by 23% who felt the market was stable enough to try for a new job. Readers who were confident they’d get a job offer in 2014 made up 19% of respondents, while 13% planned to stay where they were in their career paths.

This year, as we look toward 2015, we want to know if your expectations have changed. Do you think the job market will grow, remain the same, or plummet? Do you feel the same way as our readers did last year, or did your year affect your outlook on 2015? Let us know by voting in our poll!

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

Reader Surveys

The Results Are In: What Is Your Biggest Roadblock to Finishing Strong in 2014?

By Job Journey on Thursday, November 6, 2014

With the new year just around the corner, we’re entering the home stretch of 2014 and many job seekers are feeling the pressure to finish 2014 on a strong note. In a recent poll, we asked Movin’ On Up readers what they anticipate being the biggest obstacle in their path to landing a job and getting a strong start in 2015.

According to the results, competition is the number one obstacle standing in the way of landing a job. The survey revealed that 37% of readers feel there is too much competition in the job search, while 12% believe there just aren’t any jobs available.

Adding to the education versus experience debate, 19% of readers revealed that a “lack of experience” is holding them back in their job search, while only 4% chose “educational roadblocks.” According to 6% of readers, “currently being in school” is the biggest obstacle for their career outlook this year.

The second highest majority of readers, 21%, selected “Other,” adding responses that included:

Career change
Funds to pay for more training
Overqualified
Lack of self-discipline to complete a strong resume
Not enough technical training

Of those who chose “Other,” 40% added that “age” was a current roadblock in their job search.

Whether you’re struggling with a lack of education, training, or too much competition in the job market, don’t give up on your search. Continue to enhance your resume, interview skills, and job search techniques. Though this year may be nearing its end, 2015 will offer a fresh start to your search. Treat it as a blank slate to overcome any obstacles you may feel are holding you back.

Have you overcome any of the roadblocks on this list? What advice do you have for overcoming them? Share with us in the comments section below.

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

Reader Surveys

Poll: What is your biggest roadblock to finishing strong in 2014?

By Job Journey on Monday, September 29, 2014

The beginning of fall means we’re entering the home stretch of 2014. And with 2015 just around the corner, many jobseekers are feeling the pressure to finish the year on a strong note. So, for our October poll, we want to know what you anticipate being the biggest obstacle in your path to landing a job and getting a strong start in 2015.

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

Job Interviews

The #1 Soft Skill Every Job Seeker Should Have

By Job Journey on Monday, September 22, 2014

When employers evaluate potential employees they look at two different skills sets – the applicant’s hard skills and the applicant’s soft skills. The hard skills you possess are skills you’ve acquired through education and experience, skills like your ability to operate a machine or a computer, for example. The second set of skills employers look at is your soft skills.

Soft skills include skills like how well you communicate with others or how well you manage your time. They are generally considered more subjective but are equally, if not more important, than the hard skills you have.

Every time you communicate with a potential employer whether it’s through your cover letter, resume, during the interview, or in your follow up, you are revealing some of your soft skills. But which ones help you stand out from other applicants?

The Top Five Soft Skills
In a recent survey of 115 Express franchises across the nation, Express found that the top five most important soft skills employers look for are:

Dependability
Communication
Commitment
Motivation
Initiative

For the second year in a row, dependability was considered the most important soft skill to have. Employers need to put a lot of trust in their employees, so they need people they can count on no matter what. You can teach people hard skills, but soft skills like dependability have more to do with who you are (your character) than what you know.

Demonstrating Your Dependability to Potential Employers
If dependability is the top soft skill employers are looking for, then it’s important to make sure you exhibit your reliability during the application and interview process. Here are some ways to do just that:

1. Update Your Resume and Cover Letter
Because resumes and cover letters are an important part of getting an interview it’s very important to ensure your resume illustrates your dependability as much as possible. Employers will look for signs of your dependability like the time spent at each job and the projects you were tasked with. You can emphasize your dependability in your resume and cover letter by using words like consistent, diligent, reliable, persistent, and improved.

2. Give Examples During Your Interview
If you go on to an interview, be sure to have some examples prepared of times that you went above and beyond the call of duty at work. Whether you helped a coworker out or solved a problem for the company, think of times when your past employers relied on you and be prepared to share those examples in your interview.

It’s also important to remember that dependability isn’t just about what you do in difficult or big situations. It’s about what you do in the everyday, small things that matters most, like showing up to work early every day. With that in mind, remember that it’s so important to show up to your interview on time because that too will be a demonstration of your dependability to an employer.

If an employer asks you when you’d be available to work and you’re currently employed at another company, be sure to let them know that out of respect, you want to give your current company the standard two week notice. They would want the same courtesy shown to them if the tables were turned, so this is just another way you can demonstrate your reliability.

If they ask you not to share information about their interview process for privacy or security reasons, as tempting as it may be to talk about it with your friends and family, be sure to respect their wishes and keep it to yourself. You never know how it could get back to someone if you’re not careful. The more trustworthy you are in the small things, the more trustworthy you will be in the big things.

3. Your Follow Up
After the interview, if you were assigned a task or project to submit as an example of your work, be sure to complete it as soon as possible and get it back to the perspective employer on time. This is an important opportunity to display your hard and soft skills at the same time.

These are just a few of the ways you can demonstrate your dependability to an employer. Share some of the ways you demonstrate your dependability in the comments section below.

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

Career Options

3 Ways Staffing Companies Elevate Your Job Search

By Job Journey on Monday, September 8, 2014

The American Staffing Association (ASA) recently unveiled the results of the 2014 ASA Staffing Employee Survey, which surveyed current and former temporary and contract employees. The results are a clear indicator that temporary staffing is a valuable stepping stone to help get the career you want.

In fact, the survey revealed that 99% of temporary and contract employees who want permanent jobs achieve their goal. Nearly all respondents indicated that finding permanent work was important to them, and 49% said that finding a permanent job was their number one reason for working in the staffing industry. So, what’s so great about working for a staffing company like Express Employment Professionals? When survey respondents gave their primary reason for using a staffing company, it came down to the following three motives.

1. You may get a permanent job.
Many people associate staffing companies with temporary or contract positions because employees typically start an assignment on a temporary basis to ensure they’re a good fit for the job. But, that doesn’t mean the job will always be temporary. If the company likes your work, you may be offered a permanent position with them. Temporary work also gives you the opportunity to test out a company and see if you fit well with the job and culture before becoming tied to it. And at staffing companies like Express, some job assignments even allow you to start a permanent position with a company right away.

Not all temporary work is part time, either. The ASA survey also found that temporary and contract employees are almost as likely to work full time as all others in the labor force. And, of staffing employees who land permanent jobs, 94% of them work full time.

2. You gain work experience.
According to the ASA survey, 90% of staffing employees say that temporary or contract work makes them more employable. When you take a temporary assignment through a staffing company, you receive on-the-job training you may not be able to find elsewhere. If you’re looking to advance your career, taking on a temporary job can help you learn new skills and add valuable experience to your resume. The more experience you add, the more you may impress potential employers. And, when you’re employed through a staffing company, you have the opportunity to try out many different kinds of jobs. You can work in a variety of industries and on numerous projects, giving you a unique opportunity to experience many different career paths.

3. You learn new skills.
To learn a new skill, you have to dive in and give it a try. Working with a staffing company allows you to do just that. Staffing companies have countless opportunities in a number of fields, and taking a job through a company like Express gives you the chance to learn new skills in industries you might not have previously considered. If you’re currently unemployed, working in a temporary position allows you to build and strengthen your resume while looking for something more long term. Learning new skills also helps you add powerful words to your resume that appeal to hiring managers. Words like results, administered, analyzed, researched, coached, scheduled, assembled, inspected, and maintained are all eye-catchers for interviewers, and can find a place on your resume when you learn new skills on a temporary assignment.

And, here’s some more good news! According to the survey, staffing companies are great places to work. In fact, nine out of 10 temporary and contract workers reported satisfaction with their staffing companies.

“The results of the landmark 2014 ASA Staffing Employee Survey verify that temporary and contract work is an effective bridge to permanent employment,” said Richard Wahlquist, ASA president and chief executive officer. According to Wahlquist, companies like Express “are proud to make a real difference in the lives of so many individuals.”

Did you start in a temporary position before landing a permanent one? Tell us your story in the comments section below.

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