5 misconceptions about the staffing industry

Perception versus reality.

Business owners often seek to control the perception of their companies so that they accurately reflect reality. This is easier said than done. Perceptions are like habits – they tend to die hard. The staffing business has long battled a sometimes lackluster perception. At BARRYSTAFF, here are the most common misconceptions we run into … and how we set the record straight.

“Temporary” employees are nothing more than short-term fixes. In truth, the term “temp” is outdated. We no longer refer to ourselves as a “temp agency,” but rather as a “staffing company.” There’s a significant difference. Gone are the days when folks would show up to the local agency each morning and collect a paycheck for a single job later that afternoon. In reality, what we’re doing is probably much different than what people are prone to imagining.

We give companies employees to try out on a limited basis. If an employee is working out then companies may extend a permanent job offer after 90 days. We handle everything until that job offer is extended. This process allows the company – and the employee – to feel each other out. One of the key analytics we study is our retention rate. In other words, we want our companies and employees to stick together. That’s our goal.

We only staff for one industry. While it’s true that staffing companies have specializations (BARRYSTAFF’s is manufacturing), many agencies are capable of recruiting for many, many fields. At BARRYSTAFF, we have placed architects, engineers and chemists. We have an entire team solely dedicated to filling clerical positions. So while manufacturing is our wheelhouse, we’ll never turn away someone looking for a communications position. Or graphic design. Or IT. We can help them too.

Job seekers have to pay to use our service. Job seekers pay nothing. Zero. Zilch. That’s not how we make money. Instead, the companies we partner with pay us to help them find quality employees. No job seeker will ever need to pay a dime to a company like BARRYSTAFF.

We only offer dead end jobs. The fact of the matter is that there is plenty of room for advancement in the jobs we hire for. Many of our placements have gone on to management positions.

We only work with struggling companies (Why else would they need a staffing company?) This is one we have to push back against fairly often. We work with big companies and small companies. Some are international. Others are hyper local. They use us because it is time-consuming to search, interview and drug screen candidates. It’s expensive. It cuts down on production. Advertising alone can run up a hefty tab. And these days, the job search is changing drastically from year to year. We live in a fast-paced digital world now, and our clients need to stay focused on what they’re doing. More of them are trusting experts like BARRYSTAFF to handle this work. It’s a specialized service during a time of rapid change.

And our services don’t stop at staffing. We often find ourselves working as a fully- functional HR branch for companies. It’s just another amenity we’re proud to offer.

 

 

DO NOT friend these kinds of coworkers on Facebook

By Nicole Lyn Pesce

Settling into a new job can be tricky IRL – and straight up confusing online.

A 2012 Millennial Branding Survey found young adults become Facebook friends with an average of 16 of their coworkers, but research suggests we should connect at our own risk.  After all, more than half of surveyed workers (51%) said social shows them too much information about their coworkers, according to a recent Pew Research report. And 29% of employees ages 18 to 29 found something on social media that lowered their professional opinion of a colleague.

But the rules of online engagement keep changing as more of us use social networks to actually, you know, network. “Ten years ago, it was taboo to friend your coworkers,” said Winnie Sun, a financial adviser and consultant on Millennial matters. “But nowadays, we’re all building our personal brands and making these connections.”

So Sun and Leonard Kim, a personal branding expert and author of “The Etiquette of Social Media,” spoke to Moneyish about the dos and don’ts of linking with colleagues online.

DON’T: FRIEND ABOVE YOUR PAY GRADE. That means your boss and your company’s C-Suite are off-limits. “You want them to respect you professionally so you can progress forward in your career,” said Kim. But seeing your casual conversations or pictures of you in a bathing suit can shatter that professional image. “And recovering what was lost from that level of respect is going to be quite difficult,” Kim said, who added that colleagues in the same position as you, or who work outside of your department, are more fair game.

The exception to this rule is LinkedIn. “LinkedIn is the same as if you walked into your new office building, and started going up to people and saying, ‘Hi, I’m working here now, and I’m excited to come on board,’” Sun said.

DO: USE THIS ‘MEAL TEST’ FOR HELP. Different social networks suggest different levels of intimacy. LinkedIn and Twitter are ways to introduce yourself, share industry news and support others in your field. “But Facebook and Instagram are like going out to lunch and dinner,” said Sun, where you’re sharing pieces of your personal life like news about your kids and your pets, or pictures from your vacation. “Snapchat is happy hour,” she added. “If we’re close enough to grab drinks and cut loose a bit, then we can connect on Snapchat.” And don’t send friend requests to colleagues with private pages – that’s a clear indicator they don’t want to mix business with pleasure.

DON’T: FRIEND REQUEST PEOPLE YOUR FIRST DAY ON THE JOB.  If you haven’t had lunch or a conversation with colleagues in real life, it’s off-putting to friend them online. “The time frame for connecting with them [online] is after you build a personal bond. I’d recommend a minimum of one, but at least two months,” said Kim. “Following someone on Twitter is a lot less creepy than immediately adding someone on Facebook.”

DO: TEST THE WATERS WITH LINKEDIN. If someone green lights your connection request on LinkedIn, it opens the door for stronger social media relationships later. “If they accept, send a quick note saying, ‘Thank you so much for connecting. I’m excited to come on board,’” said Sun. “And if they respond to that … you know that person has a warmer personality.” And if the conversation continues, Kim suggests writing back after a few months to say that you might send him or her a Facebook invitation to continue networking, and take it from there.

DO: LOOK AT YOUR CONTENT. Are you really comfortable with coworkers seeing your posts? If you use Facebook and Twitter for business, like posting industry news and insights, then adding your coworkers makes sense. But you don’t want to give professional peers access to Snapchat or even Instagram and FB pages where you’re sharing provocative pix or posting statuses where you argue, put people down or suffer emotional breakdowns.

Click here to check out the original article on Moneyish.

 

 

Job Hunting? 5 Reasons to Consider Using a Staffing Agency

If you’re an active job seeker or simply looking to expand your career horizons, many experts say that in today’s market, working with a recruiter can give you a substantial leg-up.

Combining new technology and staffing expertise to speed up and simplify your job search, these benefits may account for why the staffing and recruitment industry is growing substantially.

Here are five reasons to consider working with a staffing agency, from the experts at Randstad US, a human resources consulting firm.

• Access to “hidden” jobs. Recruiters are often tasked by companies to hire for positions not advertised publicly. The only way to find them is through a staffing agency. Often, these positions are the most sought after in the marketplace, and in some of the most desirable workplaces.

• A huge number of companies rely on them. As the economy embraces an “on-demand” workforce, more employers are turning to staffing firms who use emerging job search technologies alongside their human instincts to deliver the best-fit talent they seek. In fact, more than eight in 10 employers (82 percent) at least somewhat agree that by 2025, their reliance on staffing/recruiting partners will increase, according to Randstad’s Workplace 2025 study.

• Recruiters can be your career agent. Wading through hundreds of online job boards, company ads and social media sites can be complicated, time-consuming and frustrating. You don’t have to go it alone. A recruiter can help you with your job search, enhance your resume, provide career advice and more. The best recruiters look beyond your resume to understand your career goals, workplace expectations and values to identify the best-fit jobs for you within the digital landscape.

• Not just for temps. Many people assume staffing agencies only offer temporary positions. Recruiters are often asked to search for full-time, permanent and temporary-to-hire positions across a wide range of industries. Even those who begin working as a temporary employee are often hired permanently after proving their value. In fact, the Workplace 2025 study says 56 percent of companies say many of the top talent in their company began as temporary workers.

• It’s free. There aren’t many things you can get for free these days, but the many benefits of working with a staffing company are among them.

“Be sure to work with a recruiter who is passionate about helping you reach your potential,” says Jim Link, chief human resources officer, Randstad North America. “They should play the role of trusted human partner in today’s technology-driven world to ensure you are recognized as an individual, not just another resume.”

Given that more than half of employers (51 percent) named staffing/recruiting firms as their most effective method for finding full-time and contract workers, job seekers should consider taking advantage of this resource to improve their job search chances.

Read the original article on valleymorningstar.com by clicking here.

Employee Spotlight: Catherine Harlamert of Gapi USA Inc.

Learning curves are intimidating. No doubt about it.

“I’ll have someone call up and need a three-eighths inch rod that specs to an ASTM D-1710,” says Catherine Harlamert of Gapi USA Inc. in Clayton.

“I basically moved from jacket sales to high-molecular plastic and it’s a totally different world,” she said.

Indeed it is, but Harlamert caught on. Now her responsibilities are increasing and she may start traveling with a sales rep to meet distributors face-to-face. A trip to Italy may be in the works.

BarryStaff placed Harlamert at Gapi after she approached the company looking for a change. She knew she could do the job … if she kept the faith.

“It’s really been one of the smoothest transitions I could have asked for,” said the former salesperson of school jewelry and athletic wear.

Gapi is a manufacturer of custom molded polyurethane products. The company has a presence in many countries around the world.

In spite of its global status, what’s impressed Harlamert the most has been the family atmosphere in Clayton. When new decor was needed for the walls, management took employees to Hobby Lobby to pick out pictures for decorating. Then they were treated to dinner.

“It’s nice to see a company include the staff in these types of changes, it really shows how much the management respects the employees and wants to make sure they are happy and involved at work on all levels” she said.

The road ahead is bright for Harlamert. And she credits BarryStaff with giving her a nudge in a new direction.

“BarryStaff has been awesome,” she said. “If I have any questions, my emails are always answered quickly.

“I wouldn’t be here if not for Barrystaff,” she said.

Click here to watch a short video featuring Catherine Harlamert.

 

Candid candidates: The 10 weirdest interview mistakes

by The HR Specialist on January 30, 2017 10:00am
in Hiring,Human Resources

Step Brothers, Columbia Pictures 2008

It’s like Christmas in January—that most wonderful time of the year in which CareerBuilder.com releases its annual list of job interview quirks and missteps committed by candidates in the preceding year.

The employment website polled 2,600 HR pros and hiring managers late last year and whittled the interview weirdness down to the following 10 “winners” in which a candidate:

  • Called his wife to ask her if the starting salary was enough before continuing the interview
  • Brought childhood toys to the interview
  • Said her hair was perfect when asked why she should become part of the team
  • Bragged about being in the local newspaper for alleged theft
  • Ate a pizza he brought with him
  • Ate crumbs off the table
  • Asked where the nearest bar was located
  • Invited interviewer to dinner afterwards
  • Stated that if the interviewer wanted to get to heaven, she would hire him
  • Asked interviewer why her aura didn’t like her.

CareerBuilder also asked about candidate behavior that would prompt an instant “Don’t call us, we’ll call you” rejection.

Job interview deal-breakers

Being caught lying: 66%
Answering a phone call: 64%
Appearing arrogant: 59%
Dressing inappropriately: 49%
Lacking accountability: 48%

Source: CareerBuilder.com survey, January 2017

 

Client Spotlight: Junk King of Dayton

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Pete McCreary of Junk King

Pete McCreary cheerfully looks at a calendar pulled up on his computer screen and points to Monday, December 18.

“You see that? That was a busy day,” he says.

And what constitutes a “busy day” in Junk King’s world?

Well, there were 18 appointments. That’s “huge” for a day in mid-December. Sometimes a large appointment may demand up to five trucks. Other times entire offices need to be cleaned out … and Junk King must respond with 20 trucks to haul away materials.

McCreary owns two Junk King locations. One is in Dayton and the other just north of Cincinnati in Sharonville. His team of 18 drivers hauls away junk — and a few treasures — from Union, KY to Piqua.

McCreary’s operation is one of the most successful in the entire Junk King franchise.

“I am where I thought I would be,” he said, reminiscing about his plan from the start. “I guess that tells me I was optimistic.”

McCreary got his start five years ago when he was looking to start a business.

“I knew I wanted to help older folks” he said, when asked about his initial interest.

After an experience with a family member, he began to seriously think about the hauling business. A close friend had a similar experience and he soon reached out to someone working in the business.

“It was perfectly good commerce,” he said.

He decided to buy into the Junk King franchise.

“I loved their emphasis on recycling,” he said. “I started checking into their business model and realized it would be a perfect fit for what I wanted to do.

“Plus, the company was young enough that I was able to get in at a good rate with flexibility.”

McCreary started working with BarryStaff this year and so far the staffing agency has provided him with two employees.

“It’s nice to call and say, ‘Hey, we need a couple guys,'” he said.

So where does he see Junk King going from here? In ten years, he’d like to have between 15 and 20 trucks (currently there are seven). Junk King’s employee tally is growing each year, so there’s no telling how large his operation could be in a decade.

“There’s a lot of business we’re starting to tap into,” McCreary said.

Click here to watch a short video shot inside Junk King.

 

 

 

Top Ten Tips for Using Staffing Firms

1) How exactly does a staffing firm work for me, the job-seeker?2016_bs_threatread_final
With few exceptions, the staffing firm becomes your advocate and “represents you” – a relationship that starts whenever you apply for a job through an staffing firm listing and submit your resume. In most cases there is no fee to you as you are the applicant; employer is the client;. Your link is the headhunter or representative who contacts or helps you.

2) If there is no fee for me – then who pays the placement fee?
There is no fee for you – client pays the fee. Many staffing firms work on a contingency fee basis, meaning they don’t get paid unless they successfully fill the open position by submitting the best candidate. There are also retained searches, meaning that the staffing firm gets paid no matter how long it takes to fill the job, and there is no other competing agency involved. If the client finds a candidate on their own, they must go through the staffing firm and the firm gets paid.

3) Is it wrong for me to submit my resume to multiple staffing firms?
No, it isn’t wrong, but do limit yourself to a very few firms and let the staffing firm know that you have. When you submit your resume to an online service (i.e. Monster.com or CareerBuilder) you won’t get a chance to set up an appointment and talk to a recruiter and let them know. If your resume fits the bill — meaning of the keywords in your resume are picked up through the online services’ algorithms and an employer finds you, then you’ll get an email or a call from the prospective employer. Staffing Firms with real live recruiters would appreciate knowing you’ve submitted yourself elsewhere (you needn’t go into detail that’s your business) – and they would also like to know if you have submitted yourself for the position directly. If you have, they won’t submit you or represent you for that job because it is duplication of your efforts.

4) What can a recruiting firm/staffing firm do for me that I can’t do for myself?
A good staffing firm will get your resume and set up an interview to talk about your skills, your goals, and the job you are applying for. Resumes don’t always do a candidate justice, and a good recruiter is almost like a job therapist – and will draw out of you information relevant to the position that you may not have thought to mention in your resume. A good recruiter knows a lot about the job you are applying for too, which can be helpful. Job descriptions are notoriously bland and don’t really give you all of the useful inside scoop it would be useful to know before you actually interview. Recruiters also have jobs that aren’t posted, and after talking with you may recommend you for something you didn’t even know was out there.

5) I applied online to a recruiting firm and no one called me – what does that mean?
It can mean one of many things – you weren’t qualified for the job you applied for and they didn’t bother to let you know. Your resume wasn’t received – if you didn’t get a confirmation notice of some sort that might have happened. Email them and ask. It was received but they haven’t gotten back to you yet – sometimes these things don’t happen in “real time”. Our advice? Don’t be shy – write and ask!

Read the full article, originally published by generalemployment.com, here.

 

BarryStaff Holds Successful Job Fair

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There were several unknowns.

BarryStaff opened its Springfield branch in 2015 and expectations for a job fair in mid-June were somewhat tempered. Did people know about the new office? If not, were they willing to find it?

There was nothing to worry about.

The job fair, held June 8, was more successful than BarryStaff ever imagined. More than 50 percent of the applicants interviewed were qualified to fill oft-needed positions at Clark County area companies.

One man, who said he saw advertisements for the job fair in the newspaper and on TV, said people are willing to do anything to work.

“I think (job fairs) are a good thing,” he said. “There are a lot of people who need jobs and there are a lot of good workers who aren’t working.”

Roughly 25 people interviewed over the span of a few hours.

BarryStaff is currently in the midst of planning another job fair, this time at the company’s headquarters in Dayton. Details will be released as plans are finalized.

BarryStaff Hires Communications Director

BarryStaff is happy to announce the hire of Andy Sedlak as communications director.

In the age of social media and digital marketing, this represents a first for the 32-year-old BarryStaff.

“We are excited to add Andy to the team,” said President Doug Barry. “His skills will allow BarryStaff the ability to increase our level of service to clients.”

Sedlak, after previously working in television news, newspapers and radio, said the opportunity to work on behalf of BarryStaff excites him.

“This is a great organization with a terrific heritage and an admirable commitment to the Dayton area,” he said. “I look forward to meeting our clients, our employees and those of you in the media I haven’t gotten to know yet.”

Sedlak can be contacted about reserving BarryStaff’s Community Room for off-site work retreats, community events and information about the local manufacturing industry.  His email address is andy@barrystaff.com.