August 31st, 2010 by Kira
At some point or another we all get tempted by procrastination, whether it’s looking for your next job or letting go of an employee that isn’t right for the company. We simply need a strategy to overcome procrastination as soon as we recognize it. Typically, each person has a few procrastination crutches. You’ll notice yourself in Facebook constantly, hitting send and receive in your email, or even shuffling papers back and forth. Know what your signs of procrastination are and then apply one or all of these strategies to overcome it.
1. Clear your head and clear your space. A cluttered mind or environment is a surefire way to induce procrastination. The messier the world around you, the harder it is to stay focused. Take 15 minutes at the beginning or end of your day to clean up your space, get organized, and get focused.
2. Have a clear goal. The more clarity you have around what you want to accomplish, the easier it is to take action on it. Set a timeline for completion, create a clear action plan, and go for it.
3. Plan ahead. Don’t wait to figure out your day until the day actually happens. Plan your day the night before or even the week ahead.
4. Get accountability. Find someone who could hold you accountable for your actions. Report your goals to them and commit to a date for completion.
5. Visualize the outcome. When all else fails tap into the emotional aspect of where you want to go. Visualize how great it will feel to have your tasks complete and your goals met. See yourself completing all of the steps with ease!
Tags: avoiding, beat procrastination, overcome procrastination, overwhelm
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August 16th, 2010 by Kira
Have you heard of those companies where the company culture is so good, so grand, that it’s written about in books and talked about in movies? Some companies just get it, they understand that culture goes beyond offering two weeks’ vacation and a 
company holiday party.
The younger generation of employees aren’t willing to work for just anyone anymore. They want companies that are cutting edge, care about their environment, and care about their people. If you think your people should work long hours, forgo their family life, and never take vacation…well, you may want to think again.
Imagine a company with a company culture so grand that productivity is up, morale is high, healthcare costs are reduced, and the employees are more loyal than ever. Sounds delightful, doesn’t it?
It can happen and there are many company’s who can prove it.
Take Patgonia, an outdoor clothing store. This company cares about the environment and its people. Employees can earn paid time off for a sabbatical after so many years of service. Clothing is made out of recyclable material and old clothing is accepted to be properly disposed of.
What about New Belgium Brewery – a brewery with happy and loyal employees who receive their traditional bike imprinted on their beer labels after a few years of service, along with other great perks and benefits.
There are many companies out there who go above and beyond for their employee. To make your company stand out in a marketplace of qualified candidates create a culture where people fight for years to get in, and then never want to leave.
Tags: company culture, employee attraction, team motivation
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August 9th, 2010 by Kira
Do employees need motivating? Every now and again there comes a time when a
company must make the decision to train and motivate their team.
Employees get sucked down through the proverbial negative trees and one bad apple has a tendency to rot the entire bunch. We all know the scenario, so what do we need to do to fix it?
First, keep your word. Companies often make the mistake of implementing new procedures, rules, or other policies and then don’t follow through. This breaks the trust cycle with employees and the next time you come around wanting to implement the latest idea from the managers meeting, employees will roll their eyes. They learn fast and if you don’t follow through, they know that it’ll only take a few weeks for it to wear off. Keep your word no matter what.
Next, recognize good behavior. Acknowledge the people who are doing it right. It doesn’t mean you need to ignore the others, but make the good employees a priority. Offer incentives for good work, high productivity, increased turnaround times, or whatever the team needs to get motivated.
Lastly, there’s no “I” in team. Teams should be teams and they should play like one. Despite recognizing the good behavior of individuals above, companies shouldn’t set up their teams to negatively compete against each other. Promote teamwork and office kindness by initiating do-good events for other employees. If Mary’s child is home sick because of a major surgery, initiate a potluck where all the food gets donated to Mary’s family.
These are just three small changes you can make in your workplace to help motivate your employees. You can always find good trainers and implement new thoughts and ideas into the workplace. No matter how unmotivated your team may seem, there’s always a way to turn them around.
Tags: culture, employee motivation, morale, team motivation
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July 12th, 2010 by Kira
It’s hard to believe that someone outside of your company could often find that perfect match for your new hire when they don’t work in the company, fully understand the culture, and have hands on experience within the workplace.
Well, that’s one side of the argument.
The flip side to this is an objective, third party, who can understand the cultural dynamics yet still be able to choose a candidate solely on skill, qualifications, and personality without letting any previous discord get in the way.
If you’ve questioned whether or not it’s possible for a third party to choose the best candidate consider these factors:
1. An outside company generally does the hard work for you – meaning they get to choose through the hundreds of candidates to find the few that are a good fit for your company.
2. You still get to ultimately choose who is RIGHT for you – but it’s easier on your end because all of the backend work has been done for you. (They’ve been prescreened, pre-interviewed, and are already noted as qualified candidates).
3. A lot of companies and hiring managers are more emotionally involved in the choice of the applicant, an objective third party is often able to see the potential pitfalls with a candidate and company match prior to the company being able to see them.
These are just a few of the differences that are seen when utilizing an outside 3rd party in hiring your next candidate. To find out if FORTIS is right for you, simply give us a call or email to find out how we can be of service to you.
Tags: Hiring, recruiter, staffing
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June 8th, 2010 by Kira
“A year from now you’ll wish you had started today!”
This quote was sent to me a few days ago by one of the many email subscriptions I receive on a daily basis…. I couldn’t help but think about how profound this quote was and since it is still on my mind today, and I know it will be tomorrow, I thought I would share it. 
I am certain this quote has a different meaning for each person who reads it. I don’t need to create a list of possibilities because by now you have started your own. What this quote does, is serve as reminder that every day we have choices to make. Some of these choices acted upon or not, will impact our future quite significantly. Others, that are quite minor, we could take or leave and the end result or lack thereof will have little to no impact on us.
So what is it that if you started today would have a significant impact on your life or the life of others? What have you been putting off by saying, “there is always tomorrow, or I will get to that someday?”
Sometimes procrastinating on a project or an action we should be taking actually carries with it a greater burden then completing the actual task itself. The figurative bricks start piling up and the weight soon becomes overwhelming ultimately forcing change or action. Wouldn’t it feel better to be in control of what you want to do rather than be controlled by what you are not doing?
Take a moment and decide what is it that you could be doing to better your situation or that of others. Set yourself a goal for attaining that. As of this post we have about 34 more weeks left in the year, or about 238 more days….
Shed the anxiety over what you are not doing and feel better by doing what you know you should. So, anytime you are feeling the weight stack on your shoulders, think about what is causing this and make a decision to take action and you will feel pounds lighter and much happier. Here’s to losing that figurative weight!
If you liked this post, please let us know…
Tags: achievement, Getting started, goal setting
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April 12th, 2010 by Kira
1. Incentivize behaviors that you do want. For example, most companies focus on the one or two percent of the people who are constantly late, reminding the entire staff that being late isn’t acceptable and is not tolerated. This brings attention to the behaviors that you don’t want and it also doesn’t do anything to reward the people who are on time. Instead, find a way to incentivize the employees that are on time – perhaps the last Friday of the month they get to leave an hour or two early if they were on time every day that month, or they get starbucks gift cards, or some other reward. This alone will make those late folks get out of bed on time.
2. Include your team in the change process. The people who really know the business aren’t always the managers and CEO’s, but the people who are working in the trenches. Ask your team and staff for feedback on changes, what would make their jobs easier, increase workflow, be more efficient, and allow them to provide better service to clients, Most team members have great ideas but never get an opportunity to voice their suggestions and know that they’ll be heard. Making changes that support the team will go a long way in increasing morale.
3. Have fun together. It’s easy to get stuck in the mode of a daily routine, but having fun together and allowing the staff the opportunity to relax and enjoy each other’s company can go a long way for increasing productivity. People lead busy lives, ensuring that your team feels appreciated and enjoys their workplace will increase workflow, morale, and productivity. You can do simple things like celebrate birthday’s once a month, have a two hour lunch block (with no work!) and take a break outside, bring in bagels, coffee and some board games and have tournaments against departments. Make the company a place that employees WANT to come to, and then they’ll be sure to give you 110%.
Tags: employee retention, incentives, morale
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April 5th, 2010 by Kira
Okay, it’s time to have some fun and think outside of the box. If you are doing what everyone else is doing to find a new position, then your resume may be getting lost in the 3 inch stack of resumes on the corner of the hiring manager’s desk.
First things first, network. Use the power of relationships to find a back door into a company. Attend local networking events, chapter or association meetings, or industry conferences. When meeting people let them know that you are in the market for a new position, if they are willing to chat, share your qualifications with them and what type of company you are looking to work for. Ask if you can follow up, send your resume, and if there’s any way you can support them (and be sure to do it if you can).
Social media. Find the big players in your industry through social media sites like Linked In and Twitter and engage in a conversation with them. Once you know that you’ve noticed them, open the door to take the conversation offline and see if there’s a way you can provide your resume, take them to lunch to pick their brain, or some other creative way.
Make friends with recruiters and staffing companies. These people have first hand contacts with employers who are looking for quality people. Let the recruiters know you are looking, what you are qualified for, and how you can contribute to their clients companies.
Regardless of what strategy you use, in a crowded marketplace, finding something creative to help you stand out could be the difference between getting a job and not getting one.
Tags: Hiring Manager, Market, New Position, Social Media, Staffing Companies
Posted in Candidates, Clients, FORTIS, Job Search, Uncategorized | No Comments »
March 29th, 2010 by Kira
The law of attraction is a common thing discussed by today’s top personal development leaders. Generally stated, the law of attraction says that what you think about turns into reality. How does this relate to your job search? Well, pretty remarkably.
We hear a lot about people who keep confessing that “good jobs don’t exist,” “companies are laying off and not hiring” or other negative beliefs and thoughts. While, you may be able to find evidence of this in your local newspaper or on the television, these thoughts don’t serve you if you are looking to find a new position.
The law of attraction is more than just positive thoughts; it’s about setting an intention that will help you attract what it is that you do want. The majority of people are in the negative and focus on what they don’t want 99% of the time. These simple shifts in thinking can help you attract more synchronicity in your life – meaning that you’ll get your new job faster!
Take a few days to listen to what self-talk is going on in your head about finding a new position, and making a change in your career. If you find that Ironically, when people go through this process they immediately begin saying all the things they don’t want. Well I don’t want this, or that. Be cautious about this thought pattern and instead rephrase things to support what you do want.
Choose language like “I will easily find a new position that I enjoy and where I can grow.”
“I now have a job that supports me and honors my creativity.”
“I work with a company that is flexible, has great employees, and values family.”
You can choose any language that will work for you and what you really want to create. Have fun and play with these statements and let the law of attraction take action.
Tags: Intention, Law of Attraction, Self- Talk
Posted in Candidates, Clients, FORTIS, Job Search | No Comments »
March 22nd, 2010 by Kira
A first impression does last a lifetime, so why not make sure yours is one to remember and that will ultimately win you points.
Here are a few tips on creating a lasting first impression that will get you noticed by your future employer.
1. Smile. A smile goes along way and is always welcomed by others. A person who smiles more is generally more liked, and better received than other individuals. Do your best to work a smile into the room, and regardless of how nervous you are – keep smiling. It will go a long way.
2. Dress appropriately. In the world of first impressions dress is highly important. Generally, it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed, but if possible always find out the appropriate dress code prior to showing up to an interview or event. If you are there to impress others and create a lasting impression, do your best to dress in ways that mirror the opposing person. It creates a sense of familiarity that can have a great impact.
3. Don’t forget about the shoes. You’d be surprised how many people forget about their shoes, they take a lot of pride in their outfit and how they look but forget to look down. Have your shoes shined and polished if applicable and wear shoes that make you look and feel good. A person shoes says a lot about them. Oh, and wear the shoes that you can most comfortable walk in too!
4. First impressions don’t end when you walk out the door. Take your first impressions to the streets by sending a follow-up card, phone call, or some other gesture to let the other person know how much you enjoyed meeting them and being in their presence.
5. Eyes, Ears, and Hair. Be sure to look your best in these areas as well, use colors that are complimentary and professional, generally speaking meaning things that soften your look, or aren’t distractive to who you really are.
6. Be authentic. Just be yourself, its okay to be who you are and let that show. It’s never fun to find out someone’s first impression is nothing like the real person. Trust that if you give it your best, that best will come back to you.
Tags: Authentic, First Impressions, Profressional, smile
Posted in Candidates, Clients, FORTIS, Job Search | No Comments »
March 1st, 2010 by Kira
There is a significant bottom line that cannot be ignored in any corporation or small business. That bottom line ultimately equals dollar amounts, a company’s sole way of surviving is by keeping that bottom line profitable and watching their expenses. Unfortunately, the employees of those same companies often forget that in order to survive as a company the money must be coming in and the business must be generating more than enough revenue to pay for the salaries, pay roll taxes, health insurance, workers compensation, rent, office supplies, insurance, etc.
So what happens when you want a raise, a promotion, or just a new position? The mistake many people make in going in to ask or present a new opportunity to their boss or employer is forgetting the “what’s in it for me” factor.
Generally speaking a person will go into a meeting speaking of all the great things they have done in the past and sometimes with the attitude that the company or employer “owes” them this raise/promotion, but that’s a grave mistake. When you are ready to move up in the company and you are asking for more money from the bottom line you have to consider what you are really asking for. That’s why you need to present your value to the company and stay away from the feeling reasons of why your just the better person.
Here’s an example, go in with information and statistics on what you’ve been doing and what you plan to do with the new position, how you can benefit the company either by bringing in more money or by reducing more costs, saving them more time, effort or energy. The employer needs to know that giving you this raise is essentially not an additional liability to the bottom line, but actually an asset because of all that you bring to the table.
This approach will get you much farther, faster because like I said before, if the company isn’t thriving neither are you.
Tags: New Position, Promotion, Raise, Value
Posted in Candidates, Clients, FORTIS, Job Search | No Comments »
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