In the past, orienting a new hire was usually relegated to some lower-level worker in the human resources department, and after that brief introduction to the company, the new employee was on his or her own.

Now, however, things are different because businesses realize the importance of getting a new employee up to speed, making him or her feel welcome and at ease in the company. Businesses realize that doing a good job of orienting a new employee — now referred to as onboarding — can have great benefits when it comes to productivity.

All of this orientation will still include the more traditional first-day routine – filling out the requisite paperwork.  But at the end of the day, the new person should have more to look back on than just filling out forms. The new worker needs to feel that her or she made a good decision by coming to work for your company.

While human resources will handle the routine types of things, the important job of orientation will be a part of the manager’s job.

As part of introducing a new person to the company, don’t overlook the views of employees already at the company, which can be very helpful. You can find out what they would have liked to have known when they came onboard. Find out what plans other employees have to help the new person get up to speed. You don’t have to do everything yourself. You can delegate.

One person should take on the responsibility of taking the new person to lunch every day, and the entire team should take the new person to lunch on the first day.

There are routine checklists for orienting a new employee readily available, but there are also the little things that should not be overlooked. For example, notify everyone by e-mail about the new hire so everyone can welcome the new person. You should set up the new employee’s computer and get his or her e-mail account in working order, along with making sure he has all the background information he needs on the software he or she will be using. You should also get his or her phone system up and running, along with instructions on voicemail.  Fill the new employee in on how to use the fax, copier and any other electronics her or she will be using. Have business cards already made up, if appropriate. Have a nameplate ready and waiting.. You also should have an organizational chart ready for the new person, so he or she knows who is who and how they fit into the company’s and department’s structure.

Two final tips: 1) Have someone who can act as a sponsor or mentor to the new employee, someone who can be a role model. 2) Take the time to talk to the new hire about performance goals and expectations.

RealStreet Staffing can help Washington Metro construction, engineering and architecture firms meet and exceed their strategic staffing goals. Contact us today so that we may work with you to craft a staffing plan that will help your business grow and prosper.

They are referred to in different ways – communications skills, personality traits, soft skills.  But whatever they are called, recent studies have shown that they are just as important to a company’s success as other more quantifiable business skills.

About 75 percent of those surveyed identified these employee skills as necessary to success.  These skills include listening, persuading others, and working together.  Moreover, in successful companies, about 85 percent of those surveyed said these skills were necessary for success.

These kinds of skills are just as important as other business skills in helping a company meet its goals, according to human resource managers.  And companies that try to educate employees in such skills call them critical for their success.

The skills that companies most frequently work on with their employees include teamwork, the duties of leaders, coaching, time management, listening, verbal and written communication, and project management.

These skills not only are important for success, but also for adapting to changes in the business environment.  When making a change, communication skills become especially important, not just to explain to employees what is happening, but to motivate them to work at the change, according to human resource advisors.  These skills are also important when it comes to working with younger employees just entering the workforce.  This generation of workers wants constant feedback, and so communication becomes even more important.

To encourage the development of these kinds of skills at your organization, the first thing to do is figure out what particular communication skills are most important to your business. Observe the star performers at the company and see how they use these skills. Someone at the executive level should be in charge of implementing the training program for these skills.  It’s important to have someone at this level supporting the program because these skills are harder to measure quantitatively, and so it’s harder to show their value. But you also should try to measure the things that are measurable.  Feedback from a range of co-workers can help to determine what particular skills an employee needs to work on.  Surveys can help to get a sense of how well the lines of communication are working throughout the organization, as well as teamwork.

Then, target those specific skills which are most important to the success of your business or your department.  For some, teamwork may be the key skills that needs improvement; for others, it may be time management or listening skills.

If your Washington Metro construction, engineering or architecture firm needs skilled professionals, contact RealStreet Staffing. We’ll help you source and vet reliable workers for your temporary and direct-hire needs. We look forward to serving you.

If you are an employer and, in the course of your recruiting, you come across applicants who seem to have more education and experience than are required for the job, don’t reject them out of hand.  As a matter of fact, give them serious consideration.

As much as this seems to intuitively go against the grain, new research is revealing that workers considered to be overqualified usually outperform other workers – and they don’t leave any earlier than any other workers.

The bias of hiring managers against employees who are considered to be overqualified is common throughout the business world.  Businesses usually look for candidates who match the job requirements as closely as possible, as opposed to someone who has more education or experience than is required.  At first glance, this seems to be a good policy, because studies have shown that employees who believe themselves to be overqualified tend to be more dissatisfied at work.  A recent study of more than 150 call-center workers showed just that – there was a strong connection between workers who were overqualified and dissatisfaction at work.

And rejecting someone because he or she is considered to be overqualified conforms to all legal guidelines, unlike other discrimination cases based on age or gender.  Moreover, the refusal to consider people thought to be overqualified has cast them into the pool of those who have been unemployed for more than year, labeled as the long-term unemployed, a group that now makes up about half of all those who are out of work.

But even before the recession hit, having too many overqualified workers was a problem around the world, especially in emerging countries where education levels are rising and the job market cannot keep pace.

However, by not looking at these workers, businesses are passing up a tremendous opportunity.  One study  looked at people with above average intelligence who washed cars and collected garbage.  Not only did these people perform better than others on the job, they generally stayed on the job longer than other employees.  Money was not the key consideration.  For some, it was the lifestyle that the job offered, such as the working hours, or the values of the company.

The studies also showed that companies can lessen the feelings of job dissatisfaction of so-called overqualified employees by giving them more decision-making authority on the job.  By empowering them like this, it makes them more engaged and happier in their jobs.

If you have a need for qualified and reliable workers for your Washington Metro company, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can source and vet hard-working individuals for your temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments. We look forward to hearing from you.

On-the-job perks can be very powerful when it comes to recruiting and even retaining employees. Let us count the ways:

1) When employees feel they are being “taken care of by their employers” (more on this in a moment)  the more likely they are to recommend your company to their friends, neighbors and former colleagues. Word-of-mouth recruiting can be a great way to get the best candidates (terrific employees tend to refer/recommend terrific candidates).

2) Perks often can cost you relatively little in cash. Flexible work arrangements, mentoring programs, free or company-subsidized snacks and beverages in break rooms, etc. can go a long way to helping your employees feel “cared for.”

3) Feeling that their employer cares for them also can be extended to opportunities for career and professional growth. Subsidized training shows you care about an employee’s future.

4) Perks can go quite a long way in improving morale. Many workers — survivors of cutbacks, doing the job of one, two, or more people — are reaching capacity regarding how much more they can give. It’s time for a little appreciation! Offering a bit more flexibility in scheduling or Free-Muffin-Fridays can make a big difference in how an employer is perceived. Such small, but effective, tokens of appreciation, if done regularly, can help keep employees motivated to continue giving you their best.

5) Finally, perks can increase innovation. Offer your employees the chance to learn new skills or fine tune existing ones via mentoring or employer-paid training programs and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how quickly they’ll be implementing new ideas or increasing their productivity.

Speaking of increasing productivity, contact RealStreet Staffing today to learn more about how our flexible staffing options can help your Washington Metro construction, engineering or architecture firm become as efficient and profitable as possible.

With the dramatic increase in the number of unemployed workers during the past few years, it has become more important than ever for companies to make solid, well thought out hiring decisions. The rise of social networking on the Internet has made it easier than ever for companies to investigate the backgrounds and personal lives of their potential employees.

But how far is too far when it comes to researching a potential employee on the Web?

For decades, employee hiring decisions were made primarily on the basis of rèsumès, applications, the interview process, references, education, and, in more recent years, drug tests.

Even though people have been putting their personal information on to the Internet for more than 15 years now, it’s only been the recent rise of social media websites that have resulted in businesses using the Web as an increasingly important tool in their hiring arsenal.

While sites such as LinkedIn were created expressly for the purpose of sharing business-related information between friends, co-workers and associates, other sites such as Facebook have a decidedly more personal slant.

As is often the case with the breakneck speed of change in technology, the legal system is lagging years behind in establishing a new framework for what is legal vs. what is illegal when it comes to determining the line between personal privacy and an employer’s right to know.

Because companies are still operating in largely uncharted waters, it’s important for them to be aware of the potential risks involved with probing a potential employee’s information online.

Privacy Issues

Employers should proceed with great caution when it comes to tactics such as setting up fake friend requests, or setting up fake accounts in order to “spy” on applicants activities. It’s very possible that the courts may not view this as legitimate permission for the employer to review personal information

Discrimination Issues

An even bigger potential issue lies in using personal information gleaned from an applicant’s online information to potentially make illegal hiring decisions based upon items such as religion, race, sexual orientation, marital status or a number of other factors. In this particular case, ignorance is bliss – even from a legal standpoint.

While the rise in social media has provided companies with more potential information than ever before about the people they wish to hire, great caution must still be exercised in order to keep the employer on the right side of the law. Proceed with caution.

If you need help vetting candidates for your Washington Metro-area construction, engineering or architecture firm, call on RealStreet Staffing for help. We can help with your entire recruiting process, from placing job listing, to reviewing rèsumès, to conducting background checks and preliminary interviews. We look forward to hearing from you.

Retaining good employees consists of more than providing a good benefits package and high salary. It also consists of creative incentives and a positive working environment that allows the employee to feel both appreciated and a valued member of the organization. The more focus a company puts on its employees, the more success the company will see because happy employees produce results.

However, all companies have to deal with employee turnover. Turnover affects more than just a loss of a staff member for the company; it can cause a ripple effect that could negatively impact the rest of you staff.

The best way to stave off excessive employee turnover is through open communication with your staff. Maintain an open-door policy that allows them to come and talk to you about the level of turnover in your company. Take their suggestions on how to slow down the turnover process. Institute best practices and employee incentive programs aimed at keeping good employees.

More than that, however, carefully screen new employees to find people who won’t change jobs when the going gets tough. Institute a longer hiring process that gives you more of a chance to get to know a potential employee before you make a hiring decision. Explain to potential employees that you are working to eliminate high turnover so that they are aware of the expectation to remain committed to the job if they take it.

There is no way to ensure that you won’t have employee turnover to some degree in your company. However, if you institute policies that make the staff feel as though they are a pertinent part of your organization, they will feel more loyal and compelled to stay. Moreover, if you continue to be open to suggestions, the desire to improve becomes a team effort among staff and management alike that will only contribute to your company’s ability to get even better at employee retention over time.

If high employee turnover is a problem at your Washington Metro construction, engineering or architecture firm, turn to RealStreet Staffing. We can help you source skilled and reliable professionals for temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments. We look forward to hearing from you.

No matter if you’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years or if you’re new to the “art of the interview,” here are some tips to help you as you work to find your next great hire.

Listen. Really listen. Talk less. A good rule of thumb is to listen 80 percent of the time. Let your candidate be the one who does almost all of the talking. You’ll learn quite a bit that way. Get comfortable with silence — don’t feel you have to rush in and ask another question as soon as your interviewee finishes answering a question. You can use this time to finish jotting down notes or coming up with another question based on something your candidate just mentioned.

This also shows your candidate that you’re interested in what he has to say and that you’re really considering what he’s saying.

Don’t be shy about asking for clarification. If, for example, a candidate mentions he was the project manager for a multi-million dollar project, ask for specifics. What was the actual dollar amount? How many people did he manage during the project? How long was the project? Did it end on time and under or at budget?

Listening more and talking less allows you to get a good idea of a candidate’s personality and will help you ascertain if he will be a “good fit” for your company or department’s culture.

Here are some questions you may want to consider asking:

Why do you want to work here? This question lets you see how much a candidate knows about your firm. The more detail a candidate offers (“I’ve followed how your company is earning more and more government contracts and I want to be a part of a company that’s growing”) shows you that the applicant has done his research.

Why should I hire you over someone else? This question lets the candidate tell you in more detail about his skills and background. If a candidate relays that experience in a way that shows how that experience will help you, all the better.

Tell me a bit about your background. You already know a bit about this from reading an applicant’s résumé. Yet asking this question allows you to see if the candidate couches his work history in a way that shows how it will benefit your business. On the other hand, if the candidate goes on too much about how working for you will benefit him (it would be a great promotion, he could save more for a down payment on a home, it’s always been his dream to work in Washington, DC, etc.), you can pretty much see that this candidate doesn’t understand that you’re hiring him to solve your company’s problems, not his.

When you need skilled and reliable engineering, architecture and construction professionals for your Washington Metro-area firm, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can provide you with top-notch temporary, temp-to-hire or direct hire professionals. We look forward to hearing from you!

When the economy is good, and all companies are in a hiring mode, it’s tough for the smaller business to compete with larger companies, which draw well-qualified candidates based on the better opportunities they see at those companies in terms of job duties, pay, benefits and perks.

A down economy, when larger firms are laying people off or freezing their new hires, may seem like an ideal time for smaller firms to scoop up some talented employees that might go elsewhere in better times.  But small firms also are affected by economic slowdowns, and may be reluctant to hire.

So when is a good time to hire?

There are several elements to look at when determining a good time to hire.

The first is cash flow – make sure it’s moving in a positive direction, to make sure you can afford your new hire.  You want to look at trends in your sales and profits for about three to six months.  Is there an increase?  The amount of time you are looking at for cash flow will vary with the industry you are in.  But new employees need to bring in enough revenue to pay for themselves.  To determine that, you need to look at what similar employees are producing and trends in the market.

Other expenses to keep in mind when hiring include advertising to attract applicants; the time to sift through resumes, do background checks and interview; training the employees; and lost productivity for new employees who don’t work out.

Find out what your competition is doing.  Check out their websites.  This may also help determine if it’s an opportune time to hire.

Network to find out about the local market  – are people buying?

Also, a new hire might be determined by other needs – you may need to hire someone with a certain expertise in order to expand your business.

Finally, you may need to hire if you see that employees are making more mistakes, which may be sign that they are handling too much.

If you’re still reluctant to hire, one alternative is to look at temporary employees or interns.  This is a good way to fill slots when your labor needs are going up and down.

If that’s the case, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can create a strategic staffing plan that you can use at any time, whether business is booming or you need to be, well, strategic. In addition, we can supply you with reliable and skilled employees for short or long-term temporary assignments at your Washington Metro company, as well as your direct-hire needs. Contact us today!

When hiring employees, it’s easy to make mistakes and hire the wrong person. Here are what we believe are five of the most common hiring mistake and how to avoid them.

1) Settling for None but the PERFECT Person
First of all, the perfect employee doesn’t exist. No matter how many great people are unemployed or are currently employed and willing to seek new challenges, there is no perfect person for the position you wish to fill. In fact, it’s usually the case that anyone you hire, no matter how carefully you do so, can turn out to be terrific or the new-hire from Hades. What’s more, you probably won’t know how well the person does for at least three-six months. So when you find someone’s who’s great, or very good, or has 80 percent of the skills, personality and background you seek, hire her and get on with business. Don’t waste months looking for perfection when “good enough” is right there knocking on your door, willing to work hard and do the best she can for you.

2) Hiring Someone Based on His Past Performance
Yes, past performance can be an indication of how a job applicant will work out in your business. Past successes often do lead to future successes. But be careful. Company cultures are different and someone who thrived in a large, 200-employee construction firm may not do as well in a small, family-run enterprise of just 20 or so. To see if a candidate will be successful at your firm, dig deep into the how and why of his past successes. Does he have the people and technical skills that work in your company?

3) Taking Top Performers from Your Competitors
This mistake is similar to the one above in that the personality, skills and background of someone successful at one your competitors may or may not mean he will do as well with you. In addition, some companies make the mistake of raiding a competitor’s roster of employees because it’s just too much “fun” to do so. Vet these folks very carefully.

4) Not Taking Enough Time with the Hiring Process
We know how time consuming, hard and even taxing hiring someone can be. It’s natural to want to hire the first person who comes along who “seems” perfect, just so you can stop the resume-reading, interviewing, and reference-checking tedium. Don’t do it! Take your time. Be sure to interview at least three-five qualified applicants. Interview the top two or three again. You can stand the short-term “pain” of the interview process for the long-term gain of hiring a great employee. In the long run, you’ll be glad you did.

5) Forgetting to “Sell the Job”
Sure, unemployment is very high today and is predicted to remain so for at least the next several months or more. And, yes, there are many wonderful people out of work who would be grateful for the position you have available. Still, you need to be sure that everyone who comes in contact with your job candidates are positive about the company and the position.

When you’re looking for your next superstars, contact RealStreet Staffing. We know the “good guys” in the construction, engineering and architecture industries in the Washington Metro area. Let us help your company find terrific employees for your temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments. Contact us today.