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.

When budgets are tight and employee morale is low, what can a cash-strapped business do to motivate its hard working workers without crying “raises for all!”?

Plenty.

Money is a major factor in employee motivation — people need to feel they’re being compensated for their skills, effort, and time. But it’s not the only motivator.

Human beings are motivated by many things. Important things such as:

• Appreciation
• A sense of purpose
• A sense of belonging
• Being a part of something important and/or “bigger” than themselves
• Opportunity (to learn, for advancement, for new experiences
• Explicit goals with the chance to reach tangible outcomes
• Feeling that what they do matters
• New challenges

And none of these need cost a company much, if anything.

As you work to motivate your employees, be sure you’re not doing the following:

• taking away current benefits;
• fostering a culture of unfairness and petty politics;
• pitting employees against each other in a sad game of “if you lose than I win;” and
• a culture of “you’re lucky to have a job in this economy, so put up and shut up.”

Instead, try these motivators:

• Show appreciation. If you can’t raise salaries, what about taking your department’s team members out to a nice dinner when they get a major project done early?
• Get employee input. Ask for their advice on how to do their jobs better, how to create better process or even create new services.
• Make sure your employees are challenged. Give them opportunities to go to conferences and seminars to learn new skills.
• Create a culture of service, hard work and trust. Reward those who exemplify these values with a small trophy, certificate or lunch on the department.
• Praise often and keep praising. Don’t hold back. Find something praiseworthy each day and acknowledge it.

If your company is located in the Washington Metro and you’ve a need for highly skilled construction, engineering, architecture and technical personnel, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can find skilled workers for you quickly and easily. Contact us today.

When it’s tough to find a job, the tough….write a recession-proof resume!

Here are some tips to help you craft a resume that will help your application stand out from others.

Most resume writers craft a resume using the standard chronological format, in which they list work experience in reverse chronological order (current or last job first, followed by previous jobs). But if you’ve been out of work for a while, or if you have some obvious gaps in your employment history, you may want to write what is known as “combination” resume. This type of resume places more emphasis on your skills and accomplishments instead of your previous positions and dates of employment.

So instead of just listing where you worked, your job title and a few of your job tasks, break out your resume into different sections. For example, a system administrator may want to divide his resume into “Project Management,” “System Skills,” and/or “Training Skills.”

Combination resumes also work best when you’re looking to change professions because they can help you better highlight previous work experience, education and skills that can transfer to the new career and help you make the transition. You want an employer to see how what you’ve done in the past will help her in the future.

Focus on results and how you’ve contributed to previous employers’ bottom lines. For example, if you’ve worked as a plant layout engineer in the past, state how your review of one project found cost efficiencies not already in place and how your suggestions saved your company several thousand dollars (be specific as possible with the dollar amount), or saved it a certain percentage in construction cost (be sure to provide that percentage number).

One thing many job seekers neglect to do is to customize their resume to each company and position to which they’re applying. Yes, this takes more work than just using the same resume for every position. But you should study each position carefully and fine tune your resume so that it speaks specifically to the employer’s needs.

Doing so will truly help your resume stand out from others.

Check, check and check your resume some more for mistakes. Write it one day and leave it be until another — you’ll see it with fresh eyes. Ask someone to proof it for you.

Your goal is to make the resume mistake- and typo-free. No misspellings. Hiring managers look at mistakes in resumes as an indication that you’re sloppy, don’t have attention to detail and/or don’t care about how you present yourself.

In these days of high unemployment, businesses are loathe to “take a chance” on someone who appears unqualified, lax and indifferent. Work hard to showcase how you can help solve an employer’s problems in your resume and you’re on the right path towards finding a new job no matter what the economic conditions.

Use RealStreet Staffing, as well as a focused, achievements-oriented resume, to help you find a terrific position quickly in Washington Metro construction, architecture and engineering companies. We look forward to hearing from you.

Employee accountability and empowerment are all the rage in human resources circles today. And they are good ideas. Yet how does one really get employees to set personal work goals?

Here are some tips to help your employees set personal goals:

Make surethe  goals your employees set are obtainable, can be measured and challenge the employee. Set a timetable for accomplishing the goal — deadlines focus the mind beautifully.

Understand that there will be some employees who balk at setting a challenging-but-doable goal. They prefer an easy goal for several reasons: they feel they don’t have what it takes to reach a challenging goal, they prefer the “easy win” of an all-too-easy goal, and so on. Employees who have never really been challenged in the workplace naturally could balk. Still, you should gently but firmly insist on setting goals that, while not easy-peasey, are doable. Your employees will grow and blossom when they find they can reach “hard” goals.

Other employees love a challenge and may set goals that will be very difficult to reach. Encourage them to rethink their goals and set those that are definitely obtainable.

Let your employees set their own goals. Employees are more likely to work hard to reach a goal when they have some say in the process. Obviously, their goals must be in alignment with your company’s or department’s goals, but you shouldn’t set arbitrary goals and leave it at that. Let your workers set the goals; you can review and tweak as needed.

Written goals have a much better chance of being met. Have your employees personally write their goals. This helps them visualize what it is they have pledged to accomplish and it helps them forge a strong personal commitment to actually meeting their goals.

The goals should be measurable. That is, you and your employee should know she’s met the goal by looking at quantifiable data. There’s no going with a “gut feeling” here. If it’s unclear what data could be used to tell if a goal has been met, ask the employee for her ideas. Setting concrete, measurable goals lets you both know when a goal has been reached and eliminates disputes as to whether a goals was reached or not.

Schedule regular meetings to discuss progress. Don’t micro-manage. Instead, look at these meetings as a chance for you to support your employees on their journey. You also can use these meetings to make sure employees aren’t focusing on just one goal at the expense of others.

Speaking of multiple goals, limit the number of goals employees must meet.

Once employees meet their goals, make sure they’re rewarded for it. Make this clear while employees are setting goals. Rewards can be a raise, more paid time off, a bonus, a new title, and so on. Work with employees to set the reward(s) for accomplishing goals.

Winston Resources 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.

If you’re currently employed and — lucky you! — have been offered another position — in this economy! — you now have some thinking to do.

Taking the new job may not be an automatic no-brainer. Here are some tips to help you decide if you should stay where you are now or if you should take the new position.

First of all, consider why you applied for the position in the first place. Is your current commute too long and adversely affecting the quality of your personal life. Are you being paid below-market wages? Is there little room for advancement?

If the new position is much closer to home, if you’re receiving a good pay increase and/or if the new job entails a promotion or the opportunity to face new challenges and opportunities (additional skills, etc.), it probably is a good idea to take the offer.

However, and this is important, whenever you leave one position for another, you should be doing so because you’re running to something, not running  from something. If your boss is a jerk, if your co-workers stink, if you’ve discovered the job isn’t a good fit, do not take the first job opportunity that comes along. If you do, you’re trying to escape a bad situation and  you could be running yourself directly into another. Instead, if your current job really is hell on earth, you still should take your time and wait until a truly good opportunity for you comes along.

As you weigh whether or not to accept a new job, here are some things to ask yourself:

• Does the job offer more interesting and challenging work?
• What’s the company culture like? Do you think you’ll be comfortable working there? (For example, the new position will have you working in a cubicle in a large room, but you’re used to having your own office. Will you be able to function in a room that undoubtedly will have more noise and interruptions?
• How much is your total compensation? Is it about the same as your salary now, but are you going from two weeks paid vacation a year to four (and is that important to you)?
• Will the new job be a promotion?
• What is the reputation of the company in your industry? Will having this company as part of your resume be helpful? Do you even care?
• Will the new position give you continuous opportunities to learn new skills?
• How long will your commute be? If you’ll need to move, will the salary allow you to live comfortably in the new city? (Many cost-of-living calculators on the Internet can help you answer that question.)
• How well did you and your potential new boss hit it off? Naturally, you both were on your best behavior during your interviews, but take a deep breath and really think back on your interactions. Look for clues as to how your boss really works. For example, he may have mentioned he hates it when his crew come in late by even just five minutes without calling. Could this be a sign of a micro-manager, or is he someone who just really wants people to be on time because customers/clients start calling at 8 a.m. sharp and it’s important that his team be there to serve them? Think on this type of information and trust your gut.)

You can trust RealStreet Staffing to help you find your next great opportunity at some of Washington DC’s best construction, engineering and architecture firms. When you’re looking for a new opportunity, we want to hear from you.

If having more control over where and for whom you work appeals to you, if the idea of having many different workplace experiences and duties pleases you, if the chance to make more money per hour than you would working as a “permanent” employee intrigues you, work as a contract employee may be right for you.

Many employers today hire contract and/or free-lance workers during peaks in their production schedules, or during crunch times.  They use the contract workers only when they need to, letting them go — by mutual agreement — when production slows down and/or the crunch time eases up.

In fact, more and more employers are looking to contract workers as a big part of their regular business strategy; as our information and “just in time” economy kicks back into gear, many businesses may permanently run with just a “core” number of full-time employees, hiring contractor and free-lancers only when necessary.

Many companies pay contractors on a different pay scale than the one they use to pay regular employees. Contract workers often receive an hourly pay rate much higher than salaried employees because the employer doesn’t need to cover a contract worker’s health insurance, time off, unemployment insurance, etc.

Another terrific benefit of contract work is the flexibility if offers. If you don’t want to work for a certain company, doing a certain task between certain dates, you don’t have to. If you finish one position, you can arrange for your next position to start when you want it to — you can take a vacation knowing you’ll have work when you return. If you want to take an entire month between contracts, you can.

You’ll also have the opportunity to work on assignments and for people that interest you — and not work on assignments that don’t. You’ll have little chance of becoming bored on the job due to the fact that you’ll constantly be working on new projects in new settings.

If you’re looking for contract positions with some of Washington Metro’s best construction, architecture and engineering firms, contact RealStreet Staffing. We can help you find your next contract assignment — or help you find a regular, full-time position.

Have you put your profile on the professional networking site LinkedIn? That is, did you put up your name, a few of your past employers/positions, asked to link with a few former and current co-workers and then left it at that?

If so, you haven’t really used its power.

Here’s a short primer on the importance of using LinkedIn as you build a professional network and how to do so

As you create your profile, be sure to keep your accomplishments and work history honest. You’ll never know who will read your profile, see that you’re lying and out you, possibly on LinkedIn itself, for the world to see! Bad for your career.

LinkedIn allows you to upload your e-mail system’s address book to contact those people within it. Do so and ask to link to those who are already LinkedIn members.

Expand your connections by reaching out to others in your network (either through your e-mail history or people you know of) and ask them to connect to you.

Recommendations are key to creating goodwill. Make recommendations for as many people as you can. Chances are many of them will return the favor (and if they don’t automatically, you can e-mail them with a polite request to do so). Recommendations are wonderful because the recommendation given to you shows up in your recommender’s profile, thus expanding your network.

How LinkedIn Can Help You Create a Terrific Career

The more connections you have, the more likely you’ll be found in LinkedIn searches by folks who want to hire you or form a business partnership with you. Since people like to hire people they know (or who are known by other people they know), many connections helps you become known exponentially by more people.

Many companies use LinkedIn to perform preliminary reference checks. You can do the same, checking out potential hiring managers and companies before you apply for a position or head to an employment interview.

You should join a few LinkedIn groups that interest you.  You can ask questions of the group and receive quick responses from other industry professionals — which you may then parlay into LinkedIn connections, thus expanding your network ever more.

You also should try LinkedIn Answers, which allows you to ask business-related questions. Since LinkedIn is a network of professionals, you’re more likely to get thoughtful, accurate answers from a wide range of people in a wide range of industries, which you can then — again — add to your LinkedIn connections.

More and more business people and hiring managers go to LinkedIn first when they are searching for candidates. Build a great LinkedIn profile, coupled with several recommendations as well as dozens of connections, and don’t be surprised if hiring managers, headhunters and business owners contact you about jobs without you ever having to send in an application or resume.

Use RealStreet Staffing, as well as LinkedIn, to help you find a terrific position quickly in Washington Metro construction, architecture and engineering companies. We look forward to hearing from you.

Let’s say you currently have a terrific job, with great pay, with a wonderful boss and fun coworkers. You’re not looking for work and you don’t plan to in the foreseeable future.

So the idea of keeping your resume updated hasn’t occurred to you in a long while — since you started at this wonderful job with the terrific boss and great coworkers.

But it should.

You always should keep your resume current because things do happen. Your terrific boss could leave, landing you with a boss from Hades. Salary freezes could take place, leaving you with a paycheck holding steady while your responsibilities increase. And your wonderful co-workers? Laid off next week, leaving you wondering if you’ll be next.

But aside from the fact that your terrific job could become a) awful in no time or b) leave you awfully quickly, you should continuously update your resume for two good reasons:

1) You won’t forget your accomplishments
and
2) It will be ready to go should a great opportunity pop up its happy head waving Hello!

It’s simple human nature; we do something wonderful (bring in the big client, streamline data processing, build a new website, etc.) and then promptly forget about it. Oh, we remember it, but did the XYZ Account come in in February or was it April? Did I stay late all week finishing up the Smith Project before or after spring break?

You get the picture.

Instead, after every major accomplishment, after every promotion, after every new skill learned, update your resume.

Because (bringing us to Reason 2) it never fails: you’re contacted by a headhunter about a terrific opportunity, or your friend tells you about a great opening at her company that’s just perfect for you. But instead of being able to pounce on these great opportunities, you spend days — if not weeks — updating and crafting your resume.

Instead, update it as the accolades and accomplishments happen.

Terrific jobs do happen here at RealStreet Staffing. Our Washington Metro staffing firm has many temporary, temp-to-hire and direct placement opportunities for those who are prepared to come get them. We look forward to hearing from you.

Never stop networking. Even if you’re currently job searching or you have a position that you believe will be there for you until the day you decide to retire, networking is a wonderful tool to improve your live professionally and personally, no matter what your present circumstances might be.

The primary reason to network is because it gives you the opportunity to meet new people. The more people you know — and the more who know you — the better your chance of using that network when you need it, whether you need a new job or the name of a great dentist.

Most people get the best jobs from people they know. Even if you’re not looking for work now, you may be looking for work sometime in the future. If you have a wide network, you’ll have even more people who can refer you for job openings, to hiring managers, to people who may know people who know people who are hiring, etc.

This is the era of continual learning. Skills become outdated quickly and need to be improved constantly. Meeting others in or out of your profession keeps you on your toes and allows you to learn things you never knew you didn’t know — and needed to learn. Learning goes both ways, of course; don’t be shy about sharing your knowledge with others, too.

Continually networking means people will continually know you exist. When they need a terrific building/coding specialist — or when a friendly firm in another city needs one and mentions it to one of your contacts — you easily could receive a call about a new opportunity, one that will move your career forward even if you’re happy where you are now.

We know the right people at RealStreet Staffing. We know hiring managers at some of the Washington DC area’s best construction, architecture and engineering firms. When you’re looking for a new opportunity, we want to hear from you.

Backstabbers. Two-faced liars. Chronic whiners. Laz-abouts. Gossipers. Idea-stealers. Meddlers. Drama queens.

We’ve all experienced a work life with difficult co-workers. It’s no fun and depending on the severity of your colleague’s “difficulty,” working with such a person can be toxic on your happiness, your career, even your emotional and physical health.

And, unless you decide to leave the company, there’s no just “avoiding’ the situation.

In fact, avoiding your unease is the last thing you should. Never let the problem fester; it only will grow larger. In addition, your own anger could rise to the point that you become irrational yourself.

Instead, the sooner you address the situation, the better.

If possible, speak with your colleague in private. Regardless of where you talk to him, be sure you’re in a calm, objective and collaborative frame of mind. Start gently; you may find your adversary is just as eager as you are to improve your relationship. Begin talking by saying something like “We seem to have our differences. I’d like to work with you on improving our working relationship and I need your input. Is there anything I can do that can help us get along better?”

And then listen. Really listen. Repeat back what you’ve heard so that your colleague can clear up anything you may have misheard or not understood.

If your colleague doesn’t have any ideas, or if you feel it might be best to start your conversation with you giving a suggestion, do so in a collaborative fashion. Keep it objective:

“When we’re in meetings and I’m talking, it’s very distracting to me when you make comments before I’m finished and I find it hard to listen to what you’re saying when I’m distracted.”

The two of you may find that you can’t come to a perfect agreement. That’s OK for now. You’re moving in the right direction and your relationship can improve with time. If at all possible, find something you like about the person and whenever you can, comment on that in a positive way (he made a great presentation, her solution to a problem was a good one, etc.) Doing so can go a long way to getting that person on your side and helping your relationship greatly improve.

Contact RealStreet Staffing when you’re looking to: find a great job, move your career in a new direction or get your foot in the door at some of the Washington Metro area’s finest construction, engineering and architecture employers. We have terrific temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire placement opportunities. Contact us today!