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Turning a Temp Job into a Full-Time Career

Everywhere you look in today’s job market, you’ll find temp workers. You find them in some of the U.S.’s largest and most successful corporations, and you find them in local businesses in your hometown.

Temp jobs now run the gamut of industries and roles, and they offer a springboard into a full-time career if you choose to use it.

How can you turn a temp job you enjoy into your next permanent position? Use these tips for making the jump.

Treat Your Temp Job Like It’s Permanent

In a temp, some people fall into the trap of treating the job like it’s about to end. While it’s true that your contract will run out eventually, this mindset can get in the way of turning your temp job into a successful hire.

It’s helpful to treat your job like an audition for a permanent role. Arrive on time and leave at the appropriate finish. Don’t take long breaks, and take care of your assignments. Going above and beyond to make suggestions for improvements or work along with organizational strategy will also demonstrate your suitability for a full-time role.

Take Initiative and Help Out, Even When You Don’t Need To

Temp jobs have defined responsibilities; you’re not expected to help out permanent staff or aid other departments. However, there’s no reason that you can’t lend a helping hand.

Help out others in your department, your boss, or those with who you may work in other departments. If nothing’s assigned to you and something needs doing, take it upon yourself to do it. Aiming to create value and acting in the best interest of the company helps you stand out from the crowd and help you prepare for a jump into full-time work.

Build an Army of Allies

Being good at your job and helping out your team is a good start, but they’re not always enough to get you hired, particularly in companies that prefer the flexibility of temp workers. In these spaces, you need extra help from allies.

The relationships you build will help you make the transition from the temp to an invaluable member of the team. If your boss and colleagues advocate for you, then all your other work and skills will shine.

Are you looking for a new role in 2021? At RightStone, we use a unique process to perfectly match candidates with clients by finding roles suited to your skills and personality. Get in touch to learn more about what we do.


Change of Scenery – 5 Signs It’s Time to Look for a New Job

“I need a new job.” It’s a thought that dawns on everyone at some point, but for most people, the time to look for a new job pops up before those words enter your mind.

Some of the signs it’s time to start job hunting are subtle, and others much less so. Here are five indicators that you have one foot out the door.

You Aren’t Getting Paid What You’re Worth

In the time since you started your current job, you have grown your skills and capabilities. But does your salary reflect it?

If not, then you may need to job hunt. Even if you’re “happy enough,” being underpaid prevents you from investing in yourself, and it could hold you back in your career.

You Get the Sunday Scaries Every Week

Everyone has at least one Sunday when they wish they could skip the return to the office. But if you dread going back to work every single week or even every day then it’s time to find a job that you’ll enjoy.

Your Boss Isn’t Good at Their Job

Do you find that your boss is constantly behind or out of the loop? Are there skills they need but don’t have and don’t seem to be willing to get?

If you consistently outperform your boss, then you may need to look for a new job. Not only does an inadequate management team hold the company back, but they ultimately stop you from reaching your potential.

You’re Still Doing the Same Tasks You Started With

Are you still doing the rote tasks your boss assigned on day one? If everything about your role is the same but the stress levels are higher, then it might be time to start job hunting.

Your role should push your boundaries and challenge you in ways that stimulate growth. If you are stuck in neutral, then it may be time for a new role.

You Find Yourself Browsing Job Boards Just In Case

People who are satisfied with their job don’t browse job boards. Browsing job boards means acknowledging there’s something better out there and you want it.

So if you find yourself browsing LinkedIn or thinking about talking to a recruiter, then it’s time to commit and start your job hunt.

If you recognize any of these signs, then there’s a good chance you’ll either be looking for a job soon, or you’re already looking subconsciously.

Are you looking for a new role in 2021? At RightStone, we use a unique process to perfectly match candidates with clients by finding roles suited to your skills and personality. Get in touch to learn more about what we do.

 


How to Streamline Your Onboarding Process

As hiring managers, you know your onboarding process is instrumental in every new worker’s success. Finding ways to improve it not only lowers the cost but improves the value of every new hire.

At the same time, streamlining your onboarding process isn’t solely reliant on technology – though, technology does play a role.

Instead, you can make your onboarding program more effective by addressing the most common problems with the process and measuring your results.

Make the Process Digestible

Too often, onboarding is a combination of orientation, on-the-job training, and diving right into work. New employees and existing teams benefit most when you define the process and its parts and break each piece down into manageable portions. This becomes increasingly important as you recruit new Gen Z talent, who have short attention spans but great recall.

Breaking the onboarding process down into something easier to digest doesn’t streamline the process in the sense that it makes it immediately faster. Rather, it shortens the time it takes to produce effective, confident employees, and that’s the goal of onboarding.

First, pull out the parts that are company orientation, onboarding, and practical experience. Define them, separate them, and organize them in a way that tells a story without becoming long-winded.

Second, break down each process into bitesize pieces. No one benefits from spending all day in a conference room. Use categories to help the pieces fit together like a puzzle. Technology does a great job of helping you deliver paperwork and core, standardized training.

Finally, use a realistic timeline. It takes six months for new workers to feel they have enough information to feel useful in their organization. So don’t feel the need to have new hires onboarded in two weeks or less.

Use Mentorship

Your new team members won’t transition from onboarding to an employee ready-to-charge, no matter how comprehensive your program is. One way to help that transition along is to build mentoring into your onboarding program.

Mentorship creates a positive experience for new hires, which helps engage them sooner. Their mentor also lives the company values and expectations, so new candidates have a better idea of what to expect when their training period ends.

Finally, mentors serve as an easy, comfortable reference point for new candidates. New employees will always have questions: they won’t always know who to ask or feel it’s appropriate to reach out. Mentors give them a specific point of reference and a bridge to other employees or departments who can also provide answers.

Measure Your Success

What’s working in your onboarding program? What isn’t working? If you don’t measure your new hire experience, then you have no idea how it works. And having no idea means your onboarding program will never be as streamlined.

You measure your onboarding success throughout the first year of the candidate’s work. Some of the key metrics include:

  • Employee happiness
  • Turnover
  • Job satisfaction

Make the Onboarding Experience Human

While technology can help you streamline the onboarding process, your first goal is to make it more human. By adapting onboarding to employees’ modes of learning, acknowledging that learning continues over months, and measuring your success across the first year, you’ll find it easier to refine your process and impress new hires.

Are you looking to hire in 2021? RightStone’s 360 quality process can help you land qualified candidates who are ready to dive in. Get in touch to learn more.


Setting 2021 Goals for Your Team

The year 2020 is almost over and few people aren’t glad to see the back of it. Next year could be equally challenging, but here are lessons you can carry from this year into 2021.

One of those lessons is the importance of setting goals for your team. Goals help focus and maintain momentum, even in the midst of chaos. However, you need to choose these goals carefully.

Are you putting together a vision for 2021? Use these tips to set goals that will inspire your team in 2021.

Prioritize Your Team’s Vision

You have an idea of goals to choose from, but do your team members agree?

It’s difficult to motivate teams to do something they have no interest in or don’t see its value. So your first task is to figure out what your group wants to achieve. Once you understand that, you may find it helpful to develop a vision statement that reflects your team’s position. You can use this to reflect on when you set goals and when you reevaluate throughout the year.

Defining goals based on the team’s vision is key. Once everyone is on the same page, it’s much easier to pull in the same direction as one team.

Connect Team Goals to the Organizational Strategy

More and more, employees derive satisfaction and motivation from knowing they’re contributing to something bigger than themselves. Most employees work at your company because they believe in what they do. It’s not the day-to-day operations that drive them but the bigger picture.

Lean into this motivating factor when developing your goals. Identify those instances that connect with the organizational strategy. In other words, ask, “What is everyone here to do, and how does our team take the organization one step closer to achieving it?”

Choose Measurable Goals

A goal you can’t measure isn’t a goal at all. Measurable goals are specific and include precise details: usually, you’ll focus on numbers. For example, “improve customer retention” is a good goal, but it’s hardly measurable unless you choose to “improve customer retention by 10% in one year.”

Keep in mind that your goals should be achievable with the resources available. They can require extra effort, but your projections should always be realistic.

Goal Setting Requires More Than Numbers

Setting and achieving goals in 2021 demands more than picking a KPI and throwing it against the wall. To motivate teams and keep them working together, you need goals that inspire teams to do their best work, even when they’re apart. These are aligned with your vision, connected to strategy, and inherently measurable.

Are you looking to add new team members in 2021? RightStone can help you find someone who fits into your team’s strategy. Get in touch to learn more about the RightStone 360 process.