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Coronavirus Update For Our Clients

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March 12, 2020

Dear Valued Customer:

The coronavirus situation is highly fluid. As a valued client, we want to take this opportunity to inform you that we are staying abreast of public health information and guidelines and will continue to monitor and assess the actual and potential impact on our clients, temporary associates and contractors, and staff employees.

The well-being of our staffing community and neighbors is paramount to us. We will continue to share up-to-date developments, as necessary. We are following government and health organization web sites and we encourage you to review the same. Many of the most commonly suggested preventive measures are inexpensive and easy to obtain. These web sites include:

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

We trust you are advising your employees similarly and that you will apply the recommended safety policies outlined in the links above. We will stand together to navigate this public health challenge and further the well-being of everyone.

Should you wish to discuss this issue or have any questions, please let your local representative know, or feel free to contact our Director of Insurance and Risk Management, Anissa Wieck, at awieck@cssitalent.com.
As always, I am also a phone call away and welcome your direct input or suggestions.

Sincerely,
Steven R. Drexel
President & CEO

Coronavirus Update For Our Employees

Written by

March 12, 2020

Dear Employee:

The coronavirus situation is highly fluid. As a valued member of our team, we want to take this opportunity to inform you that we are staying abreast of public health information and guidelines and will continue to monitor and assess the actual and potential impact.

The well-being of our staffing community and neighbors is paramount to us. We will continue to share up-to-date developments, as necessary.
Please take a moment to update your contact information by going to www.cornerstone-staffing.com and clicking on My Cornerstone. You can update your contact information by clicking on “Personal Info” and then “Contact Method.”

We are following government and health organization web sites, and we encourage you to review the same. These web sites include:

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

World Health Organization (WHO) – https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) – https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/

Based on guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, we encourage you to:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick; Stay home when you are sick
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a household cleaning spray or wipe
  • Not wear a face mask unless you show symptoms of respiratory illness, including COVID-19
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing (if soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol)

We trust you are already following the guidance and will apply the recommended safety policies outlined in the links above. Many of the most commonly suggested preventive measures are inexpensive. We will stand together to navigate this public health challenge and further the well-being of everyone.

Should you wish to discuss this issue or have any questions, please let your local branch representative know.

Sincerely,
Steven R. Drexel
President & CEO

Tips for Hiring a Programmer When You Don’t Know Coding

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In order to be able to identify and recruit high-quality employees, managers in the IT industry need to understand the specific types of experience and technical expertise that they should be looking for in a candidate. This can often be a straightforward task: if a role requires a candidate to be certified in a particular type of cloud-services platform, for example, any manager can easily find out if any given candidate meets that requirement by simply asking for his or her certification. Difficulties can arise, however, if a hiring manager does not have some basic fluency in the more technical programmer jargon. In other words, it can be tricky for managers to get a clearly defined understanding of a candidate’s experience and skills without first becoming familiar with the language of the trade.

The aim of this post, therefore, will be to provide IT managers who are newcomers to the “language” of programming with some tips for hiring top-talent candidates.

Tips for Hiring Programmers

1. Understand the job requirements.

Before you interview a candidate for any role, it will be essential to first familiarize yourself with the idiosyncrasies and unique responsibilities of that particular position. In many cases, this will require you to meet with a supervisor or colleague who will work closely with the new employee. You’ll want to find out: what are the most challenging technical aspects of this role? What are the character traits that will be conducive to success in this position? You won’t need to become an expert on each of the technical duties required by the role, but you should have an understanding of the general skills that will be required for success.

 

2. Request a portfolio from each candidate.

Having a tangible, visual sample of each candidate’s work experience can provide you with a much clearer understanding of their past accomplishments and unique abilities. It may also be worth consulting with a colleague who is more well-versed in programming to more clearly understand a candidate’s portfolio.

 

3. Don’t forget to discuss the work environment.

It will (obviously) be a priority to find candidates who have the requisite background, experience, and technical skills, but it’s equally important to make sure that you find someone who will fit well within your company culture. With that in mind, be sure to ask any candidate what they value and expect from a workplace, whether or not they’re looking for a role with flexible work options, and if they work more effectively as an individual or within a team-oriented environment.

 

4. Test their skills.

If you’re not intimately familiar with the language of programmers or coders, it can be very helpful to prepare a short examination which will test a candidate’s technical skills. Tests can take place on paper or online and can either be developed in collaboration with other, more technically-fluent.

Connect with Talent Today

At RightStone, we’re working with IT candidates and top employers to make connections that last. To learn more about how to get connected with top talent, we’re here to help.

 

 

 

The Top Hiring Tactics Every IT Manager Should Be Using in 2019

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The IT talent market continues to be a competitive field from which to draw candidates. There are lots of businesses with open IT positions that are vying for candidates, and many hiring managers are finding creative ways to find and recruit talent. Sometimes improving your recruiting strategy means paying attention to trends and being willing to divert from the same old things. Here are some hiring tactics to consider for your talent search in 2019.

  • Treat Your Company or Department Like an Employee-Facing Brand:

    Brands need to market themselves as a solution to whatever problems a customer might be facing and build a reputation of excellence. Employers and hiring managers need to take the same approach with talent. Why would someone want to work for you? It’s about more than just perks and pays – candidates want to know they’re part of something bigger than themselves and the work they do matters. Use your LinkedIn platform as a way to showcase interesting projects your company has worked on, partnerships with other brands, innovative designs, and developments in progress, or awards your company or department has received.

  • Encourage Employee Referrals:

    Chances are, if you have employees working for you, you value their work ethic, skills, and experience – and maybe they have some friends or peers who are similarly motivated or talented. Current employees can be one of your best resources for finding new talent. Encourage your employees to pass on the resumes or contact info of other qualified candidates they know; some companies incentivize this recruitment effort with contests or bonuses, but when you’ve built a great culture, most employees are happy to spread the word about the great place they work and want to help their organization continue to grow and thrive.

Recruiting isn’t just placing an ad on a job board or going to a job fair and waiting passively for candidates to stumble upon your business. You can take steps to connect with candidates and make your team a place where people are excited to come to you.

Find Top Talent Today!

If you’re looking for help finding the best IT talent, contact us today. Our expertise and candidate network can help you find the right fit for your team in 2019 and beyond.

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