Berks & Beyond Blog

Looking for something fun to do in the Harrisburg, PA area?  Whether you want to spend a day outside or stay indoors, here are two local events to check out:

Spring Carlisle Collector Car Swap Meet & Corral

Carlisle PA Fairgrounds

Apr 25 – Apr 29, 2012

Adult Admission: Wed.-Sat. $10 / Sun. $5 / 5-day Pass $30
Child Admission: 8 and under – FREE
Gate Times: Wed.-Sat. 7am-6pm / Sun. 7am-3pm

Spring Carlisle – a collector and classic car swap meet, car corral and auction – marks the beginning of the show and swap meet season for thousands of collector and classic automotive enthusiasts, who travel to the 150-acre Carlisle PA Fairgrounds from all points of the globe to buy, sell and celebrate all things automotive.  This is a fun-filled weekend the entire family will enjoy.  All roads lead to Carlisle, PA where you’ll find a community of passionate motorheads and a commitment to superb service that can only be achieved through more than three decades of know-how.

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Special Centennial Titanic Celebration

The State Museum of Pennsylvania

Sun., April 22, 2012

2 pm, Reception following

Join The State Museum for a fascinating presentation and panel discussion, “The Titanic and Its Pennsylvania Passengers,” led by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commissioner William V. Lewis, Jr.

Dr. Lewis will be joined by two descendants of Titanic passengers from Pennsylvania as well as a journalist who has profiled the commonwealth’s connections to the infamous voyage which took place 100 years ago in April.  The State Museum event is free with museum admission and is followed by a reception and signing by the panelists of a new pamphlet Dr. Lewis has written on the disaster published by the Luzerne County Historical Society.  The reception will be hosted by the Pennsylvania Heritage Society.

Frustrated?  Bored?  Tired of the “same-old, same-old” at work?

Then maybe it’s time to inject a little fun into your day.

At Berks & Beyond, we’re all about hard work – but we know that having a good time while working is important, too.  Making work fun:

• boosts productivity, creativity and loyalty;
• helps everyone deliver better customer service (to both internal and external customers);
• decreases absenteeism and tardiness;
• reduces stress and promotes optimism;
• improves teamwork.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

Given all the potential benefits, what’s the best way to inject a little fun into your work day?  Well, I’m not suggesting you go out and buy a practical joke kit to torture your co-workers – that’s sure to backfire.  But there are lots of politically-correct ways to amuse yourself on the job.  The main thing to remember is that each company has its own unique culture which influences what works and not works – it’s up to you to make smart choices for how to lighten things up.

Here are a few ideas and links to get you started:

• Lead by example.  Want to make your workplace more fun?  Lead by example.  In fact, most employees assume that humor and fun on the job will be viewed negatively.  They need you to clearly demonstrate that having fun (that is appropriate, sensitive and inclusive) is not only okay, it’s encouraged.  So lighten up.  Smile more.  Find the humor in challenging situations.  Be a role model for fun and others will follow.
• Establish a Fun Committee.  Ask for volunteers to plan fun activities and events that are in line with your company’s unique culture.  Establish a budget (it doesn’t have to be large) for the committee and rotate leaders to make sure ideas are fresh and include everyone’s opinions.
• Create a humor bulletin board.  Encourage employees to bring in funny cartoons or jokes that poke fun at the circumstances that cause negativity or conflict in the office.  Assign someone responsible to monitor the content.
• Hold a weekly contest.  Collect $2 from everyone who wants to participate at the beginning of the week.  Each Friday, take five minutes to play a game (it could be bingo, wastepaper basketball, closest to a certain number without going over, etc.) and give the cash to the winner.  Be sure to rotate the game to keep things interesting, and alternate games of skill with games of pure luck to ensure everyone has opportunities to win.
• Acknowledge and reward people for the humor they share.  When someone goes above and beyond to lighten the mood in your workplace – especially during a stressful time – find a way to recognize that contribution!  In time, having fun at work will become part of the fabric of your company’s culture.

Looking for more resources?  Here are a few links:

25 Ideas for Building Fun into Your Work Setting

Workplace Fun Ideas

From all of us at Berks & Beyond, have a fun day!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again:  effective interview methods significantly increase your odds of hiring a top performer.

But just how, exactly, do you do this?

A few months back, I posted Five Tips to Help Improve Your Hiring Process to get you started.  As promised in that post, here are a few more strategies to help you eliminate interviewing biases, inconsistencies and inefficiencies – and ultimately hire better:

1. Minimize interviewer inconsistency.  If you can’t personally conduct every interview, you should train interviewers to enhance consistency.  Interviewing styles and effectiveness vary greatly, depending on personality, confidence and amount of formal training.  Some interviewers excel at asking questions; some are great ambassadors for your company; some are very detail-oriented and systematically process responses.  But unfortunately, few are strong in all these areas.  To improve consistency, require interviewers to cite specific candidate statements to back-up their evaluations and/or conclusions.  Train them to support their ratings with examples – rather than recording opinions, impressions or hunches.
2. Ask the recruit why he wants the job.  Our current job market is flooded with the type of applicant who indiscriminately shoots off résumés in response to any posting that matches his keyword search – all in desperate hope of landing any type of interview.  If a recruit can’t tell you why he wants to work for your organization, you probably don’t want him on your team.
3. Make a good first impression on the candidate.  While you are evaluating a candidate, the candidate will be sizing up you and your company.  Increase the likelihood that a top performer will accept your job offer by making a positive first impression:  respect the candidate’s time by being on-time and prepared for the interview; supplement the interview with written or on-line information about the company and/or position; allow time for follow-up questions (a candidate needs to learn about your organization, culture and the available position at the same time you’re learning about him).
4. Plan multiple interviews.  Always conduct at least two interviews (three for higher level positions).  Why?  Recruits may be able to fool you in one interview, but the chances of them misrepresenting themselves successfully across multiple interviews are greatly diminished.  In addition, a more rigorous process will help weed out those candidates who are apathetic and/or unreliable.
5. Hold a post-interview review meeting.  Establish a formal process for finalizing the interview process and making a hiring decision.  Provide a form interviewers can use to summarize each candidate’s interpersonal skills, cultural fit, competency evaluation and technical knowledge.  Give each interviewer equal time to share feedback and make recommendations.  The primary decision maker/hiring manager should give the last report, after which you can begin open discussions about a hiring decision.

Incorporate these suggestions with the tips in my last post, and you’ll be well on your way to better hires in 2012.

Ensure Great Hires with Berks & Beyond

If you lack the time, resources or desire to hire on your own, Berks & Beyond is here to listen and help.  Our direct placement services quickly and cost-effectively deliver candidates with skills, experience and behavioral traits to succeed in your organization.  We use professionally trained interviewers, skills-specific testing, thorough background checks and satisfaction guarantees to ensure the success of your next hire.

Want to really improve the quality of your hires?  Then make like a Boy Scout and “be prepared.”

When it comes to interviewing, preparation is critical.  Failing to do so can lead to a host of interviewing problems, including:

• Biases - quick judgments can interfere with assessment quality and accuracy.
• Inconsistencies - lack of structure and process may compromise interviewers’ abilities to determine the best candidates.
• Inefficiencies - inadequately trained interviewers are likely to ask improper questions and use poor evaluation techniques.

The result?  Ineffective interviews that ultimately yield – you guessed it – bad hires.

But by preparing ahead of time and using more effective interview methods, you dramatically increase your odds of hiring a top performer.  So before a single candidate arrives for an interview, use these tips to create a more structured, consistent process that ensures hiring decisions are based on relevant, sound information – and not merely first impressions:

1. Analyze the position to be filled. Assess what the ideal candidate will need in order to be successful in the position.  Consider:  skills, knowledge, type of experience, core competencies (e.g., decision making, customer responsiveness, problem solving, etc.), attitude, corporate culture fit and even interpersonal style.
2. Define the job. Develop a thorough job description, including the key roles and responsibilities.  Review performance evaluations of top performers in this role and ask existing team members what it would take for the new hire to succeed.
3. Develop standard interview questions. Use the requirements created in the previous steps to make a list of standard interview questions.  Ask these same questions of all applicants for the position.  Before interviews begin, determine ideal/acceptable responses for each question, to increase objectivity and improve the accuracy of your ratings.  The structure you create now will yield better quality judgments once the interviews are over.
4. Identify additional details needed to select the best candidate. Before interviewing, review additional information you will need to collect or verify, such as:  proof of certifications or licensures, records of educations, lists of references, etc.
5. Establish clear standards for non-verbal cues. Body language, eye contact, posture, appearance and other non-verbal cues all impact the first impression a job candidate makes.  But while these cues can be helpful in making a decision, they are also easy to manipulate and prone to subjective interviewer bias.  To avoid these biases and personal judgments (especially when multiple interviews are involved), establish clear standards for non-verbal cues which are appropriate for your corporate culture and employee/customer expectations.  Once you ascertain that a candidate meets your minimum standards, you can shift attention to the true substance of his responses.

These are just a few of the things you can do to improve your hiring process.  Look for future posts with more tips for hiring better.

Ensure great Hires with Berks & Beyond

Direct placement services like Berks & Beyond have the resources and expertise to quickly and cost-effectively deliver candidates with skills, experience and behavioral traits to succeed in your organization.  We use professionally trained interviewers, skills-specific testing, thorough background checks and satisfaction guarantees to ensure the success of your next hire.

The following top candidates are highly skilled, motivated and ready to go to work for you:

WAREHOUSE SUPERVISOR

Candidate Initials: I. M.

Skills and Experience: Dependable candidate with a military background is seeking a management position with opportunities for advancement.  This individual is proficient at developing both employees as well as strong, professional business relationships.  He prides himself on his attention to detail, flexibility and innovative problem solving.

Desired Pay: $45,000

To learn more about this candidate, please contact Jorge in our Harrisburg office at Jorge@berksandbeyond.com or call 717.737.5001.

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Candidate Initials: M. G.

Skills and Experience: If you are looking for a well-rounded candidate, then you’ve found your next top employee.  This individual worked for the Department of Defense for three years as a contract specialist.  Has additional experience working as a dispatcher and production manager.  Ideally, this candidate is seeking data entry, inventory management or customer service work.

Education: Graduate degree in Geography from Villanova.

Desired Pay: $15 / hr.

To find out how this candidate can become part of your team, please contact Heidi in our Pottstown office at 484.945.0516 or e-mail her at Heidi@berksandbeyond.com.

Once you’ve determined that it’s time to hire, you face another critical decision:  should you do it yourself, or work with an experienced recruiting service like Berks & Beyond?

It would be easy (and logical) to use this question as a launching pad for a sales pitch.  The true answer, however, is more complex.  What’s right for one employer, under a certain set of hiring, employment and market conditions, is not necessarily right for another.

So how do you decide if you should hire on your own, or partner with a recruiter?  Here are a few critical questions to consider:

Evaluate Your Current Hiring Practices

• How do you typically hire personnel?  Have you always done it yourself, or do you have a good working relationship with a recruitment firm?
• How much do you really spend on hiring on your own? Be sure to consider HR time, legal costs, management interview time, opportunity costs, vacancy costs and the cost of a bad hire – in addition to the cost of advertising.
• Do your DIY recruiting methods yield enough qualified candidates?

Conduct a Needs Analysis

• Do you have the time and resources available to properly recruit, screen, interview, assess, reference check and follow-up with candidates on your own?
• How much would it cost you to replace a bad hire in this position (i.e., do you need a guarantee)?
• Does your hiring situation require confidentiality or anonymity?
• How quickly do you need the available position filled?

Consider Current Market and Employment Conditions

• What is the current unemployment rate – not just in general, but specifically for the level/type of candidate you need?
• How desirable is your location?  Have you had difficulty attracting candidates to work there in the past?
• What are the emerging industry trends which could impact your ability to hire the talent you need?

Consider the Advantages Recruiters Offer

With budget constraints remaining a key concern, you may lean toward a DIY approach for recruiting.  But before you start posting to job boards, remember these key advantages Berks & Beyond can provide:

1. Improved focus. We free you to focus on your key priorities.
2. Specialization. We know how and where to find the high-caliber talent you require.
3. Temporary and contract staffing options. If your needs are short-term or project-oriented, we can provide access to the skilled individuals you need without adding to your headcount.
4. Access. We maintain robust candidate databases and relationships with passive job seekers.
5. Simplification. We save you considerable time and stress, while ensuring that correct selection and screening procedures are utilized.
6. Guarantees. We reduce the stress, expense and risk involved with hiring and/or replacing a new employee.

When working with a recruiting service makes the most sense for your organization, Berks & Beyond is the ideal choice for your placement needs. With a full complement of staffing and placement services, diligent screening processes and six southern Pennsylvania locations to serve you, we are uniquely qualified to deliver the talented candidates you need.

Contact Berks & Beyond today.  We can help you analyze your recruiting needs and determine if our services could help you hire more quickly, accurately and at a greater cost savings.

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The temperature is heating up and so is the fun in Berks County!  Here are a few ideas to help you enjoy this fantastic time of year in southern Pennsylvania:

The Mark James Caribbean Sunset Show – Sunday, June 12th

Reading-born Singer/Songwriter/Entertainer Mark James takes you down to the Keys without leaving PA.  MJ, along with his 5 piece band, Caribbean Sunset, has put together a show for the Gring’s Mill Summer Concert Series that features a tropical blend of steel drum sounds and breezy smooth jazz saxophone.  Mix in some steel guitar and you have an evening of laid back, eclectic music including favorites from Jimmy Buffett, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Spyro Gyra, Harry Belafonte and Club Trini.  Visit www.mark-james.com for more details.  The rain date is Sunday, June 19th.

Summer in the City Art Stroll – Friday, June 3rd

The Art Stroll is a series of themed first-Friday downtown “strolls” where local artists display their work in front of businesses in downtown Hamburg, PA.  The event runs from 6:00 am. to 6:30 p.m., and features other activities and performing artists related to the theme of the month.  Hosted by the Hamburg Area Arts Alliance.  For more information, call 610.562.3106 or visit www.HamburgPa.org.

Taste of Weaver’s Orchard – Saturday, June 4th

Strawberries are here!  Head over to Weaver’s Orchard, 40 Fruit Ln., Morgantown, this Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Enjoy plenty of pick-your-own strawberries and a wide variety of free food samples from their market. Start by sampling food outside under the tents and weave your way into the farm market for even more samples, free sandwiches and giveaways.  For more information call 610.856.7300 or visit the Weaver’s Orchard website.

You’ve probably heard about the benefits of an on-site staffing coordinator, also known as a vendor on premise or VOP program.   Acting as an extension of your HR department, an on-site coordinator can streamline your staffing function by increasing efficiency, reducing headaches, ensuring safety and managing other employment-related functions for your temporary staff.

But how do you know if you need one?  The truth is, it depends.  If your organization is considering adding this service, the following questions will help you evaluate your needs:

Are you a high volume staffing user? On-site staffing coordinators are typically brought in to manage large groups of temporary workers (usually 50 or more).

Do you spend a lot of time on the administrative aspects of staffing? If you manage a large group of temporary employees, then you know how much time and resources you have to devote to the process.  A staffing coordinator can save you a lot of headaches and help you stay focused on your core priorities by:

• handling scheduling to ensure departments are adequately staffed;
• managing timecards and payroll;
• providing detailed, customized reports on your staffing usage, including cost analyses, attendance and tardiness;
• resolving other administrative issues as they arise.

Do your staffing needs vary throughout the year? A VOP can help you evaluate and anticipate your personnel to adequately staff both peak and non-peak periods.  When your needs change, he can handle worker reassignment for you.

Would you like to do more to improve the efficiency of your temporaries, but don’t have the time? One of an on-site staffing coordinator’s chief functions is to make your contingent workforce as productive and efficient as possible.  To that end, he will:

• handle the daily deployment of temporary workers, making sure they’re on-task as soon as possible;
• make daily rounds to ensure contingent workers stay productive;
• manage issues that may compromise productivity, such as temporary employee conflicts or safety issues;
• recruit and orient new temporary employees as needed, to prevent gaps in your workforce.

Berks & Beyond’s On-Site Staffing Services

Berks and Beyond is here to help you make the right staffing choices for your business.  Contact us today, and we’ll examine your staffing usage and needs to determine if an on-site staffing coordinator makes sense for you.

Expanded Services Mean More Comprehensive Staffing Solutions for Area Employers

Wyomissing, PA – Berks and Beyond Employment Services, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have joined forces with Chris Talarico and her staff.   The partnership, effective September 1, 2010, will further solidify Berks & Beyond’s position as a leading staffing firm throughout Southern and Central Pennsylvania.

Chris Talarico is the owner of Chris Talarico & Associates, which is a premier clerical and professional personnel placement company providing temporary, temp-to-hire, direct hire and payrolling services.  The privately-held corporation specializes in placing office support, customer service, retail, accounting, information technology, engineering, project management and trades personnel throughout Berks County. 

Over the years, Chris Talarico & Associates has won numerous professional awards, including being recently named as one of Inc. Magazine’s “Top 5,000 fastest growing companies in the United States.”  Their reputation for excellence, combined with a focus on clerical and professional staffing, make them ideally suited to partner with Berks & Beyond.

“We’re excited to have Chris Talarico and her staff join us,” says Chris Garner, President of Berks and Beyond Employment Services, Inc.  “Their expertise is a natural complement to our own and will help us deliver even better service, especially in office and professional staffing, to our clients and candidates alike.”

In addition to providing more comprehensive staffing solutions for clients, Chris Talarico will also enhance Berks & Beyond’s services for job seekers.   As an accomplished author and savvy job expert, Ms. Talarico has been “successfully connecting good people with great jobs” since 1988.  She will continue to share her methods for job search success via professional speaking engagements and workshops.  For more information, visit www.youremploymentmarketplace.com.

Industry Veteran Brings Experience and a Passion for Staffing to Her New Role

Wyomissing, PA – Berks and Beyond Employment Services, Inc. recently promoted RoseMarie “Roe” Larson to the position of Sales Manager.  She now has primary responsibility for the continued growth and management of both new and current Berks and Beyond clients.  

Ms. Larson’s rise through the staffing industry ranks can only be described as “exceptional.”  Since beginning her staffing career in 1982, she has steadily worked her way up through a number of sales and management positions with both local and national firms.  Most recently, Ms. Larson worked as Business Development Manager for Berks & Beyond Employment Services.

The industry veteran brings a wealth of staffing know-how to her new position.  In addition to temporary, temporary-to-hire and direct-hire services, Ms. Larson has extensive experience in implementing successful on-site partnerships – placing her among the top 10% of Berks & Beyond’s sales staff company-wide.  Her impressive credentials also include developing and executing innovative recruiting, retention and safety programs.   Over the years, she has designed comprehensive HR solutions for hundreds of local, regional and national clients.

“Roe is creative, self-determined and focused on results,” says Chris Garner, President of Berks and Beyond Employment Services, Inc.  “Her broad-based staffing industry experience, combined with a passion for developing and maintaining client relationships, makes her ideally suited to take on a consulting role with our company.”

Ms. Larson currently resides in the Lehigh valley and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.  She is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), the American Staffing Association (ASA) and her local Chamber of Commerce.