Berks & Beyond Blog

Looking to climb the corporate ladder in human resources?

It turns out that “soft skills” – things like leadership ability, cross-cultural competence and interpersonal expertise – are now just as essential as traditional skills and experience for HR professionals looking to advance their careers.

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get a promotion, follow this link to a March Harvard Business Review article titled “The New Path to the C-Suite.”  The article, which examines the evolving roles of seven executive-level positions (including chief human resources officer), shows that forward-thinking companies are increasingly seeking HR officers from nontraditional backgrounds.  To find individuals with the “balanced skill sets” they need (including understanding of commercial models and change management), organizations are filling the CHRO role with candidates from business functions like operations and marketing.

Here are the “new requirements” CHRO candidates will need to possess to adeptly juggle the changing needs and contributions of diverse employees, including boomers, millennials and professionals from emerging economies:

• Commercial acumen;
• Understanding of cultural differences and shifting demographics;
• Change management skills;
• Facility with cultural change initiatives;
• The credibility needed to act as an internal adviser to the CEO and the board;
• Ability to work with the board to manage succession;
• Technology savvy;
• Expertise in building compensation and performance into governance structures;
• Skill at marketing the CHRO position to the rest of the organization.

In summary, the skills needed for top jobs in human resources is changing with the times.  Functional and technical expertise, while still important, has become somewhat less critical than understanding business fundamentals and strategy.  To be upwardly mobile in HR, you must grow and develop the soft skills needed to engage a diverse workforce, and find pragmatic solutions to complex human capital issues.

Upwardly Mobile in HR?  Berks & Beyond Can Provide the Support You Need

Berks & Beyond can provide the administrative, clerical and HR support you need to be even more successful in your job.  Contact us today to learn more.

American employers are faced with a difficult balancing act – attracting new talent, while also holding onto experienced workers.  Achieving this balance is driving employers to create financial benefit plans that appeal to workers of all ages.

According to Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Workforce Benefits Report (published April, 2011):

• 94 percent of 650 C-level executives surveyed recognize the importance of retaining older employees and the knowledge they possess;
• 98 percent point to the need for younger workers.

To attract and retain these key segments of the workforce:

• 50 percent of those surveyed offer customized work schedules;
• 33 percent provide retirement income and health care education programs;
• 32 percent offer continuing education and development opportunities;
• 22 percent give employees the opportunity to work remotely;
• 21 percent offer extended benefits to older employees.

According to Andy Sieg, head of Retirement Services for Bank of America Merrill Lynch, “Longer life expectancies and baby boomers’ desire or need to keep working are leading to an aging population of American employees that will require more age-friendly workplaces and benefit plans designed to meet the unique needs of multiple generations.”

Employers also feel an increased sense of responsibility for the financial well-being of their employees:

• 59 percent of employers feel greater responsibility to help employees meet financial goals;
• 53 percent feel that responsibility includes providing both financial benefit plans as well as access to financial education and advice.

“If there is one silver lining of the recession it’s this increased sense of responsibility,” says Stephen Ulian, head of institutional retirement and benefit solutions at Bank of America.  As a result, employers are offering a broader range of financial education programs and tools, although getting employees to take full advantage of them remains a challenge.

Berks & Beyond provides essential staffing services for Central and Southern Pennsylvania employers.  Visit our website to learn more.

What do you think of when you hear the term “temporary employment”?

Most people regard temporary work as a means to earn extra cash, maintain a flexible work schedule, gain work experience or fill employment gaps.  Did you know, however, that temporary employment can also be a great option if you’re looking to change careers?

With a broad range of assignments and projects available, temping can be a highly effective way for you to break into a new field – but it probably won’t happen by accident.  To use temporary employment as a true career change catalyst, you must intentionally structure your work experiences.  Here are a few tips:

Choose the right type of staffing service for your career interests. Before registering with a staffing service, visit their website or contact the office directly to find out what types of placements they specialize in.  Some staffing firms place people in a wide range of industries and positions, while others specialize in a specific field.

Be upfront with your staffing specialist. When you interview with a recruiter, let him know that you are looking to change careers.  Tell him about your skills and experience and ask how they might transfer into a new field.  Discuss your need for challenging assignments that will help you try out different jobs, develop new skills and evaluate new career options.  When a staffing specialist understands your needs, he can do a better job placing you in opportunities that will drive your career change.

Treat every assignment as a learning experience. In addition to performing your required job duties, use each assignment as an opportunity to learn about the employer, the industry and potential career opportunities.  Ask questions, observe co-workers, talk to your supervisor and let him know that you’re looking to make a change.  Take as much knowledge and experience away from each assignment as you can.

Build new skills while on assignment. Most staffing services offer free skills training to individuals who register with them.  While on assignment, use non-work hours to take advantage of training resources, building skills that will help you in your next career.

____________________________________________________________

Tips for Managing Career Changes

If the thought of changing jobs and/or careers causes you anxiety, you’re not alone.  The truth is, there is a certain amount of instability inherent in changing jobs.  Here are a few suggestions to help manage the stress:

Focus on developing your skills. Choose projects/assignments/jobs that help you build new skills and develop expertise in a certain area.  When your learning curve flattens out, ask to be reassigned or look for another opportunity.  Continually building your skills will ensure you’re in demand.

Adopt a job changing mindset. Instead of focusing on the instability of a job change, view it as an opportunity.  Get used to the notion that you will change jobs frequently throughout your career.  When it’s time to make a move, your job changing mindset will make the transition much easier.

Keep your job changing skills sharp. You’re not going to stay at any job forever, and you don’t know how long it will last.  But if you keep your job hunting skills sharp – networking, interviewing, keeping on-top of temporary opportunities that serve your career interests – you will always be able to get work when your needs, or your company’s needs, change.

Berks & Beyond – Your Career Change Partner

At Berks & Beyond, we do more than just place you in a position.  We listen to your needs, learn about your skills and experience, and then present you with work opportunities that are a perfect match for you.  If you’re looking to make a job change, Berks & Beyond is the ideal partner.  Contact us today to learn more about job opportunities throughout Central and Southern Pennsylvania.

A recent Reuters article by Kristina Cooke shares some good news:

“The pace of temporary job creation after the most recent recession – an average of about 25,000 per month – has been faster than the past two, potentially a good sign for a labor market struggling with a jobless rate of 9 percent.”

This Reuters graphic of BLS data illustrates why experts look to the staffing industry for signs of recovery:

If you compare temporary employment to overall employment, you can see how the number of temporary workers declines faster heading into a recession and rises more quickly in a recovery.

In fact, research from the American Staffing Association indicates that temporary help employment is a strong coincident economic indicator when the economy is emerging from a recession.  Overall, temporary hiring rose steadily through 2010, with U.S. employers adding more than 300,000 temporary jobs (about a quarter of the 1.17 million in overall job growth last year).  Translation?  The sustained upturn in temporary staffing is good news for the economy.

But Cooke goes on to temper this enthusiasm, noting that a faster pace of temporary hiring hasn’t yet translated into significant full-time job creation – a critical piece of the recovery puzzle.  Experts such as Peter Capelli, professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, say that because employers are now using temporary assignments to try out potential employees on the job, the increase in temporary hiring could be masking direct hiring.

Berks & Beyond Employment Services – Driving Central and Southern Pennsylvania’s Recovery

As businesses throughout Pennsylvania begin to staff-up again, Berks & Beyond is driving the recovery.  We deliver customized staffing solutions to help companies like yours achieve sustained business success in a volatile economy.  What can we do for you?  Contact Berks & Beyond today.

Looking for a job in Pennsylvania?  Consider going social.

Over the past several years, employers have ramped up their use of social media to post jobs and recruit talent.  Here are a few quick tips to help you get connected with the right people and opportunities:

Create a 21st century résumé.  To effectively share your qualifications with potential employers via social media, you need an up-to-date digital résumé that works with today’s technology.

Get LinkedIn. This site allows you to connect with people you know, view job postings, obtain recommendations, and get introduced to people who work at companies where you’d like to work.

Try Twitter. This social networking and microblogging utility enables you to connect with people you don’t know, based on common interests – a great way to network.  In addition to basic networking, Twitter also has tools like Twellow which allow you to search people’s bios and URLs on their bios.  This allows you to identify and then follow people who are employed by your dream companies.

Think like an employer. Hiring organizations know that good people know good people.  For this reason, they often ask employees post on their Facebook and Twitter accounts that they’re hiring, in the hopes that friends (or friends of friends) will be interested in the position or know someone who is.  Make sure you keep an eye on dream employers’ tweets, posts and updates.

Friend Berks & Beyond on Facebook. We use social media like Facebook to help connect people like you with great work opportunities.  Check out our latest job postings on the “Careers” tab, gain valuable career advice, ask a question, or just keep up-to-date on what we’re doing.  To become a fan of Berks and Beyond, simply log onto Facebook and type “Berks and Beyond Employment Services, Inc” in the search box at the top of the main window.  Click the “+1 Add as Friend” button on Berks and Beyond’s page, and then confirm your friend request.

How are you using social media in your job search?

We’d love to know.  Leave your comment below.

With unemployment near record highs, you may question the value of direct placement services.  If job applicants are plentiful, can recruiting services really help you?

In a word, yes.  Here are just a few of the ways search and placement services can simplify your job and help both you and your company be more successful:

• Save Time.  Posting jobs, screening résumés, scheduling and conducting initial interviews, testing and reference checking are extremely time-consuming activities – especially when candidates are abundant.  Use a direct placement service to eliminate both the time and cost associated with these processes.
• Increase Focus.  Use the extra hours you gain (by offloading time-consuming recruiting activities) to focus on other key HR priorities or revenue-generating activities.
• Access Top Candidates.  The market may be flooded with job seekers, but are they people you really want to hire?  Recruitment specialists are experts at sourcing the best talent.  They use extensive candidate networks, internal and national databases, direct recruiting techniques and referral sources to identify individuals – even highly desirable “passive” candidates – with the skills, experience and personality traits to succeed in your organization.
• Shorten Your Time-to-Hire.  Because staffing firms maintain such robust candidate databases, they can dramatically reduce the time it would take to find the right person on your own.  And in cases where immediate placement is required, most staffing services can provide a temporary replacement to handle the workload while conducting your search.
• Reduce Your Hiring Risks.  Our tough job market has caused a rise in résumé fraud, as desperate job seekers feel compelled to stretch the truth in order to get hired.  Unfortunately, the employer pays the price, when a new hire who has misrepresented himself has to be replaced.
  Direct placement services reduce the risk of a bad hire in two ways.  First, the referred candidate is thoroughly screened, interviewed, background and reference checked to verify skills, experience and work history.  Additionally, most staffing services guarantee the quality of their direct placements for several months – and will find you a replacement if you’re not satisfied.

Save Time and Money with Berks & Beyond

Ensure the success  of your next hire by calling Berks & Beyond today.  We will recruit, screen, interview, test and refer the finest administrative, light industrial, technical and professional candidates in Central and Southern Pennsylvania for your job opening.

Feeling a little overworked? 

While some would say that “too much to do” is merely a sign of job security in today’s economy, it won’t do you any good if you can’t cope with the stress.  Sure, everyone is trying to do more with less these days.  But over time, being chronically stretched too thin can take a toll on your job performance, state of mind and physical health.

So if you feel like the pressure is too much to bear, here is some advice on effectively broaching the tricky subject of job burnout:

• Make sure you’re not part of the problem.  If you procrastinate or have other bad work habits, your boss may not be sympathetic to your plight.  So before you go pointing fingers, examine your own performance to see if you could make changes that would improve your situation.
• Do your homework.  Before approaching your boss, document your situation in writing.  Detail what your job entailed originally and contrast it with what you’re doing now.  Track the hours you work (both at your company and home).  Preparing yourself with these details will provide a clear picture of your workload and keep you from sounding like a complainer.
• Broach the subject gradually.  Your concerns will be better received if you introduce the topic of feeling overburdened as part of a series of discussions with your boss.  Keep him or her informed of your current responsibilities as well as additional work requests.  Once your boss understands what’s truly on your plate, he or she will be less likely to add more.
• Enlist the help of others.  If co-workers are also feeling the pressure, approach your boss as part of a team.  Develop and present a plan to remedy the situation by:  bringing in temporary employees or increasing headcount; reorganizing responsibilities; delegating outside your department; streamlining processes.  Offering well thought-out solutions may help you gain your boss’ support in alleviating the problem.

Fight Job Burnout with Berks & Beyond Employment Services

Our staffing services for Central and Southern PA employers can remedy the problems caused by overwork, such as increased turnover, higher employee absenteeism and lowered productivity.  Whether you need a single employee to assist your team for a few days, or a more comprehensive staffing solution, we have the highly skilled office, light industrial, professional and technical talent you need.

Temporary employees can be a great asset to your organization.  They can help you meet critical deadlines, fill-in for unplanned absences and free your core staff to focus on their most important tasks.

But if your company uses large numbers of temporary employees, it’s easy for your direct staff to fall into an “Us vs. Them” mentality.  And while treating temporary workers as an entirely separate workforce may seem innocuous, the practice can have unintended consequences for your direct employees. 

For example, research from the University of Arizona has found that direct employees (particularly at lower levels) are less satisfied with co-workers and bosses when working with a higher proportion of temporary employees.  Why?  The responsibility of training and socializing temporary workers on company-specific processes is often assigned to direct employees.  As a result, having more temporaries can complicate full-time workers’ jobs.

Here are a few suggestions for improving the working relationship between temporary and direct employees to achieve even better staffing results:

• Make temporary employees feel included.  While temporaries are, in fact, a separate part of your workforce (and must be treated differently because of co-employment laws), you and your staff can still make them feel welcome in your organization.  By encouraging social interaction (e.g., formal or informal introductions) among all workers, you can foster social ties that are essential to a cohesive workforce.
• Educate your direct staff.  Take the time to clearly explain the role and value of temporary workers.  The better your direct employees understand the benefits temporary help provides, the more likely they’ll be to work productively with them.
• Take advantage of training.  If you use large numbers of temporaries, many staffing services will develop customized orientation and training programs for specific positions.  This shifts the time-consuming burden of getting new temporary employees up-to-speed off your direct employees’ shoulders.
• Consider an on-site staffing coordinator.  With a Vendor On Premise (VOP) program, a staffing service provides a staffing specialist to work at your location.  This individual will schedule, assign and coordinate temporary workers; provided necessary orientation and training; and monitor temporary worker performance to ensure maximum productivity.  In addition, the on-site coordinator can resolve temporary workers’ issues that come up during the work day.

Bottom line, there are a number of steps you can take keep relations between temporary and direct employees positive.  And the more positive their working relationship, the better your results will be.  Contact Berks & Beyond today to learn more about our strategic staffing solutions for southern and central Pennsylvania employers.

Ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information coming at you each day?

With the barrage of data pouring in from newspapers, TV, the internet, social media, RSS feeds, e-mails, voicemails and good-old-fashioned face-to-face meetings, finding the critical information you need amidst all the “white noise” can be exhausting.

Take the BLS Monthly Employment Situation, for example.  It contains monthly employment estimates for over 1,000 industries from its Current Employment Statistics program.  However, the changes in these overall employment levels tend to be delayed in the monthly labor reports – making it a lagging indicator of economic trends.

Sound like a lot of white noise?

Not entirely.  Temporary help employment numbers, which are part of the monthly BLS report, are generally considered to be a coincident indicator for overall employment.  This means that changes in temporary help employment tend to forecast subsequent changes in overall employment and coincide with changes in economic activity.  Why?  Many companies use temporary staffing as a means to quickly adjust their operations to meet fluctuating demands for their products and services.

Here’s how to get current data for temporary help services in the BLS report:

1. Go to the BLS Current Employment Statistics home page.
2. Then select either the HTML or PDF version of the “Employment Situation Summary.”
3. Data for temporary help services can be found in Table B-1 (page 30 of the report’s PDF version).

 Effectively manage the economy’s highs and lows with Berks & Beyond Employment Services.

Our full spectrum of staffing services for Central and Southern Pennsylvania employers can help you run lean – while providing on-demand access to the talent you need to meet surges in demand.

Help your staffing service help you.

Continuous improvement should be a goal of any business relationship – your relationship with your staffing provider is no exception.  Help your staffing firm deliver better results by providing them with frequent, measurable feedback.  By letting them know what they’re doing right, as well as how they can improve, you can make your staffing function even more efficient and cost-effective.

Ask internal staff who supervise temporary employees to periodically fill out a simple report card for your staffing service.  It can evaluate quality of fills, ease of working with the staffing specialist, timeliness of service, etc.  Then, share the feedback with your staffing provider.  They will use the information to identify opportunities for improvement, to further customize the service they deliver, and to make your job as easy as possible.

Here are a few sample questions to consider:

The Staffing Firm

1. How well does the staffing firm demonstrate an understanding of your business?
2. How well does the staffing firm meet your expectations?
3. How would you rate the staffing firm’s service, as compared to other services you’ve used?
4. How would you rate your staffing service representative?

The Employees

1. How well do the employees fit the assignments?
2. How would you rate the employees’ attitudes toward their work?
3. How punctual are the employees?
4. How prepared are the employees (i.e., how quickly do they get to work)?

How well are we doing?

At Berks & Beyond, we pride ourselves on the quality of both our service and our employees.  We want to know what we’re doing right and where we can improve.  Please contact us with your feedback, so we can deliver even better results for your organization.