Author Archives: psgstaffing

7 ways the Celtics started the Journey from “Good to Great”

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If your organization is anything like mine best practices come from books and inspiration comes from life.  Right now I have to admit I am pretty inspired by the Celtics (spoiler I know they lost, I blame the refs).  I grew up watching the Celtics in a house where my older brother sported the ‘21’ jersey on every team he ever played on and my Dad still bets 21 when playing his luck at roulette (can you tell we love Kevin Garnett?).  Recently I read Good to Great by Jim Collins and wanted to share my takeaways on how the C’s are on the road to greatness, and how I apply that to my everyday job.

 

  1. 1. First who, then what. The Celtics are a young team and hopefully have many more seasons to develop together.  They invested and took a chance on new players and it paid off.  Before you can think of winning you have to have the right people in place.  Elongating the hiring process to get that next star instead of settling is well worth the wait.  It’s important to decide who you can train and what skills the person needs to walk in with.

 

  1. Culture of discipline. The team stayed focused throughout the season and had the maturity to maintain their confidence. The consistency allowed them to persevere throughout the season and make it to the Eastern Conference Finals.  The same can be true for work.  Success isn’t always a straight line and you have to work through the unexpected bumps to keep moving forward.

 

  1. Confront brutal facts, but never lose faith.  The C’s were down two starters this season. The rest of the bench had to step up and lead the way. The reality for the team was that it was going to be a tougher season and was going to be a long journey to the finals. Instead of throwing in the towel, they banded together and made the changes needed to be successful. We do this all the time at PSG, we make data driven decision and sometimes that data doesn’t stack up in your favor. If we didn’t look at the facts, we wouldn’t know what we need to fix and move forward.

 

  1. The flywheel effect. Would I have loved to watch the Celtics crush LeBron in Game 7? Absolutely.  Am I still happy with how the season turned out? You know it.  The Celtics had a great season and went farther than expected.  They played as a team and rightfully earned a spot as a top team to watch for next year. They will come back ready to win. They started the flywheel that will keep going into next season.  Every day I try to build better practices that will build on each other to start my own flywheel.

 

  1. Level 5 leadership.  What I love most about watching the Celtics this season was watching Tatum become a true force on the team.  The Rookie proved you don’t have to be the coach or a returning player to set the tone for the team. Tatum at 20 years old played with determination and humility that lead the team to the finals. Leadership comes in all forms, but I want to take a second to focus (*humble brag*) on the leadership team at PSG. Our CFO and CEO don’t even have an office; in fact, Aaron Green, our CEO, doesn’t really even have a desk!  Aaron chooses to sit where he’s needed, to support when he’s needed.  To me, that is true leadership.

 

  1. The hedgehog concept.  Other than being completely adorable, hedgehogs do one thing really well: protect themselves. They may not be the fastest or smartest, but if under attack they curl up and their spikes come out.  The idea of being the best at one thing and not average at everything is one that carries from the court to the office.  To me, what makes the Celtics fun to watch is their team work.  No one player dominates and they work as a group. Their spike is that they are all able to carry their own weight. Being an industry expert and owning a section of the market allows you to focus your resources to truly band together and become great. My personal goal? Be the hedgehog of candidate experience.

 

  1. Tech Accelerators.  Alright, this one may be a reach. Basketball might not be the most tech savvy, but this is the method from the book I try to implement in all aspects of my life.  Collins talks through the concept of pause- think- crawl- walk- run (for the Celtics maybe it’s more crawl before you ball?) and specifically applies this when deciding on new technology. The team has to implement this ideology when strategizing how to match up with a competitor just like any businesses has to do when making a big decision. Your initial reaction isn’t always the best and it’s worth it to take the time needed to be informed.

 

Inspiration comes in all forms, what’s currently pushing you from good to great? Comment below to help spark inspiration for others!

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5 reasons to be 10 minutes early to an Interview and 5 ways to make it happen!!

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  1. It shows general courtesy and social grace. If you ask someone to meet you for dinner at 9:30 and they show up at 10:10, you might be a bit angry or at least annoyed. Turn that around, a Company invites you into their space, their metaphorical home, for a 9:30 interview and you show up at 10:10, they might be a bit turned off as well!
  2. Practice makes perfect as the saying goes. Interviewers can view you actions at the Interview as practice for when you are with the company. If you show up late on the big day, what’s going to happen 6 months in?
  3. Showing up too early is a problem too! The ideal time to show up for an interview is 10 minutes early, give a minute or two either way. If you show up to an interview 45 minutes early you might be interrupting someone’s lunch, breakfast, important meeting, or they just simply may not ready for you. That’s never the impression you want to start with.
  4. People run their days on schedules, by arriving late or too early you could be throwing a wrench into a finely tuned system meant to maximize the day. Again, not something you want to be remembered for.
  5. 10 Minutes really becomes the “sweet spot” when factoring in balancing between two early or too late. It’s early enough where you are able to show promptness and diligence, but not enough were you are inconveniencing anyone. It allows the perfect amount of time to introduce yourself to the front desk, get offered water, sit down for 5 minutes and then get greeted by your Interviewer to get things underway!

So how do you make this happen?

  1. Know where you are going! All directions and mapping should be secure and laid out the day before. You should not be Google mapping things that morning or an hour before the interview!
  2. Do a test run if you can, actually going to the office location or taking the drive will take out a lot of guess work and make for a less stressful day of commute!
  3. Pick your outfit the night before and have it laid out. Trying to pick out what tie or shoes to wear that morning is just asking for undue stress.
  4. Account for traffic and delays. Train delays or highway traffic can happen when you least expect it, account for it! Leave 15-20 minutes earlier than needed.
  5. Ok so you did the above you’re early….but really early. Take a walk, listen to your favorite pump up song in your car, grab a coffee, go over your notes, or browse cute cat photos on Instagram. Anything to occupy your time before you hit the magic 10 minute mark. Showing up 30 minutes early can be just as detrimental as showing up a minute late.

6 Reasons why to Delete your Summary & Objectives off your Resume!

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To Summary or Not to Summary, that is the question! Summaries and Objective Statements on a resume can be a flash point for contention and debate. Many are left wondering; “Should I write one? Do I need one? Are they important?”

The short answer is No, and here are the top reasons why!

 

  1. Objective statements tend to be too general. If the recruiter has your resume they know your objective, to get the job you applied too.

 

  1. Summary Statements tend to written in such a general manner that they lose effectiveness. When they all read the same, they blend together.

 

  1. Recruiters only have a limited time to look at your resume, and they will mostly default to looking at your last few positions and educational history. Objectives and Summaries tend to be skipped over.

 

  1. Anything in a Summary or Objective statement can be better conveyed in a cover letter if one is required. If the position does not require a cover letter then they are probably not concerned with seeing a brief one on a resume

 

  1. They take up valuable Space. Think of your resume as Real Estate, you want to make sure you can maximize value! You also want a clean and crisp presentation. A bulky statement up top takes eyes away from your most immediate and relevant experience.

 

  1. Actions speak louder than words. People do not want to see that your “hard working” in a sentence, they want to see you have “exceeded or meet quotas 13 months straight” in a bullet point underneath a job you had.

 

For more Resume tips, tricks and tactics, email me! Michael Conte at mconte@psgstaffing.com

PSG Wins Inavero’s 2017 Best of Staffing® Client Diamond Award

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Professional Staffing Group is proud to announce it has earned Inavero’s Best of Staffing Client Diamond Award for providing superior service to clients. Diamond Award winners have won the Best of Staffing Award for at least five years in a row, and this is the eighth consecutive year that PSG has been named a Best of Staffing Award winner for earning industry-leading satisfaction scores.

 

Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inavero’s Best of Staffing Client Diamond winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients. On average, clients of winning agencies are 2.6 times more likely to be completely satisfied with the services provided compared to those working with non-winning agencies.

 

With fewer than 2 percent of all staffing agencies in U.S. and Canada earning the Best of Staffing Award, just 23 percent of the 2017 Best of Staffing winners earned the Diamond Award distinction. The winners of this award truly stand out for exceeding client expectations.

 

“PSG works hard to make service a priority and we are proud and honored to be recognized for our efforts in this way,” said Aaron Green, founder and president of PSG.

 
Inavero’s team reports on over 1.2 million satisfaction surveys from staffing agency clients and talent each year, and the company serves as the American Staffing Association’s exclusive service quality partner. Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Award award winners are showcased by city and area of expertise on BestofStaffing.com – an online resource for hiring professionals and job seekers to find the best staffing agencies to call when they are in need.

 

“Staffing firms are giving top companies a competitive advantage as they search for talent in North America,” said Inavero’s CEO Eric Gregg. “The 2017 Best of Staffing winners have achieved exceptionally high levels of satisfaction and I’m proud to feature them on BestofStaffing.com.”

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Massachusetts’ Unemployment Rate Drops Below 3 Percent

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The unemployment rate in Massachusetts dropped to 2.9 percent in November, falling from 3.3 percent in October and marking the first time it has been below 3 percent since January 2001. Employers added 5,800 jobs in November — 3,800 of which were in government, while more than 1,000 jobs were added in each of the following three industries: construction, financial activities, and professional, scientific and business services.

 

Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.6 percent.

 

The tight labor market has created a talent shortage locally and is prompting Massachusetts employers to move quickly through the hiring process. PSG advises employers to stay in touch with what is going on in the market and develop a clear picture of their talent needs. Organizations that begin the recruitment process when they are unsure of the role or unprepared to move quickly risk wasting time and even hurting their employer brand.  For more advice on how to operate efficiently in the current job market, reach out to a PSG rep today for a consultation!

Massachusetts Unemployment Rate Falls to 3.6 Percent

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The unemployment rate in Massachusetts fell for the fourth consecutive month, from 3.6 percent in September to 3.3 percent in October, the lowest rate since 2001.

 

With a gain of 1,700 positions, the professional, scientific and business sector added more jobs in October than any other industry tracked by the government. Several of the state’s industries experienced job losses, however, including education and health services; trade, transportation and utilities; leisure and hospitality; and financial activities.

 

The job losses could be an indicator that employers are not adding jobs because they cannot find the talent to fill them. Massachusetts is currently at full employment.

 

Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent.

Massachusetts Unemployment Rate Continues to Drop

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The Massachusetts unemployment rate fell again, from 3.9 percent in August to 3.6 percent in September, the lowest level it has been since June 2001.

 

Massachusetts employers created 5,100 jobs in September with the biggest gains coming in education and health services, leisure and hospitality and manufacturing, according to the state’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development.

“The rate has fallen dramatically in the last two months, 0.3 percent this month, and 0.2 percent the month before,” Ronald L. Walker II, the state’s secretary of labor and workforce development, said in a statement. “While these are preliminary estimates, this is very good news for the Commonwealth.”

Massachusetts’ unemployment rate is lower than the national rate of 5 percent.

Report from SIA’s Collaboration in the Gig Economy Conference

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Last week PSG President Aaron Green attended the Staffing Industry Analysts’ first conference on Collaboration in the Gig Economy  in Las Vegas. Green shares his thoughts on what the Gig Economy means for employers and candidates:

 

“This was the first time that the staffing industry has joined together with human cloud companies and large VMS companies to discuss the changes in our industry,” says Green. “We’ve seen how employers and workers are connecting in new ways, and as an industry, we’re talking about how we can be part of, and add value to, that new way of connecting.”

 

Green adds, “There are a lot of new and different tools on the market now to help employers and candidates connect and to make the transaction more efficient.”

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Attendees at the conference heard from a range of platform providers, including online staffing and just-in-time staffing providers, as well as human cloud companies and private talent clouds, that integrate with VMS, MSP and RPO technologies. Companies such as 99 Designs, UpWork, IQNavigator, Allegis Global Solutions, Catalant, UpCounsel, Freelancer.com, WorkMarket, Lystable, MBO Partners, Wonolo, Shiftgig, Blue Crew, and Gigwalk participated in panel discussions and offered best practice perspectives.

 

Green likens the trend to a B2C movement for the staffing industry, with more opportunity for direct-to-consumer connections. Speakers at the conference claim that 99.7 percent of transactions on a web site don’t involve human beings anymore and many of the functions are being automated and changing dramatically, such as the need to submit a resume, the ability to search for jobs, the shift from candidate references to ratings, and the streamlining of the payment process.

 

Green thinks there are opportunities for staffing firms to take advantage of technology and new platforms and combine it with their value-added services. He also believes that the sector is a “bit like the wild west right now” and that we’ll see more regulations and worker protections in the near future.

Massachusetts’ Unemployment Rate is Lowest in 15 Years

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News that Massachusetts’ unemployment rate is at the lowest point since 2001  follows a trend that we’ve been experiencing for several years now. The unemployment rate has been decreasing, especially among workers with college degrees in professional roles, as the economy has continued to get healthier.

 

While this news excludes other trends, such as the number of workers who are in jobs that they actually like or those who are working part-time when they’d prefer to be in a full-time position, it is trend in the right direction. Another positive trend includes the recent news that wage growth hit 2.6 percent for the past year, the highest level since the Great Recession. Job and wage growth are signs that employers are feeling confident and investing in the economy.

 

What does this mean for employers? As many Boston firms know, hiring talent when unemployment rates are low means being flexible, acting quickly, and staying focused. It’s also important to focus on retaining existing staff and to make sure you are on top of staff development and promotions to reduce the risk of losing people. PSG is proud to help clients meet their recruiting and hiring goals in this challenging market.

 

Massachusetts Adds 7,300 Jobs in July; Unemployment Rate Dips to 4.1 Percent

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According to the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, Massachusetts added 7,300 jobs in July 2016 and saw its unemployment rate fall a tenth of a percentage point to 4.1 percent.

 

July estimates show 3.4 million Massachusetts residents were employed and 146,100 were unemployed, for a total labor force of 3.6 million. At 4.1 percent, the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate is down 0.7 percent over the year from 4.8 percent in July 2015. Over the year, the labor force participation rate has increased 0.1 of a percentage point compared to July 2015.

 

Nationally, the unemployment rate is 4.9 percent.