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staffing agency lpc 2

4 Signs You Need to Work With a Staffing Agency

Running a business is hard work. Even if you have a fully staffed team and everything seems to be operating smoothly, there could still be some underlying issues at hand, the eradication of which could empower your business to thrive. Sometimes, that means bringing in an outside source like a staffing agency.

 

Many companies across the US work with staffing firms to help find the best possible talent for their team. In fact, according to a recent survey, around half of all hiring managers said they planned to increase their use of staffing firms over the next five years – and for good reason. Staffing agencies do more than simply place workers into your open positions. Partnering with one can present a number of benefits that help your business operate at full capacity in both the short and long term. But how do you know when you need one?

 

There are some telltale signs that your operation could benefit from the help of a staffing agency. Here are some of them!

 

Low Retention Rates

 

Are you finding that you are having to replace your staff every few months? Low retention rates can lead to a number of other problems, most notably the excessive time, energy and money spent on replacing your staff. The average cost per hire is around $4,000 – but the cost of replacing a bad hire can be up to ten times more. Also, consistently bringing in new team members makes it difficult to establish a strong company culture.

 

Good recruiters, like the dedicated team working at LPC, will go out of their way to find candidates that are well-suited for the position, and won’t present you with any talent that they don’t believe to be a good match. It is not their goal to make as many placements as possible, although it is a welcomed side effect! At the end of the day it is the recruiters’ objective to make matches that are mutually beneficial and long-lasting, so that you don’t have to worry about replacing your team on a regular basis.

 

Low Employee Engagement

 

Having a fully staffed operation is step one, but having a team that is motivated, communicative and collaborative can make a world of difference. Having a company culture of high employee engagement can lend itself to many other positive aspects. Employees that enjoy their jobs contribute to higher productivity levels, better teamwork, lower absenteeism and higher company loyalty. Alternatively, employees that aren’t engaged will likely produce the opposite results.

 

Recruiters have years of experience placing candidates into positions that they are not only qualified for, but that will be a good cultural fit for the overall team. This will allow them to integrate into the team more naturally – and relieve some of your management headache.

 

When you find your hires through a staffing agency, you can be sure that they have been pre-screened thoroughly and you will only meet with candidates that the recruiting professional truly believes would be a positive addition to your team – we aren’t in the business of wasting your time!

 

signs staffing agency lpc personnel

 

Hard-to-Fill Openings

 

Depending on the industry and position, some jobs can be a piece of cake to fill. Whether the job in question doesn’t require much experience, has flexible hours or any number of other attractive qualities, there are some positions that can get filled within hours. However, the people that fill those jobs aren’t always the most qualified for the role. In addition, there are some roles that don’t garner as much interest or are a harder sell, which can leave positions open for much longer than you would hope.

 

Either way, a staffing agency can help you find the perfect candidate for these hard-to-fill situations. They have the resources available to present your positions in an appealing way and in the most effective spaces. They can also help find better matches for those easy-to-fill jobs – so you can be sure your operation is running as effectively as possible.

 

Your Company is Going Through Changes

 

Is your company taking on a new project? Maybe you are expanding into a new territory? Or perhaps you are pivoting into a new industry?

 

If your company is going through any sort of significant changes or restructuring, it may be beneficial to partner with a staffing agency to assist with any personnel changes and make the process much smoother. Especially in the beginning stages of a new venture, it’s important to have a strong workforce to represent your company and to avoid as many bumps as possible. Working with recruiters that have experience staffing virtually every professional situation can be very helpful when you have a lot on your plate.

 

Do any of these sound familiar? If you think your company could benefit from the help of a staffing agency, LPC would be happy to help. We have over 30 years of experience in logistics, supply chain and customer service staffing in the Greater Houston Area – contact us today to get started.

 

     

resume

The Best Resume Writing & Interview Tips to Land You the Job

As the saying goes: searching for a job is a full-time job!  In a highly competitive job market, the idea of having to stand apart from the crowd can seem overwhelming.

 

Here at LPC, we have helped countless candidates craft professional resumes and interview for their dream jobs like seasoned vets. So, if you are embarking on a job search, you have come to the right place. Here we have compiled a few of our favorite resume writing and interview tips to help make the journey seem a little less daunting!

 

Resume Writing Tips

 

Writing a resume doesn’t have to be a challenge, but it does require thought and care. If your resume is not prepared to optimal standards, your chances of it being considered are slim to none! Here are a few key tips and tricks that every job seeker should follow to produce a resume that will score an interview.

 

Use Keywords in Your Resume

 

To accommodate the high volume of resumes many job openings receive, a lot of companies now use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to narrow down the best candidates based on their experience – more specifically, how their experience is listed on their resume as it relates to the job posting.

 

In the digital age, the likelihood of your resume making it into the hands of an actual human before passing an applicant tracking system is quite low. For this reason, incorporating keywords specifically used in the job description into your resume will greatly increase your chances of getting through to the interview round.

 

Adjust Resumes & Cover Letters for Each Job

 

For each job that you apply to, it is important to adjust your resume and cover letter to be as relevant as possible to the job in question. Even if you apply for five jobs that are similar in nature, it will be obvious if the exact same resume is being recycled for each one.

 

Speaking in generalities may come off as disconnected and vague. Adjusting your documents to specifically reflect the job in question does not require much effort and will really pay off in the long run.

 

Resume Format is Important 

 

Once your resume does get into the hands of a real person, you need to make sure it is chock full of relevant experience and glowing references that are presented in a polished and professional way. It may seem inconsequential, but the actual physical appearance of your resume holds significant weight.

 

Everything from the overall resume layout and how you organize your work history all the way down to your font choice can play a role in how you come off to the hiring manager, so choose wisely!

 

interview

 

Interview Tips

 

Congrats! Your expertly crafted resume has proven effective and you have an interview for a great job coming up. Once you make it to this stage of the hiring process, you need to do everything you can to be prepared as possible. The interview is where you make your first face-to-face impression with your potential future employers, so take the time to prepare for anything and everything that may be thrown your way.

 

The Interview Basics

 

The following tips may be fairly obvious to some, but it is always a good idea to make sure you have the basics covered when getting ready for an interview. It will help get you into the right headspace to really hit your meeting out of the park. Make a checklist of the following items and ensure that you complete them all:

 

  • Show up with a printed copy of your resume and cover letter
  • Arrive 10-15 minutes early
  • Make sure you know who is interviewing you and what their position is
  • Dress in clean, ironed and professional attire
  • After the interview, send a follow-up email to say thank you and reiterate your interest in the position

 

Do Your Research Before the Interview

 

Nothing will say ‘unprofessional’ like walking into an interview with no knowledge of the company you are meeting with. Take some time to research the company, the position you are interviewing for, the company’s history and values, industry news, etc. A lot of this information should be easy to find with a few Google searches, and will go a long way during the interview.

 

Demonstrating that you have a broader understanding of how you will be fitting into the company will show your interviewer that you are looking at the bigger picture and not just concerned about a paycheck.

 

Prepare for Common Interview Questions

 

Depending on the job, the industry-specific questions you will be asked are going to vary quite a bit. But it is almost guaranteed that every interview you go on will ask a handful of common questions that are relevant to most workplace scenarios. Don’t overlook or underprepare for these questions – they are your chance to give your interviewer some insight about yourself and how you will act in this position. Some of the most common questions include:

 

  • Tell me a little bit about yourself?
  • What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?
  • Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?
  • Tell me about a difficult workplace problem you encountered and how did you handle it?

 

If you prepare answers with tangible examples to a few of these questions, you will leave a great first impression with your interviewer.

What are some of your go-to resume and interview tips that have helped you land a job in the past? Leave them in the comments below! And, if you are looking for a new position, reach out an LPC recruiter – we are here to help.

temp-to-hire

Temp-to-Hire vs Direct Hire: Which is Right for Me?

If you are looking for a new job, you have probably come across terms such as ‘temp-to-hire’ and ‘direct hire’ in job postings. While there are subtle differences between the two, their true meaning can be somewhat confusing to job seekers.

 

Traditionally, direct hire sounds like the smarter choice, because ‘temporary work’ can often be thought of as open-ended and lacking security. However, the intricacies of each may persuade you to reconsider which direction makes the most sense for your career.

 

Read on for a rundown on the two different (yet similar) employment types, so that you can make an informed decision when looking for your next great job.

 

What is a temp-to-hire?

 

A temporary or contract employee is someone who is brought into a company for a limited period of time. They are usually hired to fill in for employees that are on leave for personal reasons or to help supplement busy work periods, like the holidays.

 

Sometimes, when the temporary worker’s designated duration is over, employers will choose to offer them a full-time position after seeing how well they fit into the role. This is where the term ‘temp-to-hire’ comes in. In these instances, the employee’s stint as a temporary worker can be seen as a test-run for whether or not they will be a good fit with the company. While they are a temporary worker, they are typically still employed by the staffing agency. There are few differences between this, and a standard probation period, beyond semantics.

 

direct-hire

 

What is a direct hire?

 

A direct hire is someone who is hired for a permanent position, usually full-time. They are hired for the long-term right off the bat. The process of employing a direct hire is typically a little bit longer than a temporary one, because the employer has to think more thoroughly about who they want to bring on to their team for the foreseeable future. While a probationary period still exists, there is nevertheless a feeling among the team and new hire that they’re in it for the long hall.

 

Permanent, full-time jobs appeal to a lot of people because of the sense of security associated with them. There are also typically benefits and perks that come along with a full-time role, such as health insurance and paid vacation time. However, as mentioned, permanent roles still require a probationary period to be passed before the employee can enjoy any of the benefits that come with the job. A direct hire can also be let go at any point during the probationary period.

 

Which one should I choose?

 

In a lot of ways, temp-to-hire positions and direct hire positions share a lot of similarities. Both go through some sort of ‘temporary’ phase before being able to reap the benefits of being a full-time employee. Whether it be the ‘temporary’ phase of the temp-to-hire’s path, or the probationary period for the direct hire, there is a certain period of time before an employee truly becomes ‘full-time’.

 

Aside from these technicalities, there are benefits to both types of position. Direct hire work appeals to many because of its inherent permanence. Knowing that you can anticipate having a job for the long-term is very comforting for a lot of people. Alternatively, temporary work is appealing to some because it lacks permanency; many people enjoy not being committed to a contract before they test the waters. These kinds of positions allow individuals to try a variety of work, enjoy flexible schedules and make fast money.

 

Are you looking for a new job in the Houston area? LPC Personnel recruits for many temp-to-hire and direct-hire positions. Reach out today to see if we have something for you!