New Kid On The Block

Kim Roach, Staffing Consultant

After nailing your interviews and anxiously awaiting the outcome, you did it! You landed that dream job.  So, you got past the hard part, right? The “high” of getting the job wears off and your first day approaches.   Being the new kid on the block can be so uncomfortable.  So many thoughts go through your head, “What if I oversold myself?’ “What if I don’t live up to expectations?” What if, what if, what if?!! 

Rest assured, you were hired because you are qualified, capable and are a great cultural fit.  Here are some tips when you find yourself as The New Kid on the Block.

1. Observe the company culture.  Take note of what people do for lunch.  Do they eat together and socialize or is everyone on their own? A good rule of thumb is to look to your boss for proper work attire and choose similar clothes. Observe how others communicate with one another and what hours they work.
2.   Ask questions!  You don’t know until you ask. Most supervisors will find confirmation in their choice of hire when they see that their new employee is inquisitive and cares enough to ask. Whether it is something specific about the job itself or whether as simple as “Is it weird for me to bring my lunch and eat at my desk every day?”
3.  Don’t jump in too quick with co-workers.  Listen more than you speak at first. Concentrate more on doing your job well and earning their respect. 
4.  Don’t be afraid to ask your supervisor how you are doing. This does not show a lack of confidence but a true desire to do your job well and meet expectations.
5. Remember: It is quite normal to feel inadequate at your job at first because EVERYTHING is new.  From locating IT to get your email set up to where is the bathroom? Awkward, awkward, awkward! 

 In a few short weeks, you will find a routine will start to set in and that New Kid on the Block feeling will slowly disappear.  Welcome to the neighborhood!

Recruitment: Life Imitating Art

Ali Kairies, Director of Recruiting

Colvin Resources Group

 During the usual morning office coffee talk, I was having a casual conversation with my colleague about how recruiting is like dating.  On your first date you are essentially interviewing ‘candidates’ to see if there is a potential match.  You need to make sure they come from a good background, you don’t want them to have hopped around from mate to mate, they have to be motivated and successful, and most importantly there has to be a good chemistry.  We got a good chuckle and sat back down at our desks.  I started my morning as usual trying to wake up with a good article on the latest in recruiting news, and up pops the following article on “How to Spot a Recruitment Bore”.  The irony of the situation was priceless!  As I’m reading through the author’s bullet points, I thought to myself, “You can’t stop interviewing whoever you meet: check!  (Refer to recruiting is like dating comment above).  All your friends are recruiters: check!  (Well, at least most of them.  But recruiting is a tough job, and you need people who can relate!).  You can’t switch off: check!  (There’s nothing wrong with checking my emails one last time before going to bed.  I am looking for that one important email from my client letting me know the good news they want to make my candidate an offer.  That’s what recruiting is all about - the rush and excitement of being able to give that offer and helping to change a person’s life.  Knowing that I am impacting a person’s life in a positive way helps me to sleep at night, so what’s the harm in checking those emails one last time?  Now, if I get the bad news, that’s a different story….

Some of the bullet points are a little over exaggerated in the article, but basically I came to the conclusion that I am indeed a recruitment bore, according to this guy.  But then I thought to myself, “who cares?”  I love recruiting and wouldn’t want to do anything else.  My philosophical conclusion to this argument is the following:  If recruiting is my art, and life imitates art, then recruiting is my life.  

Quit Your Job!

Thoughts On How to Quit Your Job

Carolyn Murray, Director of Client Development

This is never an easy thing to do, and the blog post below caught my interest due to all the talk about employees saying inappropriate things on Facebook.  The example that comes to mind immediately is the employee who posts on Facebook that ”he is leaving his miserable job and good riddance”.  As that has a high likelihood of getting back to your former employer, posting an ugly comment of that nature seems immature and unprofessional.  Maintaining a good relationship with past employers can only help you move forward in your career from providing good references to helping you expand your network.  Below are some tips to leave a job gracefully. (Read More...)