It could happen to you. Even in this tight job market, you might find yourself fielding more than one job offer at the same time. Or, you might get offered a job that you’re just not interested in accepting. In an employment era where very few can afford to burn any bridges, you need to handle this situation professionally.

The first thing you need to do, as soon as possible, is contact the hiring manager quickly by phone — never in an e-mail. Declining a job offer by phone is more professional and respectful, and offers you the opportunity to explain your decision and possibly give helpful feedback to the hiring manager. Let the contact know that you are grateful for the offer, you carefully considered the offer and you appreciate the time he took with you.

You are not obligated to explain your reasons, or if you do, you don’t have to go into specifics about the decision, especially if it’s because you felt the hiring manager’s company seemed like a negative work environment or a bad career risk. If you do choose to discuss your decision, you should be able to offer specific reasons why the other opportunity is a better fit for you, whether it’s the hours, location or industry trends. Try to avoid discussing money; if it comes up, and the other salary is less than $10,000 higher, try to emphasize a secondary reason, such as stability or a clearer promotional path.

At any rate, contact the company making the offer as soon as you can, so the company can contact their second choice candidate or restart their search. If you know of anyone who would be a good fit for the position you are turning down, share their contact information (with that person’s permission, of course).

Once you’ve made the call, follow up with a formal written letter. Of course email is the most popular business communication tool these days, but to keep your rejection as professional as possible, send out some good old-fashioned snail mail. Keep your letter polite, professional and short, and leave the door open for future possibilities of working for the company.

When you resign a position you don’t want to burn any bridges on your way out the door, and the same is true when you decide to decline a job offer. Preserve your reputation by being as polite and professional as possible.

Guidelines for Background Checks…

Background checks can be a legal liability unto themselves.  Because you’re dealing with someone’s private information, there are many laws in place to ensure this investigative power isn’t abused. To make sure you’re conducting legal background checks, follow these guidelines.

Have a written policy about background checks in place, and make sure it’s followed consistently for all candidates in the same job categories.

Include information about background checks on your applications, including the types of checks that might be made. Let applicants know the consequences of providing false or misleading info in their application.

Information taken from;  National Independent Staffing Association’s magazine, The Messenger. September 23rd, 2011 issue.

This is why you should love HR

Managing Generation Y – Generation Next, the Millennials – has been a hot topic among HR professionals and consultants for years. However, Gen Y’s reputation continues to suffer from the perception of being lazy, not having the same work ethic as previous generations, wanting success immediately and lacking loyalty.

What people need to understand is that Generation Y is different, and only looks bad when compared to previous generations.

The 21st century workplace has changed and will continue to change, and the Millennials’ work style is reflective of those changes. Embracing Generation Y and its needs and requirements will help many companies meet the challenges of the current and future workplace:

• Flexible working arrangements
• Increase in virtual working
• More cross-border and cross-cultural working, across different time zones
• Blurring of work/social boundaries due to smartphones and other personal technology
• Increase in social and professional networking
• Engaging in meaningful working relationships with clients
• Flatter organizational structures
• Greater emphasis on social and environmental issues

Here are some more Generation Y-friendly changes:

1. Make Meetings More Efficient ?Gen Y knows that long, drawn out meetings halt productivity and stifle creativity. If Gen Y were running the show, time wasted in meetings would drop dramatically.
2. Make the Work Day More Productive The average workday is supposed to be eight hours. But if you include the commute, lunch, breaks and maybe dinner, it’s at least 10 hours. How many of those 10 hours are spent doing actual work? To truly balance work and life, you can’t mess around and waste time at the office. Gen Y knows how to get as much done in six to seven hours as the average boomer does with his eight.
3. Bring Back Administrative Assistants?The old way of thinking is that you have to be a CEO or high-level executive to have an assistant. Generation Y recognizes the value of time and knows that passing off minor tasks like filing papers and mailing checks means saving more than 500 hours a year that could be spent with family and friends.
4. Redefine Retirement Generation Y knows how to save money to retire, and they expect 401(k)s and excellent benefits.
5. Restore Respect to the HR Department? Gen Next recognizes that happy people make the company successful, and that HR is not a cost center but is vital to the bottom line.??
6. Promote Based on Emotional Intelligence?Millennials recognize that seniority does not necessarily make a good manager. People skills do, and so does the ability to develop employees both personally and professionally.
7. Re-invent the Performance Review Gen Y likes constant feedback, so semi-annual or annual performance reviews are useless to them. If they only plan to be at a company for two years, waiting for a yearly review to assess their progress is useless. The smartest companies will train their managers to give frequent feedback – which will help everybody by leading to consistent, continuous improvement.

Webinar for Job Seekers – Timing is Everything

September 27th @ 1:00 PM EST (12:00 PM CST)

The jobs you target and the offers you should accept change dramatically depending on your experience level, age, and goals. The priorities are very different for a recent grad as opposed to someone nearing retirement age. During this webinar we will address the following:

• How to determine your current priorities
• Why timing is everything in your job search
• How every action you take will either positively or negatively impact your job search

Go to our website and visit our Career Portal. Set up a login for yourself. Job Seekers may register on our Career Portal by clicking on the WEBINAR Tab. Then clicking on the event and then register by clicking the webinar registration link for each event listed.

 One of the craziest secret’s that I have ever heard is that people with goals will succeed more in life than those without goals.  Yes, I know that sounds crazy, however, when I tell you why you too will be a believer.  Your brain can only do what you tell it to do so therefore, if you set a goal to eat lunch by 12 noon then your brain will naturally tell your body that it is hungry so you will eat by 12 noon.  The reason being is that your brain heard the goal and motivated you to reach the goal.  This stands to reason that if you set a much higher goal than to eat lunch by a certain time then your brain will do its best to help you reach that goal.  A good example of this would be “Suppose a farmer has some land, and it’s good, fertile land. Then land gives the farmer a choice; he may plant in that land whatever he chooses.  The land doesn’t care.  It’s up to the farmer to make a decision.  We’re comparing the human mind with the land because the mind, like the land, doesn’t care what you plant in it.  It will return what you plant, but doesn’t care what you plant.  Now, let’s say that the farmer has two seeds in his hand – one is seed of corn, the other is nightshade, a deadly poison.  He digs two little holes in the earth and he plants both seeds – one corn, the other nightshade.  He covers up the holes, waters and takes care of the land…and what will happen? Invariably, the land will return what was planted.” (“Strangest Secret…Why do people with goals succeed in life and people without the fail?” National Independent Staffing Association, The Messenger, Aug 19, 2011. print.) As you can see, the brain will make you do whatever you tell it to do even if that may be to eat lunch by a certain time.

There are so many rules for job interviews, and with competition so tight, you want to follow as many as possible. Yet one of the most frustrating aspects of interviewing is waiting to hear whether you got the job or are moving on to the next stage in the hiring process. Is it ever okay to contact the interviewer to find out?

Yes, it is. But like so many other aspects of the job search process, you need to be professional. You want to show initiative but you don’t want to be inappropriate, annoying or pushy.

Try to remember, when you interview, to ask the hiring manager when you can expect to hear something. If she gives you a timeframe, e.g., “We’ll be making a decision by next Friday,” then wait until after that Friday to get in touch if the company doesn’t contact you first. If she gives you an exact date, e.g., “You should hear from us by November 2,” don’t follow up until that date has passed.

If the employer doesn’t give you a firm date, wait 10 days to 2 weeks after the interview before following up and inquiring about a decision. Start by e-mailing, which is less intrusive. Plus, writing an email lets you plan what you want to say and deliver your message smoothly.

Begin the email by reintroducing yourself: “This is John Smith. I interviewed for your Graphic Designer position on [date].” Mention that you are still interested in the job, then ask if they have made any decisions in the hiring process. Ask them to contact you if they have any further questions for you, and sign off. Keep it brief!

If you don’t get a response to the initial e-mail within a day or two, try one more time. If you don’t get a response after that, your next step is to call.

Before you call, think about what you need to say, and practice it a few times. In case you get voicemail, have a script written out for yourself, so you don’t ramble or forget to say anything important.

If you get to speak to the interviewer directly, take a deep breath and be ready to introduce yourself as well as your intention (i.e., This is John Smith, calling to check in about the status of the Graphic Designer position). Make sure that you are in a quiet environment and have at least some notes to look at, so you don’t lose track of what you want to talk about on the call.

If you feel you did well in an interview, it’s perfectly acceptable to follow up if with an employer if they don’t contact you within a certain period of time. Just keep it professional, and don’t be a pest.

Make sure that you are registered and using our career portal!   It can help you in numerous ways; it is an active job board that pull jobs from all job boards in our area, it has tools to help evaluated you, there is a resume builder, you can get career advice from real professionals not your mommas best friend, there is information on educational opportunities to help you excel, weekly teleconference calls on “hot topics”, a resource library filled with videos, audios and books, and last but certainly not least there is access to 100 free resume cards to help you network.  Clark Personnel Services is dedicated to help you find the right job for you.  We always keep your best interest at heart.  So make sure that you check out our career portal and be the best you can be!!!

First of all, why should you create a greener workplace? A recent study of more than 100 companies revealed that employee satisfaction and environmental awareness go hand in hand. In other words, when a company shows a commitment to energy conservation and recycling, employees show commitment to the company. Yes, going green can help with employee retention – it’s another way to show you care about your employees while caring for the earth.

A green workplace is defined as a workplace that is environmentally sensitive, resource efficient and socially responsible. Sounds serious, right? But with just a few simple changes of habit, your office can save energy and resources. Here are 8 easy ways to create a green office:

1. Be bright about light? Use natural light when you can, and make it a habit to turn off the lights when you’re leaving any room for 15 minutes or more. Buy Energy Star-rated light bulbs and fixtures, which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting.

2. Cut down on computer power Plug computers and their peripherals into power strips and turn off the power strips when you leave for the day. Otherwise, the computer will burn energy all night long. During the day, set your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks and cut energy use by 70 percent.

3. Reduce paper waste?In a non-green office, the average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of paper a year. Encourage your employees to print on both sides for long documents and use the back side of old printouts for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts.

4. Buy green You can buy paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content (PCRF). And recycle toner and ink cartridges, then buy remanufactured replacements. According to Office Depot, each remanufactured toner cartridge “keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills…and conserves about a half gallon of oil.”

5. Go paperless when possible Post employee manuals and similar materials online, rather than distribute print copies. You can also share meeting agendas through e-mail or on your company intranet, instead of printing them and passing them out.

6. Ramp up your recycling Make it easy for everyone to recycle old documents, fax paper, envelopes, catalogs and junk mail by placing bins around the office in accessible, high-traffic areas. If you have a break area or cafeteria, add recycling bins for plastic bottles, cans and other recyclables.

7. Rethink your travel Use videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel. Cut down on traffic and employee aggravation by implementing a telecommuting policy and encouraging carpooling.

8. Create a healthy office environment Offer nontoxic cleaning products. Decorate the space with plants, which absorb indoor pollution. Whenever possible, buy furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won’t off-gas toxic chemicals.

“Many employers now recognize that green programs in the workplace can promote social responsibility among workers and help retain top talent,” according to Don Sanford, managing director of Buck Consultants, a human resources and benefits consulting firm.  So think about saving money while you’re helping to save the planet.

Have you ever been at a business, be it retail store to an office, and witnessed or fell victim to someone with a bad attitude.  We all have you are not alone, however, when you are applying for a job even if you are seeking the assistance of a personnel service it is not a wise idea to bring your attitude in the door with you.  Day after day I sit at my desk and witness people coming in giving me attitude.  FYI… if you give someone attitude they will remember you but not in a good way!  Employers do not want to hire people that give others attitude.  You come off as someone who is there to try to bully your way into a position, however, the work place is not the play ground, you cannot bully your way into positions.  If you honestly want a job, go into a business with your head held high; be extremely nice to whomever you talk to, because you never know who they might be.  Whether they are the owner, or the manager or just a receptionist, they already have a job with the employer so most likely they are going to tell whoever receives the application how nice or polite you were.  MORAL of the story is to have a positive, polite, respectable attitude when applying for a job.  Personally, I say live the above motto all the time you will have a better time.