Tag: workplace culture
Addressing the Infamous “Why Do You Want To Work Here” Interview Question
Sometimes, the most straightforward questions are the most difficult to answer. “Why do you want to work here?” is one of the most asked questions in job interviews and the most confounding.
This very direct question is crucial and one of the best opportunities to show your enthusiasm for the job and that you are an ideal candidate. In this blog post, we will discuss how to best answer this infamous interview question and what not to say.
Interview Preparation
Interviewers could ask you, “Why do you want to work here?” in a variety of ways, including:
- “What made you want to apply for a job at this company?”
- “Why do you want to work for us?”
- “Why are you interested in this role?”
However it is worded, the goal is to see if you are a good fit for the company and the role. With that in mind, begin by researching the company. Examine the company’s website and familiarize yourself with its services and products. Review the company’s blog and social media accounts, especially reviews from current and previous employees.
Next, study the job description. List your favorite things about the job and take note of the things that align closely with your career objectives and best skills. Finally, identify your core values that fit well with the workplace culture presented by the company.
Three Steps to Answer, “Why Do You Want to Work Here?”
1. Express passion for the company’s mission
One of the main goals of this question is to gauge your enthusiasm for the role. It’s essential to give the interviewer what they want from the beginning. Mention the company’s mission statement and how it aligns with your values and goals. This shows you’re applying for the position because you want to work there, not just because you need a job.
2. Mention why you would mesh well with the company culture
Interviewers are not just screening your skills and experience. They also want to know if you will match the company culture well. When you research the company, especially its mission statement, employee reviews, and social media, take note of some of its initiatives and mention that you have some ideas to contribute.
3. Show how your goals align with the company’s goals
Your answer should also showcase how the position you’re interviewing for aligns with your career goals. Explaining how your career goals align with company goals helps convince the interviewer that you won’t leave as soon as a new opportunity presents itself.
What NOT to Say
To avoid leaving a negative impression behind, do not:
- Focus only on your interests,
- Say that you are only interested in the money,
- Say that you do not know,
- Give a generic answer that could apply to any company.
Looking for a new job? You’ve come to the right place. Check out Beacon Staffing’s job opportunities today!
How to Make Working Overtime Work for You
There is much negativity associated with overtime, frequently viewed as something you have to do rather than something you want to do. Depending on your job type, overtime may be a regular part of your role. But overtime can also be an opportunity, and many workers commit to overtime to gain greater flexibility in their schedule or earn more money.
How can you make overtime a favorable option that works for you? Read on for some helpful tips!
Whether you’re working overtime to earn extra money or hoping for a promotion or other recognition, these tips will help you stay focused and stress-free.
Tip #1: Review company policy on working overtime
Whether you work overtime voluntarily or not, carefully review the rules and guidelines for working overtime. Take the time to ask your Human Resources department questions if anything needs to be clarified. Understanding the company policy on compensation, scheduling, and limits will help prevent any issues.
Tip #2: Maintain a healthy work-life balance
Extra income is excellent, but not at the expense of your health and well-being. A healthy work-life balance should always be a priority, especially when working overtime. Avoid working overtime more than three days a week, so you have plenty of time to recharge and spend time with family and friends.
Tip #3: Stay productive
Working overtime means a lot of extra hours in your work week. It can be very easy to get overwhelmed and frustrated. Pace yourself and stay productive throughout your entire shift each day. This will help you avoid overload and stress so you can stay focused and on task.
Tip #4: Ask for recognition
If one of your goals is to receive a promotion or raise, let your manager know. The enthusiasm and dedication you exhibit working overtime can go a long way toward getting you that recognition, but not if your manager doesn’t know you want it. Be humble but honest and acknowledge your effort to contribute.
Working overtime can be an excellent opportunity to earn extra money and positively contribute to your workplace. With the proper preparation and mindset, you can make working overtime work for you on many levels.
If you think a new position is in your future, start your search with us today!
Coping with Anxiety & How to Leave it At the Office
Work can be stressful even on its best day. If your workload is filled with stressful tasks or, worse, the whole environment verges on toxic, you may develop long-term anxiety issues. Overcoming workplace anxiety can be difficult, especially when you have to work to support yourself and your family. It is not impossible, though. With some effort, you can address your anxiety symptoms and ease the burden on yourself and others.
In this blog, we’ll look at some tips to help you leave the stress of work at work.
Tip #1. End your day by writing your to-do list for tomorrow.
When you have anxiety issues, to-do lists can go far in helping you to organize your thoughts and appreciate what you’ve accomplished each day. At the end of your day at work, write your to-do list for the next day. This lays the groundwork for the next day, establishing attainable goals that can be crossed off the list as they are accomplished. Anxiety can make it challenging to appreciate your daily accomplishments; to-do lists show you.
Tip #2. Treat your commute home as time to unwind & decompress.
Whether you have workplace anxiety or not, leaving work at work is crucial. Once you have clocked out for the day, your commute home, however long it is, should be a time to decompress and relax. Find fun and relaxing ways to make your commute the perfect bridge between work and home. Take a moment to stretch before you leave the office. Enjoy your favorite music or audiobook on the way home. If weather permits, open the window and breathe the fresh air to clear your mind and lungs.
Tip #3. Schedule time for your hobbies/fun activities during the week.
No matter how difficult and time-consuming your job is, it cannot take up all your time. One of the best ways to recharge and relieve the stress and anxiety of work is to enjoy activities and hobbies you like. Scheduling time every week to enjoy them, whether it’s weekly pickleball with friends or a regular dinner out with family. Make your time away from work a priority.
Work anxiety can be crippling if you let it master you. Use the tips above, and you can start taking control of your workplace anxiety and maybe even eliminate it.
If you think a new job may be what you need, start your search with our team!
Dealing with a Toxic Workplace Environment? How to Know When it’s Time to Break up With your Job
We all have bad days at work when stress and frustrations wear us down. However, if the bad days at work have become the norm, you may be dealing with a toxic workplace environment. A toxic workplace can affect your mental and physical health, increasing anxiety and stress and seriously impacting your productivity and morale.
Your workplace may be toxic for a variety of reasons. If you’re feeling very unhappy at work, here are three key signs it’s time to consider breaking up with your current job.
Your boss sets unrealistic expectations.
Effective bosses challenge you with attainable goals encouraging you to grow and become your best version. On the other hand, ineffective bosses set you up to fail. Their unrealistic expectations make you feel helpless and stressed. Demanding quick turnarounds at the last minute and overwhelming you with work can quickly lead to a toxic workplace environment.
Your boundaries are not respected.
Lack of respect for boundaries is a hallmark of toxic relationships, including those at work. Do you feel uncomfortable speaking up at work? If you do, whether due to a lack of confidence or from imposter syndrome, it’s something you can work on. If you have set boundaries and they are not respected, it may be time to find a new job.
You think about quitting your job regularly.
If you think a lot about quitting your job, it’s a good sign that you’re ready to move on. If you feel unsure, take the time to review your current position. Look at your last month of work and tally up the good and bad days. It may be time to “jump ship” if the bad days outweigh the good.
Another approach is to ask yourself what you would advise a friend or coworker in the same situation. Would you encourage them to stick with the job and tolerate its negatives, or would you recommend they escape from the toxic workplace? More often than not, the advice you would give to someone in your situation is what you need to hear yourself.
The decision to leave your current job is a challenging one. But if you see the signs of a toxic workplace culture, you need to trust your intuition and go for it!
If you need help finding your next role, contact Beacon Staffing today!
3 Tips Adapting a More Productive & Motivated Mindset for 2023
We all want to become the best version of ourselves, personally and professionally. Setting goals and making resolutions are always hot topics around the new year, and 2023 is no exception. If you’re looking to change your mindset, and become more creative, motivated, and productive, consider these three tips on how to adapt and implement a more positive mindset for 2023.
Get Organized
What to feel better about yourself every day AND get more done? List-making is an excellent way to get organized and stay motivated. You’ll feel a sense of accomplishment whenever you cross a task off your “to-do” list. In addition, making a list that includes daily and weekly tasks allows you to focus on each task at hand without stressing about the bigger stuff. As more gets done and you enjoy the satisfaction of accomplishing them, you’ll feel more motivated and productive.
Get Active
We all know exercise helps you physically, but it also improves your attention and focus and boosts your mood. Adding exercise to your daily routine doesn’t mean you must do a major workout every day. Low-impact stretching, yoga, and even walking can refresh your mind and stimulate your creativity and productivity.
Practice Gratitude
Today’s high-tech society adds a great deal of anxiety and stress to our days. From the minute we awake, we are focused on our phones filled with emails, texts, and social media posts. This sets us up for a day filled with nervous, stressful feelings.
Make a change to your daily routine and let the phone wait. Instead, take some time when you awake to think of three things to be grateful for. These may be things you’re thankful for, or they may be things you’re looking forward to in the coming day. Starting the day with a grateful heart and mind fills you with positive feelings, such as contentment, joy, and peacefulness.
Meditation can be a powerful addition to your morning routine, allowing you to focus on positive thoughts and feelings and replace the negative voices that impede your motivation and stifle your creativity and productivity.
Each day is what we make it. Keeping these tips in mind will ensure that you step into 2023 with a more positive, motivated mindset and that you’re ready to make it the best, most productive year yet!
If you are set on a new job this year, start your search with Beacon Staffing!
Workplace Trends We Expect to see in 2023
As we head into 2023, we have seen workplaces shift heavily to remote and hybrid work. Inflation, layoffs, and the potential for a recession are driving many employees to ask for promotions or raises. Some have even looked for new positions with higher salaries to help them support their homes and families.
For managers, the focus has been on recruiting top talent and retaining them in these troubling times. Looking forward to 2023, we can expect to see several workplace trends impacting business operations. Let’s look at the top five.
Workers Have the Upper Hand
Employers vying for high-quality talent are likely to continue as the job market remains tight. Candidates understand their worth in this market and are not afraid to demand higher pay, better perks, and benefits, and flexible work options. The demand for high-quality talent is also high, and well-trained 2023 graduates will enter a job market with plenty of opportunities.
Focus on Mental Health
Employee well-being has been a major issue in the workplace for years. Even before the pandemic, many employees complained of burnout and feeling miserable at work. With the current economic outlook, employee health, especially mental health, is predicted to continue its decline.
To combat that, employers are looking at even more ways to support the mental health of their employees and prevent burnout.
The pandemic played a major role in stimulating and shaping workplace trends for 2022 and that trend will continue into 2023 and beyond. Many companies are embracing these changes, putting their employees first and attracting the best talent while doing so.
Need to expand your team to accomplish your 2023 business plans?
Beacon Staffing can help you find the top-quality talent you’re looking for. Contact us today!
5 Reasons to Be Thankful for your Current Job
As the holiday season approaches, practicing gratitude and being thankful for what you have – family, friends, food, and more – takes center stage. One thing you may not think about being thankful for is your job, and yet, in the current economy and job market, there are many reasons to be thankful for your current role. Let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the reasons you should be thankful for your current job.
Amazing Co-Workers
According to a recent Gallup survey, 72% of those polled were completely satisfied with their work colleagues and wouldn’t change a thing about them. The emotional weight of the pandemic and the isolation of lockdown has given us a newfound appreciation for coworkers. Whether they sit across from you in a cubicle or across the miles in the windows of a Zoom meeting room, our coworkers and team leaders offer support, encouragement, fulfillment, and friendship.
Great Management
Speaking of team leaders, having an understanding boss is definitely something to be thankful for. Great bosses provide guidance, leadership, and mentorship. They encourage you to reach for the top through growth and progress. Research shows that team leaders have the most significant impact on company culture as a whole, especially managers. So, if you haven’t thanked your boss for setting high standards and maintaining them themselves, give them some gratitude this holiday season.
Positive Workplace Culture
Whether it’s giving you the flexibility to continue working from home or making the office space more welcoming and inclusive for newcomers and veteran employees, if your workplace culture is positive, be thankful. While some companies have bounced back from the pandemic with regimented structure and unrealistic expectations, others have maintained the flexibility and sense of trust established during that time of upheaval, and their employees have benefited. The companies have benefited, too, since well-rested, stress-free, happy employees are more creative, productive, and likely to stay with the company for years to come.
Purposeful Work
Meaningful employment has become more important to workers, making the company’s mission and moral compass more influential than ever. If you work for a company that you believe in, that gives you a sense that you’re bettering this world with every day’s work, be grateful for the amazing opportunity to work there.
Stability & Security
In uncertain times like these, nothing is worse than the feeling that your company could leave you in the lurch. A supportive office environment, thorough feedback, clear communication with managers and peers, and considerate health and wellness updates are all things that companies are doing to improve stability and security for their employees. If you’re an employee in this kind of positive workplace, that’s assuredly something to be thankful for.
If you’re still not feeling very thankful for your current role, start your search for a new job with Beacon Staffing!
Take the time this holiday season and reflect on your job and all you have to be thankful for. It’s healthy and productive, and it feels great.
Searching for Your Perfect Candidate vs. Hiring on Potential
The state of today’s workforce is changing rapidly. In the past, many employers have based their hiring decisions on competence and a veritable laundry list of skills and educational achievements in their quest to find the “perfect candidate.”
There are no perfect candidates, though, and as companies struggle to recruit the candidates they need, being a “good fit” has become more critical. Managers are now asking themselves, “Which is more important: experience or potential?”
Let’s look at some of the benefits of hiring candidates for their potential rather than their experience and education.
Benefits of Hiring for Potential vs. Experience
If a candidate applies for your advertised job opening and doesn’t have the three years of experience you require, you may write them off before even looking at their resume. They may have checked every other box, though, and would be an excellent fit for your company.
Hiring for potential means being open to considering more than years of service as a measurement of what the candidate has to offer.
Sometimes hiring for experience doesn’t equal successful levels of performance. While they may have years of experience, those years may be without any significant results or growth. Knowledge is excellent, but passion is essential, too.
Fresh Perspectives
One of the significant benefits of hiring someone with more potential than experience is that they bring a fresh perspective to the table. Candidates with less experience are more likely to ask questions and challenge the status quo, both of which are necessary to stimulate higher levels of passion, motivation, and curiosity. When you’re hiring someone new, you want a candidate that is willing and able to learn new skills that will push your company to grow and provide better service and value to your customers.
Soft Skills and Attitude
The hard skills necessary to perform a job can be easily taught to anyone. Attitude, however, and the personality traits and coping abilities that are known collectively as “soft skills” cannot be so easily learned. If an employee’s personality doesn’t mesh well with the workplace culture of the current team, it can have a costly effect on the whole staff.
If you’re still looking to hire, get in touch with our team at Beacon Staffing today!
Every job seeker has their own set of quirks and perks. Opening your job search to include candidates with more potential than experience improves your chance of finding the elusive “perfect candidate” and enriching your company with fresh perspectives, bold ideas, and renewed enthusiasm for your company’s culture and goals.
5 Signs it’s NOT the Time for a Career Change
The average worker will change jobs a dozen times before retirement. Some changes will lead to bigger paychecks, better benefits, or career growth. Not all of these job changes will be positive, however. Before making a major change in your career path, the key is to ensure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Sometimes, making a career change is the wrong move. Here are five signs that it may not be a good time to make a career change.
1. You Are Overstressed
Change is constant, and sometimes in life, everything seems to change at once. When your personal and professional life is busy and stressful, it may not be a good time to change jobs. While it’s natural to want more stability and security in a stress-filled life, moving from your current job to a new position could cause more upheaval rather than ease it.
2. Your Judgement is Clouded
Your perception may be driving you toward a career change. Whether you’re experiencing personal or professional upheaval, you may be tempted to change things. While that might be the right thing to do, it’s better to make those choices when you are in a more stable, rested, and healthy state of mind and being.
3. You’re Having a Bad Day (or Week, or Month)
Even the best jobs come with bad times. Complex projects, extra hours, and conflicts with co-workers can all take a toll, but these issues are all temporary. Even bad relationships with managers or supervisors won’t last forever.
4. You’re Focused on Money
If your only motivation for changing jobs is pursuing a higher salary, you may want to rethink that move. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make more money, but it should not be the only reason. You may leave a job you like in pursuit of more money and find yourself in a position that is a bad fit. What’s worse, that higher paycheck may not be so high after taxes are taken out. You may also find that higher pay in the new job means worse employee benefits.
5. You’re Afraid You’re Missing Out
If you are discontented with your job after seeing how happy other people seem in theirs on social media, don’t quit! It is too easy to compare how you feel in your career to how others seem to feel in theirs. Online content is carefully curated, emphasizing the positives and superlatives of people’s careers, not the moments of doubt and failure they have.
Need a change in jobs? Beacon has got you covered. Check out our career portal today!
How Gen Z Can Differ From Millennials in the Workforce
As more Gen Z workers enter a workforce increasingly dominated by Millennials, it’s essential to understand how workers from both generations view work and approach tasks. Each group has been shaped by the innovations and challenges they grew up with.
In this blog, we’ll look at some of the defining characteristics of Gen Z and Millennials in the workplace, how they differ, and how their unique traits and experiences enhance the workplace.
What is Gen Z?
Gen Z, or Generation Z, is a demographic term for anyone born between 1997 and 2015. This generation grew up with technology and has never experienced a world without the internet, social media, or smartphones. Highly independent, Gen Z is generally aware of economic, environmental, political, and social issues and integrates activism into their daily lives.
Millennial Characteristics
Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, with the oldest millennials in their 40s. This was the first generation to use the internet, have mobile devices, and face the economic hardships of student loan debt and a global recession. Millennials watched the development of many new technologies and watched them become obsolete.
Gen Z and Millennials in the Workplace
Gen Z and Millennials share main characteristics in common, but their differences are noteworthy and can significantly affect how they work together. Understanding these differences as a manager can help you improve your whole team’s ability to collaborate and perform.
Education
Millennials grew up with the pressure to go to college. At the same time, Gen Z pursues knowledge and skills through less traditional methods such as online tutorials, online classes, and real-world experience.
Technology
While both groups are comfortable with technology as a part of daily life and work, Gen Z was raised in it. Millennials are eager to learn and adapt to new technology while still retaining the capability to work at high levels without it. Gen Z workers are “digital natives” and find it more difficult to “unplug” when needed.
Professionalism
Millennials grew up understanding that some forms of personal expression, including piercings, tattoos, clothing, and hair color, could prevent them from landing a job. Gen Z, on the other hand, is more likely to value expression over advancement and gravitates toward company cultures that are more casual and open.
Focus
Workers within Gen Z have a shorter attention span than millennials. While younger millennials grew up with the same technology as Gen Z, it was less pervasive. Gen Z is used to a bombardment of information, so processing a great deal at once is their strength, while focusing on a single subject is more difficult.
Though these differences, and others, exist between Gen Z and Millennial workers, they create a strong dynamic of experience and innovation in the workplace that improves the mindset and productivity of the entire work team.
Looking for top talent? Contact Beacon Staffing.
We are a staffing agency in Maryland that places qualified candidates with the region’s top employers. Our recruiters in Aberdeen and Baltimore provide exceptional staffing services in the light industrial and administrative industries. Get in touch with our team to learn more about our hiring solutions in Maryland.
