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The 2020 pandemic has wreaked havoc on careers as well as personal lives. With major sectors of the economy nearly or totally shut down, many who thought they had job security are out of work — and believe they don't have the qualifications to switch to a different specialty. Meanwhile, new graduates looking for their first job have been unable to get out of the starting gate at all.   If you're in this situation, take hope. There are ways to land a job without experience in that particular field. We've rounded up expert advice to get you on the right track.   Look for careers with employee shortages   While some industry sectors have shrunk dramatically, others are experiencing a boom, and as a result, a skyrocketing need for more employees. Hiring managers are only too aware of this problem, and know that they can't stick to hard-and-fast job qualifications if they want to bring in enough new workers.   One of the biggest trends forecasted for the staffing industry...

It's time for New Year's resolutions. Forget diets and kicking bad habits and focus on something positive instead. Like: "I will take steps to grow my career success this year." However you define success, these techniques can help you get where you want to be. Set goals.  A long journey is accomplished one step at a time. If you don't plan your steps, you'll never even get started. Be specific: instead of a vague long-term statement like "I want to own my own business," define what you'll need first: "Learn business accounting" or "Get management experience in my field." Decide how you will know when the goal is achieved: "Get an educational certificate in accounting" or "Work 3 years in business management." Set deadlines: If you don't have a timeline for accomplishing goals, all you'll have is a dream, not a plan.   Be a self-starter. A self-starter doesn't sit there waiting to be told what to do. They take the initiative in asking for additional projects or...

HR Liftoff is Integrity Staffing Solutions' bi-weekly podcast discussing all things HR with some of the biggest names in the business. Informative and entertaining, the podcast is hosted by Chief Information Officer Megan Couch, who infuses every conversation with her spirited sense of humor as well as her 20+ years of expertise.   We sat down with Couch to learn what motivates her — in her podcast, her job and her life.   Q: Tell us a little about yourself. Having worked with many major clients in the fields of e-commerce and logistics, I believe my strength is in building relationships, listening to peoples' stories and finding practical solutions to reaching their goals.   I have one 14-year-old son, Jackson, and a grumpy dog, Bunny, of the same age. I love singing karaoke, even though I'm not great at remembering song titles — unless they're by Aretha Franklin.   Q: What inspired you to launch the HR Liftoff podcast? There is a great quote that says, "Someday...

Did you know that on average, you'll spend: $3,500 per new hire in recruiting costs (advertising, HR's time/labor, etc.) $702 (average cost) to train a new employee 6 months to break-even point on a new employee's productivity level   With numbers like these staring us in the face, it behooves any company to make sure their new employee sticks around long enough to deliver a return on their investment. And that means making retention a top priority. Want even more reasons to work on your employee retention? Contented employees are more productive, as many studies have shown Frequent introduction of newbies stresses the whole team, increasing job dissatisfaction It costs more to replace an employee than to improve their job satisfaction   Why They Leave — It's Not Always About the Money Surveys of workers who quit their job reveal that salary is not even among the top five reasons. More often, the decision to leave is motivated by...

There's no question that increasing your knowledge and skills increases your income. But how can you acquire this education if you're already working, and don't have the time or money to go to full-time school?   In this blog, we'll discuss some practical ways to get you onto a more lucrative career path.   Take advantage of employer sponsored formal education. Many large companies offer opportunities to take courses that will make you a more valuable employee, paying some or all of the costs. In some cases, you enroll with a local school and make arrangements through HR for paying the tuition. In others, the courses are provided by the employer.   At Integrity, our Next Step U online training programs are free to all associates and employees (and can even be accessed on their mobile phones). In partnership with Penn Foster, an accredited educational institution, our course offerings range from bookkeeping and computer skills to administration and basic English — all...

Technical qualifications aren't the only things employers look for when deciding which candidate to hire. They know it takes more than that to be the kind of employee who will contribute to their company's success.   So, you may not be the candidate with the most education or experience in the job you're applying for, but as long as you have a basic foundation you can still win out — if you have the right soft skills.   What are soft skills and why are they important?   Soft skills are what make you a good worker — an asset to the team. A person can have decades of education and experience, but if they're lazy, disorganized, close-minded or otherwise counterproductive, companies would prefer not to bring them on board. They'd much rather hire someone who has more to learn, but the right attitude and ability to make that learning happen.   Another great thing about soft skills is that they're transferrable — they apply to just about any job in any field. So it's...

Growth is what every business wants, but too much of a good thing can be a problem. Figuring out how to handle sudden business growth is a challenge for many companies — especially essential startups and smaller organizations that need to hire quickly to keep pace with the heightened demand their growth has created. Staffing issues for businesses during times of growth don’t have to slow things down or interfere with business continuity plans, though. All it takes is putting the right steps in place to build a team that can help manage the uptick. Here are a few tips for putting your own process in place: 1. Partner with a seasoned, well-rounded staffing agency. You don’t need to create and execute a business continuity staffing plan in solitude. Linking up with a staffing partner can be a valuable resource for learning how to manage business growth. These partners can navigate a litany of staffing issues for businesses of all sizes; they also have the knowledge and expertise...

It may be "only temporary," but it can lead to great things. We've had hundreds of our associates who made a great impression get offered a full-time job with our client. So if that's your goal — or you want to get known as a top associate for future assignments — read on!   Ask for help whenever you need it.   As a new team member, you will have a great deal of information thrown at you very fast. Nobody expects you to remember it all on the first day — but you do need to know it all if you're going to do a good job. So don't hesitate to ask for something to be explained or repeated. Team members and leaders will be delighted to help, because when you succeed at your new tasks you make them look good too.   Get to work on time, every time.   You don't want the client writing you off as unreliable or unambitious. It's a good idea to actually aim for being 10 or 15 minutes early, at least while you're getting familiar with the commute. That way, if something does go...

Whether you're just starting out in life, looking to make a career change or (lucky you!) trying to decide between multiple job offers, you may find the possibilities overwhelming. How do you figure out which job will best fit your skills, passion and personality? What if you aren't fully qualified for the job you want?   Here are some methods that may help you identify — and land — your perfect job.   Describe Your Ideal Job and Employer This is about more than your work duties. Write down a complete profile of the role and the corporate culture that will best fulfill your dreams.   Think about what you liked or didn't like about past jobs. What types of activities do you like best — group/team efforts or working by yourself; a structured routine or planning your own workflow; a hands-off boss or one that keeps an eye on everything; high pressure deadlines or a relaxed pace; tons of overtime or work-life balance? What duties did you most enjoy that you would like...

The first thing to plant firmly in your brain is that it's OK. Rejection happens to everyone, and for all sorts of reasons, justified or not.   Oprah Winfrey was fired from her TV news reporter job because she wasn't "suitable for TV." J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter books, was rejected by 12 publishers before she made it big. Walt Disney lost his first job at a newspaper because the editor thought he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas."   The key takeaway is not only that you have plenty of excellent company, but that you don't give up. Rather, you use the rejection experience to become a success.   Bill Gates' first business, Traf-O-Data, failed. His next try was Microsoft. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. He said, "I have failed over and over in my life. And that is why I succeed."   Here's how to turn your rejection experience into a learning opportunity.   Focus on Areas of Improvement It's possible...