First off, here’s what not to do:

• A website that proclaims “We’re hiring! Contact us” is unlikely to generate much of an enthusiastic response. The message is too vague and uninformative. Job seekers want more details up-front, the kind of details that accurately reflects your specific hiring needs. They have to see a potential pay-off for their efforts or why bother?
• Don’t bury job listings beneath a lot of other irrelevant information or imagery. Making people have to search for an open position almost guarantees they’ll stop looking before they find it.

On a more positive note: Your website offers a great opportunity to generate some excitement for your business. Offer content about the workplace that’s both enticing and enthusiastic. Sprinkle in upbeat images, like groups of people having fun on the job or (if they’re scenic) views of the office and surrounding area.

Navigation is critically important. Add a prominently featured jobs link on your homepage for starters. Include a jobs link as a tab in your “About Us” section, with wording like “Work for Us” or “Your Future is Here.” Once the applicant clicks on the link, they should find some or all of the following:

• A description of the company culture (emphasizing the value you place on your employees)
• Detailed information about the job opening (including skills required, experience desired and even pay range)
• A way for candidates to apply (specific email address or place to submit resumes)

It’s also a good idea to include links and hiring news in your other communications, since you never know where individuals will start looking into your business. The company blog is a great place to talk about the type of people you’re looking for and the benefits of employment. Why not tweet a link to your “Careers” page while you’re at it? Share the link on your Facebook page as well.

Remember, your website will never have the same positive impact on everyone who comes to visit. Instead, focus on what you believe is most appealing to the type of candidate you hope to attract. Make it easy for people to learn more and to apply. And keep fine-tuning. You want a hiring section that looks fresh and interesting every time an applicant clicks on it.

Mobile Monster. Created by Monster.com, this app lets you search jobs, manage resumes and fill out job applications. This app is available in more than 20 languages and offers valuable information on the newest job postings.

iPQ Career Planner. This useful app enables you to take an assessment to determine what jobs you’re suited for. It reviews your skills and offers recommendations for related jobs – a great tool for new college grads. iPQ’s site also offers resources and questionnaires to help in your long-term career planning.

LinkedIn Mobile. Just like the popular networking site, you can create a profile on this mobile version and connect with more than 135 million professionals around the world. Get updates from contacts and send resumes to job postings as well.

LunchMeet. This app connects through your LinkedIn account so you can find people you want to network with in your area – a great way to expand your existing network or start up a new one.

ResumeBear. You can send and track your resume with this free mobile app. You also receive a text or email alert as soon as your resume’s been reviewed.

Social media apps. There’s several to choose from, including TweetMyJobs, which integrates Twitter and Facebook so users can leverage their social network connections for personal introductions to potential employers. The social media dashboards TweetDeck and Hootsuite also offer free smartphone apps.

Wait! There’s more:

Evernote. This useful app allows you to keep track of receipts, bookmarks, voice memos and more while you’re on the run.

LinkUp. The unique aspect of this mobile job search app is that it searches jobs only found on company websites (and gets updated frequently).

Bump. As the name suggests, a smartphone equipped with this app shares information when you gently bump other phones with the same software. It instantly exchanges names, addresses and phone numbers.

Many of these ingenious apps are available for downloading on iTunes. A brief online search will help you learn more.

Meador Staffing’s online job board is another great resource for finding the perfect job. Check it out today!

Start by looking at things through the recruiter’s eyes. She probably has dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants vying for the same position you are. A quick scan of your resume indicates a lack of experience in a critical area–just the excuse she needs to move on to the next candidate. Your goal is to make her see something there, aside from on-the-job experience, that makes her think twice before taking that step.

Look closely at the job description. What types of skills and abilities are they looking for? Maybe you have more to offer than first meets the eye.

Think back on your college experience. What courses did you take that helped you gain knowledge in the field you’re interested in? Did you participate in school projects or do a relevant internship? What other extracurricular activities might relate to the desired position?

What are you naturally good at? If you excel in organization or writing or dealing with people, these are skills you shouldn’t leave off your resume. Other valuable abilities might include knowledge of a foreign language, IT or other technical skills, a knack for research or problem-solving and being able to get things done on your own. All of these attributes are potentially attractive to recruiters. You just have to highlight them in a way that works on your resume.

There are many different types of “experience.” Did you work part-time while completing your college degree? What about volunteer work? For someone relatively new to the job market, there’s nothing wrong with listing these activities, as long as they demonstrate the kinds of skills and initiative employers are looking for.

Get experience through staffing agencies. When it comes to gaining real-life experience, temp work through a staffing agency certainly counts! You have the opportunity to work hard and demonstrate to future employers that what you don’t know now, you’re willing to learn. Plus, it’s a great way to network.

Whether you’re looking for a temporary position, or your next career opportunity, Meador Staffing Services can help you take the next step forward.

Job creation. Under President Obama’s Jobs Bill, new legislation would help fund infrastructure projects and encourage new small business start-ups by allowing greater access to capital.

Deficit reduction. As the government grapples with the huge budget deficit, new laws may be implemented aimed at business and personal tax reform.

Employment law. The United States Department of Labor, together with many states, wants to clarify employers’ responsibilities toward minimum wage and overtime requirements. New laws would help employees better understand what they are owed.

Worker classification. A number of states plan to enact stricter laws regarding misclassified workers. Under new laws, companies that misclassify workers would face heavier fines.

Immigration reform. Employment of illegal immigrants continues to be a “hot button” issue. Look for legislation requiring private sector employers to use the federal E-verify system to assess a worker’s employment eligibility.

Security and privacy. As crimes in cyberspace continue to spread, many stares are drafting laws regarding new privacy and security safeguards.

Health insurance. The full ramifications of the Affordable Care Act are being debated by the Supreme Court, but if the Act is deemed to be constitutional, many small businesses will be significantly affected.

Dodd-Frank. Financial reforms passed by Congress in the past two years continue to influence banks’ lending policies. Small businesses may find new obstacles to gaining access to credit or capital–or, at least, higher fees for borrowing money.

Unemployment insurance. Businesses could see increased unemployment tax costs if Congress reinstates the federal unemployment surtax. Also, in an attempt to reduce unemployment insurance fraud, several states are contemplating legislation that adds to employer reporting requirements.

401(k) benefits. In addition to more fee disclosures for 401(k) providers, other new laws will expand the category of plan fiduciary, restricting how many loans employees can take from their 401(k).

Taxes. Expect changes in taxes this year, ranging from a higher Social Security wage base to limits on transportation and adoption-assistance-benefits.

W-2 form. Employers filing 250 or more W-2 forms in 2011 will have to include the cost of employer-sponsored health coverage on the 2012 W-2 form.

Whether or not all of these changes directly affect you, it’s important to consider potential adjustments to the way you operate your business in 2012.

Meador staffing consultants stay abreast of changes in employment law, as part of the services provided to our clients in Houston, Austin and across the U.S. Find out more.

Start by visualizing today as the last day of the year – you look back with pride over the past 12 months, seeing all you did to advance yourself professionally. It just takes renewed focus and determination to shake things up and chart a new path forward in your life and your career. Here are seven tips to get moving:

1. Set clear goals. Like most of us, you’re bombarded by distractions and sometimes find it hard to stay focused on what you really want. This is a great time to write down clear-cut career objectives for the year ahead. Ask for a raise. Shoot for a promotion. Aim to become department team leader. (Note: Don’t file your new list away once it’s written. Post it somewhere you can see it to remind yourself on a regular basis.)
2. Revise your resume. Whether you’re job-hunting or not, resumes need constant refreshing. What have you accomplished lately that’s missing from your resume? Does it just list what your job functions are, without detailing all you’ve achieved? That’s what recruiters are most interested in seeing. Be sure to revise your resume at least once this year.
3. Less online playtime. Sure, Facebook, Twitter and social networking sites are fun to play with (and can sometimes help with one’s career), but how much time do you spend reading through friends’ accounts of playing with their dog in the park? If this is negatively affecting the quality of your work, best leave it for later.
4. Learn something new. Whether it’s acquiring new knowledge in your chosen field or branching out into new territory altogether, now’s a good time to learn something new. Take a class, research online, read a book or volunteer with a local organization.
5. Find a mentor. Learning from someone older and wiser can make a huge difference in a person’s career. Seek out someone at your company or elsewhere in your network who has achieved the kind of success you’re striving for and see if they’ll agree to mentor you.
6. Strengthen your workplace relationships. Do you hang out with the same people day after day? There are probably many others who could help you professionally working just a few cubicles down. Now’s a good time to expand your in-house professional network.
7. Think positive! If you don’t like your job, start looking for a way out. If that’s not practical, try to shift to a more accepting attitude of present circumstances and see how you can improve them. This may be the single most important resolution you make for 2012.

One immediate warning sign can be found on the job-applicant’s resume.  If he or she has just turned 30 years old and they’ve had more than five or six jobs as an adult, chances are they’re prone to job-hopping. When you’re young or just out of college, quitting one or two jobs early is not unusual. Two or three times that number in just a few years indicates a pattern of being either unwilling or unable to stick around.

A few tips to include during the interview process can help filter out possible job-hoppers:

What are your future goals? While every applicant will likely have a set answer to this question, it’s a good starting point for learning about his or her long-range goals. Dig a little deeper.  Find out why they’re interested in working for you. Ask what they hope to achieve one, three and five years down the line. Their answers – particularly if you press a little – will help indicate whether or not they’re a potential good fit (and whether they in fact have any genuine intention of staying with your company).

Get multiple letters of recommendation. What a job applicant’s references say in their letters of recommendations can often help weed out job-hoppers. If these letters aren’t consistent with what the candidate is telling you himself, there could be a problem.

Talk about the future with your business. Are you hiring someone with the expectation that the right person can move up in your company? Is there a future for a talented, ambitious employee?  Let the applicant know there’s a lot to learn by working in your company and that training opportunities abound. This can help fuel dedication and interest in the current opening.

Job candidates who accept what they see as a “dead-end” position aren’t likely to want to stick around for very long. It’s up to you to make very clear that you value hard workers who are ready and willing to make a solid commitment. When there’s a clear possibility for long-term growth and advancement, hopping to an uncertain future elsewhere is far less appealing.

Meador Staffing has the resources to help you find the right person for your job. Our temporary staffing, temp-to-hire and direct hire options offer customized staffing solutions that work for businesses in Houston, Austin and beyond.

So how do you go about standing out in a crowd? What habits or attributes are most important in gaining MVP status?

Healthy self-esteem. Excellent performers feel good about themselves – which is not the same thing as being arrogant about their talents and abilities. These things can’t always be measured, but ideally there’s a healthy combination of self-esteem, self-respect and self-confidence. You’re not going to be valuable to others if you don’t feel you have anything of value to share.

Find out where you stand. In most workplaces, you can learn more about your MVP status just by asking your boss. (Of course, this depends on having a healthy relationship in the first place.) If you demonstrate the willingness to listen to an objective critique (what are my strengths? what are my weaknesses?), chances are you’ll come away with a clear understanding of the value you currently bring to the organization and how you might change to offer more value in the months ahead.

Put in the time. How do people perceive your work ethic? They can’t tell just be watching you sit at your desk. But if you’re consistently the first one to show up in the morning and the last to leave at night, it gets noticed. This alone demonstrates that you take your job seriously and that you’re committed to seeing projects through, even if it takes you past normal working hours.

Come up with great ideas. It’s one thing to do the work you’re paid to do. It’s quite another if you come up with innovative suggestions for improving work-flow or a new way to satisfy customers that no one’s thought of before. Everyone who’s ever had a job has had insights into how to make things run better. Those who step forward and offer helpful ideas are valued. Those who complain and do nothing about it – well, their days may be numbered.

Share credit for work well-done. Nine times out of ten, a successful project or initiative isn’t the result of a solo effort. If your boss singles you out for praise, don’t hog the spotlight. Let your boss know that others on your project team really came through as well. Making other people look good doesn’t have to come at your expense. In fact, most people remember others who shared credit with them, and are likely to exhibit the same behavior in the future.

True MVPs don’t watch the clock and don’t skip corners. They’re excited and enthusiastic about what they do, and they’re committed to helping the business grow.

What do employers hope to uncover as a result of this process? The answer may vary from position to position, or company to company, but certain essential elements remain the same. These include:

• Verify basic information – Titles, professional degrees, dates of past employment, compensation, reason for leaving
• Past job performance – What sets this person apart from others in terms of prior job performance?
• Past achievements – Did the achievements listed on the resume result from individual or team efforts?
• The reference’s opinion - What are some of the individual’s strengths and weaknesses? How well did they manage their time? Would you hire this person again?

How do you go about obtaining this information? The reference check process should always start with the job candidate’s signature on a waiver granting you permission to check their employment history and to contact professional/personal references. If the individual declines to sign, you probably know all you need to know before moving on to other candidates.

Get multiple references (three at least) so you can assess consistency among their answers and to feel you’ve been thorough in your efforts. Types of references may include former supervisors, work peers and/or subordinates. The next step is to contact these people by telephone, rather than email. It’s best to hear about the job candidate in their own words and to be able to ask foll0w-up questions regarding specific conditions or circumstances. And, with each separate conversation, try to dig a bit deeper and learn more; don’t just ask the same questions three times or you’ll end up getting the same three answers.

Ask for – and contact – references who can discuss the individual’s past five years of work history. Anyone you speak with concerning time periods beyond that is unlikely to recall specifics or be able to offer the type of information you’re looking for. Also, depending on the job candidate’s age and experience level, anything beyond the past five years may not offer an accurate description of this person’s abilities and experience right now.

During your conversation, try to avoid “yes or no” questions. You want to learn as much as possible about the job candidate, so focus on open-ended questions that require a thoughtful and informative answer. In addition to the questions listed above, don’t neglect to ask, “Is there anything else I should know before I make an offer to this candidate?”

Questions not to ask: Anything to do with race, age, sex, religion, marital status or national origin. This information is protected by law and has nothing to do with the position within your business.

Reference checks are an integral part of the hiring process, both for what they can confirm about the job applicant and for additional information that can help you make an informed decision about whether or not to offer the job.

Nowhere is the first impression more important than on your first day at a new job. What you do, what you say, and the way you do these things will tell your new boss and co-workers a lot about you, so clearly you want to do things right. Here’s a checklist of how to prepare before stepping into the office and what to do once you get there.

Get rest, look good. The night before starting a new job is probably not the best time to go out on the town to celebrate. Instead, eat wisely and don’t drink caffeine late in the day. Get a good night’s sleep so you’re well-rested and alert in the morning.

What you choose to wear is important, but even more so is that you look neat and orderly – no chipped nails, unwashed hair, etc. If the company you’re about to work for has a dress code, be sure to find out what it is and follow it without question. In any case, always dress professionally. For women, this means no mini-skirts or dangling earrings. For men, a long-sleeved shirt and dress pants is the way to go.

Many employees get their photo IDs taken on the first day, so avoid wearing white or light-blue tops, loud prints and thick horizontal stripes.

Time and tools. Whatever happens, don’t be late on your first day! You can avoid this nightmare scenario by test-driving the route to work beforehand so you have a sense of how long the commute will take. (Even so, on the morning of the big day, leave some extra time in case you get stuck in traffic.) The same goes for your morning routines. Budget the time you need for getting ready so you don’t end up rushing into the office, which will impress no one.

If you’re bringing work-related items with you (laptop, supplies, tools), be sure they’re selected and ready to go the night before. The goal is to being able to walk out the door feeling relaxed, confident and ready for anything.

You’ve arrived on time, looking nice and feeling good about yourself. That’s smart, because there’s still a lot ahead of you.

Attitude is everything. Remember how you focused on being friendly and outgoing during your job interview? The same applies here, but even more so. Many of the people you meet today will be your co-workers (and possibly friends) for some time to come. If you’re an extrovert by nature, give it your all! If you’re shy, push yourself out of your comfort zone and make small talk. Ask questions about the workplace, about what others do on the job and–if they’re willing–a little about themselves.

What not to talk about? Stay away from office rumors and gossip. If not, you’ll quickly get a reputation you don’t want.

Become an expert. As part of your preparation, you should have researched your new employer online and found out all you can about the company. There may be time on the first day to learn more as well. Read the employee handbook. Look through old files on the computer system. Ask for samples of successful projects undertaken before you came. The more you know, the more questions you may have–which is a good way to get to know your boss.

This applies to your listening skills, too. The first day on the job is not the time to control conversations, interrupt others or point out that “this isn’t the way we did things where I used to work.” Today, you can ask questions and take notes, including the names of people you meet. Learn about company policies. Show your enthusiasm for your new job. And smile a lot!

Each new job is different, but certain rules stay the same. Arrive early and don’t run out the door at 5 o’clock. Your new employer has taken a chance by hiring you. Show them you’re worth it.

Learn more about how Meador Staffing’s career advisors can help assess your skills, craft your resume and determine which opportunities are best matched to your skills and goals.

Start by considering the open position you’re recruiting for. What are the features and benefits and who is best suited to fill the opening? When recruiting for an hourly position, the following features and benefits are generally most attractive:

*   Flexible shift
*   Potential for overtime
*   Good schedule for a person working more than one job

Many hourly positions pay relatively little and are often regarded as entry-level jobs. The work is usually task-oriented, meaning the employee does one or two or a few things throughout the working day, with a beginning and end to the tasks that can be measured as specific achievements. This limited scope of responsibility is ideal for some workers.

A salaried position, on the other hand, is more complex. It comes with additional demands as well as additional benefits. Make sure the person being considered for this opening understands that you, the employer, are looking at the new hire as a long-time investment. Features and benefits for the salaried position may include:

*   Retirement plan, health care plan, profit sharing
*   Additional compensation options such as bonuses

Again, keep in mind the importance of the position. Recruiting for a salaried employee will generally take longer, because you are investing more time and money in selecting the right person for the job. If it’s a managerial position, the ideal job candidate will have a proven track record of responsibility, accountability and maturity – more than an hourly position might require. And this person has to be comfortable knowing that, unlike an hourly employee, there’s not always a clearly defined “end” to the assigned tasks and responsibilities.

For both salaried and hourly new hires, it’s important to clearly define what the position entails and that, in the case of an hourly position, hours may be added or trimmed based on unforeseeable future conditions. This way, both employer and employee know what to expect going in – regardless of the position.