🎄It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like I Need a New Job!🎄

Contemplating a new job can leave you anxious and disheartened. It’s not something I think any of us are excited to do. It’s time consuming and a little intimidating; however, it is sometimes a must. If you’re wondering whether you’re in that boat or not, here are some key signs you need to start updating that resume:

1. You’re getting passed over for promotions by less qualified peers. Now if you’re that millennial thinking you need to be promoted to manager after only being there for 6 months, slow your roll. I’m talking about promotions that you are qualified for and deserving of. If you’ve asked to be considered for promotions that you know are a logical progression of your skills and abilities but they keep passing over you, it might be time to start looking elsewhere. Especially if they never give you a true reason as to why they won’t consider you. A healthy and blossoming work environment will see your value, your hard work, and find joy in promoting you to a well-deserved role.
2. You haven’t been given a raise or merit increase in over 18 months. This kind of falls into  the same philosophy as above. Many companies give at least a 3% raise annually to match inflation and honor your loyalty. Managers can see the hard work you’re making for the company. If you’re not receiving at least a cost of living increase, you need to start questioning whether you are part of a company that will allow you to grow professionally and financially. A healthy work environment and management team will recognize your hard work and want to reward you for it.
3. Your company is hanging by a thread. One of the reasons you might not be receiving those annual increases could be because the company can’t afford it! If you’re being called by your vendors continuously for unpaid invoices, that’s a bad sign.
4. Turnover is high. Do you have a new co-worker every 6 months? Is your manager doing anything to stop the bleeding? Unfortunately, high turnover is a reflection on company’s management and it’s not a pretty one. If this is the case where you work, it’s time to start looking.
5. You notice the company is downsizing. Downsizing can happen for numerous reasons in a company: poor economic conditions, cost reduction, consolidation, outsourcing, etc. This doesn’t necessarily mean you are going to be included in layoffs, but it’s definitely a good idea to start updating your resume just in case.
6. You’re being asked to do unethical tasks. This one is an obvious sign. You never want to be asked to do things that go against your moral values or put you in risk of breaking the law.
7. You’re thinking about your lunch break before you even go into work. Do you dread Sunday nights and look forward to Friday at 5 every single week? As a millennial myself, I feel like I must call out my peers and mention it does take a while to find what you’re passionate about  and what you truly enjoy in life. Your first job out of college is not going to be your dream job. And you might not enjoy every second of every day you’re at work. That’s just a part of life.  That being said, if you’ve been at your company for at least a year and you dread work every single day, it’s time to turn on those alerts on the job boards.

Looking for a new job can be frightening, but sometimes necessary for the well-being of you and your career. If you have any other signs I didn’t mention, share them below! 

Written by: Shawn Kinard

Shawn is the Recruiting and Branding Specialist at Godshall. She has been at Godshall for over 5 years now. She graduated from Anderson University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Resource Management. She enjoys biking on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, hot yoga, and trying new recipes when she’s not in the office.

When Dress Isn’t Your Strongest Suit

Let me start by admitting that I’m not particularly stylish. In fact, my mom still picks out a lot of my clothes – a fact I realize is moderately embarrassing. But with or without a natural eye for fashion, your wardrobe is much more than just fabric and zippers. It’s an essential component of your personal brand. The tailored suits and dresses Alicia Florrick (Juliana Marguiles) and Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) don for The Good Wife and Suits are my personal muses. They miraculously exude both power and poise. But, cultivating that kind of closet can be a herculean task without the assistance of stylists and mega-budgets.

Don’t fret, there’s hope for us yet.

The first step in curating a killer wardrobe is deciding who you are and how you want to be perceived. There are no right or wrong answers. Your wardrobe gives people a hint about who you are before you even say a word. As Kanye West posits in Estelle’s American Boy, “Before he speak his suit bespoke.” Ah, the poetry. An easy way to clarify your image is to think of a celebrity you admire and observe their fashion choices. They have a professional doing it for them behind the scenes, so mooch off that a bit. Me? The Chanel and St. John suits from my TV fashion idols don’t really make sense for me or my budget, but the crisp clean lines with architectural details do.

No matter what image you’re portraying, it always looks better when it fits properly. As a six-foot-tall woman, I’m hypersensitive to fit because I can effortlessly channel Oliver Twist in most standard clothing. There are a few things to always check before you buy/wear something. For pants, make sure the length is appropriate for the type of pant and the shoe you’re wearing. (Check out this guide for easy answers and pictures here.) For both skirts and blouses, bend over and see what happens. If anything is compromised, it’s too short or too low-cut. Clothing needs to be moderately functional because even if you love something, you’ll never feel comfortable or confident if you’re exposed. Lastly, turn around. Sometimes it’s what we don’t see that really bites us in the butt…

The final step in dressing like a boss is to actually dress like your boss. More formal clothing changes the way your brain works according to a study in the journal Social Psychological & Personality Science. Researchers found that not only did dressing snazzy improve cognitive thinking, it made people feel better. If “formal” doesn’t align with your brand, pair your graphic tee with some clean sneaks and dark jeans. Same difference.

I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, but your clothes tell a story. Make sure it’s the tale you want to be told.

Written by: Hannah Barfield Spellmeyer

Hannah Barfield Spellmeyer  spends her days matching exceptional candidates to their dream jobs at Godshall Professional Recruiting. A writer and speaker, Hannah provides witty and insightful perspectives on talent acquisition, sales, and personal development. She’s always on LinkedIn, so reach out anytime.

You can read more of Hannah’s blogs at https://www.linkedin.com/today/author/hannahbarfield.

4 Practical Tips To Help Master Your Next Phone Interview!

In a world of job portals and hiring black holes, just getting an interview can feel like an impossible task. I’ve been there. Now that I’ve seen the other side of the curtain, I can disclose in our defense that HR departments and recruiters are parsing through hundreds of resumes on a regular basis. Those are intimidating odds where every interaction counts.

Phone interviews can be used to speak with candidates who are geographically unavailable, but more often than not they are merely the first hurdle in a hiring process. Phone screens allow employers to get a brief look into the personality and skill set a candidate brings to the table without blocking key decision-makers’ schedules, reserving conference rooms, and struggling through an hour-long interview that’s clearly not a fit. Phone interviews also allow employers to evaluate a larger number of candidates before narrowing down the talent pool.

If all goes well, you’ll get an interview with the hiring manager and team. If the phone call is botched, you’ll go back to canvasing LinkedIn and Indeed. Follow the tips below to dial-up success.

1. Set the scene. A corner booth at a busy Starbucks is no place to have a phone interview. It’s loud. It’s distracting. And your interviewer won’t think you respect their time. Find a quiet place that allows you to hear and be heard.

Eliminate any and all distractions including cell phone notifications, televisions, pets, children, and computers. Some experts recommend keeping a laptop open in case you need to quickly research something. This is a terrible idea. Interviewers can hear you typing and there is no feasible way you can continue a conversation while Googling the answer to the last question.

2. Talk the talk. During a phone interview, you and the other caller obviously aren’t able to read non-verbal cues. One of the most common mistakes candidates make during phone interviews is demonstrating very poor listening skills. Elaborate on all of your great experience, but make sure you’re leaving enough time for the interviewer to provide insight or follow-up questions.

Don’t forget that we’re relying solely on verbal communication. You must also use proper grammar and pronunciation.

3. Don’t forget your body language. We can’t see you, but your non-verbal cues do influence how you sound. First, sit up straight. You should not conduct a phone interview on an overstuffed couch or comfy bed. Sitting at a table or desk will prevent you from sounding groggy.

Dress professionally. If you’re wearing your jammies, you’re definitely not going to feel confident and prepared.

Most importantly, smile. It changes the inflection in your voice and interviewers can hear the difference.

4. Use a cheat sheet. Your interviewer can hear you typing on a laptop, but we surely cannot discern your pencil jotting notes. Have your resume and a blank sheet of paper available in order to take notes and write down questions along the way.

 

A phone interview is not the time to be nonchalant about your preparation. It can be even more difficult to impress someone without shaking their hand and looking them in the eye. Take a little effort with the suggestions above and you’ll have no problem standing out from the crowd – in a good way.

 

Written by: Hannah Spellmeyer

 

 

Just a Receptionist

Often I hear the words “just” and “receptionist” in the same phrase. Every time I hear this, it truly hurts. I’ve heard it from employers and I’ve even heard it from receptionists. Why is this crucial position for any company valued so lowly? Probably because people think it’s an easy job. Years ago on Administrative Professional’s Day, our staff filled in at the front desk in shifts so that our admins could have a nice lunch out of the office. I think it’s fair to say that it opened our staff’s eyes to just how hard a receptionist works. Imagine the phone ringing off the hook, a lobby full of people staring at you, your Outlook inbox overflowing with emails, and you’re supposed to keep a smile on your face and in your voice for eight hours straight, five days a week. Sounds impossible, right?

Your receptionist is often the first person your customers interact with. How much is a first impression worth to you as a business owner? In Greenville, receptionists make $10-$15 an hour and are often the least compensated in the company they work for. We’ve all had a bad experience talking with someone on the phone or walking into a business for the first time. Competition in any industry is so high, if the receptionist is rude, unhelpful, or just sounds bored, what is there to stop the customer from picking up the phone and calling the next company in your industry to try to place an order? Communication skills matter. In fact, as someone who talks on the phone and speaks with people in person all day, I can tell you that they matter a lot. First impressions count and you get what you pay for–these are generalizations for a reason. Are you as a business owner making the connection that this role is more than crucial to your company’s success?

So as an employer what do you need to be looking for when hiring a new front desk person? A top-notch receptionist needs to love interacting with people—both over the phone and in person. They must have a natural affinity for helping people and they must understand that their role is crucial for any company’s success. If you as an employer don’t take the position seriously, with your voice and with your actions, then how can you expect that of the person you’ve hired? The best receptionists know that they have to be “on” at all times. In the world of social media reviews galore, the #1 interactor with customers, your receptionist, needs to make it look easy—no one should have the slightest idea that their inbox is blowing up or that they’ve already answered 50 phone calls and it’s only 9 a.m. When I’m coaching my employees in support roles, I often make the point that if you show you know what you’re doing and you are polite and helpful, the customer will be at ease. Find a calm person with the proper administration skills who truly enjoys interacting with people, treat her/him as if they light up your office, and you can’t lose.

 

Besides managing the best support team in the Upstate, Karen enjoys the daily adventures of her dog Maddie and her cat Guillermo J. Gosling.  She is a 13 year veteran with Godshall Professional Recruiting and Staffing where she has served in a variety of roles including recruiting, medical credentialing, and management.