Berks & Beyond Blog

Help your staffing service help you.

Continuous improvement should be a goal of any business relationship – your relationship with your staffing provider is no exception.  Help your staffing firm deliver better results by providing them with frequent, measurable feedback.  By letting them know what they’re doing right, as well as how they can improve, you can make your staffing function even more efficient and cost-effective.

Ask internal staff who supervise temporary employees to periodically fill out a simple report card for your staffing service.  It can evaluate quality of fills, ease of working with the staffing specialist, timeliness of service, etc.  Then, share the feedback with your staffing provider.  They will use the information to identify opportunities for improvement, to further customize the service they deliver, and to make your job as easy as possible.

Here are a few sample questions to consider:

The Staffing Firm

1. How well does the staffing firm demonstrate an understanding of your business?
2. How well does the staffing firm meet your expectations?
3. How would you rate the staffing firm’s service, as compared to other services you’ve used?
4. How would you rate your staffing service representative?

The Employees

1. How well do the employees fit the assignments?
2. How would you rate the employees’ attitudes toward their work?
3. How punctual are the employees?
4. How prepared are the employees (i.e., how quickly do they get to work)?

How well are we doing?

At Berks & Beyond, we pride ourselves on the quality of both our service and our employees.  We want to know what we’re doing right and where we can improve.  Please contact us with your feedback, so we can deliver even better results for your organization.

The following top candidates are highly skilled, motivated and ready to go to work for you:

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Candidate Initials:  P. M.

Skills and Experience:  With over 20 years of experience in the food industry, this articulate, knowledgeable professional has documented success with increasing productivity, improving process management, managing labor costs and increasing sales.  Well-versed in occupational safety and worker’s compensation; willing to do whatever it takes to run plant operations more efficiently.

Certifications:  Coaching lift truck operators; Advanced Safety from the National Safety Council; OSHA and others.

Desired Pay:  $40,000/yr.

To learn more about this candidate, please contact Allison in our Reading office at Allison@berksandbeyond.com or call 610.376.9675.

CUSTOMER SERVICE PROFESSIONAL 

Candidate Initials:  J. O.

Skills and Experience:  Proven customer service abilities include:  handling inbound and outbound calls; accurately defining client problems; developing solutions with satisfactory response times.  Was responsible for the advancement of client-partner relationships, by providing clients with current data on all new promotional products to ensure sales growth and develop stronger business plans.  Strong computer skills.

Education/Licensing:  LCCC – Liberal Arts; Pasadena City College – Liberal Arts / Business; Pennsylvania State License for Accident & Health.

Desired Pay:  $11/hr.

To learn more about this candidate, please contact Katie in our Allentown office at Katie@berksandbeyond.com or call 610.435.9270.

An effective mentoring program provides a wide range of business benefits:

• Facilitated onboarding.  Mentoring speeds up the process of bringing on new hires as well as redeploying existing employees into new lines of work.
• Increased employee satisfaction and retention.  Research has shown that employees who participate in mentoring programs have higher job satisfaction and reduced turnover.
• Improved employee productivity.  When employees are mentored, they can get answers to common problems quickly – without wasting time on rediscovering or re-inventing solutions.
• Effective career growth / succession planning.  Mentoring programs help employees reach their full career potential, grooming them to fill key roles as part of an organization’s succession plan.
• Knowledge management and retention.  Mentoring promotes effective knowledge sharing, to reduce the risk of losing critical skills and knowledge when employees leave.

Obviously, mentors can play an important role in ensuring your company’s continued success.  But while identifying a budding protégé may be straightforward, identifying a potential mentor can be more complex.  Whether that person is you, one of your managers, or an outside expert, a mentor should possess the following professional and personal attributes:

1. Senior-level business experience.  To provide guidance, the expert should have several years experience working in senior corporate positions.  At a minimum, the expert should be a professional peer to the protégé.
2. Interpersonal and political “know-how.”  The expert ought to be proficient in handling all sorts of complex interpersonal dynamics within the context of office politics.  To be an effective trainer, the expert must be able to help the protégé navigate the tricky political waters of his organization.
3. Integrity and confidentiality.  Professional development involves discussing high-level, strategic, off-the-record information, as well as sensitive personal issues.  Honesty and discretion are essential when broaching these confidential topics.
4. Organizational and personal insight.  The expert must have an in-depth understanding of the company’s objectives, needs and hierarchy.  Equally, he must also appreciate the protégé’s strengths, weaknesses and goals.  To achieve professional development goals, the trainer must align both the company’s and the protégé’s interests.
5. Flexibility and ingenuity.  When egos, ambitions and agendas collide, sparks fly.  What works for an organization one day may be thrown out the window the next.  An expert trainer must be able to shift gears, develop solutions on the fly, throw out tactics that prove ineffective and come up with new ones – fast.  He must be comfortable dealing with uncertainty to navigate a corporate environment rife with change.

Need a promising protégé?  Looking for your next mentor? Contact us today.  As a leading Lehigh Valley staffing service, Berks and Beyond can provide the talented individuals your organization needs.

Leading Staffing Firm Wins Best of Wyomissing Award for Second Straight Year

Reading, PA – Berks and Beyond Employment Services, Inc. has done it again.  For the second consecutive year, the leading Central and Southern Pennsylvania staffing firm has been selected for the 2010 Best of Wyomissing Award in the Employment Training Service category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA “Best of Local Business” Award Program shines a spotlight on local businesses nationwide that have achieved exceptional marketing success within their respective communities and business categories.  Berks and Beyond has once again been recognized as a company that enhances the positive image of small businesses through its service to customers and the local community.

Winning in back-to-back years is a rare accomplishment.  With only 1.4% (1 in 70) of 2010 recipients qualifying for the Award two times, Berks and Beyond has become part of an elite group.

“We are very excited to accept this award,” states Chris Garner, President of Berks and Beyond Employment Services, Inc.  “This could not have been accomplished if we didn’t strive to have excellent relationships with both our customers and associates.  Thanks for everyone’s support in making this second win possible.”

Have you ever noticed that some people always seem to end up climbing the career ladder faster than everyone else?  While it could be because Mom or Dad is the boss, more than likely it’s because they work hard and follow these five tips:

• Always display a positive attitude.
  Your attitude can be a powerful self-fulfilling prophecy.  If you have a negative attitude, 9 times out of 10 you will fail.  But, if you bring a positive attitude and display confidence, strength, and determination, you WILL be successful.
• Stay educated.
  The best way to ensure success is to stay one step ahead. Research your industry. Know what’s happening and what the experts say will happen. Look for trends. When you find them, start to train yourself in these areas. Knowledge is power.
• Create a personal elevator pitch.
  First impressions mean a lot.  If you only had 30 seconds to convince someone you were a hard-worker and a leader, what would you say and do?  Plan this ahead of time; you never know when it will be needed.
• Learn to network.
  Unfortunately sometimes it’s not what you know, but who you know (at least to begin with).  Learn to network. You can even network within your own company. Invite co-workers to lunch. Take the time to walk by someone’s office to say hello. And actively seek out opportunities to network outside of work by joining organizations, groups, etc.  You start by seeking out your local chamber of commerce to learn of upcoming events.
• Be open to new opportunities.
  Read trade publications. Listen to people in your network.  When a new opportunity presents itself, don’t sit back and wait.  Take the initiative to inquire more–and don’t be shy!

And speaking of new opportunities, if you’re in the market for a new job or just curious about what is out there, please call us today.  As a leading Lehigh Valley employment agency, we offer a variety of excellent jobs.

Tips for Successful Salary Negotiations

Congratulations!  You’ve found a superstar with the ideal skills, personality and experience for the position.

But you still have one hurdle to overcome – salary negotiations.  Landing the cream of the crop without blowing your personnel budget can be tricky.  To help, here is a quick list of strategies for negotiating salary with high performers:

1. Have the right mindset.  Negotiation is a process, not a war.  At all costs, avoid the pitfalls of the “us vs. him/her” mentality.  Instead, enter the salary negotiation process open-minded, with the ultimate goal of hiring the best possible candidate for your company.
2. Do your homework.  Rest assured your candidate will have done his.  Before heading into negotiations, prepare yourself by:  reviewing the candidate’s salary history; consulting relevant salary surveys; knowing what your competitors are paying; understanding current market and economic conditions; factoring in cost-of-living differences; and developing a comprehensive compensation package.
3. Use a negotiating point person.  In multiple interview situations, a candidate may ask salary questions of more than one interviewer.  Be prepared.  Prevent potentially catastrophic communication errors by designating a single person to discuss and negotiate salary with a candidate.
4. Never lowball a candidate if there is a good fit.  A top candidate knows what he’s/she’s worth.  If you lowball him/her in an attempt to save a few dollars, he/she will likely be insulted and reject the offer without even countering.
5. Sell the intangibles.  Identify a candidate’s “hot buttons” – intangibles which are just as important to him/her as money.  Leverage these intangibles (e.g. company culture, stability, challenging work, opportunity for advancement, flexible hours, etc.) to sweeten the deal when your pay range is maxed out.
6. Be up-front if you can’t negotiate.  If your initial offer is not negotiable (because of budgetary or other constraints), tell the candidate when making the offer.  If possible, provide an explanation.  The candidate will understand that your base salary offer is firm, and will then move on to negotiating other parts of the compensation package.

Work with Berks & Beyond Employment Services.  Avoid the pitfalls of salary negotiations by using our direct hire staffing services.  We can handle every step of the process from initial screening through salary negotiations, to ensure you land a top performer without breaking the bank.

When used strategically, temporary staffing can improve productivity, increase capacity to handle spikes in workload, and provide access to specialized skill sets – all without increasing your fixed expenses.

To help ensure your temporary staff is as efficient and productive as possible, be sure to follow these 5 key steps:

Step #1: Determine the type of person you need and define required skills.
Meet with managers and those who will be working with the temporary employee to determine which skills are ideal for the position you are trying to fill.  Examine top performers you already have on staff to determine what skills have made them successful.  And finally, work closely with your staffing agency and provide as much detail as possible.

Step #2: Work with an experienced staffing agency.
Find an agency that has experience in your industry.  Not only will an experienced staffing agency know where to look to find the right person, but they will also be able to help you determine things like an appropriate pay rate for a particular position.

Step #3: Provide a solid orientation and training program.
Include information such as working hours, breaks and lunch schedules, any safety regulations or company rules, and contact information for direct supervisors.  You may also want to assign a core staff member or supervisor to help orient the temporary employee.  Also, find out what type of training and orientation your staffing agency can provide.  Good staffing agencies will offer guidance on how to best bring temporary employees up to speed so they can hit the ground running–and they may even conduct initial training and orientation for you.

Step #4: Communicate clearly and openly.
Make sure your temporary employees understand what’s expected from them.  Encourage employees to ask questions and make sure they know to whom those questions should be directed.

Step #5: Check in regularly.
Be sure to take a minute or two at several points throughout the first day to check in and gauge progress.  Set specific days/times you plan to check in throughout the week to answer any questions and monitor progress.

Bringing a temporary employee on board at your company can offer a host of benefits – as long as that employee is managed properly.  And from our experience, hard-working and properly managed temporary employees often become leading candidates for full-time openings.

If you’re interested in hiring temporary employees or just want to learn more about how temporary employees can help your company, contact Berks & Beyond today.  As a leading Central and Southern Pennsylvania staffing firm, we can deliver the flexible staff you need without increasing your permanent workforce.

Demand drives profit.  Cost-containment drives profit.  Efficient processes drive profit.

But can temporaries drive profits?

Absolutely.  By deploying the right staffing strategy, you can greatly enhance your ability to control costs, improve productivity and manage risk.

Need proof?  If so, you’ll appreciate the following case study of a business that discovered the profitable benefits of strategic temporary staffing:

CASE STUDY:  Enacting New Plans

The Challenge:  A public transportation department decided to expand service offerings by building a new trade and transit center.  They needed to hire ten additional employees, ranging from bus operators, to service reps, to a project manager – all under a tight budget, and without the help of a human resources department.

The Solution:  The transportation department relied on a staffing service to source candidates, using a combination of advertising and database searches.  To fill the positions quickly – without sacrificing quality – they used several service options, including temporary hires, temp-to-direct options and direct placement.  The staffing firm also developed specialized application forms to gather critical records such as background check releases and drug screen consent forms.

The Results:  Thanks to this staffing services’ recruiting capabilities, the transportation department reviewed at least three qulified candidates for each position.  And using their hiring system, all of the positions were filled on-time and within budget.

By outsourcing the recruiting process and using temporary and temp-to-hire services, the department shifted and reduced overhead expenses.  In doing so, they enjoyed significant cost savings.

Productivity also improved.  Because staffing specialists focused on recruiting and hiring, the department’s employees could concentrate on core job concerns.

Finally, the transportation department minimized their exposure to hiring risks.  By taking advantage of temp-to-hire services, the department was able to try out potential employees on the job before extending an offer for employment – thereby reducing their chances of making bad hiring decisions.  Legal exposure was also reduced, because the service followed non-discriminatory hiring practices for direct hires and assumed all tax and reporting requirements for temporary employees.

Berks & Beyond Can Help Drive Your Profits

With a full complement of staffing service options, Berks & Beyond Employment Services can customize a staffing plan that will enhance your company’s profitability.  Call us today to learn how.

Sure, it’s easy for us to tell you that Berks & Beyond is a great employer to work for.  That we listen to our candidates’ needs.  That we match them with rewarding opportunities at the area’s best employers.

But don’t just take our word for it.  Here are what some of our current employees have to say about their experiences with Berks & Beyond:

“As a first time user of Berks and Beyond Employment Services, I didn’t know what to expect!  Now that I have one of the best jobs in the valley, I wouldn’t choose any other staffing agency!  They have truly inspired my life, and have provided me a million and one opportunities to succeed!  Hands down, Berks & Beyond is the BEST employment agency in the Lehigh Valley!”
 
–Joyelle M. Brickhouse

“I would recommend Berks & Beyond to anyone I know who is seeking employment.  My experience working with Berks & Beyond has been great.  I had been laid off and searching work for awhile when a friend recommended B&B. I’m very glad I took their suggestion!  Everyone I have met in the office has been polite and helpful, especially Ms. Bonnetta Martin.

When I met with Bonnetta, she really took time to find out what my qualifications were, what my interests were, and she even assisted me in a much needed re-vamp of my resume to something more attractive to prospective employers.  It was clear to me by her courtesy and attention to detail that helping each person that steps into her office is important to her.  She was able to match me up with a great new job that was a good fit for me at a very stable company.  Working with Berks & Beyond has set me on the right path for success.  Thanks to Bonnetta and Berks & Beyond!”

–Kathy Wolf

“I can’t say enough about the Berks & Beyond team.  The staff is incredibly friendly, helpful and diligent.  They took the time to find me a position that not only meets my needs, but is highly enjoyable and fulfilling as well.  No more Sunday evening blahs for me – now I look forward to the work week and seeing what new challenges lay ahead!  Thank you, Berks & Beyond, for making me another one of your many success stories!”

–Deidra Mohn

“I was giving up looking for a job when a friend told me to go to Berks & Beyond, so I gave it one last chance and I was so glad I did.  They did not care about my age.  I was given a job and I love it.  I did not have to interview several times to get a job.  I would recommend Berks & Beyond to anyone looking for work.  The staff works with you if problems occur.  They answer your questions and concerns.  Berks & Beyond’s staff has made me very happy.  Thank you.”

–Nancy Kocher

Ready to Write Your Own Success Story?

Give us a try.  We’d like to match your skills, experience and interests with the perfect employment opportunity.  Visit our web site for more information, or contact a recruiter today.

Any staffing service can claim they’re the best, or that they’ll find you the right job opportunity.  But we’re not just “any staffing service.”  So, we thought we’d go straight to the source – and show you what our employees have to say about their experiences with Berks & Beyond:

Pottstown

“Berks and Beyond Employment Service is a service that is very personable, very in-tune with what the employee is looking for, very thorough and on-the-ball.  I tried other agencies and they promised to deliver, but they did nothing.  I give B&B an excellent rating and I would refer them to anyone.”
- Steven Brynan

Allentown

“I started working with Berks & Beyond in March 2009.  Since that time they have helped me obtain several quality positions.  The staff is always friendly and very helpful.  They have always answered any questions I have had and most of all they have kept me working!  I would recommend Berks & Beyond to anyone looking for work!”
- Stephen Gower

Reading

“After being laid-off from my job, I was searching and searching for a job.  I went into Berks & Beyond and they found me a job so quickly, I wished I had gone to them sooner!  Everyone is extremely nice and very willing to help, and I couldn’t ask for a better agency.  I would recommend Berks & Beyond to anyone who does not have a job.  They helped me out tremendously, and they can definitely help you out, too!”
- Christina Boyer

York

“I would just like to thank Berks & Beyond for the wonderful opportunity of being able to maintain a job in the workforce today.  As we are all aware of the economy today, it is not very good; and many well-meaning people are out of work.  I would especially like to thanks Ms. Bonitta Martin for her diligence in keeping me afloat with satisfying, consistent work.”
- Felisha Short

Are you looking for a rewarding work opportunities with the area’s leading employers?  Just click here  to learn more about what Berks and Beyond can do for you.