Virginia has a unique opportunity to help Veterans gain career employment. Our Commonwealth has one of the youngest Veterans population in the United States, and the fastest growing Veteran labor force in the United States. Thousands of new Veterans enter Virginia’s workforce each year, and that number is projected to rise in the coming ... [Continue Reading]
Getting ahead using LinkedIn
Many job seekers spend hours going through the most popular job hunting websites: Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed, Linkup, and Simply Hired, to name a few. Theses sites will fill your hours by listing tons of jobs that desperately need applications; however, there is one professional networking website that outshines the rest – LinkedIn. LinkedIn ... [Continue Reading]
Getting to work: May 10-16
Last week, Reliance Staffing helped 846 people find work. 47 candidates were placed in new positions: 16 in clerical, six in facilities, seven in warehousing, eight in hospitality, six in manufacturing, three in wholesale/retail, and one in the technical field. Additionally, one of our associates was permanently hired by a client! Check out our ... [Continue Reading]
Hampton Roads Unemployment Trends through February
The non-seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for February of this year ticked upward again in Hampton Roads to 5.6 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The rate when compared to last year is lower (6.1 percent in Feb. 2014). And, as has been the case the previous two years, the regional unemployment rate has increased the past ... [Continue Reading]
Making sense of the ASA Skills Gap Index
As staffing professionals, we are all aware that some jobs are more difficult to fill than others. Previously, we had to rely on our intuition to know these occupations; however, beginning late last year, the American Staffing Association, in partnership with Career Builder, released its new Skills Gap Index. The metric is an aid for those who ... [Continue Reading]
November Top Performers – Great Candidates Available For Hire
Banquet Server — ID #89992 (Peninsula) This applicant is a great banquet server that will add plenty of smiles and great customer service to any function. She not only brings with her years of experience, dedication and reliability, but also has earned a bachelor’s degree in human performance and wellness. She is able to carry large trays, always ... [Continue Reading]
Recruiting: Meet Some of Our Top Candidates
Needless to say, we stand behind all our associates. We put them all through a tough process before we assign them to a job: we check references, test for needed skills, interview them and make sure they can be punctual. So we’re proud of all of them. But there are always some candidates who have a unique combination of skills, abilities, ... [Continue Reading]
The Challenge of Finding (or Being) the Right Job Candidate
Today's post is by Margie Minnix, Placement Specialist in our Chesapeake office. How long will you have to search to get The One you are looking for? (You know, like Morpheus in The Matrix.) Talent acquisition is a trial-and-error game. Sometimes the most qualified candidate will walk right in ... and apply for a completely different job! They'll ... [Continue Reading]
When the Weather Outside Is Frightful
We're scheduled to get some snow today, and since we get that so rarely in this area, there's probably going to be some closings. However, we don't want to make any decisions for you about when to stay open and when to call it a (snow) day, so Reliance leaves all snow and inclement weather closings to you, our clients. If you've got some of our ... [Continue Reading]
High-Tech Hiring: Why Teleworking Can Work for You
This month, we'll be looking at hiring and managing the folks who make all your technology work and stay working: information technology, hardware and software experts. Many IT and technology-related jobs must be done on-site, such as your company's network maintenance, hardware installation and technical support. However, just as many IT jobs can ... [Continue Reading]
Marketing: Keeping Social Media in the Mix
Just as sales and marketing should work hand-in-hand, social media should be part of your marketing, rather than a separate endeavor with a completely different staff. Perhaps back in 2007, we could kid ourselves that this social media thing was just for college students and geeks. But for several years now, social media has become an important ... [Continue Reading]
Marketing: Direct Mail and Email
When you want to create a campaign comprising the 7 to 10 "touches" you want to give each targeted company, one topic that you're likely to encounter is whether to use direct mail or email to reach your audience. Of course, the ideal answer to the "either/or" question is "both." A comprehensive marketing campaign will include many different means ... [Continue Reading]
Engaging Potential Employees with Social Media
More and more companies are using social media for business. A recent CareerBuilder survey showed that, on average, 35% of employers use social media to promote their companies. Of those companies, 21% report using social media to recruit and research potential employees. The CareerBuilder survey also asked workers what they’d like to see on a ... [Continue Reading]