Tucson Jobing Community Blogs

To all you talented massage therapists out there...We are looking for some people who love what they do, enjoy working with people and who want to use their therapeutic skills. At Massage Envy, we don't do spa or other salon treatments. Our clients are mostly local and the greatest percentage are repeat customers. In our clinics you have a chance to build a real relationship with your clients, and experience the reward of seeing the results of your work. We hope to hear from you!

The bottom-line impact of having a healthy, balanced, and stable staff is clear.  Healthy people are more productive.  We get it.  The problem often lies in the execution.  As an HR professional, how do we develop a wellness program that's cost effective yet impactful?  Tough question.  SHRM-GT tackles this HR dlilemna at their next meeting.  Please join us for at the Arizona Inn on Tuesday July 8th for this great program presented by Mary Whaley and Nancy McMahon of Lovitt & Touche'.  RSVP early for this one.  SHRMGT programs sell out quickly.  

Not a SHRM-GT member?  Learn more about the great benefits of joining our local chapter by visiting SHRMGT on the web at www.shrmgt.org

According to the Department of Commerce, Arizona's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose by half a percent in May to 4.4% up from 3.9% in April.  Job loses are blamed partly on the continuing contraction in construction and real estate.  Losses in the government sector accounted for 2500 jobs, but this is attributed to the end of the school year.  These jobs will return in the fall. 

It's important to note that this rate is still considered full employment, although losses in certain sectors like construction and real estate have received much media attention, robust gains are continually being realized in other fields, particularly healthcare. 

By the way, lots of folks are swinging hammers on construction sites all over Tucson.  The challenge I hear most often is not "where is the business?, but rather, "where is the talent."  There is always a market for qualified people.         

Come see why Afni is the only Call Center with three locations in Tucson.  Because we build such lasting relationships with our clients, we are being asked to grow one of our existing projects and add yet another 100 employees!  Afni is adding to their After Hours Video Project.  Come assist customers with new, cutting edge, state-of-the-art broadband video services.  The best thing about this project are the hours and the bonuses.  If you are one who is looking for a second job or a schedule to work around school, this project is open during evening hours and weekends.  It's a great way to supplement your income or if you're looking for a new opportunity.

 

 

Martha I. Finney helps companies improve their performance by attracting, keeping and inspiring high-passion, high-performing talent. This posting is based on the principles from her new book, The Truth About Getting the Best From People . For the full collection of her extended blogs, including, "Why I Love HR,” visit www.hrjourneys.blogspot.com. Contact her at martha@marthafinney.com 

Unless you’re one of those people who enjoy beating their heads against a wall, it’s rarely any fun to be in the job market. But if you’re looking for a job in the leadership levels, it’s even worse. Reason: Chances are almost 50/50 that you’ll be looking for another job before the year is out.  For some reason, new hires in leadership roles have an abysmal success record. And, even though the cost of recruiting, hiring, losing people of your level  – and starting the cycle all over again – is the most expensive of all the open positions, employers seem to take this hard knock as a cost of doing business. 

What a terrible waste of money, resources, precious time for all concerned.  Especially you, if you’re the one out on the street in a few months’ time.  The good news is that the power is in your hands. You can say, “This cycle of frustration stops with me.”  But that means that you have to take control of the interview (hey! Your first leadership assignment in this organization) and be willing to be the one to decide whether you might not be the best culture match (hey! Your second leadership assignment in this organization).

Here’s the problem: Even though companies are becoming increasingly aware of the real importance and impact their culture and values have on engaging the discretionary effort of all their employees, for most companies that awareness isn’t showing up in the kind of leaders they hire from the outside. When it comes to hiring people leaders, employers can be like fish. They’ll leap out of the water for anything bright and shiny, without first taking into very serious consideration what lurks between the feathers and twirly, swirly, glittering things. For fish, of course, the bad news is that there’s usually a sharp hook buried inside all that attraction. But for employers, they don’t discover that buried inside that bright and shiny resume is a set of behaviors that could destroy their carefully cultivated culture. 

I’m not implying, of course, that you’ve got a sharp hook imbedded in your resume or personality, but let’s face it, we’ve all got hooks – a branded story of who we are, what we can offer the employer, our set of leadership beliefs, the market performance of our previous employer while we were at the helm.  The problem is that if you are luring the wrong employers, there’s going to be a lot of pain, and actually you’re going to be among the 40%+ of new management candidates who lose their jobs before they’ve really had the chance to prove themselves.

I’m torturing this metaphor; I guess it’s time to get on with my point.

The more successful you were at your previous company or the greater the cachet of your company (especially as regards its reputation for an engaged culture), the greater the likelihood that you’re going to land in a new job that could make you miserable.  Like it or not, your new employer isn’t just hiring you, they’re hiring where you’ve been.  If you’ve been with a successful company that performed supremely in your marketplace and enjoyed a cadre of over-the-top dedicated employees, your new employer is going to want to have some of that mojo. And, because you’ve seen it first-hand and from within, they reason, you’re just the one to give it to them.  They’re so invested in asking the questions that will result in a job offer and acceptance that they tend to avoid those questions that could reveal you to be a bad culture fit.  Or, more to the point, the company is a bad culture fit for you.

You’ve got to do that piece of the dirty work. Sorry to have to break it to you, but that’s just the way it is. The truth will come out eventually, and believe me, you’re being back out on the street is going to be a lot more painful for you than it will be for them.

During the job interview itself, go deep into questions about the company culture. This is the first place where a big mismatch can be revealed. For instance, it’s not enough to simply know what the company’s values are. (You can find them on their website and after a while they all look the same…integrity; service; servant leadership, performance; collegial; collaborative; people-first…they very quickly appear to be the workplace versions of personal ads. Replace them with “candlelight dinners,” “puppies,” “walks on the beach,” and you’ll see what I mean.)

The trick is to ask your interviewers how those values have been demonstrated by decisions and choices in recent years. If the company really takes its values seriously, your interviewers will have plenty of stories at their fingertips. A few good questions to ask, for instance, are:

1.       Can you tell me of a time when you hired a star candidate who turned out to be a culture mismatch (if you’re really brave, say, “toxic manager”)?  How did you handle that situation?

2.       Can you think of a time when you were able to save a new hire who got off on the wrong foot culturally? What happened with that person?  Can I talk with him or her?

3.       Do you have any mentorship or culturalization onboarding programs in place, so I can be sure to hit the ground running?

4.       What exactly does servant leadership look like here in terms of behaviors and expectations? Could you introduce me to someone who is known to represent the best leadership qualities that work in this culture?

Sure. You’ll take your interviewers by surprise with these questions (unless they’ve read this blog as well…in which case they’ll recognize immediately how brilliant you are!).  Most interviewers are accustomed to asking behavioral interview questions, not having to answer them.  If they draw a blank on these questions, and can’t tell you stories to support their cultural ideals, that’s your first big sign that there could be a culture mismatch here. And that you would get zero support while trying to integrate yourself into your new team.

But others will be so relieved to discover that you recognize the importance of a culture fit for managers, that – assuming everything else is in place – they’ll be falling all over themselves to hand you the keys to the 60% Club. That’s the club you’ll want to join. There’s staying power there.

A special note from Martha:  If you’re a manager, your company is counting on you to be an engaging leader. But what exactly does that mean? And how do you do engagement? Just because you’re brilliant at your technical skills, that doesn’t mean that you’re a natural at people skills. New managers need a book that can help them figure it out in simple, straightforward ideas.

That’s why I wrote The Truth About Getting the Best From People. It’s a book made up of 49 short, simple truths designed to help new managers understand how their beliefs and behaviors directly impact their employees’ passion factor on the job.

Click on the title and check it out! I hope you’ll enjoy it!

For more than 5 years the Jobing.com team has busted its collective back to make sure that our clients have the best possible Career Expo experience.  We understand that attending our event is an investment, and we want to help you maximize your return.  I put together a few tips to help get the most out of your time at Career Expo, which, as you know, is Wednesday, August 13th from noon-5:00pm at the TCC. 

1.  Bring your best and brightest.  It's going to be a busy day.  In fact, we hope that you're exhausted by the end!  You'll need some back-ups, so my suggestion is to bring a couple of rockstars from your team to help you out.  Do you have a superstar salesperson?  Do you have an employee who began in an entry level spot and worked his way into management?  These success stories are a great way to build your employment brand.

2.  Be Comfy.  It's OK to wear business casual clothing to the expo.  If you have company polos, now's the time to rock those bad boys.  Ladies, consider wearing flats.  My wife is a Jobing.com client who attends all our events and she swears by flats.  She also mentioned something called a "kitten heel", but I don't know what that is.  Gel insoles seem to help too.  What's more, we can't afford you to send you to the chiropractor after it's all over. 

3.  Stay organized.  When you meet an interesting candidate, make notes on their resume and double check to make sure that you have their correct contact info.  You'll meet many people on Expo day and you'll want to keep them all straight.   

4.  Have fun.  It may have been a while since you were a candidate, but you should never forget that feeling.  Candidates have butterflies in their stomachs so light up that 1000 watt smile, move the table out of the way, and make them feel at home.  You'll make real connections with people.  

5.  Get some rest the night before.  You'll be "on" for 5 hours, which is a workout.  Get some sleep the night before so you can bring your "A" game. 

"Creating an Exceptional Experience for Each Person, Each Day." This is the mission statement of Tucson Federal Credit Union (TFCU), and it applies to both our members and our employees. The outcome is not only happy members, but happy employees as well.

Below are some employees’ testimonials:

 

“The feeling of being a part of the “TFCU” team was more like being welcomed into an extended family than just starting a job. I look forward to coming to work.” - Christy, 6 months with TFCU   

“I’ve truly enjoyed my time at TFCU so far. On my first day, when I saw the signs that had our names and departments, it made me feel welcome and I still feel that way.” - Robert, 6 months with TFCU

“I really enjoy working here. I enjoy the people and all the learning involved.” -Leslie, 3 months with TFCU

“I love the job, the members, and the people I work with.” - Jennifer, 6 months with TFCU

To see what positions are available, please go to www.tucsonfcu.com under About TFCU click on careers.

Tucson Job Seekers:

Are you ready to kick your career up about 10 notches???  I hope so, because Jobing.com Career Expo is returning to the Tucson Convention Center on Wednesday August 27th.  Connect face-to-face with more than 125 of the finest companies in Tucson.  Some of these companies are interviewing and hiring right on the spot, so you have to be ready to rock.  I'll give you all the info you need to make the most of this phenomenal opportunity, so just stay tuned to Jobing.com.  If you have questions, just email me at doug.mayes@jobing.com.  See you at Career Expo!  

Jobing.com Career ExpoWednesday, August 27th
12:00pm-5:00pm
Tucson Convention Center