Open Jobs Reminder!

Welcome back, everyone! If you’ve been tuning in for a few months now, it’s no doubt that you’ve encountered an open jobs blog post. If you are now better-suited than before, increasingly curious, or even slightly open to applying to a new opportunity, this blog is for you! Keep reading below to learn about some of our current opportunities so that you can evaluate your next career path as soon as today. Apply to any of the below or email Scott to get in touch with one of Esquire’s very own recruiters, LIVE, … today!

It’s as easy as clicking this link: open jobs list! Glance through to identify the best fit for YOU!

Let’s Chat… Open Jobs!

  1. Plant Manager: Our prestigious privately held metal stamping manufacturing client firm is hiring an experienced manufacturing Plant Manager (metal manufacturing only) in their Humboldt TN facility. The client is offering a very competitive salary and benefits package. For more information, please email Scott Fischer at [email protected].
  2. Network Administrator-Help Desk: Our prestigious mid-sized full-service law firm client is hiring an experienced legal Network Administrator for their Chicago office.  Qualified candidates will have experience and expert knowledge of Windows Server (all versions), VMWare, and Windows Scripting. Knowledge of Cisco connectivity hardware. The client is offering a very competitive salary and benefits package. For more information, please email Scott Fischer at [email protected].
  3. Bankruptcy Paralegal: Our AM LAW 100 law firm client is hiring an experienced Bankruptcy Paralegal in their New Orleans office.  Related experience is required. The client firm is offering a very competitive salary and benefits package. For more information, please email Scott Fischer at [email protected].
  4. Client Intake & Conflicts Supervisor (Dallas): Our AM LAW 100 law firm client is hiring an experienced Legal Client Intake and Conflicts Supervisor in their Dallas HQ office.  Related experience is required. The client firm is offering a very competitive salary and benefits package. For more information, please email Scott Fischer at [email protected].
  5. Litigation Support Analyst: Our AM LAW 100 law firm client is hiring an experienced Litigation Support Analyst in their Dallas HQ office.  Related experience is required. The client firm is offering a very competitive salary and benefits package. For more information, please email Scott Fischer at [email protected].
  6. Corporate Paralegal: Our AM LAW 100 law firm client is hiring an experienced Corporate Paralegal in their Houston, TX office.  Related experience is required. The client firm is offering a very competitive salary and benefits package. For more information, please email Scott Fischer at [email protected].
Searching for a new position? Open to exploring? Itching to know what’s available in the market? If any of the above sounds like you,…. Make sure to check out our FULL open jobs list!

Let’s Chat…Staying Focused at Work!

Welcome back, everyone! Today, we’re here to chat with you about a concept that many (if not all!) of us struggle with. Staying focused is one of the main attributes of being productive at work, but with all of the distractions that surround us each day, it’s easier than ever to become distracted in your environment! Read below to find out our best tips for staying in tune with your responsibilities and dialing out your distractions.

Let’s Avoid Multi-tasking with these Steps…

  • Create a To-Do list: While it may be easy to feel like you want to tackle 100 things in a single day, doing so will likely leave you feeling more overwhelmed and unmotivated than narrowing it down. For that reason, we encourage you to narrow in on a few to-do list priorities for the day,… and write them down! Not only is it super satisfying to physically check things off of your list, but forcing yourself to read and be faced with your priority items throughout the day is a fantastic way to nail those items into your memory.
  • Ditch Your Phone: First things first, your phone will almost always be your main point of distraction. Whether this is from personal calls, texts, or social platforms, our phones keep our eyes glued to screens. Whenever possible, instead utilize online work chat platforms like Microsoft Teams or Jabber, and ditch your phone! The best way to completely mitigate distraction is not to create the opportunity for it at all. If this isn’t an option for you, we recommend scheduling phone breaks throughout the day instead of keeping it next to your desk: explore 10-minute breaks every few hours or a gap for lunch as our top strategy!
  • Create Schedules: Another way to stay accountable is by creating daily schedules highlighting goals, tasks, deadlines, and other priorities of your work, week, or even month! Doing so will help you stay in line with an organized list and also keep you from getting lost among a variety of tasks and ideas.
    • Extra tip: If you are following a strict schedule, always be aware of incorporating time for YOU! Personal breaks, time for exercise, and most importantly time to shut off and be done for the night will allow you to focus in and out on your work obligations in a balanced and healthy manner.
  • Be On… and Off! When you’re on… be on. And when it’s time to be off,… be off! There is nothing more important than making time spent in and outside of your job meaningful. Trying to spread yourself across both responsibilities at once will leave your productivity and final outcomes at half the value that you can truly reach! Remember, you’re not expected to work around the clock for a reason, so put in effort when appropriate, and know when it’s time to unplug.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Candidate Prep!

Welcome back, everyone! If you’re thinking, how is it already Thursday?! So are we. These weeks are flying by and before we all know it, it may very well be a new year as we ring in 2023. With the holidays and year-end approaching rapidly, we know that now is an often natural time to evaluate and assess your contentment at work. If you are itching to test the waters for a new opportunity, we encourage you to start HERE by assessing all of the deliverables you need as an applying candidate.

Let’s Chat… Candidate Deliverables:

  1. Resume: A tale as old as time… yes you absolutely need a resume in order to apply to a position (and we are sure you knew that!). However, as the times change and platforms to create resumes before ever more accessible, now might be the time to create a few different versions to best cater to differing positions. If you are applying to new and more creative, digitally-focused, or “modern” roles, a pop of color or unconventional layout may make the most sense! Having a variety on hand to choose from when you click apply is the best way to “customize” your application and showcase your dedication to roles.
    • Extra tip: Be conscious of fonts, coloration, page frames, or profile pictures as it relates to the industry or role you’re looking at! Different companies and jobs call for different tones and levels of formality.
  2. Cover Letter: Similar to our advice above, it’s a fantastic idea to accumulate a variety of cover letters detailing different strengths, unique “tidbits” about you, and custom formats that will appeal to the eyes of differing recruiters, roles, responsibilities, or experiences. Make sure to acknowledge specific attributes of positions, companies, and reasonings as to why you’re pursuing a role in the letter to avoid sounding generic or impersonal. And use our generic test: if you take out the name of the company on your cover letter, will it still be relevant to that job? That organization? That role? If the answer is no and your letter can be recycled to any application, it’s time to improve and refresh.
  3. LinkedIn Profile: As much as it may feel redundant, we HIGHLY encourage you to keep your LinkedIn profile page up to date at all times! We use LinkedIn Recruiter on a daily basis as we seek an endless quantity of candidates for a wide range of roles. While your resume may speak to your experience, keeping yourself current online and especially on LinkedIn is equally crucial to your succeeding in portraying your “best professional self.” LinkedIn is also a fantastic platform to allow you to expand on certain professional or personal attributes that didn’t fit into the single page of your resume.
  4. Portfolio or Creative Attributes: If you’re applying to a creative role or come from a background where having a portfolio is common to your field, make sure to submit these materials when you apply to positions or create links that make them accessible on resources like a resume! You want to always make sure your hiring manager or recruiter has a full picture of who you are and what you bring to the table… so lay it all on the line!
  5. Social Platforms: Finally, make sure your social platforms are professionally appropriate and private where you see fit! In today’s environment, it should be expected that your socials contribute to how you are perceived as a candidate, so make sure that they do just that. If you feel more comfortable setting your social profiles to private, we also encourage you to do so.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Organization!

Welcome back from the weekend, everyone! I hope that this weekend brought a refresh, reset, or some much-needed time to unplug and simply ENJOY! Today, we’re here to provide you with some Monday motivation in the form of organization. If you’ve ever felt lost in the chaos, are seeking to improve your productivity, or are otherwise interested in developing organization as a strength, this blog is for YOU! Keep reading below to be introduced to 4 famous organization strategies…

Let’s Chat… Organization Strategies:

  1. The MIT Method: Standing for “most important tasks first,” the MIT method focuses primarily on the prioritization of obligations and deadlines. It’s easy to log onto your computer and feel compelled to check emails or tackle other administrative-like tasks that are looming over your day. However, we encourage you to explore a new way to stimulate the start of your workday by categorizing your highest priorities and getting to them before all else!
  2. A/B Scheduling: This technique brings me back to my days in high school, filled by “A” and “B” days splitting courses up throughout the week. In reflecting on this experience, I think that it poses a fantastic opportunity to refresh and recharge on new tasks without becoming fatigued. So, try out breaking up your priorities into two schedules, A and B. See if this allows you to recharge and come back with a fresh and rejuvenated mindset on a periodic basis instead of the repetition of one schedule for each day.
  3. Energy Flow: Energy flow is presented with its title because it signifies 50-90 minute “sprint” work periods throughout the day. Let’s be honest, we are not our most productive selves 100% of the time throughout the workday. So, to combat dips in energy and a clouded mind, try out energy flowing through tasks! If you’re the most productive and awake in the morning, after lunch, at the end of the day, or whenever, fit your flows in here.
  4. The Pomodoro Technique: Similar to a few of the other strategies, this technique utilizes 25-minute blocks of uninterrupted productivity on a single task. If you’ve been dreading an upcoming presentation, putting off a certain project, or otherwise need to sit and focus for a solid block of time, this is a great strategy for you. If you’re easily distracted by other tasks, this may be for you too!

We hope that no matter your productivity and organizational approach, you will be able to identify with one of the 4 techniques (in addition to time blocking referenced last week) above! Doing so will increase your work efficiency, motivation, and ease.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat…Studying for Midterms!

Welcome back, everyone! As fall quickly approaches, we know that midterms cannot be far away. With almost half of the semester already behind us, it’s time we sync into a rhythm to optimize studying habits and tactics so as to make sure we are working smart! If you have exams coming up, are new to college or grad school, or otherwise seeking to optimize the way you approach schoolwork, this article is for you! Keep reading below to set yourself up for success today…

Let’s Chat… Optimal Study Habits

  • Flashcards: Arguably one of the oldest strategies in the books, if you’re opting to memorize a group of concepts or words for an upcoming test, creating flashcards and continuously testing yourself on each concept is a great way to get familiar with a large group of concepts in an effective way. Even transcribing your previously written notes onto a new format (flashcards) will help you commit the ideas to memory before entering that self-test phase of preparation. If this seems like the right route for you, make sure to start ahead of time so as to have at least four or five days completely dedicated to hammering in those concepts through self-testing methods.
  • Quizlets: Quizlet is a phenomenal online platform for creating study guides, transforming study sets into online flashcards, and otherwise storing key concepts in one organized place to refer back to as you continue to study. If you’re drawn to an online study format, this might be the best place for you!
  • Note Compilation: My personal favorite strategy, deemed “note compilation” will enable you to piece through a semester-long of notes and slowly draw the most important concepts, only to compile them all onto a new, separate document. Whether you’re doing this by hand or typing into a new document, I find that doing so helps me to refresh my brain on past concepts, reignite an understanding of key points, and ultimately create a guide to read over several times that contains what will likely be on the exam! Doing so also helps me to recognize concepts or terms that have been heavily repeated throughout the course, and therefore hold notable value.
  • Written Memorization: As it relates to compiling your notes, writing down the most important key terms over and over to instill a repetition-focused memory is another strategy for memorizing key terms in a class that requires extensive vocabulary or concept memorization. Again, start ahead!
  • Conversation: Once you’re in the final stages of studying, and often a night or two before the exam, I encourage you to sit down with a study mate, or even a friend or parent and talk through the concepts you’ve been working on mastering. Gaining a new perspective from a classmate, or even showcasing your understanding of a concept to someone unfamiliar with the subject is a great method to test your true understanding of the material.

It’s normal to feel overwhelmed about exam season, but figuring out the best method through which you are able to study concepts is your first step to creating an exam routine and achieving success.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Email Professionalism!

Welcome back, everyone! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend and are enjoying our welcome into Fall. With a new season comes ample time to reassess progress, adherence to personal or professional goals, or even clean up your space. Stay tuned all season for our best tips and tricks to staying on track through year-end! Today, we’re here to re-engage in a common business theme… email etiquette. How do you engage your receiver while maintaining awareness or being direct while also pleasant? Find out below!

Let’s Chat… Email Etiquette:

  • Subject Line: Kindly, get to the point! If the email is urgent, express that in the subject line but use it sparingly so as to make sure that when it is used, it holds value. Maintain awareness of your ability to use tags to tag emails for urgency and priority in other peoples’ inboxes – and layer on your clarity by including “URGENT:” or “RESPONSE NEEDED” if the email has to be resolved before any other!
  • Greetings: Depending on your relationship with the recipient, use a greeting. If you do not know the recipient, you should be more formal with your greeting (using an intro like “To whom it may concern…”). Setting the tone of an email through a greeting is a great way to initiate professionalism while maintaining pleasantry. If you have never spoken to the individual you’re corresponding with, this is also a great time to introduce yourself (your role/reports/team you are placed within) to give your reader a better understanding of why you are reaching out.
  • Purpose: With everything that we are tasked with throughout the day, it is reasonable to assume that no one wants to spend extra time reading emails that drag on for paragraphs. If you need action by a specific date, make sure to lead with that as open-ended emails can be confusing, and creating a hide and seek of your email ask may lead to an oversight on your receiving party’s end. If your purpose includes a timeline, due date, request on behalf of a specific person on the chain, etc., make sure to bold or italicize that important piece of information to ensure you draw attention.
  • Genneral Professsionalism:
    • Avoiding Emojis: While including emojis for friendliness may be persuading, we encourage you to remember your audience so that you only do so where it is appropriate and not in front of too large of a receipting crowd!
    • Check your CC and BCC! Use these functions where appropriate, and always be mindful of when you are replying to one individual or an entire distribution list!
    • Spell and Grammar Check: Grammarly is your best friend! When you are looking over who you are sending to, be sure to check your grammar and spelling. There is nothing worse than sending an email to your boss, just to realize a big spelling error when you hit send.
    • Response Timeframe: Even when your inbox is overflowing, it is crucial to be a good teammate, employee, and manager by responding in a timely manner. Set up these expectations early on your team so as to ensure everyone knows the appropriate timeline for getting back to one another. Whether this is a day, 2 days, a week, or even biweekly checks… set these standards so that you have a goal to adhere to!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s… Self-Care this Weekend!

Welcome back, everyone! Before we head into the weekend, we wanted to make sure to leave you with our favorite tips to reset, relaxation, and enjoy your free time away from the office! Keep reading here to achieve ultimate relaxation today.

Let’s Indulge in Self-Care…

  • Meditation: The task sounds more intimidating than the actual practice itself.. most people envision meditation, gratitude, and mindfulness practices as an hour-long activity requiring you to sit on a yoga mat and breathe. Well, we’re here to debunk this myth! Gratitude and meditation practices make take just a few short minutes and may include a thought or two, a journaling exercise, or some breathing, but they do not need to be considered a huge activity. We encourage you to do so when you wake up or before bed, especially by putting your phone down and “unplugging” to do so.
  • Say No: Learning to say no is beneficial for your self-care! We often feel pressured by “FOMO” to attend all events while in high school and throughout college. However, if you’re reaching burnout or a point where the stress of balancing all activities is beginning to outweigh the social benefit, it’s essential to set boundaries with yourself. Remember, saying no does not need to be viewed as a negative but as a beneficial moment to allow yourself to recharge and attain an independent moment to relax.
  • Engage in and Allow Yourself Breaks: Using breaks to break from schoolwork, social events, or activities is the best way to recharge your body and brain for a great rest of the day. Breaks lead to better productivity, so they should be viewed as equally important to the moments and hours spent being productive.
    • Extra Tip: While taking a break, we encourage you to go for a walk, exercise, stretch, practice yoga, grab a snack, make a smoothie, walk to a cafe for a cup of coffee or tea, call a friend, take a bath, paint your nails, do a face mask or skincare routine, light a candle, listen to music, listen to a podcast, or engage in a small activity solely for the joy of it! Above all, make sure that your “break” isn’t a secret disguise while you’re still glued to a screen. Put that phone down!
  • Input “Self-Care” Into Your Schedule: By actually documenting moments of self-care as events on your schedule, you will be more likely to “complete” it. Visually and physically blocking out time for self-care will help you practice it every day! Start by identifying the points in the day where you could best utilize a break and then block it in: we recommend in the morning before you start your day, in the middle, in the late afternoon before dinner, or before bed! Any of those will help break up your day and add in a little “treat.”
  • Self-spoil! That’s right, we said to spoil yourself. After all, it is YOU that wakes up every morning to work hard and achieve your goals. If this means you want to grab a fancy dinner, get a blowout, sign up for a workout class, take a trip to the spa or nail salon, buy a new clothing item, take a new lesson (like golf) or otherwise “treat” yourself to something out of the ordinary, the weekend is the perfect time to do so.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Your Fit at Work!

Welcome back, everyone! This morning, we are here to help discuss what culture means at the office. Whether you’re working fully remotely, in a hybrid format, or going into the office in person each day, workplace culture is a crucial component of job satisfaction. Not only does culture exist at the enterprise level, but also across leadership, teammates, and within each department. So, in order to find out how you best fit into your office, organization, and greater culture, keep reading HERE!

Evaluating Workplace Culture…

  • Vision: While stability may be comfortable at work, a company with a vision for the future, even if it may even seem impossible, is one that is geared up to succeed. Visions are meant to act as guides, and often will even set unrealistic goals to help employees maintain a strong drive and motivation. Does your work environment have a clear vision?
    • Extra tip: Before accepting a job offer, make sure that your personal mission and vision align with those of the entire organization. Ensuring this will allow you to maintain enthusiasm and true care for the work you complete.
  • Morals and Values: An organization with genuine morals and values is one that deeply cares for its employees and their satisfaction, in addition to the success of the business. Morals and values can be exhibited in a concrete manner, potentially in a manual or posted on a wall, but are often expressed in intangible ways and through behaviors. Make sure that your firm takes notable action to enact these morals and values because we all know, you can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?
    • Extra tip: We know that not every day can include a clear display of morals and values. However, does your company provide a volunteer day? Organizations to work with? Does it stand up for minority groups and make efforts to create diverse leadership? Do they partner with ethical organizations? These are all questions to ask yourself!
  • Teamwork: In your career, you will undoubtedly find yourself working on many different teams with various types of employees. Firms that monitor and encourage contribution from all team members, and from employees at all different levels are firms that exhibit true care for teamwork. In addition, an office that values teamwork will make sure that all employees are dedicated and in tune with the organization’s morals and values.
  • Support for Uniqueness and Creativity: One of the greatest aspects that help employees to feel valued is an organization’s ability to support and even encourage individual uniqueness and creativity. Flexibility awarded to employees as they complete projects, responsibilities, and even paths to take to achieve goals is one of the greatest ways to measure the trust your company has in you.
  • Feedback Loops: In the same way that organizations should encourage you to embrace your creativity and unique skillset, we also find immense value in companies that invest in their employee’s growth. This may look like a quarterly, formalized check-in in an HR software program, regular 1:1s with management and leadership, or written documentation of feedback and opportunities for improvement. Whatever it is for you, it is key to your professional development to have this type of consistent dialogue within your role!
  • Employee Retention: While many aspects of workplace culture are nonmeasurable, employee retention is something that you can actually evaluate. Retention is a great way to measure if culture is being exhibited in an effortful manner. A workplace with a flourishing, successful culture is one that employees will want to work for forever! So, are they staying with your firm?

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Taking Vacation Days!

Welcome back, everyone! We hope that you enjoyed your week – as I return from a vacation and some PTO, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to address how I best prepare for vacation days so that I can take full advantage of my time OOO (out of office). Keep reading to find out how to do so HERE!

Communicate and Anticipate:

If you are planning to ask for time off, make sure to read any company policies in order to make sure you are following all guidelines. For example, if your company requires that you give notice of your request at least 4 weeks prior to your desired vacation, plan as far ahead as possible to be able to do so and request the dates that work best for YOU! It’s always better to ask way ahead of time so as to ensure that your manager will have time to prepare for your absence and allocate your assignments to other employees.

  • Pro-tip: Pay attention to how your teammates request PTO! Do they do so a few days ahead, weeks before,… do they send out a calendar invite so the team has a view into their absence? Assimilating into the practices sent in place will set you up for success.

Tips on How and When to Ask:

  • Ask during “down” times: This may seem obvious, but try to plan your vacation during a time when your team isn’t drowning in work.  Many of us have certain “busy” seasons at work, and if you are swamped with projects, wait until the busy period is over and everything has cooled down (keep this in mind for your boss as well – if they are super busy, leaving in the midst may leave a negative impression on the team).
  • Prepare: If you know that you are going on your vacation soon, make sure all of your work is complete beforehand. Even if this requires some extra hours in the office, they will pay off in the future by showing your teammates that you care to leave them in a secure position to take on some of your responsibilities.
  • Communicate: On the same note as leaving minimal work to your teammates, make sure to communicate (through email or other written dialogue) to all appropriate parties that you’re leaving and when. That way everyone will know what to expect once you’re gone and for how long!
  • Collaborate with your coworkers: There will always be “popular” times to take off work like the holiday season and year-end. When able, try to divide these days up and work as a team with your coworkers to maximize each employee’s satisfaction.
  • On vacation… STAY on vacation! Even if you are itching to check your work email or phone while you are physically out of town, we recommend that you do NOT unless absolutely necessary. Remember, you have PTO for a reason and what that means is to… unplug from work. Setting the precedent of being reachable while out of the office will not only hinder your ability to relax but could contribute to a negative work-life balance and culture as well.
  • Extra note for new employees: Remember that if you are new to a job, you are expected to be prepared, productive, and most importantly, present. We recommend you do not ask for time off within the first several months of your job if you can avoid it!

Searching for a new job? Look through our open jobs list!

Let’s… Clean up our Resumes!

Welcome back, everyone! As you know, resumes are frequently spoken about here at Esquire Recruiting, LLC. Resumes are extremely prevalent in securing a job, and help hiring managers to learn about you. Today, we will discuss some resume mistakes to avoid! Avoiding the mistakes listed below will help ensure that your resume is tip-top. Keep reading to find out the best way to stand out and display your best candidate self!

Let’s… Avoid these Mistakes!

  • Sloppy Mistakes: Sloppy mistakes can be totally avoided with a bit of extra work and attention. These mistakes consist of things such as spelling errors, typos, and punctuation. With a bit of extra proofreading, you can avoid these mistakes that will make a hiring manager think twice about your application. Proofread your resume a few times by yourself and when you finally think it is perfect, send it to a friend for a final review.
    • Extra tip: There are many FREE online tools that will do this job for you! Utilize spell check on any platform, or install Grammarly for an automated review of your work. The more layers of editing and eyes on your resume, the better!
  • Generic Feel and Wording: Your resume should not look the same for every job you apply to. While this may sound like a time-consuming task, in editing your resume to appeal to individual job applications, is absolutely worth it. Sending a generic resume to employers will give them the inkling that you don’t particularly care about that specific job but instead are copying, pasting, and applying to anything that you think is available.
    • Extra tip: Research resume templates that are relative to your field, potential role, etc. That way, you will be able to gauge the appropriate look (like having a profile pic), feel (like font type), and types of words used to describe certain experiences and fields.
    • Keywords: The best way to tailor your resume to every job application is to use keywords. Look at the job description for the position you are applying for and use it to your advantage. Use the keywords from the job description in your resume and sell yourself so that you convince the company that they should hire you!
  • Accomplishments: A common mistake many people make is highlighting their job duties rather than their accomplishments. Put an emphasis on what you accomplished in your past positions, not just what you had to do. Demonstrate the activities you have achievedd within your daily job duties, as doing so will show the hiring manager/company through your accomplishments that you went above and beyond.

Ready to get into the job search? Check out our open jobs!

Let’s… Hop Into Fall!

Welcome back, everyone! We hope that you had a wonderful and relaxing weekend – and if you’re in Chicago like we are, a brief introduction to fall weather and a momentary reprieve from the heat! However, if you’re feeling excited about the changing of the seasons like we are, then it is time for you to hop into Fall with us. How do you re-align for a new time of year or get back on track? find out below!

Let’s… Hop into Fall (a new season)!

  • Get Outside: The summer months are spent beneath the sun but don’t let the end of summer mean the end of venturing outside – especially during the last few weeks of September, make sure to value pockets of time that you can spend outdoors! Not only is doing so a great source of Vitamin D to stimulate overall health and productivity, but will allow you to appreciate the warm weather while it’s still here.
    • Extra Tips: Find a picnic spot, listen to a podcast on a walk, take a lunch break on a patio or at an outdoor cafe, or go see a “movie in the park” and participate in an outdoor community activity.
  • Make a Bucket List: Of things you’re most excited about in the coming months. Ready to leave summer behind? Summer is not for everyone. The heat, bugs, and lack of routine might have you excited for pumpkin spice lattes and a Halloween movie marathon. If this sounds like you, make a bucket list of things you are looking forward to. Even if you LOVE summer, to get excited about September and the new things to come, a bucket list can help. Setting goals and creating bucket lists help focus our attention, articulate what we want to explore, and turn those ideas into a reality.
    • Extra Tip: As we enter Q4, this is also a great time to check in with the goals you’ve set for this year! Are you on track personally? Professionally? How can you make these last few months COUNT?
  • Personal Reflection: Whether this is through journaling, meditation, or time alone with your thoughts, think about some of these questions:
    • What was your favorite thing about summer?
    • What was the best thing that you experienced this summer?
    • If you could go back and do summer over, what would you change?
    • What did you learn about yourself this summer?
    • How was this summer different from past summers?
    • What lessons or takeaways would you like to carry with you into the fall?
  • Create a routine. Creating a new routine can be just the fresh start you need to kickstart the new season. Get organized and prioritize what needs to be done in September. You can almost think of September as the new January! Cleaning out your closet, workspace, or other environments is a perfect way to create a refreshed and re-ignited sense of motivation to close out the year.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Introductory Coffee Chats!

Welcome back, everyone! Today we’re here to piggyback on our rotation review. Once you’ve rotated, trained a backfill, and are beginning to shift your full attention to onboarding, it’s crucial to set up coffee chats across your new organization! What is a coffee chat? How do you best succeed in these conversations? Find out everything you need to know below!

What is a “Coffee Chat”?

Coffee chats are typically 30-minute conversations scheduled between 2 employees of an organization. Especially at large corporate offices, these “chats” may mean a quick run to an on-site coffee shop or sitting area, walking around the perimeter of the office, meeting at a desk, or joining a virtual call. Do these chats always involve coffee? Nope! Likely, both employees will bring the coffee they’ve already purchased earlier that day; the title just sets the tone for a casual, friendly atmosphere. During these conversations, employees may get to know each other, gain introductory information about their jobs, ask for feedback, or learn about completely different areas and positions within the organization! We encourage you to ALWAYS offer to purchase coffee for the other person as a thank you for their time and conversation.

Capitalizing on Coffee Chats:

  • Preparation and Purpose: In order to gain a meaningful amount of knowledge from your conversations, make sure that you are setting up chats with employees that you have a true interest in (whether that be their role, background, accomplishments, etc.). When entering into this conversation, you should have previously conducted a quick search on their background, and a light gauge of their current work so as to avoid taking a large portion of time dedicated solely to introductions.
  • Utilize your Org Chart! Almost all employees have access to an internal org chart that displays all employees within departments, business units, teams, etc. Evaluate your org chart to better understand all of the key players that will contribute to your role (either in dependency, cross-functionality, on your team or in leadership!). By creating personal relationships with other employees that you are bound to interact with almost every day, you will be setting yourself up for success and simultaneously showcasing a genuine desire to get to know them beyond the scope of their work.
  • Ask Specific Questions: As it relates to our point above, you should not be asking questions like, “How’d you get here?” or “So, what do you do?” If you’ve initiated a chat, it is likely for the specific purpose to learn more about an employee. For example, if you’re speaking to someone on the public relations side of the business, focus questions around, “How have you handled our company’s relationship with X topic/company/etc.? How much of your time do spend avoiding negative PR vs creating positive PR?” Always make the employee feel valued! After all, they dedicated a portion of their day specifically to you.
  • Maintain the Relationship: A coffee chat might be a periodic occurrence, but communication should not be. Make sure to maintain the relationships that you’ve worked to schedule and cultivate! Whether this means a weekly check-in, an email update of your recent accomplishments, or a quick link to a relevant article, make sure to keep consistent contact and follow up after your thank you note!

Employees are incredibly fortunate to be afforded the opportunity to network with one another and dedicate work time to meeting and chatting! Take advantage of these opportunities and capitalize on your time through prior research, preparation, and purpose.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Navigating a Rotation!

Welcome back from the holiday weekend, everyone! Today, as promised, we are continuing to divulge some of my best practices and tips for navigating a rotation program. If you are entering into a new role, or even starting off at a new company, keep reading to find out how to reach success as efficiently and quickly as possible.

Navigating a Rotation…

  • Learn About your Business Unit: Above all, utilize your first weeks of training time to learn as much as possible about your new department, team, and business model. How does your product or team generate revenue? How do you contribute to the bigger picture of the company? How can you provide value and achieve success in this role? Asking these questions to your new manager, or leveraging online courses and training modules are keys to understanding this type of information and integrating it into your new role.
  • Set “SMART” Goals: Specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely goals! Whether this is formally documented in an HR platform, with your manager in a document, submitted to leadership, etc., understanding your 30, 60, or 90 days deliverables and expectations is a crucial way to view your path forward. Make sure to contribute to personal and professional development that is meaningful to you as well as your leadership! Creating alignment on both sides of the coin is a great way to ensure you feel personally motivated and so does your leadership.
  • Curate your Environment: It is easy to feel fatigued in your bedroom, home office, or working space after spending so much consistent time in one area. That feeling is completely normal! We encourage you to “spruce” up your environment by picking up a new scent (candle or incense), gifting yourself with something that brings you happiness (like new wall art or desk accessories), and otherwise making your space somewhere you want to spend time.
  • Identify leadership: Remember, if you are undergoing change, it is likely that many others are too. Whether this is your mentor, manager, boss, or teammate, we highly value the importance of using your resources! Identify those who are senior in their experience and ask for help, recommendations, advice, or best practices to maintain a sense of motivation, dedication to your work, and accountability to your goals.
  • Ask for help! Above all, you are not alone! So many of us feel fatigued in our day-to-day life, lack motivation, or need a refresh. Seek help from your friends and family, in your work or school resources, or even through therapy! Talking through feelings and avoiding a build-up of frustration is the best possible way to mitigate burnout. And if you’re ever seeking additional advice and guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team!

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s Chat… Rotation Programs!

Welcome back to the blog! Today, as we head into a nice and long holiday weekend, I wanted to expand on the topic I covered Monday: training new coworkers. It is the reality that as long as you are a part of your work team, people will inevitably come and go. As I head into my next rotation for the upcoming year, I thought it would be a perfect time to discuss what a rotation program is, the expectations, and where I am headed!

Rotation Programs…

  • Duration: First and foremost, the duration of rotations changes depending on which company you are working for. Even within the program, I am currently participating in, the rotation timeline has maintained a 2-year consistency, but shifted between 6-month, 9-month, and 1-year rotations depending on the needs of the business! My current structure follows 2, year-long rotations (meaning that I will “graduate” the program in about a year from now!) throughout different areas of the enterprise. Engaging in this long of a rotation has allowed me to feel fully immersed in my team, valuable in the projects I’ve been able to accomplish, and even ready for my next endeavor and transition off!
  • Role Selection: Another variable of rotation programs is your ability to contribute to the role that you are placed in. Some companies may completely decide this placement for you and have consistent rotation positions that remain the same and “rotate” through employees, whereas others might change every cycle! It is key to discuss with your hiring manager what this will look like as you are applying and also once you are involved in the program so that you know what to expect. If per se, you will be able to have a voice in the way you rotate through the company, it’s even more beneficial to get ahead and start networking ASAP to build connections and be able to gauge which areas of the organization might need future help (in the form of a rotation) soon!
  • Leaving your Team in a Solid Position: What do I mean by this? Well, if we’re being honest, you likely won’t have an exact rotation date where 100% of your work shifts to your new team. If you’ve worked in a corporate setting, you know how easily lines get blurred as timelines shift and responsibilities are adjusted. So, make sure to discuss your transition plan with your manager; do they expect a 50:50 ratio shift when you change positions for the first few weeks? 75:25, 80:20? These are crucial learnings to take into your transition plan to be able to provide your new manager as they craft their first 30-day goals.
    • This being said, you should plan ahead and begin crafting your exit resources approximately 60 days before your departure from the team. Whether this looks like standard work to follow within software programs, project submissions, communications, etc., or other resource guides, use your final weeks to get ahead of these deliverables! Doing so will not only help the person that back-fills your role but will absolutely alleviate the potential of you having to complete more work after you leave as a result of a lack of knowledge on a certain process.

Tune in next week to wrap up on this topic!

Searching for a new position? Read through our open jobs!

Let’s Chat… Helping New Coworkers!

Welcome to a new week, everyone! As I transition into my next rotation (check out our blog later this week!), it has been a great time to reflect on my prior year, my deliverables and the projects I’ve led, and what it means to be in my current role! Especially as I had a new teammate join my prior team, I was tasked with creating resources and assisting in her onboarding. So, how do you become the best help to new employees in their transition period? Keep reading to find out!

Helping New Coworkers Onboard…

  • Create Standard Work: Where applicable, I highly recommend creating step-by-step guides on how to complete blanket tasks that your entire team is responsible for knowing on a consistent basis. Whether this is an access request, request to a cross-functional team, submission in a commonly used software/platform, etc., it will not only help them but also YOU to have a reference guide! Often, the more “mundane” tasks that you’ve become used to are those that are most ambiguous to a new employee, so make sure to be mindful of all inputs that you execute daily.
  • Create Best Practices: On the same note, create best practices or include them within standard work resources! Whether this means a certain way of titling projects or inputting descriptions, communicating to teams, engaging in a meeting-cadence for weekly team connects, fonts/formats/layouts utilized in presentations or documents, and more, there is likely a quicker avenue to the finish line that’s guided by knowing your best work! Especially as it relates to the preferences of the cross-functional teams you work with, assisting someone new on the ins and outs of the way you work is key to their integration and successful joining the team.
  • Create Tracker of In-flight Projects: If you’re leaving the team as I am, it is also super important to have written documentation of projects or tasks that are incomplete upon your departure. Documenting the resources (like employees across the org.), who the tasks are being assigned to, the status, and any relevant documentation will ease your team’s ability to take over where you left off.
  • Free Up Some Space! Free up your calendar when and where you can. Simply stating to the new teammate to “find some time on your cal” will not suffice in being welcoming and engaging. Make sure to suggest optimal times to chat live or via video, or even meet in person when able!
  • Create Consistent Touch-bases: On the same note, take ownership over the cadence that you will connect with this new employee. Daily? Weekly? Bi-weekly? This will ultimately be up to you, but we encourage you to get ahead of scheduling conflicts and create a recurring meeting so as to prove your reliability and interest in helping with onboarding.

We hope that by implementing the above points, you will not only help onboard a new teammate but in an even shorter time with greater efficiency! So, make sure to continuously remind that person that you are there as a resource, willing to help, and will offer assistance often but when able (make sure you’re compromising on both ends!).

Searching for a new position? Read through our open jobs!

Let’s…Head Back to College!

Welcome back, everyone! With the mid-to-last few weeks of August come many of our transitions back to college! Are you heading down the road? Across the country? Road-tripping to school? Whatever returning to school looks like for you, let’s follow the below steps to set ourselves up for a successful year.

Let’s get Organized Back on Campus…

  • Task Prioritization: Between assignments, presentations, projects, and exams, it’s crucial to prioritize assignments based on their due date and impact on your overall grade. Make sure to avoid spreading yourself too thin across multiple projects; to avoid this, pace your study schedule across days and a variety of times, and incorporate breaks, so that you won’t be left cramming for hours on end in the days leading up to due dates. By prioritizing obligations, you will find yourself on a healthy track toward success!
    • Measurable Goals: A great way to set measurable priorities is to include goals for each assignment or study habit. Whether this means a one-hour goal of studying per exam each day, or a one-page goal per report or essay to be completed every other day, SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely) will assist you in actually tracking progress and spanning obligations over a time period instead of cramming at the last moment.
  • School Shopping Starts… Now! In order to truly get on top of several different courses, we encourage you to purchase the appropriate materials ahead of your first day. Whether this means binders, folders, pens, pencils, headphones, a driving pass, or whatever it may be, setting yourself up for success is a great way to get ahead.
  • Prioritize Your Routine: We know it can be easy to fall out of a regular routine throughout summer when most of our tasks are pushed to the side. However, whilst in school, adhering to a structured routine is your best way to avoid missing projects or deadlines, and also to continue feeling your best.
    • Extra Tip: To stay on track with all of your assignments and due dates, we encourage you to incorporate any of the following into your daily plan: an alarm clock, morning meditation or stretch, making your bed, eating breakfast, or otherwise setting consistent tasks is a great way to replicate a regular day, but adapted to a study environment.
    • Extra Tip 2: Prioritizing a routine means… having one in the first place! We recommended arriving on campus early to be able to take a “lay of the land” and locate your course buildings if in-person, nearest gym, grocery store, library, study spot, cafe, coffee shop, etc.!
  • Rest! Above all, we know that when your body is telling you to take a break, it’s because you’ve pushed yourself to the max. Make sure to allow a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night to jumpstart your next day and maintain optimal energy and health.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s… Become Active Listeners!

Welcome back, everyone! We hope that you had a wonderful weekend and are taking advantage of the last few weeks of summer. As I enter into a new position at the end of this week (I’ll get into those details on Thursday!), I thought it would be a perfect time to refresh our memory on the importance of being an active and engaged listener at work. Keep reading to find out how to best soak up information and engage in conversations!

Being the Best Listener You Can Be…

  • Removing distractions! Even if you have a habit of multitasking in some meetings or during activities, being a great listener requires full focus on whatever is in front of you. We spend a majority of our day thinking about what we are going to do next and it distracts us from the task at hand. Silence your phone; turn off your texts or notifications on your computer, and you will already be more prepared to listen.
  • Body language: When you are talking to someone in person (and over a virtual call as well!), body language is so crucial to how you come across. Simply making sure you are facing the person you are talking to can help you focus on what they are saying. Also, better posture shows the person that you care about what they are saying and want to know more.
  • Eye contact: I know eye contact can sometimes feel awkward or uncomfortable… it’s probably just my generation trained to stare at their phones, but it really comes in handy when trying to listen to others actively. Our mind follows where our eyes are so if your eyes are darting around a coffee shop, your office space, a wall, or especially a screen, more likely than not the person you are speaking to will assume that your thoughts aren’t far behind.
  • Draw interest from the other person: We are much more prone to be attentive listeners when the person who is speaking is interesting to us. If you find yourself having trouble listening to others, try and ask yourself – what you can get out of the conversation. Treating every conversation at work and as you are training with importance will undoubtedly help you stay engaged. You never know who will be on track toward becoming your next go-to person or mentor, so treat everyone with interest and respect.
  • Be present: What do we mean by this? While incorporating the above aspects will set you up for success, the final piece of the puzzle is participation and being present! Ask questions throughout the conversation or jot down notes for the end, and make sure to address topics covered in your 1:1. For example, if you’re discussing the new role, ask questions about goals, deliverables, and other expectations of your performance. If you’re chatting about the hybrid work environment, as how the team cadence looks for going into the office – asking questions relevant to the conversation shows you’re being thoughtful and engaged.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s… Continue the Job Search!

Welcome back, everyone! Today we are here to provide a bit 0f color to some of our recent graduates, as well as any employee in the working force seeking out a new opportunity, role, or entry-level job role! We know how difficult it can feel and be to be persistent and motivated in a job search. The reality is that there will be far more rejections than acceptions… But we are here to remind you that all you need is ONE acceptance and here are some of the best tips to get you on the right track.

Key Aspects of Your Job Search…

  • Perseverance: This can be a tricky strategy. You might find yourself feeling hopeless after a few months filled with rejection and no luck. There are many long and hard stages of the job search process, but perseverance will keep you going. It will help you stay positive and realize that this search will be over soon and at the end of it, you will have a great job! Those who persevere will feel more rewarded!
    • Best practice: Set metrics to hold yourself accountable to! Whether this means 5, 10, or even 50 applications sent in each week, creating a goal to set and meet on a specific cadence is key to feeling accomplished regardless of that week’s outcome.
  • Timing: Timing can be everything! If you find that perfect job, perfect location, but you think the time isn’t right, this is where you make a mistake. Good jobs aren’t open for a long time. They fill up pretty fast usually, so jump on something when you see it! And remember, just because you accept a job in a new industry or city does not mean that you are committing to the rest of your career. Things change all of the time, so allow yourself flexibility and openness to diving outside of your comfort zone.
  • Skill: Your skills are your greatest asset. Prepare yourself on how to sell people on your skills and talk about the great things you can do. Use your downtime to improve on your current skills or even learn new ones – online certifications (through platforms like LinkedIn, Google, or Amazon) is a great way to improve and update your skill set.
    • Besst practice: There are also many personality and strength tests for FREE USE online! Use these tests to examine your skill set and offer concrete examples as to why your strong areas support your potential next role.
  • Customization: Take time to tailor your resume to each job you are applying for; this may seem tedious, but will undoubtedly prove valuable when it comes to your next employer (and the recruiter evaluating your candidate profile!). This might look like adjusting the format, descriptions, coloration, or even the experiences per application, but it is key to showcasing you care about each given role to adapting your resume to show so.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s… Recruit Gen-Z’s Into the Workplace!

Welcome back, everyone! Today, as well as throughout the summer, I’ve spent a bunch of time working alongside interns and post-graduates who are soon to enter the corporate workforce full-time (and for a LONG time!).  As “Gen-Z” employees are quickly rising to the most populous generation, making up more than 1/3 of the current workforce, it’s crucial for employers to understand their preferences and deliver on expectations.

To our recruiters and employers, this article is for you! Keep reading to find out the best way to cater job offerings to this generation, retain employees, and curate a benefits package that will please all candidates.

Gen-Z Working Preferences…

  • Environment: Environment is a key to workplace satisfaction for this generation! So, what do we mean by a positive working environment? Consider natural lighting, open space, updated furniture, and an office that feels “light.” Gone are the days of dark cubicles and grey, and welcome are the days of color. The more enjoyable the physical environment is, the most enjoyable your employees are likely to be.
  • Hybrid Flexibility: That’s right, with the pandemic came a seemingly permanent shift in the way that employees are considering their day-to-day in-person expectations. So, if able, we highly consider that your office integrates a flexible and hybrid working environment into your daily expectations. Whether this looks like 3 in-person/2 virtually enforced days per week, 5-day flexibility, 1-day per week requirement, etc., every formation looks different! Allowing and embedding trust into your employees by allowing them to guide their own daily routine is a phenomenal way to retain talent. We also encourage you to incentivize this type of benefit! Maybe this looks like meeting a sales quota, a deliverable, an outcome, etc., but creating rewards in the form of flexibility for performance is also a great means of positive reinforcement.
  • Well-being Benefits and Focus: What does this mean to your employment package? Mental health days, rewards for completing tasks, flexibility on Fridays, well-being checks, and resources (like online learnings) are all great manifestations of a focus on your employee’s well-being. Remember, the happier that you can make your employees each day, the more elongated motivation and consideration they will feel to stay with your company.
  • Openness to Job Changes: Unfortunately, Gen-Z more than any other generation is willing to relocate to a more fitting opportunity if their current job doesn’t meet their qualities of satisfaction. Things like a hybrid environment benefit package, compensation, and growth opportunities are all important factors that Gen-Z will continuously evaluate as it relates to staying in their current role. Checking in with your employees through surveys that allow them to provide their voice and perspective is an amazing format to make your employees feel heard!

Like we said at the beginning, this generation is quickly rising to become the most influential of all in the workforce! So achieving the above attributes and instilling them into the framework of your company will prove key to ongoing and sustainable success.

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!

Let’s…Exercise this Weekend!

If you live in the Midwest like me, then you’ve probably already encountered a few days that feel as if we live in Arizona…. in fact, just about everyone in the country has experienced outrageously hot summer days this year. However, with the weather and heat comes a push and encouragement to spend time (safely, and with sunscreen!) outdoors and in the fresh air. If you lost track of your workout regime in quarantine or over the past year, or if you’re looking to jump into exercise, this article is for YOU! Find out some of our favorite fitness resources below…

Ideas for Exercise…

Self-Guided

Above all, getting to the gym and rotating around a few different machines is a traditional, basic, and effective way to get your body moving. Whether this means the elliptical, treadmill, weight machines, stair climber, bench, or any other material you have as a resource, get on there and get going! The hardest part about working out is getting to the gym, and remembering that every other person is there for the same reason that you are is a great way to decrease the nerves and start increasing your confidence.

Bicycling Outside

No matter where you live, we can almost guarantee that there are forest preserves, hiking routes, or outdoor bike paths near you. This may look like a few miles or a few hours.. anything works! Just get on, and get moving. Bicycling is a fantastic lifetime sport that does not require the same cardio exertion as would a treadmill or outdoor run. Not only is this sport maintainable and a great way to burn some calories, but is a super-inclusive activity for any aged person looking to get riding.

Find a Hill

Cardio lovers… this one is for YOU! If you live a relatively close distance to a hill (at parks, near schools, at a neighborhood recreation center, etc.), this is a cost-free and highly effective workout for individuals seeking a cardio-heavy experience. Taking the side stairs or running up the face will provide equally exhausting and rewarding exercise experiences at your leisure and at a self-guided pace. Remember, getting there is the hardest part! Whether you run, jog, or walk, moving your body is a success in and of itself… and there’s always room to continually improve! Working out is a lifestyle above all else, so take it slow and steady to optimize your health.

Online Classes and Videos

Since the start of the “OG” quarantine, we’re sure just about every single one of you has heard of a friend, family member, or have even found yourself engaging with online fitness content. YouTube, IGTV, live videos, and almost every social platform have taken to fitness classes taught through the screen. If you’re like me, and 91-degree weather means staying inside and away from the heat of the sun, this is a great alternative to maintain movement! Even more, many fitness classes require no added equipment or materials to participate… so all you need is you. 

Searching for a new position? Check out our open jobs list!