You could well encounter a massive push back from your manager.

Below are tips to help you alleviate your manager’s fears and get that flexible/telecommuting work arrangement of which you’ve dreamed.

• Possibly the number one thing your manager fears is that if she lets you work from home, everyone in her department will want to, as well.
• The main thing you need to do is to really listen to your manager and reassure her that you understand her concerns and that should things get out of hand, you’re willing to renegotiate the flexible schedule.
• If you’re hoping to work from home full-time but believe your boss is balking big time because of the number of days, offer to work from home two or three days a week (the average telecommuting arrangement nationwide is two days a week, according to the International Telework Association).
• Put together a portfolio of studies that show the benefits of telecommuting not only for employees, but also to a company’s bottom line.
• Create accountability markers. You’ll need to show your boss that you’re at least as productive at home as you are in the office. Showing her that you get more done is even better! The two of you should create measurable goals and parameters. You can fax or e-mail your supervisor progress reports every day or so
• It takes considerable self-discipline to work from home. No one will be telling you how/when to work. Be honest with yourself; do you think you can really cut it? To convince your boss, show her your work ethic in her office. Power down and get ‘er done! Improve your time management skills.
• Tell your boss you’d like to have a trial telecommuting period. Ask her if you could work from home for at least one month and see how it goes. At the end of the trial period, write a report regarding how successful you believe it was, how much more you accomplished and otherwise show your boss how the trial benefited her/the company.

If you’re looking for more flexibility in your work life, consider working in temporary assignments. Here at the Opti Staffing Group, we have many short- and long-term temporary assignments that can help you create the flexible work circumstances you’ve wanted. Contact us today to learn more!

Opti Staffing Group is a long standing member of the National Association of Personnel Services.  “These are the types of innovative ideas that our members continue to come up with…,” explained John Sacerdote, CPC/CTS and President of the NAPS.  “This Network will allow Opti Staffing Group to continue to provide that ‘cut above’ service that they are known for.”

The activation of this network does even more for an individual’s job search.  “The Talent Network is proving to be an extremely powerful tool that gives our candidates the opportunity to stay proactive in their job search and be exposed to all opportunities that Opti Staffing has to offer. This outstanding resource not only adds value to our candidate’s job search but also Opti Staffing’s day to day recruiting and sales process,” stated Shelley Ross, Division Sales Manager at Opti Staffing.  Shelley and Opti Staffing Group have invited all to go to http://www.jobs.net/jobs/OptiStaffing/en-us/ to join and see for themselves.

Opti was established in 1999 by a group of individuals looking for a better way to do business. Drawing from their experience in the staffing industry, these individuals determined that the key to success for Opti Staffing was placing a concentrated effort on developing great relationships with clients and candidates.  Through this relationship-driven strategy, they have become one of the most successful independently owned and operated staffing and recruiting firms in the Pacific Northwest.  They have grown to include six offices in four states.  For more info, please go to www.optistaffing.com.

The National Association of Personnel Services has been the staffing industry educator since 1961 and enjoys its reputation as the oldest industry association. They continue to maintain the position as the search and staffing industry educator through their certification program, continuing education initiatives, eLearning and their annual conference.  For more info, please go to www.recruitinglife.com.

But, after you have gone through all of the trouble of figuring out what you want to say, you need to be careful – because a lack of attention to neatness could make all of that hard work useless. Neatness in this case refers to how you have written your cover letter and resume – things such as spelling, punctuation and grammar.

If you are part of the digital generation, raised on a steady diet of texting, email and Facebook, spelling and punctuation are things you may not ordinarily pay much attention to, things that you may even feel aren’t really that important. But to hiring managers, they are important, because they signal how well you communicate, whether you pay attention to detail.

So, when you put together that cover letter and resume, make sure that everything is spelled correctly and that periods and commas are where they belong. Check your grammar as well. It’s not difficult to do with software that will help you. But you must take the time to do it.

But don’t rely exclusively on the software – it’s not foolproof. You should have an understanding of these things to guide you. It may be worthwhile to take another look at Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr., and E.B. White, a well-known, basic grammar and usage primer that can prevent you from making errors in your correspondence.

When doing the job search you need to reorient your thinking regarding your writing. A cover letter that is well written – compelling and interesting – will go a long way toward making a favorable impression on hiring managers. By contrast, a wooden cover letter, one filled with sentences all written the same way, the same length, with wording that is awkward or stilted, may easily get your letter tossed into the nearest trash container.

Bring your resume and cover letter to the Opti Staffing Group. If you’re looking for work in Portland, Seattle, Lake Oswego, Tacoma, Anchorage or Chicago, we can help you find terrific long- and short-term temporary as well as direct-hire assignments. Contact us today!

The lack of experience problem crops up with first-time job seekers because they have no experience, and for those who have been in the workforce, it becomes a problem when their skills or experience do not match exactly the kind of experience the employer is looking for.

The problem has become even more acute with the downturn in the economy, as employers, trying to do more with fewer people, have been combining parts of jobs or even entire jobs into new positions. This adds to the confusion as job candidates try to figure out from the new job descriptions if they have the skills and background to handle the work.

So, if you are looking for a job, how do you handle this problem? There are several things, according to business executive Tammy Johns.

One thing to do is to stop using the laundry list of skills and experience on the resume. Instead, talk about your abilities and tie them to the needs of the employer, to show how your abilities can help the company achieve its goals. This also will help you better show your qualifications if you lack experience.

Also, know your skills, knowledge and abilities well enough that you can show how they apply to the job description that outlines the exact experience wanted. Even if the job has a different name than the one on your resume, you can show how the skills you have are transferable.

Also, you have to keep trying to improve your skills and gain more experience. What skills do you still need to develop? What skills will help you develop your career? Then take courses or volunteer to try and get those skills.

On the other side, if you are in human resources, what can you do to increase the chances of finding the right person when you advertise for a position?

One thing to do is to focus on the most important skills, abilities and attitudes that are needed for the job, instead of simply creating a grab bag of all of the skills that could possibly be used in doing the job. If you are clear about the most important skills that are needed, the odds are that you will get a more limited but more qualified applicant pool, rather than everyone who sees themselves as having any of the long list of skills that are advertised.

Also, think about how you list the job title. You need to use titles that describe the nature of the job as it is practiced now, not in the past. The same care needs to be taken with emerging jobs, such as cloud computing and green jobs.

Whether looking for work or looking for great workers, contact the Opti Staffing Group. We have offices in Anchorage, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Lake Oswego, and Chicago and we look forward to hearing from you!

It’s dangerous to lie on a resume. The Internet has made it very easy for potential employers to check out the truth – or lies – you place on a resume. Employers can check colleges to see about degrees obtained, companies for background checks, even credit checks (which often display where you’ve worked in the past).

So instead of filling in blanks with made up jobs/employers, have a true reason for the gap or lack.

Have you been unemployed due to an illness or the illness of a loved one? Mention this in your cover letter.

If you were unemployed due to a job loss, you seriously should consider getting any job as soon as possible. Employers understand and respect candidates who do what needs to be done. They admire it, in fact, So, if you worked as a banking officer for 15 years and are working as a clerk at Target while you search for employment in your career, employers understand.

In fact, temporary jobs can be a terrific way to bring in income while looking for more permanent work in your field. You’re a bona fide employee of the staffing service(s) who hire(s) you, so need have no worry that you’re “fudging” a bit regarding your work history when you list the firm(s) as your employer(s) on your resume.

Are the holes/gaps in your resume due to returning to school? That’s OK. It ‘s a little trickier if you go to school and then decide not to pursue work in your new field. You can explain this in your cover letter as a career turn you were interested in because it seemed viable for your interests at the time. You’ve since discovered that your previous career path truly is where your passion lies.

Your main takeaways regarding gaps on your resumes/in your skills: 1) be honest and 2) be straightforward in your explanation.

As mentioned above, working for a staffing service such as the Opti Staffing Group can help you making money while keeping the unemployment gap on your resume very small. What’s more, many temporary assignments can – and do – turn into regular, full-time positions. Contact us today to learn more!

The good news is that 85 percent of all hiring managers are more understanding now than in the past about periods of unemployment. The not-so-good news is you still have to compete against hundreds of other people for each position. So, what can you do to make yourself stand out?

One concern employers have is what you have been doing with your time since you lost your last job – this applies to the skills erosion concern. Have you been active in keeping up your skills and learning new ones?  Business analyst Brent Rasmussen has several ideas on how to show them.

One way of showing employers that you are honing your skills is to go back to school, either through taking a certification course, a professional seminar, or even a community college course. If this ongoing education has improved your skills, or added new ones that you can bring to the job, that information should be prominently displayed on your resume.

Another way to keep up your skills is through volunteering. You should look for volunteer work that is a good fit with your profession, and will in turn help you keep your skills sharp. You need to promote this prominently on your resume as well, pointing out how this work has been beneficial. Too few people do this, burying it instead.

Becoming a temporary or contract worker also is a good way to keep your skills sharp and impress employers. Temporary work no longer is just for entry level jobs – there are a range of opportunities available. What’s more, it could be an entry into a full-time job – surveys show that about one-fourth of all employers plan to hire some of their temporary workers full time in the second quarter of 2012.

Two other important strategies also are neglected by job seekers. One is following up after submitting a resume. After sending a resume, follow up with a phone call or email. Also, make sure to thoroughly research the company you are applying to, and make sure you can provide concrete ideas on how you can improve its bottom line. Don’t just focus on past performance.

As mentioned above, working temporary assignments is a terrific way to keep skills sharp, keep the resume full and connect with employers. Contact an Opti Staffing Group recruiter today if you live in Chicago, Anchorage, Seattle, Portland, Tacoma, or Lake Oswego. We look forward to hearing from you.

But do they really?

Here’s how to spot the job candidates who aren’t what they claim to be:

•  Google the person and see what comes up. Is it far different than the person claimed?
•  Check out their social media presence. What shows up in their Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles and feeds.
• Let the candidate/interviewee have plenty of time to talk. Don’t be the one who speaks the most. Let the candidate speak and pay attention.
• Aim for a longer interview rather than shorter. You can learn a lot of things about someone in an hour or 90 minutes; you won’t learn nearly as much in just 20 minutes.
•  Check references and former employers. We’re constantly surprised about how many companies skip this important step. Did the candidate work where and when he or she said? Did the candidate have the job title claimed?
•  Contact educational institutions to verify that the candidate did indeed graduate or receive certification in the degree or training he or she claims. If the candidate will be working with money or other sensitive information, consider paying for a thorough background and/or credit check.

If you’re tired of the interview candidate after candidate, speak to the Opti Staffing Group about performing initial screening and interviews of job candidates. We can cull through resumes and set up preliminary interviews and then just send the top candidates on to your office for second and even third interviews with just the cream of the crop! Contact us today!

No. But maybe you should.

A job hunt guarantees you’ll be “rejected.” You’ll hear “no” countless times, from receptionists, HR professionals, hiring managers, even potential colleagues.

Understand this fact and you’re well on your way to surviving the inevitable rejection you’re going to face as a job hunter. You’ll even perhaps see yourself with a new job more quickly, too.

Follow the tips below to help you deal with rejection during your job search:

• First, accept — really and truly accept  — that rejection is a major part of the job search. Embrace this fact and accept it as just a part of the job search process.
• Work hard to not focus on “all” the rejection. That is, it’s human nature to start thinking “I’m being rejected so much, I’ll always be rejected. I’ll never find work” This is called “catastrophic thinking” (“this occurrence has happened more than once and so it will happen all the time!”) and it can pull you down into the whirlpoo1 of negative thinking faster than, well, a whirlpool! You’ve found work before, you will find work again.
• In conjunction in not letting rejection become your focus, remember your strengths. Focus on those things at which you excel and about which you’re passionate. Don’t keep berating yourself for not being perfect.
• Understand that even the “perfect” and the “good” candidates get rejected. All the time! Only one person can fill a position and many great people apply. Many hiring managers would hire more of the great candidates who apply…if they could. But they can’t, so they don’t and so you get “rejected.” Onward!
• Don’t take the “rejection” letter too personally. It’s just a letter telling you that the position has been filled by someone else. Don’t try to read between the lines. It’s just a letter, nothing more.
• Remember that the right job for you is out there. The fact that you’ve been rejected actually could be a blessing – after all, you didn’t land the “wrong” job for you. Consider yourself lucky.

Bring your resume to the Opti Staffing Group. We have many temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire positions with some of Anchorage’s, Seattle’s, Lake Tacoma’s, Portland’s, Lake Oswego’s, and Chicago’s best employers. If your many skills match their many needs, we can possibly get you working very quickly. Contact us today!

And now employers are using automated systems as well to pare down the raft of applications, making the process seem all the more mysterious.

Tell you something you don’t already know, right?

Because of all these challenges, it is easy for job hunters to become discouraged, even depressed by the task of looking for work in today’s market. So, what can you do to maintain your spirits?   Priscilla Claman, head of a career counseling company, has a few suggestions.

You need to try to control your emotions, which obviously is easier said than done. You don’t want to give in to negative feelings, to anger, or despair. Once you do, it is hard to mask these emotions, and if you should get an interview, it will become all the more difficult to project the kind of energy and enthusiasm hiring managers will expect to see.

Be a good manager of yourself, Claman says. Set doable weekly goals for things such as networking, researching and applying for jobs. Give yourself breaks, and reward yourself when you reach your goals. Also, don’t be too hard on yourself if you make a mistake, or fail to achieve what you wanted. Take a cue from the old Japanese proverb here, “Fall down seven times, get up eight.”

Also, get involved in things other than your job hunt, so that you are not focused exclusively on looking for work. Here the conventional wisdom applies – join a professional organization in your area, volunteer, take a class, anything that will expose you to something new and different and help keep you on an even keel.

Also, Claman says try not to focus all of your efforts on just one promising job possibility if it should materialize. If it doesn’t work out, the letdown is all the more devastating because you are left with nothing else on your plate. Even if you are invited for an interview with a company, don’t stop the job search. Keep going after other options, so if one falls through, you still have other irons in the fire.

Finally, stick to a routine. Make a schedule for your job search tasks, as well as for your extracurricular activities, including exercise.

Staffing firms such as the Opti Staffing Group. can be great tools for Anchorage, Seattle, Tacoma, Portland, Lake Oswego, and Chicago residents to use as they look for work. We have temporary, temp-to-hire and even direct-hire assignments with some of these areas’ best employers. Contact us today!

But it definitely is better to look for another job while you have a job. Potential employers take your more seriously because they know that you have current value in the workplace. It’s human nature: we tend to want what others “have.” The fact that another employer “has” you makes you more attractive to employers.

In addition, you can turn a job down if you don’t feel it’s the right position for you. You’ll be looking for work from a place of strength rather than desperation and this can be quite helpful when searching.

Some other considerations to keep in mind when you’re looking while currently employed:

1) Since you probably don’t want your current employer to know that you’re searching, don’t tell anyone – and we mean anyone – at your current employer about your job search. Not your best colleagues or your best friend who happens to work with you. We mean no one.

2) Ask potential employers not to contact your current employer for references until they’re certain they want to hire you. Most employers understand this.

3) Many employers also understand that you may not be able to interview during regular working hours. Ask if you can come in for your interview before or after your shift hours. You may have to arrange somehow to take time off from your current employer in order to interview, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how many employers will accommodate your schedule if you ask politely.

4) Don’t slack off at your current job. Sure, you may think you’re a shoo-in but hiring decisions can be delayed, positions can be closed before they’re filled, etc. There are many reasons why a “for sure” job never happens. So don’t burn your bridges behind you while still working…you may have to work on that bridge for a longer time than you had thought.

5) Think long and hard about accepting a counter offer at your current employer when you tell the company you’re taking a position with another firm. Your current employer already knows you’re looking to go; it understands that your loyalty doesn’t lie with it and it could start thinking that you’re highly replaceable – just when you don’t have another position lined up. Then you’ll be in  a place you thought was “better”: having all the time in the world available to you to look for work because you don’t have a job!

The Opti Staffing Group can help you find work with some of Portland’s, Chicago’s, Tacoma’s, Seattle’s, Lake Oswego’s, and Anchorage’s best employers. Contact us today!