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5 Tips For Working In A Remote Setting

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5 Tips For Working In A Remote Setting

Remote work was a growing trend even before COVID-19, but the pandemic truly forced companies to reconsider the traditional workplace. While some might start returning to work full-time as our lives are returning to normal, the trend toward remote work is still present. Remote work comes with numerous benefits. It’s been shown to increase productivity, reduce turnover, and lower overhead costs. However, if you are new to this, you might not know how to make remote work effective. Here are some tips! 

Tips for Working in a Remote Setting

These tricks can help you stay creative, productive, and inspired so that you can successfully work in a remote setting. 

Communication

A communication flow between employees is beneficial, but it becomes even more important in a remote setting. Keep your manager and coworkers updated on your progress, your tasks, and all other details that are relevant to their work. This way, others will be encouraged to also communicate openly and efficiently.

Make Sure Your Technology Is Working for You

Good headphones are a must too as they can make online meetings easier to go through. You should also invest in gadgets that make work easier and keep you healthy at the same time. Things like an ergonomic chair and a good mouse or keyboard can keep you physically and mentally sane.  
  • Create a Good Working Environment 

Try to create a work environment that keeps you calm, focused, and productive. Avoid clutter or working from your bed as it can be distracting. Have a designated work area to keep your personal and work life separated even if you are working from home. This way, you can achieve balance and not feel like your work is following you everywhere.  

Try different things, such as plants, noise-canceling headphones, and so on, and see what works better for you and what boosts your focus and productivity. 

  • Take Breaks  

No matter how busy you are, try to take a break every 50 minutes or so during work. Stretch, walk, make some tea and clear your head so that you can stay focused and productive.  

The problem-solving process will look different if you show up to an important meeting with a decompressed mind.  

Know When It’s Time to End Your Work Day 

It might be a bit challenging for some people to set boundaries when it comes to their daily work schedule. While some tasks need your undivided attention, switching off and knowing how important it is to separate your personal schedule from your work schedule will benefit not only you but the company too. You will show up the next morning refreshed and ready to start the day. 

Over to You!  

Remote work can be amazing as it gives you more flexibility and autonomy. However, it’s important not to let your work invade your personal life and set clear boundaries through good communication, taking time off, and creating the best work environment for you. At TemPositions we are currently hiring for various remote roles. If you are interested, click the button below to apply today! 

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5 Best Free Online Interview Courses

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There is no better feeling than securing a job interview for a position that you want. Job interview statistics show that on average 118 candidates apply for one single job, of whom only 20% are interviewed. So if you recently received an interview invitation, congratulations! Getting to the interview is a great achievement. But now that you’re competing with the top 20% of applicants, you may be wondering how to best prepare for your interview. This is arguably the most important part of the job search process. Since every interview is different, you’ll want to make sure you prepare for each interview as best you can. To help you prepare, we have created a list of the top 5 FREE interview workshop tools available online.

1. Interview Warm Up 

2. Skill Up

3. Coursera 

4. Future Learn 

5. Ultimate Job Interview 

Interview Warm Up

This interview preparation course on Interview Warm Up Google gives you the opportunity to answer mock interview questions and provides insights about your answers. The process is very simple and user friendly. Google has developed a system where an automated interviewer asks you potential interview questions and then gives you job-related terms you used, important points that you covered, and the words that you used most. Instead of giving you a letter grade, Google gives you useful feedback that you can learn from and then continue reviewing. Google has a wide range of general interview questions that gives you plenty of practice and ensures you can enter your interview confidently.

Learning Objectives:
  • Learn Key Interview questions 
  • Get more comfortable interviewing 
  • Present with confidence 
  • Enhance your answers to interview questions  

SkillUp

SkillUp offers valuable information about resume building and how to prepare for different interview questions in both a virtual and in-person setting. This interview preparation course also offers you help on boosting your soft skills, creating a good first impression, and making sure that you are choosing a career path that best suits you. SkillUp’s lesson course is 10 modules long to cover everything you need to know in order to feel prepared in your interview.

Learning Objectives:
  • Learn how to introduce yourself in an interview 
  • Know how to make and critique your resume 
  • How to create a good first impression
  • Choosing the right career path 
  • Boosting your soft skills 
  • Handling different types of interview techniques  

Coursera

This Coursera course is designed to boost your confidence by preparing you with tips for before, during, and after your interview. This course will prepare you for multiple different interviews and the best responses to common questions that recruiters and hiring managers may ask. A unique aspect of this course is that the instructor provides best practices for both before and after your interview. The instructor also provides you with tactical questions to ask at the end of your interview.

Learning Objectives:
  • Preparing for 5 different types of job interviews
  • Preparing for the most common interview questions
  • Preparing for best practices before the job interview 
Key Features:
  • 1 hour long 
  • No download needed 
  • Split screen video 
  • Beginner friendly 
Skills Learned:
  • Listening 
  • Communication
  • Self-representation 
  • Job readiness 
  • Business writing 

Future Learn

Interviews are about more than your communication skills, resume, and experience. They are also about making a pleasant first impression. The Future Learn course has 3 main topics: preparing for interviews, dealing with interviews, and handling different types of interviews. One of the best aspects of this course is that it goes into depth about how to deal with nerves before your interview, how to dress, and leaving a positive first impression. It is important to be prepared for all details before an interview. 

Learning Objectives:
  • Improve chances of getting a job
  • Identify what recruiters are looking for 
  • Develop a better understanding of your strengths, skills, and key selling points 
  • Develop an understanding of different types of interviews 
  • Able to apply best practice techniques 

Ultimate Job Interview

The Ultimate Job Interview Preparation Course gives you all the tools to succeed in your next interview. This course offers 6 different modules with 27 core lessons, over 4 hours of video lessons, over 20 worksheets, a comprehensive questions library, and animated clips throughout the lesson. This course is designed to teach you how to shorten the long and stressful job search, earn a better job, and have a fulfilling professional future. After completing this course you will feel comfortable in any interview setting with the skills that you will learn.

Learning Objectives:
  • Feel Comfortable in any interview setting 
  • Shorten your job search
  • Earn a better job
  • Learn how to negotiate 
  • Confidently sell yourself 

Still Want More Practice?

Here at TemPositions, we have skilled and experienced recruiters who can coach you on the best interview practices and offer you feedback on your resume. If you want to feel confident and comfortable walking into your next interview connect with a TemPositions recruiter today.

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5 Ways Recruiters Help You Land a Job

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Searching for a new job can feel exciting and hopeful at first but can quickly become overwhelming, even for the most qualified and confident job seeker. There is an abundance of job openings on the internet and it can be hard to know which ones are worth your time and energy. Time is valuable when searching for a job. Filling out applications, writing cover letters, and tweaking your resume can become very time consuming. Many people experience burnout when they don’t have guidance or feedback during the process. Using a professional recruiter to guide you through the grueling job search makes the process a lot smoother. If you are still hesitant to reach out to a recruiter, below we have created a list of 5 ways recruiters help you land a job.

1. Your personal career coach

2. Access to multiple employers and jobs

3. Manage the job process 

4. Recruiters save you time 

5. You stay in a job search data base

Your personal career coach

When you decide to work with a staffing firm you are matched with a trained and skilled recruiter to help guide you through the entire process. They are there to listen to your career objectives. They are fully dedicated to helping you get placed with a job that best suits your experience and qualifications. Recruiters are there to help you at every stage of the job search. Your recruiter also can offer you resume advice, interview tips, and insight about the process. 

Access to multiple job opportunities

Recruiters have access to a large professional network and many different job openings. They even have the ability to access jobs that have not been posted online. This gives you access to more opportunities that align with your resume and experience. Chances are that your recruiter knows what the client wants and can help prepare you for your interview or answer any questions you have. The recruiter also gives you information on everything you need such as background checks, when your interview is and the required paperwork you will need.

Manage the job process

Alone, you navigate through job postings and spend hours applying to jobs, but when you use a recruiter they completely manage the job process for you and take over the most difficult parts. They move quickly and efficiently to schedule interviews on your behalf with companies who are hiring, and they give you immediate actionable feedback about the hiring process. 

Recruiters save you time

Applying to jobs can be extremely time consuming especially when you have other responsibilities on your plate. Filling out job applications is a long process that can easily lead to hours of applying to jobs and critiquing your resume, feeling like a full-time job in itself. To make matters more time consuming, applications can take weeks and sometimes months to be reviewed. For people who are students, working a job, or have other responsibilities of high importance, this process can feel impossible. The recruiter’s job is to give you inside access to companies who are hiring immediately, so that your resume sits on top of the pile. 

You stay in a job search data base

Even if you don’t get selected for the job that you applied to, your time with the recruiter doesn’t end there. Your resume is stored in a database which uses an applicant tracking system to match your skills and experience with suitable job openings. When a job opens up that you’re a good fit for, your recruiter will automatically send you the job alert. This is a great way to stay up to date on new job opportunities. 

Reach your goals

Don’t let searching for a job become your full time time job. At TemPositions we understand that your time is valuable .That is why we have skilled recruiters with professional connections who understand what you’re looking for. You don’t have to be alone in the job search process any longer. Apply to one of TemPositions’ many job openings and get paired with a recruiter today!

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10 Soft Skills Employers Look for in a Candidate

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While your resume and relevant experience will get you to the interview, it won’t necessarily land you the job. Employers also place a high value on the soft skills you hold and how those skills influence your job performance. In this article, we’ve outlined the top 10 soft skills you should clearly communicate in your next interview, in addition to your hard skills and relevant experience. By highlighting these soft skills, you’ll have a leg up on similar candidates with equally relevant experience!

Top 10 Soft Skills:

  • Communication

  • Dependability

  • Team Work 

  • Creativity 

  • Eager to Learn 

  • Conflict Resolution 

  • Self-discipline 

  • Adaptability

Communication

Communication is important to the employer interviewing you, they want to make sure you can effectively communicate ideas. This isn’t just about your verbal skills, it includes your written and listening skills as well. Highlighting your ability to use your communication skills effectively to reach an end goal will show the employer that you are capable of handling the job. Communication is important to ensure everyone in the company is on the same page, projects are being executed, there are less errors, internal relationships are being built, and productivity is at an all time high.

Dependability

A critical part of being a good member of a company/organization means being dependable. It’s crucial to employers to ensure that you will be able to produce consistent work, follow through with commitments, and hold yourself accountable for everything you need to do. This is a great opportunity to describe to the interviewer a time where you had an important project that had a certain deadline and what you did to reach that deadline on time while still making sure everything was satisfactory. 

Team Work

Collaborating ideas within a team arguably brings the best results out of a project. Each individual has the opportunity to give their perspective on a project and contribute their unique skill set which eventually creates innovative ideas. Employers want to know if you have collaborative/teamwork skills because it produces results. This is not only beneficial to the employer but the candidate as well because it allows you to build relationships in the workplace and accomplish something great as a team. To that end, watch the video below where Zuleika Cuevas explains the importance of smiling in your interview.

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Creativity

Individuals that possess creativity lead companies/organizations to many new and different approaches that they may have not thought of before. Showing an employer your ability to think outside the box and brainstorm demonstrates to the employer you are passionate about the position to the point you’re okay with stepping outside of your comfort zone to find the solution you are looking for. In an interview setting, this is a great opportunity to showcase a time where you had to think outside the box and get creative on a project to reach your end goal.

Eagerness to Learn

Demonstrating your willingness to learn is important to employers. They want to see that you are dedicated to the job and willing to take on new challenges in order to perform it best as possible. This is a great quality to display especially if your experience with the role you are interviewing for is lacking. Give the employer examples of steps you are taking to gain new experience. This could be gaining certificates for certain skills online or researching more about the role.

Conflict Resolution

Work environments can become a high stress zone, especially when multiple individuals with different backgrounds, personalities, and ideas are working on a project and trying to reach a deadline. Conflicts are inevitable but how you approach them is what really matters. Having conflict resolution skills tells the employer that you won’t let conflict build over disagreements and will handle it properly. Describe how you work in a collaborative environment and give examples of how you handle conflict in a high pressure situation. When you can diffuse conflict quickly it shows that you are able to communicate effectively and go back to being productive.

Motivation

Employers want to know that you want this position because you are interested and enthusiastic about the role. Looking beyond doing what is expected of you and achieving more in your past positions shows you are a highly motivated individual. The best candidate challenges themselves and looks for ways to strengthen their skills. Conveying to the employer about goals you have set for yourself and how you plan to achieve them in the position you want shows them that you are self-motivated and they can count on you. In the video below, Malla Haridat explains the importance of doing your research before an interview.

Play Video

Adaptability

Being able to adapt easily to a new position and workplace environment is important for both you and employer alike. Every new job you start comes with a new company structure, values, colleagues, and environment. Starting a new position with an open mind and embracing new changes will make your transition easier. Employers want to make sure that you can adapt to changes easily and be able to transition as quickly as possible to ensure you can respond to unexpected changes with ease.

All of these qualities relate to each other in one way or another which makes it easier to build off of each one during your interview. Each quality showcased together not only makes you an attractive candidate to the employer, but also increases your skill strength and will help you excel in any position. If you are looking to start a new job and put these skills into action TemPositions is always hiring! We have an abundance of job openings that are just a click away. 

Interested in Work Opportunities?

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DEI in the Workplace

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Why DEI in the Workplace is Important

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) are no longer just buzzwords, they are core values that companies have started fully integrating into who they are. Putting time and energy into creating a positive environment that emphasizes DEI will allow all employees to thrive and feel like they belong. Acknowledging and celebrating the differences of the individuals in your company leads to more engaging and meaningful discussions. Ultimately, DEI affects the company as a whole and strengthening it means creating a more collaborative and successful workplace environment.

DEI Breakdown

The term DEI stands for Diversity Equity and inclusion. It is used to describe policies and programs that support the differences of different groups of individuals. In the workplace, diversity means the presence of having differences including race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, apparent and non-apparent disabilities, nationality, age, and more. Equity is the process of ensuring that systems and programs are impartial, fair, and offer individuals equal possible outcomes. Inclusion is about creating a space where all individuals feel they can contribute and have a sense of belonging. A company that values DEI reassures employees that they can feel safe expressing their ideas and viewpoints no matter who they are. Diverse, equitable, and inclusive companies have better business outcomes but, this isn’t a quick fix. It takes time, consistency, cooperation, and educating everyone in your company about the importance of DEI to create an environment based around it.

DEI in Staffing

In staffing, strong external DEI is just as important as internal. Analyzing and breaking down how you hire and the strategies your recruiting team uses to attract candidates is a critical part of implementing stronger DEI. This is an opportunity to seek new diverse ways to find talent. Attracting diverse and qualified candidates is vital in the hiring process and can open up many new and exciting doors for your company. Doug Arms, COO of TemPositions, emphasizes the importance of implementing strong DEI early in the employment cycle. “Too often we start too far down in the employment cycle when focusing on DEI efforts. When conscious or unconscious bias is not addressed in the recruitment process, it will have a long standing impact in not including a candidate slate that is representative of the community. So initially, attracting a diverse, qualified candidate slate is vital. Then it is important to educate the interview panel in inclusive interviewing – establishing, early and often, that the organization is seeking the best candidate, which includes those with varied backgrounds, ethnicities, and gender, etc. Failure to do so will limit DEI from its origin, and not allow it to recover.” This process does not only require you to hire individuals of different ethnicities, races, genders, ages, religions, and sexual orientations but also individuals that have different perspectives, world views, style, education, and skill sets. DEI is a powerful competitive advantage that gives you the opportunity to have more unique and thought provoking conversations that lead to ground breaking ideas. 

Key Points

It is clear that fostering ways to improve DEI has proven to lead companies to perform better and have more innovative and creative ideas. Implementing and improving strong DEI isn’t a quick fix, it takes hard work, consistency, and cooperation from your team or company. This needs to be a long term goal. Doug continues, “First is internal education and second is authentically representing the company’s values through the interview process. The world has changed and will continue to evolve. Diversity of background, experience and thought is vital to becoming an employer of choice where all employees feel welcome. It also is vital for client attraction, marketing, and strategy. You cannot possibly understand the expanding business climate if your workforce does not represent all of its facets.” Listening to your staff’s feedback is critical if you want to be confident that your workplace is taking the right steps to implement DEI. Just like a business plan, having multiple perspectives from people with different backgrounds always makes for a better plan. 

 At TemPositions we have individuals that are staffed with years of hands on experience in our HR division. We assist clients with talented human resource teams that can help you build your DEI.

Interested in Creating Strong Company DEI?

Check out our HR Staffing Division
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5 Key Interview Questions Every Substitute Teacher Should Be Able to Answer

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Preparing for an interview can often feel like more work than it needs to be. It is easy to get overwhelmed with the process. Substitute teaching is essential to children’s learning, so to help make the interview process less daunting, we have created some tips to ensure your success. We have broken down 5 key interview questions that every substitute teacher should be prepared to answer before entering their interview.

Why did you decide to become a teacher?

This is a popular interview question, so the interviewer can get an idea of your feelings about this career. It’s beneficial to give them a unique answer such as a personal anecdote.  For example, describing your favorite teacher growing up and how that impacted your career journey. Instead of giving them an overused answer of “Because I do well with children” give an answer such as “Because I want to help shape the next generation and I know that I can do this by…” This is a chance to highlight your passion for teaching and love for working in the classroom. 

Can you tell us about your teaching experience?

It can be easy to unintentionally list information straight from your resume that the interviewer already knows. Instead of just focusing on tasks and curriculum that you taught, discussing your growth in the position is important here as well. Take time to reflect on what you achieved with your past students and share how that transformed your teaching experience.

If this is your first role in education and you don’t have an educational degree, don’t be alarmed. Use this as an opportunity to share how you were inspired to begin a path in education. If you don’t have experience in a conventional classroom setting, give an example of similar experience such as being a camp counselor.

It is important to have an elevator pitch prepared as to why you want to transition into education. It’s ideal to explain how you will make a unique impact teaching and why you are interested in becoming a substitute teacher. 

Can you give us an example to better understand your teaching/classroom management style?

This is a great opportunity to showcase your teaching skills and give the interviewer an idea of how you have been successful in the classroom. Paint a picture of yourself for the interviewer by providing past examples of lesson plans, successful classroom projects, and different experiences that brought you to this teaching style. Explain how you found this teaching style and how your success with it has motivated you.

Are you comfortable following preset lesson plans and/or creating your own?

It is important to be as detailed as possible when answering this question. The interviewer wants to know that you are organized and capable of following and/or creating a lesson plan if needed. You can take this opportunity to run the interviewer through the steps you take to prepare before entering the classroom each day, such as reading over the lesson plan multiple times, taking notes, and ensuring you have all the materials you need. You can also showcase past lesson plans you have created and how you found them to be successful. 

How do you handle disruptions in your classroom?

The best way to answer this question is to explain the necessary steps that you would take to handle the situation. Describe how you would tailor your method differently based on grade-level. For example, if you are planning to teach K-12, reference that you may have slight differences depending on age, then briefly explain those differences. In any circumstance, describe how you would calm the situation and have a one-on-one conversation with the student to let them have a moment. 

Below are other key points to keep in mind before entering your interview.

1. Dress professionally

2. Arrive on-time, or ideally a few minutes before your scheduled interview start.

3. Bring an extra copy of your resume with you to the interview, just in case the interviewer asks for this, or you want to reference it while speaking about your experience.

4. Be genuine and honest in all answers

5. Highlight your qualifications and experiences

6. Ask follow-up questions such as: “What is the most important quality you are looking for in the person who fills this role?”

7. Finish the interview by asking whether they have any questions or concerns about what you discussed today. Listen carefully here and try to answer in a way to put to rest any concerns.

8. End by thanking them for their time and reinforcing your interest in the school and the position.

Interested in Becoming a Substitute Teacher?

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