By Christiane Soto, Snelling.com

As stated in yesterday’s The Snelling Blog, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) is intended to ensure that, as a member of the Armed Forces, Reserves, National Guard or other “uniformed services”, you are allowed to seamlessly return to civilian employment.

This law is not about finding you a new civilian job.  Its focus is on providing that you are reemployed in the job that you would have attained had you not been called away for military service.

It is important to note that, in order to be eligible for USERRA “protection”, you must have had 5 or less cumulative service years (with some exceptions) in the “uniformed services” while with a particular employee.

Employee Obligations

As an employee, you cannot simply show up and expect to start working within the hour.  You have certain obligations that you must meet.  These include:         Read the rest of this entry »

By David Allen, Snelling.com

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) is intended to ensure that persons who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, Reserves, National Guard or other “uniformed services” are allowed to seamlessly return to civilian employment.

This law is not about finding veterans new civilian jobs, but about providing that returning service members are reemployed in the job that they would have attained had they not been called away for military service, with the same

• Seniority
• Status
• Pay
• Benefits (to a certain degree)

Returning veterans, who are eligible for USERRA “protection”, must have had 5 or less cumulative service years (with some exceptions) in the “uniformed services” while with a particular employee.

Employer Obligations

As an employer, you have certain obligations. These include:

• Placing the employee on a military (or other appropriate) leave of absence if you received appropriate verbal or written notice.   The USERRA does not require an employer continue paying the employee’s salary; however, you are free to do so.  You are also able to pay out vacation or other similar leave accruals, if the employee requests it.        Read the rest of this entry »

By Christiane Soto, Snelling.com

The job market is changing.  Companies are hiring. Résumés are being written.  Interviews are being scheduled.

Interview…the very word puts fear into many a job seeker. There is pressure to look perfect, sound perfect, and answer every question perfect.

How do you know which questions will be asked? How do you answer those questions perfectly?  Quite honestly, you don’t.

I could spend the remainder of this limited blog space giving you some examples of tough interview questions and some sample answers.  However, you will probably find that those answers will not translate to your actual interview(s).  For example, when an interviewer asks you a job and/or task-specific question, there is no generic answer that I can provide that will fit all situations.

So, instead, let’s focus on two concepts that you need to remember when you come face-to-face with the interviewer.     Read the rest of this entry »

By David Allen, Snelling.com

There is a talent war going on. People, for the first time in years, are willing to leave the “relative” safety of their jobs for new opportunities.  Companies (again for the first time in years) are willing to take the chance – in terms of time, money and effort – in hiring new employees.

This is where the two sides collide.  Job seekers are looking for a good match – one that will make them comfortable with the idea of leaving and that will pay them well. Employers are looking for their best-fit employee – one with all the skills they need, the ability to fit in culturally and the desire to stay longer than 6 weeks.

This is an exaggeration – said to highlight a point – but the reality is that companies want to make the right hiring decision.  Because of this, they need to assess the candidate through background checks, reference checks, résumé analysis and interviews.

The interview is the most crucial part of this process.  Read the rest of this entry »

By Christiane Soto, Snelling.com

The advice is all around you.

• How to Dress for an Interview
• Dress to Land the Job
• Dress for Success on your Next Job Interview

Catchy titles…lots of advice….are you overwhelmed yet?  If so, you are not alone.  Everyone has (at one time or another) obsessively focused on their clothing choices for certain interviews.  It is easy to do, because (let’s face it) your appearance is the one thing that you can control during this process.  You will not know which questions will be asked or what answers will be acceptable or if you are being judged.  However, you can control the color of your shirt.

Now, I do not think that any job candidate should spend 3 ½ days agonizing over whether or not to wear the blue button down or the yellow silk shirt to an interview (as I once did…many, many years ago). That level of fastidiousness is probably unwarranted.  If you are truly in doubt, ask your recruiter, staffing manager, or contact at the firm.  Within 5 minutes, you should know whether or not you have an appropriate outfit for that particular interview.

That being said…       Read the rest of this entry »

By David Allen, Snelling.com

Everyone does it.  We make assumptions (and you know what they say about assumptions!); then we use those assumptions to make decisions.  Sometimes we are lucky and everything works out fine; sometimes we are wrong – dead wrong.

This happens during the interview process…usually (according to Monster) within the initial 30 minutes when the candidate and hiring manager first meet in person.  As hiring managers, we attempt to mix what we know about an applicant on paper with the person sitting in front of us.  Sometimes we make judgments quickly – sometimes too quickly, based on 1 or 2 comments or actions, or simply by looking at a candidate.

Stereotypes, Biases, Preconceptions…Oh, my….

We all carry prejudices and stereotypes in our head.  The accuracy, validity and/or righteousness of those feelings are beyond the scope of this blog, which is simply trying to help you to identify stereotypes and negate their effects during the interview.    Read the rest of this entry »

By Melinda Juneau, Snelling.com

It is no secret when a doctor gives you a list of orders and instructions, you should follow them. After all, didn’t you just pay this person money to provide you with their knowledge in hopes of improving your health?  Yet every day, patients walk into the doctor’s office and walk out, with no intention of following his/her orders. Some will not even go into the office unless it is a life-threatening emergency.

Every year, the number of non-compliant patients averages between 40-50%. This range means close to half of the people seeing a doctor for a medical problem do not follow the doctor’s advice. The number is the same for patients and for the guardians of minors who need medical care.  With the proper techniques and a plan, this number can be decreased in your facility.

You may have patients that come into your facility who are sticklers for the rules.  They don’t cross the street until the “Walk” light comes on, they don’t cut the tags off of their pillows, they always pay their bills on time, and they certainly don’t abuse the medications they are prescribed.  In fact, they may not even take them!   Read the rest of this entry »

By Christiane Soto, Snelling.com

Since the beginning of the year, the issue around workplace bullying has literally jumped off the radar and into everyone’s stream of consciousness.  Questions have been raised about whether or not employees need legal protections against bullying in the workplace.

But what is workplace bullying?  The issues around bullying are well-known to educators, who have developed well-documented action plans for students to use to protect and positively assert themselves. However, the phenomenon of bullying does not simply go away because one is granted a diploma.

According to the 2010 Workplace Bullying Institute survey, 35% of workers reported being bullied at work:

• 62% of bullies are men; 38% of bullies are women
• Women bully other women in 80% of the cases
• 68% of bullying is same-gender harassment

But who is a bully?  The composite of a typical workplace bully does vary a bit from the schoolyard bully.  Remember, the workplace is a very different environment.  Here, the assumption is that that we all know how to “play well” with our peers.  The workplace is not always warm and fuzzy; it is an environment where everyone is judged based, not on our sparkling personalities, but on our ability to get our jobs done and meet goals and expectations. Read the rest of this entry »

By Christiane Soto, Snelling.com

Historically, college seniors did not start their hard-core job search until the spring semester of their senior year….and by historically, I mean 2-3 years ago.  However, that has changed.  Employers are now coming to campuses early.  By last fall, employers had already completed 68% of their college recruiting effort for the 2012-2013 school year.

This early push seems to be a by-product of the much-talked-about skills shortage.  Recruiters are showing up on campus early to try and snatch the best and brightest.

What if you have not locked in that job offer? 

What should you do if you find yourself having not even started because you thought there is still plenty of time? Here are 3 things that you can do to present yourself in the best way possible:

Read the rest of this entry »

By Christiane Soto, Snelling.com

Summer – time of pools, picnics and parades.  The scent of sunblock and bar-b-ques and chlorinated water fills the air.  These are the three months of the year when people begin to focus on their personal lives in the form of vacations, staycations, summer school breaks and general family time.

If you are a job hunter, you may think that this is most certainly the time to abandon your search and pick it back up in the fall, right?  After all, most companies scale their hiring back as their workers take vacation or time off, correct?

Summer Slowdown

Incorrect… and welcome to the 1^st big myth about the summer job search.  The season should never dictate the amount of effort you put into your job search.  If you need a job, do not stop just because the mercury reaches 90 degrees. Companies fill positions at the same rate during the summer as they do during the other months of the year.

Read the rest of this entry »