What is an elevator pitch?

Before I can tell you how to create an elevator pitch, let’s define what it is. An elevator pitch is the brief 30-60 second time frame that you may have with a person to summarize what you can do or what you have to offer to an organization. The name reflects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride. If the elevator pitch is successful your conversation will go beyond the “elevator ride”.

Step 1: Prepare your pitch ahead of time.

You should always be ready to give an elevator pitch at the drop of a hat. You never know when you might bump into someone that you want to give your pitch to. Jot down some things following the steps below and practice it out loud over and over again until you are comfortable saying it. Of course you will need to tailor your pitch to each person but these steps should help you form the outline.

Step 2: Start your pitch with what you’re interested in doing.

Be passionate. This entices them by hearing that you are excited about what you love to do. Even if what you want to do isn’t something they can offer, they will respond to the enthusiasm and point you in the right direction.

Step 3: Tailor it to them, not you.

People are interested in what’s in it for them. Try to relate to them and focus your message on their needs.

Example: “I have over 10 years of experience in human resources, helping many companies find the right candidates for their companies.”

Step 4: State what you want to happen next.

Remember you only have a short amount of time and you need to get to the point of how you can follow up with your conversation. Ask for their business card so you can control the follow ups and if they don’t have one get their name, number and email address. A good way to stay in touch is to send a LinkedIn invite to connect.

Example: “I’d love to schedule a time to learn more about your company and what you do. Do you have a business card with you?”

Being out of work is difficult, and sending out resume filled with employment gaps can present a huge hurdle to ending that unemployment.

However, human resources professionals say having employment gaps on your resume doesn’t necessarily mean your resume will be passed over.

“It does not automatically send up a major red flag, especially these days,” said Tonya Fight, human resources specialist at Advocate South Suburban Hospital. “Unfortunately, over the last few years, the economy has taken a toll. There are many more people recently who have been laid off or downsized because of the economy, so gaps are increasingly more common.”

Explaining those gaps to a potential employer is still often necessary, however.

“I would say there are no hard and fast rules for this issue,” Joe Frank, communications director with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. “If you do have an employment gap, especially of 6 months or more, you need to be prepared to address concerns and answer questions in a positive way.”

Here are some expert tips on how to best weather the storm and come out on the other end employed.

Be prepared to explain.

For Fight, it’s less about the length of the gap than the reason for it. That’s why she recommends being prepared to explain anything more than a small period of unemployment.

“If there is a gap of more than a few months, there really needs to be some reason or explanation that is communicated to the recruiter,” she said.

Applicants should attempt to account in their resume any significant gap, she said.

Read full article: Employment Gaps

The retail-worker strikes that swept the nation in 2013 did not move Congress to raise the minimum wage, but a growing number of states are taking action.

The minimum wage will rise in 13 states this week, and as many as 11 states and Washington, D.C., are expected to consider increases in 2014, according to the National Employment Law Project. Approval is likely in more than half of the 11, says NELP policy analyst Jack Temple.

The trend reflects growing concerns about the disproportionate spread of low-wage jobs in the U.S. economy, creating millions of financially strained workers and putting too little money in consumers’ pockets to spur faster economic growth.

On Jan. 1, state minimum wages will be higher than the federal requirement of $7.25 an hour in 21 states, up from 18 two years ago. Temple expects another nine states to drift above the federal minimum by the end of 2014, marking the first time minimum pay in most states will be above the federal level.

“2014 is poised to be a turning point,” Temple says. “States are seeing the unemployment rate is going down but job growth is disproportionately concentrated in low-wage industries. (They’re) frustrated that Congress is dragging its feet.”

Connecticut, New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island legislatures voted to raise the minimum hourly wage by as much as $1, to $8 to $8.70, by Wednesday. In California, a $1 increase to $9 is scheduled July 1. Smaller automatic increases tied to inflation will take effect in nine other states: Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Oregon, Vermont and Washington.

Full story available here: raising minimum wage

We appreciate the creativity and effort that was put into these awesome holiday cards. Thanks to all who participated and happy holidays!

The winner for Contract Services Group is this jolly creative card made by Jason LeGrand.

 

The winner for Hospitality Services Group is this colorful festive card made by Elainea Gholston.

 

17 Tips to Write a Cover Letter that Will Get You Noticed!

Below is a list of 17 Tips to create a perfect cover letter to get an interview.

 

Tip 1: Get into the Right Mindset – What is the Purpose of a Cover Letter?

It’s not just a structure you need to follow, like an “ABC” formula—it’s a mindset you need to get into, and I’m going to help you get into that mindset and show you how to put everything together. When we’re done today, you’re going to be able to write a great cover letter, comfortably and confidently.

On the surface, cover letters seem simple. But once you actually get into writing one, you start to understand that it’s deceptive. Your cover letter does need to be simple and quick, but when you really start to think about how this is probably your very first introduction to whoever it is that needs to give you a chance at a job, and it’s vitally important that you impress them—that you make them want to read your resume, and then call you for an interview—that’s when it starts to twist you up a little. And if it isn’t twisting you up at least a little bit, and then you just don’t understand how important this little introduction is.

 

Tip 2: Sell, Sell, Sell Yourself to a Hiring Manager, Recruiter or Human Resources

Let’s start off by setting up the playing field here. Overall, your job search is a sales process. You, the candidate, are the product you’re trying to sell to the hiring manager. You want him to buy your product, which means to hire you. In this analogy, the resume is your marketing brochure that tells the buyer about the product. So what’s the cover letter? It’s your “commercial” or your initial ad that’s going to get the attention of the buyer and make him want to read the marketing brochure. Your cover letter is a “teaser” for your resume. It’s the sign that says “look here!” It’s supposed to be brief but also grab attention and puts your resume in context. It’s the first impression of you for this person, and first impressions last. It demonstrates your professionalism, your personality, and your communication skills, right off the bat.

 

Tip 3: Don’t Make Your Cover Letter Generic… Target the Position You Are Applying For

The most common mistakes job seekers make when they write cover letters is that they make them too generic, they make them too long, and they put no effort into making them easy to read. Maybe they even go find a basic cover letter template online and just change out the names of the job title and company. The result is a letter that doesn’t make the reader want to dig a little deeper and read your resume, and doesn’t show good communication skills on your part. All that goes against everything I just told you is the goal of a good cover letter. So, you want to make sure that each cover letter you write is targeted to that job, at that company, to that hiring manager; that it gets your point across quickly; and that it’s very easy to skim and still get the most important facts from it. You want to be direct and get to the point quickly while being polite, friendly, and professional.

 

Tip 4: Make the Letter Addressed to Someone not Something

First, always make sure your letter is addressed to an actual person. Never “to whom it may concern,” or to a title like “Marketing Manager at ABC Corporation.” Make the effort to find out the actual name, with the right spelling, of the person who’s going to be reading it.

 

Tip 5: Write the Cover Letter to the Job, NOT Your Resume

With your first sentence or two, put the whole thing in context. What job are you interested in? Make that very clear. Remember, each cover letter you write is going to be written for that particular job. You’re writing to an actual person. Talk to that person. You want to be direct and aggressive with your language, but also use your own voice. That’s what puts your personality into it and resonates with the person reading it. And think about the person you’re sending this to. Is it a recruiter? Is it a hiring manager? Put yourself in their shoes. What pain are they experiencing right now? What problems are they having because that job is currently unfilled?

 

Tip 6: Address Their Problems and Your Solutions

Address that, and then show how you’re the solution to those problems. Your cover letter should always be focused on how you can help the employer. What’s in it for them? What are you bringing to the table? That’s your attention-grabbing opening. Think headline, almost. Or if someone they know has recommended that you contact this person, say that right up front.

 

Tip 7: Support Your Solutions

Then, in the body of the letter, you can go into a few details that support what you just told the reader. But don’t just copy and paste items from your resume. Don’t tell them what they’re going to be able to read on the next page. There are several different options you can go with.

 

Tip 8: Steal Their Job Description and Requirements

If you have a job description you’re working from, use the requirements they’re asking for. List a few of them, and note how you fit. For instance, if they’re looking for someone who “will drive the growth of XYZ division,” you say, “At ABC Company, I led my team to a 25% increase in revenue.” Or whatever it is. You’re answering their need. And as much as humanly possible, do it with numbers. If you don’t have a specific job description you’re applying for, feel free to just pull the stats that sell you. Put yourself in their shoes, figure out what they need, and show them why they should be interested in talking to you about meeting that need. Why are you good at what you do? And where’s your proof?

 

Tip 9: Quantify, Qualify & Measure

Numbers are what really get the attention of most hiring managers. For them, that proves that you’re not just all talk. You can back that up with measurable results. That’s either dollars, numbers, or percentages. Some way you can offer an objective measure of your achievement, in whatever form that takes for your industry. Hopefully, that’s a main focus of your resume. For your cover letter, you’re going to just sprinkle in a few of the more impressive figures to grab attention.

 

Tip 10: Don’t Copy and Paste from Your Resume into Your Cover Letter

Again, you don’t want to just restate what’s in your resume. Your cover letter should complement your resume. You can direct the hiring manager’s attention to the parts of your resume he would be most interested in, or you can add some details that don’t really “go” in your resume but that might be beneficial for the employer to know. Overall, you’re answering the question, “Why should I talk to you about this job?” Don’t copy and paste from your resume into your cover letter.

 

Tip 11: Use Bullet Points!

The easiest way for the reader to understand and focus on what you’re trying to say in the body of your letter is with bullet points. I love bullet points. They are easier to read than paragraphs and they naturally draw the eye down the list. They are bite-sized nuggets of information that are very easy to skim, take in, and digest. You have a much better chance of having your cover letter read if you incorporate bullet points into it.

 

Tip 12: Close with a Call To Action

Now: your closing. Sum up why they should see you, and let them know when you intend to follow up with a phone call. You can say something like: “I am very excited about the potential for this company and this position, and know that my skills in x, y, and z will advance your goals for this division. I look forward to discussing it with you, and I will call within a few days to set up a time to meet. Thank you for your consideration.” Basically, close with a call to action. What does that mean? You want to set up the next step in your closing statement. Is it a phone call, is it a meeting? Here is another example: “I look forward to speaking with you soon. The best number to reach me is 555-5555. Thank you for your time and consideration of my resume for XYZ position.” Make sure there is a next step or call to action.

 

Tip 13: Be Yourself, Let Your Personality Shine

That’s just an example. Whatever you say throughout your cover letter should be in your own words. You want it to be direct and aggressive and to the point, but you also want your own personality to shine through. That’s one reason you don’t want to use a cover letter template you can find online. That’s not your personality, that’s someone else’s. The other reason you don’t want to use a template is exactly because everyone else is doing it. You want your cover letter to stand out, and be unique. It’s going to stand out by acting as a selling document that grabs attention, and it’s going to be unique because you’ve written it yourself, using the words you would use if you were talking to the reader.

 

Tip 14: Spell-Check then Proofread Again and Again

OK. End the letter with “Sincerely,” then your name, and you’re done. Use an easy-to-read font, like Times New Roman, Ariel, or Helvetica. Make sure there are no errors in it. Proofread it, proofread it again, and then get someone else to proofread it. Spell-check doesn’t catch everything, so you need an actual person to go over it.

 

Tip 15: Never Attach Your Cover Letter

Once you’ve put all your blood and sweat into crafting the perfect cover letter, how do you make sure it actually gets read by the person you’re sending it to? If you’re mailing it, just print it on the same paper you’ve used for your resume and send it. You’re good to go. If you’re emailing your resume to a recruiter, Human Resources department, or hiring manager—never, never, never send your cover letter as an attachment. All of the work you just poured into your letter will go straight down the drain, because they’ll almost certainly never open it. You want to make it very, very easy for the reader to get the information he or she needs. You might think, “Well, how easy is it to click and open just one attachment?” But you’ve got to put yourself in the shoes of your reader. How many people are applying for that position? How many resumes and applications do they handle for all the positions they’re trying to fill? It could easily be hundreds. It is for me, on a weekly basis. That one little extra click starts to add up fast when you have to do it hundreds of times. So, when I get a cover letter that’s been sent as an attachment, I just don’t even open it. That’s just the cold, hard truth. And to be completely honest with you, it sometimes even edges toward annoyance that this person is trying to make my life more complicated with this extra, unnecessary step. I’m not saying that’s an attractive quality, I’m just telling you that’s why you’ve got to sort of put yourself in the position of the person who’s reading your email. Make life easy for them. But the way to get around that is very simple: just write your cover letter in the body of your email. Your email is your cover letter. I always read an email. Or at least skim it before I open the resume that’s attached. So that’s the ideal place for you to write whatever it is you need to say to me before I read your resume. Don’t let your cover letter and resume end up in the trash with everyone else’s.

 

Tip 16: Overcoming Follow-Up Issues

Now, what do you do if you’ve sent your resume with your cover letter and they don’t respond? You’ve called like you said you would, and couldn’t get through, or had to leave a message and they didn’t call you back. Wait a few weeks, write a new one, and send it again. If you can include some new piece of information you’ve learned about the company or the larger industry, or some new accomplishment of yours, or some conference you’ve attended that pertains to that position, all the better. Now, most folks would be a little afraid to take that step. The thinking is that “if they didn’t call me for an interview right away, they must not be interested in me.” Well, maybe. But maybe they just weren’t interested right now. What happens when right after they delete your resume, their best person comes in and turns in his two weeks’ notice? Now they need someone. You’ve got to remember, that recruiter or that hiring manager is a busy person, with a lot going on, with a whole lot of factors at play here. You don’t know what’s going on with them at any given moment. In August they might not be interested, but by September or even October, that might change. If you think that’s weird, just remember: the job search is a sales process. Advertisements don’t just run one time. They show up over and over again. That doesn’t mean you should email them every day, because then you’re definitely becoming a pest, or even stalker-ish. But reasonably periodic contacts that include something new and fresh won’t hurt.

 

Tip 17: Get Ready to Sell, even if YOU are NOT a Salesperson

So, keep in mind that the job search is a sales process, and your cover letter is the “ad” that’s going to encourage the reader to look at your resume. It should first grab the reader’s attention, highlight a few of your most relevant accomplishments and skills in the body of the letter using bullet points, and briefly close with a promise to make contact. Make it interesting and easy for the reader to get the information about why he should call you for the job, and you’ll have a great cover letter.

Text by Career Confidential

Keeping up with the new technology is the name of the game these days. Staff Source is adjusting by hosting video resumes on their website, Available Candidate List.

The Available Candidate List website has been around for years, but video profiles were recently added to it about a year ago.

“It gives employers a chance to get to know the candidate before interviewing them and really brings their resume to life!” Erin Crawford, Director of Strategic Development said. Crawford manages the website and produces the video resumes.

The website is updated once a month with new candidates. After it is updated an email blast is sent out to thousands of business contacts around Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland area.

“It’s a great way for candidates to market themselves when looking for a job.” Crawford explains. “There’s no costs involved and it’s their chance to get their name out there.”

 

Our Office Manager did some research on how the amount of sleep can effect us in a tremendous way. Check out these interesting sleep stats she uncovered!

Sleep is not an option. It is essential.

More than 35% of people are sleep deprived. And the statistic for obesity is nearly identical; there is a connection between the two, not a coincidence

Sleep is important because it:

1.)    Keeps Our Heart Healthy – lack of sleep has been associated with increased blood pressure and cholesterol levels, both of which are among the greater risk factors for heart disease and stroke.

2.)    Reduces Stress – when our body is lacking sleep, it enters a state of stress.  Body functions are on high alert.  This increases blood pressure and causes the production of stress hormones.  Stress hormones then, in turn, make it harder for us to fall asleep, while higher blood pressure, as mentioned above, increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.  By getting a good night’s sleep we can break the circle of stress and counteract its effects on our body.

3.)    Reduces Chronic Inflammation – the increase in stress hormones, caused by the sleeping disorders, has been associated with chronic inflammation disorders, such as periodontitis, rheumatoid arthritis, and even cancer, heart related conditions, or diabetes. Chronic inflammation is also thought to be one of the causes of aging.

4.)    Makes Us More Active – a good night’s sleep will make us feel more active and alert on the following day. Energy levels after a good night’s sleep are higher, your mental awareness is more acute and you are more likely to smile more.  A restful sleep session not only feels great, but it increases our chances for another good night’s sleep next time we go to bed.

5.)    Boots Memory – while the body is resting, our brain is busy processing our day, and making connections between events, feelings, experiences and memories.  Sleeping time is the most important time for our brain to shape memories and make the connections, which can make it easier for us to retrieve those memories in the future.

6.)    Can Help Us Lose Weight – researchers have found that people who sleep for less than seven hours per night are more likely to be overweight or obese.  Lack of sleep affects the levels of ghrelin and leptin, the hormones responsible for regulating our appetite. Leptin is a hormone that is produced in your fat cells.  The less leptin you produce, the more your stomach feels empty.  The more ghrelin you produce, the more you stimulate hunger while also reducing the amount of calories you burn and increasing the amount of fat your store.  In other words, you need to control leptin and ghrelin to successfully lose weight, but sleep deprivation makes that nearly impossible.

Lack of sleep also makes you crave food.  When you don’t sleep enough, your cortisol levels rise. This is the stress hormone that is frequently associated with fat gain.   Cortisol activates reward centers in your brain that make you want food.

Within just 4 days of sleep deprivation, your body’s ability to properly use insulin becomes completely disrupted.  When your insulin isn’t functioning well, fat cells remove fatty acids and lipids from your blood stream and prevent storage.  When you become more insulin resistant, fats circulate in your blood and pump out more insulin.  Eventually this excess insulin ends up storing fat in all the wrong places, such as tissues like our liver. And, this is exactly how you become fat and suffer from diseases like diabetes.

The disastrous impact spreads beyond diet and into your workouts.  No matter what your fitness goals are having some muscle on your body is important.  Muscle is the enemy of fat – it helps you burn fat and stay young.  But, lack of sleep is the enemy of muscle. Sleep debt decreases protein synthesis, your body’s ability to make muscle, causes muscle loss and can lead to a higher incidence of injuries.

7.)    Makes Us Smarter – sleep has restorative power and enhances memory and improves attention. People who are sleep deficient are less productive at work and school.  They take longer to finish tasks, have a slower reaction time, and make more mistakes. After several nights of losing sleep – even just an hour or 2 – your ability to function suffers as if you haven’t slept at all for a day or 2.

8.)    Reduces Risk of Depression – among the various biochemical substances affected by sleep, serotonin is perhaps the most famous one.  Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects our mood.  High serotonin levels create the feeling of happiness, and low serotonin levels can make us vulnerable to depression and other disorders. Making sure we get enough sleep will help regulate serotonin levels, thus feeling happier and more productive.

9.)     Helps Our Body Replenish – sleep is the time for our body to repair and damage caused by stress, ultraviolet rays and other harmful exposures.  During sleep, cells produce more protein which is used in repairing damaged cells.  Muscle injuries and other trauma also heal faster during sleep.

 

In conclusion, your body needs sleep!  Sleep can affect how well you think, react, work, learn and get along with others.  While there is no hard number that applies to all people, a good rule of thumb is to receive between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night and to make sure that one poor night of sleep isn’t followed up with a few more.  It might not seem like much, but it could make all the difference and mean more than any other health decision you make.

The Department of Labor reports that there are 2.7 million workers with short-term jobs in the U.S.

By MARY MCCARTY — DAYTON DAILY NEWS

Tailor Paco Fernandez has a word of advice for workers thinking about wearing flannel pajama bottoms, torn jeans, a backless dress, bike shorts or sandals with socks to the office: don’t.

“That is not proper business attire at all,” said Fernandez, of Northwest Indiana-based Paco’s Custom Clothiers. “The clothing industry launched Casual Friday thinking people could still wear a jacket and shirt with nice jeans or khakis … but people took it to the extreme.”

With dress-down Fridays and the dot-com era, dress codes and personal style have relaxed. Even at NASA, a worker who helped guide a rover across the surface of Mars was launched into superstardom for sporting a red-and-black Mohawk hairdo.

Local companies agree business attire still has an impact and appearance still matters, but what’s suitable depends on where you work and what you do. Shorts, exposed skin, ripped denim or a Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg-style hoodie simply don’t pass workplace muster.

Business casual may have become one of the most dreaded terms in the office. Dale Tanis, owner of Zandstra’s Store for Men in Highland, said it was supposed to be relaxed yet pulled together and neat. Instead workers got confused and didn’t understand what it meant.

“It may have gotten to the point that it was more sloppy, but that has changed too,” Tanis said. “People have redefined what’s appropriate for business and it seems like the pendulum has swung back a little bit.”

In his career, Matt Valuckis, of V as in Victor in Hobart, has seen workers remove flip-flops and go barefoot. “It was more ‘go to the beach attire’ then it was a professional casual atmosphere,” he said. Management eventually mandated collared shirts and closed shoes with socks.

Highland Chamber of Commerce executive director Mary Luptak agrees that except for the banking industry, styles have gotten less dressy.

Erin Trzcinski, of Staff Source in Hammond, said typically her client companies don’t request suits and ties and have specific casual attire dress codes.

“Attire is position- and industry-specific and by no means is it on a performance list for us as to what the company values,” said NIPSCO spokesperson Kathleen Szot. “We value the quality of work more than anything else. For the majority, unless they are customer-facing, it’s not critical to their job.”

At NIPSCO, office workers can wear business casual attire Monday through Thursday and jeans are only permitted on Friday. Polo shirts or shirts without ties are common looks during the week, however, employees giving a presentation or meeting with a client, for example, are expected to dress more professionally.

Fernandez’s business has skyrocketed as more customers opt for classic business attire.

“First impressions make a world of difference,” he said. “If you don’t present yourself to the best of your ability in the first 30 seconds, you may lose the next step.

“You can’t afford to lose that contract because it may be the only one that week; to lose the interview because you may not have another for a month; or to give your boss a second thought of the promotion you were supposed to get.”

Trzcinski said it’s not enough to ask employees to “dress professionally” because the phrase is subjective and being too vague causes confusion. Employers need to give specific examples.

Valuckis, whose typical attire includes dress shoes, dress jeans, untucked dress shirt and sport coat, said you can be creative with dress without getting sloppy. Being comfortable and expressing style can create an atmosphere of creativity instead of rigid conformity and starchy formality.

“When you work for somebody, you are a brand ambassador for them whether you like it or not,” he said.

“People should understand the company they work for and the audience that company is trying to reach at all times. Between 9 and 5 everything you say and do is a reflection on them. You are on the front lines of representing that company.”

 

Article courtesy of The Times Newspaper: full article