Is Now The Right Time To Consider Temporary Employment?

Posted on 18th November 202118th November 2021

You’ve been searching and searching, but after months you still haven’t landed that perfect job. You might not have considered it yet, but temporary employment has many benefits, especially in our current job market. PS&R knows that temporary employment is often a great bridge to a permanent position. Read on for help determining if a temp gig might be the right move for you.

You need to find work quickly. If you’ve been unemployed for a while and need to find a job fast, a temporary role may be your best option. Typically, employers look to contract workers when there is an immediate need; so the hiring process moves more quickly. If your top priority is a paycheck, applying for a temp position could be a great idea.

You aren’t certain where your career is going. If your career goals are unclear, or you are thinking of switching industries, temporary roles are a great way to test the water. Most temp jobs have a set assignment end date, so you’ll know how long you’ll be committed and when you can start the next position. It’s also a great opportunity to try out a new role or even a brand-new industry.

You need more time. It is unlikely that you will be taking temporary work home with you at night, and some temp assignments are part-time. This should give you ample free time to continue your search for a direct placement, ensuring you don’t lose important momentum.

PS&R has been assisting Boston area employers and candidates find the right fit for over thirty years. Whether you are looking for a temporary role or direct placement; we’re here to help. Contact us at 617.723.1919 or visit our website at www.psandr.com.

Perfecting Your LinkedIn Profile

Posted on 19th May 202119th May 2021

LinkedIn is a great tool for job seekers and employers alike. While your LinkedIn profile will repeat much of the information provided on your resume, it is a unique place to showcase your story and share additional details. Preferred Staffing & Recruiting gathered some tips to help you manage and get the most out of your LinkedIn profile.

Make sure it’s complete

LinkedIn does you the favor of rating your profile strength. And it’s true that a more completed profile – or “All Star” profile – will get more views. In fact, LinkedIn purports that users who have a completed profile are forty times more likely to find a new opportunity through their site. Start by uploading a recent professional photo as your profile picture. Continue and complete all other sections of your profile. To gain All Star status, filling out each section is not always enough. You will need at least five skills listed and at least fifty connections. Be thorough and provide as much content as you can.

Give a recommendation to get one

A LinkedIn recommendation is just like a reference from a former boss or employer and can carry a lot of weight. If you take the time to give a recommendation to someone, they are likely to return the favor. Make a goal to have at least one recommendation from every job listed on your profile.

Find ways to stand out

There are a lot of impactful areas on your LinkedIn profile where a little attention can really make you stand out. For example, everyone uses key words throughout their profile. But focusing your key words in your Summary and Experience sections will really help make your profile shine. When you’re using key words, it’s important not to sue the same words and phrases that everyone else is using. LinkedIn published the most used “buzzwords” in 2018, you can see that list of words to avoid here.

Customizing your URL is another great way to differentiate your profile. Linked in automatically generates a random URL web address for your profile, but you have the option to customize this to something more relevant and more concise. This will also make you easier to find, especially if you have a common name.

Finally, adding a background image is a great way to make your profile stand out. Most people stop at a just a headshot, but adding the narrow background image will help potential employers trigger a memory of your profile. Make sure the photo is attractive, eye catching, and professional. It could be a stock image of something you enjoy, a nature picture, or a photo of you working or doing something you love.

PS&R is a woman-owned business that has been helping job seekers and employers since 1984. Our collaborative and consultive approach makes us stand out from other executive recruiters. For more information and to find out how we can help you, contact Kathy Orcutt at 617.723.1919.

Get The Most Out Of Your Staffing Agency

Posted on 25th February 202125th February 2021

If you only call your staffing firm when you have a specific job to fill, you are likely not using them to their full potential. Here are some ways to take advantage of everything your recruiting firm can offer you:

Increase your access to talent. We use a wide range of sites and tools to track down both active and passive candidates. Working closely with a staffing agency can give you access to candidates you otherwise wouldn’t know about.
Stay connected. Maintain regular contact with your executive recruiting firm so that they keep you top of mind. Touching base often and reminding them of the type of candidate you typically look to hire will make it more likely they will think of you when a talented candidate is uncovered.
Learn about trends. Your staffing firm knows the ins and outs of the current local hiring market. Why do the hard work yourself when you have a great partner who’s already done it for you?

Preferred Staffing & Recruiting’s collaborative and consultative approach makes us the best staffing agency in the greater Boston area and the perfect fit for you. Visit us at www.psandr.com or call Kathy Orcutt today at 617.723.1919.

Information Technology Jobs on the Rise

Posted on 20th February 202026th February 2020

These days we are using technology more than ever before. It’s not surprising that, as a global trend, computer and tech-related jobs are becoming more important. According to data provided by CompTIA, the information technology industry will grow at a rate of 3.7% in 2020. This information leaves companies scrambling to attract top tech talent to fill some of this year’s most in-demand positions. These roles range from data-focused to AI-related jobs, and everything in between.

Here is where Preferred Staffing & Recruiting can help! The industry is broad, so IT recruitment covers a diverse spectrum of technology related disciplines. PS&R works with a wide range of talented staff with varying degrees of experience. We know the Information Technology industry and we know how to recognize good people. When new projects begin, hiring managers return to us because of our excellent record of matching their requirements and budget.

Here are just some of the IT staff we can help provide:

IT Managers
IT Project Managers
Business/Systems Analysts
Help Desk/Desktop Support
Network Engineers/Administrators
Systems Administrators
Cloud/DevOps Engineers
Data Center Technicians/Engineers

Do you need IT Staff for ongoing technical work or for a short-term project? Tell us your requirements and let PS&R’s executive recruitment team find the right candidate for you!

Tips for Recruiting Passive Candidates

Posted on 10th July 201910th July 2019

PS&R knows that sometimes the most talented candidates are not the ones looking for a new job. But just because someone is employed, doesn’t mean they are not open to a fresh opportunity. Here are our thoughts on how to successfully seek and attract passive candidates.

Take time to research. If you find a candidate you are interested in, learning about them ahead of time is key. Read their company biography and their LinkedIn profile. Check out what they post on Twitter and Facebook and try to find industry articles written about or by them. The more you know, the better equipped you will be to craft the right pitch.

Ask the right questions. Remember that you are trying to persuade someone who is not on the job hunt to make the leap to your company. This means you need to find out what interests them the most. Once you’ve given them your pitch you can ask questions such as; “What do you love about your current job?” or, “What would you like to see in an offer from us?”. Knowing what they are looking for will help you make an offer they will accept.

Get them excited. Make sure the candidate knows what your company is all about, and why they will be happy there. You’ve done your research, so use the information you gleaned to talk about things that will pique their interest: future projects that they will be involved in, plans for company growth, or potential new roles and opportunities.

If your company needs assistance recruiting passive and active applicants for top positions, Preferred Staffing & Recruiting can help. As a leading Boston recruiting firm, we will leverage years of experience and proven recruiting strategies to find you the best candidates.

Motivating Your Temporary Employees

Posted on 13th June 201913th June 2019

Making sure your temp employees are happy and feel valued is essential to ensuring that they will work hard for you. PS&R has gathered some ideas to help you incent and excite temporary employees in your workplace.

Treat your temps like part of the team. There is already a disparity between how temporary and permanent employees are paid, given bonuses, and given benefits. There can be a psychological difference between the two groups as well. Try to nullify any preexisting hard feelings by treating and rewarding all employees as a team. Be sure to project that each individual has contributed their part to the successful accomplishments of the group.

Choose the right incentives. If you know this assignment does not have the opportunity to become permanent, create incentives that workers can earn in a short period of time. You could also make the incentives something that will give the employee a sense of pride in the company; such as an employee discount or exclusive products or promotional items.

Consider taking them perm. If there is an opportunity for the temporary position to become permanent, let the employee know right away. This is the easiest way to incentivize someone to work harder and smarter, and to take an active interest in the success of the company.

PS&R has over thirty years of experience helping job seekers and employers in the Boston area. We enjoy taking the time to get to know our clients and our candidates, enabling us to consistently make the right match. If you are looking for a staffing and recruiting agency in Massachusetts, PS&R would be happy to assist you with your needs!

Boston Tops List for Job Searchers

Posted on 19th December 201819th December 2018

Here is some great news for job searchers in and around the Boston area:

According to www.StaffingIndustry.com; “Boston is the best city to find a job both in the United States and internationally, according to research released by relocation services provider Movinga. The data examined economic strength and standard of living, as well as opportunities for women, young people and expats, in 100 cities. Twenty American cities make the international ranking, due to a strong job market and a booming economy.”

New York and San Diego also scored well, but Boston was the only US city that made the top 10 of the list.

The holiday season is upon is, but that doesn’t mean your job search should stall. This is a great time of year for networking, so get out there and mingle! A new year also means a new budget, so companies might be doing more hiring in January.

Give your career search a jump start and contact PS&R at 617.723.1919. Or visit our Job Listings page to find a job that’s right for you!

Is Your Recruiter Experienced Enough to Trust?

Posted on 29th November 201829th November 2018

Our clients believe that three major themes set Preferred Staffing & Recruiting apart from other recruitment agencies: Trust, Experience and Action.

Trust

Kathy Orcutt, founder and president of PS&R, is hands on with each and every client and candidate. Her professionalism coupled with her phenomenal listening skills put people at ease, confident in the knowledge that she is truly working for them. As the operator of a small business herself, she works hard to find small businesses and non-profits to work with. Kathy quickly connected with another local woman business owner in need of a temporary office manager. This business owner said; “This was the first time my company has used a temp agency, and we hit the jackpot when we found PS&R. They are so professional and Kathy Orcutt, the owner, treated us like we were her only clients!” There’s no need to deal with a large recruitment firm when you can have a reliable and personalized experience with PS&R!

Experience

PS&R was originally established in 1984. Now, with over thirty years of experience, we continue to provide top quality staffing services to companies and institutions in the Greater Boston area and beyond. Kathy’s team has placed temporary and direct hire candidates across all industries. We work with one particular client to seasonally staff dozens of temporary positions, and here is their enthusiastic response: “Preferred Staffing and Recruiting provides me with both quality and quantity candidates. They know the level of candidate talent that I require and personally meet with each and every one before submitting for my approval.” Our ability to produce multiple qualified candidates for every client comes from years of industry knowledge.

Action

It’s one thing to say you can place the right candidate but executing it is a whole different story! Our PS&R team succeeds because we treat every job opening as a new challenge, and we work tirelessly until the perfect match is found. We get back to our clients and candidates promptly with communication, so you know we are always at work helping you in your employment search. The COO of one of our clients says,“Kathy’s ability to find great people and deftly bring them through the entire hiring process has made our company much better and I look forward to working with PS&R again in the future!”

Come and learn why Preferred Staffing & Recruiting’s collaborative and consultative approach makes us the best staffing agency in the greater Boston area and the perfect fit for you. Visit us at www.psandr.com or call Kathy today at 617.723.1919.

Understanding the New Massachusetts Equal Pay Law

Posted on 29th August 201829th August 2018

Our home state of Massachusetts is on the forefront of the movement for equal pay and rights for employees. Last month the equal pay law was updated to provide clarity on what constitutes unlawful wage discrimination. A key piece of the July 1^st update made it unlawful for employers to ask candidates for salary history information. Massachusetts is one of only a handful of states that have adopted this kind of law.

To help you understand this new law, PS&R has gathered some questions that employers are able to ask, and some you need to avoid.

Employers CANNOT ask:

What is your current salary?
How much did you make in your last job?
How much of your compensation is base salary versus commission?
Why do you think this salary is appropriate for you?

Employers CAN ask:

What is your salary requirement or expectation?
What value would you bring to this job?
Did you meet your sales goals in your last position? (but don’t ask about earnings through sales)
Is there a type of pay structure you would be most comfortable with?

Remember that job candidates can volunteer pay history information on their own, it just can’t be actively solicited by a recruiter or human resources manager. Don’t forget to eliminate pay history questions from paper or online documents, such as employment applications.

Working with a Massachusetts recruiter like PS&R is an easy way to navigate this new law effectively.