Romona is a senior administrative professional with over 27 years of experience providing executive level operational, strategic, and program support to C-level executives, their teams, and the organizations they lead. She has been affiliated with Whitman Associates for 20+ years.
One of Romona’s winning work philosophies is that she brings her whole self to work with a spirit of fulfillment, service and authenticity. This has not only allowed her to find purpose in her work assignments, but to fully engage, continue to learn, inspire others, and thrive.
She is a proud mother, a board member of the non-profit Yet Stand, Inc., advocates for mental health for urban youth, enjoys competitive writing, and has authored several short stories.
Allison Gartner is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Wildlife Conservation. She has enjoyed working with Whitman Associates because it has given her the opportunity to participate in different professional assignments that have helped her personal and professional growth.
She loves to do anything outdoors and spend time with family and friends during her free time. Her favorite color is purple, favorite animal is an owl, and loves anything chocolate. She enjoys staying active and trying new things. She hopes to visit all the National Parks and travel the world in the future.
Idea-driven, artist, and a communications professional, Clarice Bhattacharya is an urban vagabond, lover of all things chocolate and holds a Masters degree in Strategic Communication from George Washington University.
Clarice has lived in Washington D.C. for three years where she has been exposed to exciting new people, interesting perceptions, and opportunities that have helped shape the person she is today. Clarice loves working with Whitman because of how lovely everyone at Whitman is and the quality of professional assignments that are offered. In her spare time she enjoys hiking, reading and lying on the grass on sunny mornings.
While a full-time, permanent position is ideal for most professionals in the workforce, temporary positions can be a great option for many people who find themselves looking for additional income and/or experience while pursuing that permanent job. Below, we have listed several situations where a short term job could be beneficial to your search for a permanent position. Although, our list is definitely not comprehensive; temporary work can be a great option for just about anyone.
1. Recent College Graduates
Temporary work is a great option for recent graduates who do not have a permanent position lined up upon graduation.
Temping can help give college graduates more real world, professional experience to add to their resume, especially if you didn’t have internships or work study experience while in school.
Utilizing a temporary staffing agency can help fill in the employment gap on your resume between graduation and starting your first permanent position. Potential employers will be impressed to see that you have been working and gaining experience while pursuing more full-time work.
Lastly, temporary work can help get your foot in the door with a company that you would not otherwise have access to. If the company you are temping for is pleased with your work, they could consider you for any full-time openings they might have.
2. Filling in the Gap
Like with recent college graduates, temp work can help fill in employment gaps on your resume. Even if the temporary work you are doing isn’t exactly relevant to your career goals, at least you can show a potential employer that you have not been sitting idle while searching for a new position.
Temporary work is also a great source of income when you’re in between jobs. While you probably won’t make as much as you were in your last permanent position, a little money is better than no money.
Temp jobs can also help expose you to new industries or environments that you might not have had the opportunity to explore otherwise. You might find a new interest or change your career goals after having a great experience temping within a different industry.
3. After Retirement
Temp work is an excellent option for professionals who have decided to end full-time careers, but aren’t quite ready to stop working altogether.
Part time work can bring in a little additional income or help fill your newly empty schedule.
Temping is also a good option because you can do daily or short term jobs, without making a long-term commitment.
Temp work can also be a good way for retired military personnel to transition into a civilian work environment.
Temporary staffing agencies value your years of professional experience.
4. Re-Entry Professionals
Professionals who are reentering the workforce after taking time off from their careers should definitely consider temp work as a way to get reacquainted with the office environment instead of charging in at full speed.
Coming back into the job market after a break in your career, to care for children or aging parents, can make it hard for you to start right back where you left off. Temporary work can help you get your foot in the door with an organization, and prove to them that you are ready to rejoin the workforce.
Staffing agencies like Whitman Associates help job seekers to transition into the workforce. Working temporary positions is definitely a positive step in the right direction and will help to find the right role for anyone out of work.
Lesleyan Jackson is a native Washingtonian with a love for education, health and wellness. Lesleyan holds a bachelors degree in Health Policy and Administration from Penn State University and a Masters degree in Public and Community Health from Trinity Washington University. Lesleyan’s passion for health advocacy has afforded her a wealth of professional experience throughout Washington, D.C.
Lesleyan loves working with Whitman because of the wide range of quality professional assignments offered. In her spare time Lesleyan enjoys traveling the United States and abroad, reading and spending time with family and friends.
Doris retired four years ago after working in senior management positions in private industry. Her positions were through Whitman Associates. She is also an Air Force veteran. During the school year, she works as a substitute teacher and teaches 5th – 6th grade Sunday School. Doris is also completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education.
Doris continues to work for Whitman and especially enjoys working special events assignments. She enjoys crafts and is an avid reader. Additionally, every chance they get, she and her husband spend time in North Carolina and traveling throughout the United States, especially in Florida and Virginia Beach.
Prior to working for Whitman Associates, Inc., Sandy worked for SkillsUSA, a nonprofit for students in trade and technical education. While there she was the administrative assistant to the executive director for 18 years.
As the executive director’s assistant, Sandy maintained his busy travel schedule, managed and planned all of his scheduled meetings and coordinated every aspect of the company’s board and conference meetings with various departments within the company. The skills Sandy has learned working at SkillsUSA has prepared her for her current job with Whitman Associates, Inc. In her spare time, she enjoys walking her two dogs, small group bible studies and visiting family
in Louisiana.
Prior to working for Whitman Associates, Inc, Shawnte supported the federal government working as a contractor for Culmen International, LLC. This included working for over 13 years supporting the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration maintaining the travel budget and handling travel logistics for Federal employees as well as supporting Federal management with various administrative and Human Resources operations.
Shawnte holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Stratford University and is a commissioned Virginia Notary Public. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling to new places and spending time with family.
Lilly graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She plans to attend law school in the fall, and hopes to find a career that merges her interest in the law and passion for environmental science and urban sustainability. While at Mason, she was a member of the 17 Rooms-U Team, a collaborative effort to implement the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on campus and in the Fairfax community.
Outside of work and school, she enjoys weightlifting and going on runs in downtown DC. In addition, she loves watching documentaries and reading about all things related to world history and ecology.
While hiring and recruitment have always been an evolving landscape, since 2020, the changes have been far more extreme and frequent. As companies and employees adjust to pandemic life, HR teams will continue to see a shift in the way they recruit, interview, and hire. With 2022 here, the team at Whitman Associates, Inc. has explored what your company should know about new hiring trends in the coming year. Check out this overview of the top seven trends your HR team should be ready to accommodate.
1. Economy Growth with a Constrained Labor Force
Economies are growing, but they’re facing the biggest labor shortage seen in decades. Despite inflation and rising costs of living, wages and working conditions aren’t always following suit. Some companies are working to correct this with higher salaries for all positions, but others are choosing a different path. One hiring trend includes companies relaxing their hiring criteria in an effort to attract more potential employees. Still, other companies are focusing on improving benefits with better perks, like student loan debt assistance, higher-quality health insurance, and additional paid time off.
2. Hybrid Work Environments
Most offices transitioned to a work-from-home model in 2020, but even with decreasing COVID cases, many have opted to continue operating remotely or adopt a hybrid approach. Some businesses are even using work-from-home as an additional incentive for potential employees! Many employees prefer working from home or a hybrid environment because it cuts their commute, reduces stress, helps them focus, and provides more flexibility to meet the demands of their job.
Most interviewees are now expecting their preferences for the ideal office environment to become a regular part of the interview and hiring process. Hiring trends indicate the need to accommodate these preferences and provide better remote learning and working tools to ensure your workforce is happy, productive, and collaborative.
3. On-the-Job Training
This used to be a regular hiring trend in the pre-80s era, but at some point, employers started requiring new hires to already possess all the business-critical knowledge for their position. Because of the labor shortage and the need to hire less experienced employees, many businesses are reviving on-the-job training to ensure they can reskill and deploy workers across multiple teams and roles. Some companies prefer outsourcing the education of their employees, encouraging workers to find programs to enhance their education. Once employees find and apply for a specific program, employers may pay for all or some of it.
Those employers working internally to reskill their employees may have to face a few challenges, including deciding which skills are critical for team members to know, developing learning platforms and training modules for each skillset, and integrating new technologies to streamline the learning experience.
4. Internal Talent Marketplace
There is a current recruitment trend to promote from within the organization. So knowing which of your current employees are looking for a career change or wanting to transition to a different department is critical! Create a talent marketplace on an internal platform to ensure that everyone is notified when new opportunities open up within the company. You won’t have to worry about vetting external candidates when you’re choosing from a pool of employees that have already proven their reliability and performance.
In the past, these career development hiring trends used to be standard, but many organizations have let these types of programs lapse due to a number of reasons, including lack of technology to update the database efficiently, an influx of top-quality external candidates, or minimal upward mobility within the work hierarchy.
5. Focus on the Employee Experience
The employee experience is a common term in corporate America that refers to keeping employees engaged and motivated, especially during challenging times. You don’t want essential people leaving because they feel they aren’t being treated fairly! Listening to your employees, identifying problems, and analyzing solutions is the first step towards ensuring you have a quality team that wants to stay put.
Don’t let frequent employee turnover become your next hiring trend! Instead, focus on ensuring your current employees are satisfied with their experience.
6. Refreshing Pay & Bonuses
Employers often try to cut costs by providing employees minimal pay raises and bonuses, but studies show that replacing disgruntled employees is actually more expensive than negotiating with your current team to reach a pay raise solution! Equitable and fair pay are among the most important hiring trends of 2022, and job seekers are more willing than ever to walk away from a position they don’t believe pays fairly. Even current employees are leaving long-held positions when they don’t get the recognition and reward they think they deserve!
If your company wants to win the war for talent, you must focus on fair wages as a recruitment and reward strategy. This hiring trend isn’t affecting the corporate world alone — people in retail, hospitality, manufacturing, and more are all realizing that better wages are far more attractive than an endless list of benefits like gym memberships, ping pong tables, and weekly catered lunches.
7. Revamping HR Technology
Companies that have an internal HR team are finding that their old platforms just can’t keep up with modern recruiting and hiring processes. Your team has to stay up to date with what’s new in hiring trends — from technology to appropriate offers — to ensure they can outperform competitors who are hiring from the same pool. Some HR teams find it easy to rise to the challenge, but more and more companies are relying on staffing agencies to fill in the gaps.
What Changes Will You Be Making?
Are these current recruitment and hiring trends inspiring you to make changes in the way your HR team operates? Whitman Associates, Inc. can help you even more with hands-on support. Get in touch with us if you need assistance with temporary placement, permanent employees, and more!
Romona is a senior administrative professional with over 27 years of experience providing executive level operational, strategic, and program support to C-level executives, their teams, and the organizations they lead. She has been affiliated with Whitman Associates for 20+ years.
Allison Gartner is a recent graduate of Virginia Tech with a degree in Wildlife Conservation. She has enjoyed working with Whitman Associates because it has given her the opportunity to participate in different professional assignments that have helped her personal and professional growth.
Idea-driven, artist, and a communications professional, Clarice Bhattacharya is an urban vagabond, lover of all things chocolate and holds a Masters degree in Strategic Communication from George Washington University.
Lesleyan Jackson is a native Washingtonian with a love for education, health and wellness. Lesleyan holds a bachelors degree in Health Policy and Administration from Penn State University and a Masters degree in Public and Community Health from Trinity Washington University. Lesleyan’s passion for health advocacy has afforded her a wealth of professional experience throughout Washington, D.C.
Doris retired four years ago after working in senior management positions in private industry. Her positions were through Whitman Associates. She is also an Air Force veteran. During the school year, she works as a substitute teacher and teaches 5th – 6th grade Sunday School. Doris is also completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Special Education.
Prior to working for Whitman Associates, Inc., Sandy worked for SkillsUSA, a nonprofit for students in trade and technical education. While there she was the administrative assistant to the executive director for 18 years.
Prior to working for Whitman Associates, Inc, Shawnte supported the federal government working as a contractor for Culmen International, LLC. This included working for over 13 years supporting the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration maintaining the travel budget and handling travel logistics for Federal employees as well as supporting Federal management with various administrative and Human Resources operations.
Lilly graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She plans to attend law school in the fall, and hopes to find a career that merges her interest in the law and passion for environmental science and urban sustainability. While at Mason, she was a member of the 17 Rooms-U Team, a collaborative effort to implement the 17 United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals on campus and in the Fairfax community.
