Tag: Working with Whitman

Temp of the Month May 2022: Shawnte Morris-Gray

WAI Staff

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.

Temp of the Month April 2022: Lilly Karim-Nejad

WAI Staff

wai 2022 april temp of the monthLilly 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.

The 7 Biggest Hiring Trends in 2022

WAI Staff

Current Recruitment Trends of Note

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

work-from-home setup

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

two people shaking hands

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

growing money over time

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!

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The Benefits of Temporary Employment

WAI Staff
three people working on laptops in an office

There are always changes on the horizon for the working world, and being able to adapt is crucial. Offices are adapting: first to hybrid working arrangements, then returning to the office, and burnout continues to be an ongoing concern for employees and employers alike. For employees seeking a better work-life balance and management in need of an engaged team of talent, temp work may be an effective solution. Whether you’re an employer who’s struggling to find good help or an employee who wants to explore unique work opportunities, there are many benefits to temporary employment that could be the key to finding what you need.

Are you considering temporary employment as a business or as an individual? Learn more about the benefits of temporary work when you read this overview from the experts at Whitman Associates, Inc.

Temporary Employment Benefits for Job Seekers

Temping offers employees unique benefits that long-term positions often don’t. Temporary employment through a reputable staffing agency can help job seekers secure flexible, paying positions that provide steady work opportunities without a long-term commitment. Depending on the candidate’s situation and circumstances, finding temporary employment can provide a variety of perks, including the following.

Explore Different Careers

Whether you’re new to the workforce or considering a career change, one of the benefits of temporary employment is the chance to learn about a variety of careers and industries before you make a commitment to a long-term placement. For example, you can spend a few months in corporate accounting before exploring what it’s like to be a legal assistant in civil rights law. You might be surprised to discover which careers and positions you enjoy the most!

Gain Experience

Another benefit of finding temporary work is that it allows you to gain experience in a variety of industries — or even one industry — without being stuck in any particular position. As you move from role to role, you’ll learn many diverse skills that will make you more attractive to employers in the future. Each assignment can be a valuable experience and a formative learning opportunity.

Find New Opportunities

Even if you prefer temporary work, you never know when an opportunity will turn out to be the perfect fit. Whether it’s a permanent role or getting your foot in the door of an industry that you weren’t initially qualified for, temp work can broaden your horizons. Finding temporary work can turn into finding your dream job.

Build a Network

Many people live by the mantra, “It’s not what you know, but rather who you know.” Temporary work can provide you access to a continuous flow of professionals which you can use to build up your personal and professional network. By working multiple assignments, you’ll be able to learn more about each industry through your new connections at different companies and walk away with a thoroughly informed outlook.

Learn More About the Company Culture

No two companies are the same, and there’s no better way to learn more about the inner workings, personalities, and core values of a company than to be a part of it. Whether the office is formal or casual, as a temp, you’ll be able to have a unique perspective that can help you decide what you’re ultimately looking for in your ideal job. This is especially true for temp-to-hire positions, in which employers often hire temporary employees at the end of their contract once they’ve ensured a good fit.

Earn Money on the Side

The last benefit of temporary employment for job seekers is that it allows you to continue earning money as you search for the perfect placement. There are no strings attached with temporary work, so you can job hunt guilt-free. Even better, temporary employment can act as a stepping stone, helping you build your resume, gain experience, and meet new people.

Employees chat and smile with a new temporary employee at their desks

Benefits of Temporary Employment for Employers

There are just as many benefits of temporary work for employers as there are for employees. Sometimes, you just need someone to fill in the gap while a current employee is on family leave. Other times, you’re testing the waters to see how a newly created position will impact your current workflow. There are plenty of reasons to choose temporary employment for your business! And, choosing an acclaimed staffing agency makes hiring temporary employees easy.

Preview Employee Potential

Perhaps you’re not sure what type of person would be the best fit for a particular role, so you want to have a few trial runs before extending an offer. One benefit of temporary employment for business owners is that it offers them a more complete preview of the employee’s potential. Qualities that temp work reveals in an employee include:

  • Work quality and attitude 
  • Ability to learn on the job 
  • Productivity and drive 
  • Teamwork skills
  • Personality

When hiring temporary employees, you don’t have to worry about hiring someone full-time, and then having to let them go when you realize they’re not suitable for your company. This can result in huge savings of time and money, as well as avoiding inconveniencing the rest of your staff.

Fill in the Gaps

Many people cite work-life balance as their reason to stay with or leave a particular company. To ensure your employees feel like they can live their lives fully, you need to be able to cover for them when they take time off for family leave, vacations or other extended sabbaticals. For situations where the work simply cannot wait, a temporary replacement allows your company to keep up its operations with minimal interruptions. Most prominent staffing agencies will have a wide pool of talent available, ensuring that you can quickly hire a temporary employee with the right skill set for a smooth transition.

Wait for the Right Fit

Some positions require a very specific type of personality or skill set. If you’re struggling to find the perfect person for a particular position, a temp provides your HR team with the breathing room they need to ensure they’re hiring the right person. Instead of rushing and compromising to fill a position with a substandard candidate, this benefit of temporary employment allows your company the opportunity to take a little extra time to explore your options for a permanent hire. And who knows, maybe your temporary employee will turn out to be the perfect fit!

Find Seasonal Workers

Whether you need to hire additional people during peak season each year or you need an extra set of hands for special projects, temporary hires ensure you have a contract in place for just as long as it’s needed. Specific contract lengths for the short or long term are a major benefit of hiring temporary employees.

Finding What You Need With Whitman

These are just a few of the benefits of temporary employment for both employers and job seekers. As the professional work landscape continues to evolve, we’re here to ensure you find what you need to fit your life, career, and business growth. From non-profit staffing to career advice for professionals, we offer prominent businesses in the Washington DC area thoroughly-vetted and carefully selected talent.

Reach out to our expert team today to discuss open positions, contracts, and more!

Strategies for Hiring Remote Employees

WAI Staff

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the work environment has changed. Many employers are finding that allowing employees to work from home has many benefits. Whether it increases employee productivity or saves them money on overhead and other in-office resources, employers may want to continue hiring remote employees. 

If you’re an employer that’s just starting to explore the remote hiring process, you may need to change the way you normally look for candidates. At Whitman Associates, Inc., we can help you explore new hiring strategies that work best for remote job seekers. Check out what our staffing agency has to say about hiring remote employees.

1. Budget & Resources

From job boards and advertising to candidate assessment and external recruiting agencies, there are a number of costs associated with the remote hiring process. Make sure you’re setting an appropriate budget that takes your online needs into account. You may no longer have an office space where you can host interviews, so you should consider shared rental workspaces, offsetting phone interview-related costs and better internet connections for staff hosting video interviews.

2. Who Is Your Ideal Candidate?

While identifying your ideal candidate is an important strategy for all employers, operating in a digital space means you need to be even more specific about your candidate qualification requirements. Hiring remote employees means you may never meet a job seeker in person. How do you make up for the lack of in-person interaction to assess a candidate’s energy, personality and personability?

Make sure your job listing and application include formal qualifications, hard and soft skills, job-specific training requirements and information requests for prior work experience.

3. Niche Job Promotion

You want to attract quality candidates to apply for your job. While you can post on your social media platforms and on your website, you should also be using niche job promotion platforms to find job seekers who actually qualify for the position. Whether you use LinkedIn, Indeed or a staffing agency, make sure you’re filtering your job postings with as many specifics as possible.

4. Make Technology Work for You

Hiring remote employees means you’re already recruiting, assessing and interviewing online. Make every part of the hiring process more effective and efficient when you utilize all the available technology. Conduct virtual interviews, use learning management platforms for candidate screenings and streamline your entire process so that you can focus on better-quality candidates.

We Can Help

If hiring remote employees seems like a tough job, that’s because it is! At Whitman Associates, Inc., we can help you with any part of the recruiting process to ease the burden on your HR department and help you transition to a fully remote hiring operation.

Reach out to us today to learn more about what we can do for your company!

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Temp Agency Tips: How To Impress a Staffing Agency

WAI Staff
A businessman hiring a female applicant

With so many job seekers flooding the job market today, employers are seeking assistance from staffing agencies to help them sort through the market and fill open positions. When you apply for a job online, you are likely responding to a posting from a staffing agency or a recruiter. It’s more important now than ever to understand your options and knowing how to apply to a temp agency. 

When using a staffing agency during your job hunt, you should make an effort to impress staffing agencies. To do so, you need to know what to say when calling a temp agency and how to treat the person on the other end of the line. Considering questions to ask a staffing agency beforehand can be the difference between an impressive interview and a misfire.

Because the market is saturated with job seekers, employers are choosing to use staffing agencies to hire more temporary or temp-to-hire employees than to hire permanent employees directly. While staffing agencies can operate similarly to a typical human resources department, they specialize in finding the right person for the right job — and weeding through all the wrong resumes. Make sure you have what it takes to impress a staffing agency with these expert temp agency tips!

1. Speak With Respect

If you’re wondering what to say when calling a temp agency, you should let respect be your guide. Job seekers tend to believe that since they are not speaking directly with a hiring manager from the company they want to work for, they don’t need to turn their A-game on for their contact. Yet staffing agency interview questions can make up the bulk of interviewing experiences. To impress staffing agencies, you should treat every interaction like an interview.

A recruiter at a staffing agency serves as the initial screener for an open position. If you want to be considered for a job with their client, strive to make a good impression on the recruiter. When coming up with questions to ask a staffing agency, feel free to ask for clarity on any parts of the process you may be unsure about. Make sure you speak professionally, honestly and politely with any representative you encounter from a staffing agency. Treat them as you would any other hiring manager in a job interview. If you can’t impress the staffing recruiter, you’ll never get to turn your charm on for the hiring manager.

2. Follow Instructions

This is one of the most underrated temp agency tips and the most important. Hundreds of people can apply to the same job posting daily, so staffing agencies typically try to screen candidates before even viewing their resumes. For example, a job posting might say that all interested candidates must include a cover letter or a salary requirement with their resume. If you don’t include the requested paperwork or information, you could be immediately disqualified without your resume even being viewed. Following instructions is the bare minimum requirement to impress staffing agencies. If you have any questions about how to apply to a temp agency, it’s better to ask than risk making mistakes.

Whether you receive a response to your resume requesting more information or a recruiter asks you to call them at a particular time, the best temp agency tips dictate that you do your best to follow all the instructions you receive. Temp agencies and recruiters are busy — the best way to impress staffing agencies is to show respect for their time by following their instructions. Staffing agencies usually won’t waste time talking to someone about a position if they have proved they cannot follow basic directions. If you are choosing questions to ask a staffing agency, do not ask for information they have already provided in their application request.

3. Be Enthusiastic

For job seekers planning on how to apply to a temp agency, our next temp agency tip is to be enthusiastic. If you receive a call from a staffing agency and you are interested in the position they have, show them! Passion and excitement for a particular role are easy ways to impress staffing agencies. Staffing agencies won’t want to send a candidate on a job interview with their client if they don’t sound enthused about the position.

Some staffing agency interview questions are tailored to gauge the enthusiasm of potential applicants for positions. While you don’t want to be overly eager, what you say when calling a temp agency lets them know whether you want a position — passion will usually impress staffing agencies. Enthusiasm shows you are willing to commit to the interview process and would accept an offer if you received one.

It’s also a vital temp agency tip, to be honest with a recruiter if you aren’t interested in a position. They won’t want you to feign enthusiasm only to turn down an offer at the last minute. This may result in difficulty getting interviews if you plan on applying to a temp agency in the future. All staffing agencies prioritize trustworthy candidates who follow through. If you hope to impress staffing agencies, consider what questions to ask them to help you know if an offer or organization would fit your circumstances. Be straightforward with the staffing agency about precisely what you want and need in a position. The more honest you are with them, the more they can help you.

A candidate expressing enthusiasm

4. Be on Your Best Behavior

If you do end up temping with a staffing agency while you wait for a full-time position, treat each temp assignment as you would a permanent position. A positive attitude and taking initiative are two temp agency tips that go a long way towards impressing the staffing agency and employer you’re working for. You could potentially be considered for a full-time position should one become available.

Even if this temp assignment doesn’t help you gain a full-time position, you might do well enough on the job to impress the agency that placed you. As a result, they’ll want to continue working with you and put you on more assignments, saving you from having to keep planning on how to apply to a temp agency. The staffing agency will be more inclined to consider you for any permanent opportunities they have, emphasizing the importance of impressing staffing agencies.

On the other hand, if you treat a temp assignment as just a way to make money, and have no respect for the client or the agency you’re working for, they will be less inclined to work with you in the future. Take that opportunity to formulate questions to ask as you deepen your relationship with the staffing agency you are currently employed.

5. Making the Most of Staffing Agencies

Staffing agencies aren’t just an excellent tool for employers; they also help job seekers with successful employment. You can explore temp agency tips, guides to impress staffing agencies and employers, and tons of advice to help you find and keep a job. Ensure you take full advantage of an agency’s services because they could be the key to helping you find your dream job.

WAI at the CUA Job Fair!

WAI Staff

WAI CUA Job Fair table 2022

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In Person Job Fairs are Back!

We are so pleased to have participated in the Catholic University of America Spring Career Fair. Two of our recruiters, Chace Leuba and Diana Villegas, were able to meet and mingle with the undergraduate and graduate students of CUA to discuss temporary and permanent job opportunities.

There are many benefits to attending a job fair, whether it’s put on by a school, university or hosted by a staffing agency. Here are our three top reasons why you shouldn’t pass up the next career fair if you’re looking for work.

1. Access to Hiring Representatives

job fair interview

When attending a job fair, you are in direct contact with recruiters and hiring managers. There are not many other opportunities to connect with, and make a good impression on, this many HR professionals. While at the CUA Career Fair, WAI recruiters connected with many students both seeking temporary work while finishing their degree, and permanent work post graduation.

2. Learn About Different Careers

Job fairs, and staffing agencies, offer a wealth of knowledge about different careers. Many times people hear of a job or career path that they were not otherwise aware existed. With attendees of the 2022 CUA Career Fair, WAI discussed opportunities at a number of DMV based nonprofits and associations, and is excited to continue working with the students we met.

3. Networking

Networking is an invaluable part of attending job fairs. This maximizes a job seeker’s exposure to far more opportunities and connections than traditional job applications. To be well prepared, always carry several copies of your resume, have a digital copy saved in your email or on Google Drive for easy access and perhaps have your business card ready to hand out.

Whitman Associates is excited to return to the Catholic University of America next year and continue attending career fairs around the DMV. Placement options are available for students, recent graduates, in addition to mid and late-career professionals!

To work with WAI, please send your resume to resumes@whitmanjobs.com.

Temp of the Month March 2022: Santana Holmes

WAI Staff

Santana graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. While at Kent State, she was a Student Manager at Starbucks, her favorite coffee shop. She was also a board member for KSU’s Focus on the Future for two years.

In her spare time, she enjoys exercising, shopping, listening to podcasts, watching Netflix and talking to friends. Her favorite Netflix series is Bridgerton. Santana also enjoy traveling and was able to travel to another country for the first time in 2019.

Temp of the Month February 2022: Jeff Panosian

WAI Staff

Jeff has worked with various nonprofits, companies, and an association in D.C. Originally from upstate New York, Jeff graduated from Columbia University in New York City with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 2019. After graduation, he moved to the D.C. area and worked as a legislative intern for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer.

His experiences on Capitol Hill—together with his campaign volunteering, classes, and policy research at Columbia—have cemented his passion for working on tax and economic policy that tackles America’s income and wealth inequalities. He enjoys watching stand-up comedy and comedy TV. He is of Armenian heritage, and likes reading about Armenian history, as well as other cultures, and languages.