Whether you have been working at a company for 5 years or 20, it is totally normal to desire a new job. You may not receive proper compensation or you want a new challenge. Whatever your reason is, your work life could improve with a job transition.

For many people, the job search prevents them from transitioning to a new company. They don’t know when or how to approach the task. A good recruiter can make the process much easier and coach you through the different stages of interviewing and transitioning into a new role.

The following tips can help everyone who is entering a job search. Timing is everything. The tips in this article can help you determine if it is the right time to start searching. Knowing when to leave is essential for your professional and personal success.

When the Company You Are Interested in is Hiring

Do you have a dream employer? You may even search their website for career listings every few months. One day, you are searching their website and your position appears on their career listings! There is no better time to start your job search than when your dream employer is hiring.

When Business is Slow

Almost every company has a slow season. If your employer is barely keeping up with tasks, don’t start your job search. Finish the season on a good note. You are more likely to receive a positive referral when you start interviewing.

When Your Competitors Are Paying More

According to the 2016 Global Workforce Study, which surveyed more than 31,000 employees around the world, almost half of US employees believe they are being paid unfairly compared to workers who hold similar jobs either at their own or other companies.

Realizing that you receive low pay for your industry is a hard blow. You feel unappreciated and discouraged. Before you assume that you are not receiving enough compensation, there are signs as to whether you are receiving fair compensation for your job.

• Review similar job postings in your area.
• Your company’s revenue increased but your wage stayed the same.
• You make less than your colleagues with similar education and experience.
• Your responsibility has increased but your title has not.

This is also something a good recruiter that specializes in your field of work and places people in companies in your area can help with. They know the market and know what salaries people with similar backgrounds are being paid.

When You Dread Going to Work

Nobody should dread work. If you feel like you are just “getting through the day,” it is time for a new job. As a recruiter, I have helped many people change jobs because they are unhappy with their current situation, and even some that the stress of their current job was causing medical problems. The following are some of the reasons employees dread their jobs:

• Your values do not align with company values
• You are not receiving proper compensation
• You are bored with the assignments
• You loathe your boss
• You see no opportunity for advancement

Transitioning jobs can be one of the best things that you do for your professional and personal well-being. Time your job search right and you can leave on a good note. If you are working in the pharmaceutical, medical device, or biotech industries in the San Francisco Bay Area, I specialize in working with life sciences professionals and would be happy to help. Contact me, Jeff King, at jking@rqfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.

When budgets are tight, continuing education is often the first item to be diminished from a company’s resources. After all, it does not bring in direct revenue.

Continuing education might not affect your revenue immediately. However, you are investing in employee development that can increase your employee’s happiness and build a more creative, sustainable company.

As of 2018, Millennials are the largest generation in the workforce at 1 out of 3. A recent study by Gallup shows that “Millennials are not pursuing job satisfaction — they are pursuing development… Giving out toys and entitlements is a leadership mistake, and worse, it’s condescending. Purpose and development drive this generation.”

If you want to retain Millennials then invest in their professional development. Trophies and bonuses don’t work for this generation.

5 Tools for Professional Development

Conferences

Book your employees to attend an industry-related conference. These conferences often are held by industry-leaders. They can be inspirational for your employees.

TedTalks

TedTalks are inspirational videos to “stir your curiosity”. The videos range in topic including science, creativity, business, and tech.

Creative Live

CreativeLive provides “1,500+ fundamentals to advanced techniques”. The classes range from Adobe software, money and finance, business modeling, cooking, writing, and more. The classes are all online and can be completed at a flexible pace.

Meetups

Meetups are designed for more than building friendships. Meetups have evolved into professional education seminars. If you have a small budget then Meetups could be a good option for you. The classes are typically free to attend.

Webinars

Webinars are a live, web-based conference that can be viewed around the world. Users are able to interact among online forums in real time. There are thousands of webinars available online for professional development.

Invest in your employees and they are more likely to build a loyal relationship with your company. You will also improve their skills to help meet your company’s goals. I am a Life Sciences Recruiter for the Bay Area. If you are looking to hire in these areas, please contact me to discuss your needs and possible solutions. Contact me, Jeff King, at jking@rqfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.

In today’s job market, Millennials are the largest generation in the workforce. By 2025, Millennials are predicted to be 75% of our work force. Employers need to prepare for what makes Millennials happy, therefore improving company culture and retainment.

Millennials are different than any previous generation. Their focus is more on values and lifestyle, rather than receiving a fat paycheck. No more 60-hour work weeks.

As a recruiter, I try to educate employers on how to keep their high-quality employees. This article outlines my experience with keeping Millennials on the team.

Millennials Want Strong Company Values

Millennials have a low tolerance for lack of authenticity. They want to work with a company with social causes and personal values. As an employer, you must demonstrate your values with concrete actions.

For example, project feedback, Employee of the Month, and company parties. Your company is more than just a place to work. It is a supportive community.

Millennials Want Social Impact

Along with company values is the desire to make a social impact. Colleagues with a shared goal can have a positive impact on the workplace.

Every job is going to have stresses. When a company is working toward a purpose, Millennials feel more positive about difficult work tasks. You do not have to be a non-profit to be philanthrope. You can donate 1% of your profit to charity or have volunteering opportunities.

Chris Martin, President and CEO of President Bank, encourages all his team members to give back. Each employee receives two paid day per year to volunteer.

Millennials Want Flexibility in Work Hours

The 9-5 work day is slowly disappearing. Millennials want more flexibility with their work hours. A study by Bentley University reports that 77% of Millennials claim that flexible work hours would make them more productive.

Millennials Want to Work Remotely

Working remotely is the dream for many Americans. It is becoming more realistic as more technology and software becomes available.

With the capability, Millennials desire to work outside of the office. According to the PwC’s NextGen study, 64% of Millennials would like to occasionally work from home. If your employees are able to work at home then allow them. See When Is Telecommuting Right for Your Business for my experience recruiting for companies with different types of flexibility. Remote work can lead to an increase in employee happiness and productivity.

Millennials Want Opportunity for Growth

Nobody wants to work in a dead-end job – especially Millennials. Provide opportunity for growth for your employees. Allow them to take on new responsibility which could lead to another position. Make these opportunities clear during the hiring process to create a more desirable work place.

Change is hard. There is no doubt about it. However, Millennials are the future of our workplace. If your company has not adjusted ideals for the new generation, you could hurt employee retention.

Embrace change and start utilizing these tips into your growing business.

Telecommuting is the dream. You get to work where you want and when you want. For many businesses, telecommuters can work great. They maintain happy and productive employees with a low turnover rate. Other businesses do not have the flexibility for telecommuters.

As a specialty recruiter for Regulatory and Quality professionals, I have seen when telecommuting works in extremely professional settings. Regulatory employees have more success telecommuting. The majority of their work is research and document generation and review which can be completed at home with the proper tools. On the other hand, Quality employees need to be onsite more to support manufacturing and product development. Each employee has their part to ensure that products meet FDA standards but the different tasks assigned to their profession prevents telecommuting for many of the employees.

When Is Telecommuting Appropriate for Companies?

Research Positions

If your employee’s research project requires only a computer and internet connection then they can probably work remotely. In the industries I represent, this applies to Regulatory employees but can, to a more limited extent, apply to some Quality professionals as well. You may choose to start your employees in the office to prove that they are responsible. With time, give them the telecommuting option to improve employee happiness.

Little Interaction with Coworkers

If your employee’s job requires a physical presence then a telecommuting job is not efficient for your company. For example, office manager, product testing, or supervisor. However, telecommuting works well for project-based, data analysis or computer programming work.

Already Working Considerable Amount from Home

Does your employee bring their work home? Employees that bring their work home are usually stressed and overwhelmed, which could lead to their resignation. This can also be true if their commute into your office is a difficult one. If your employee can work remotely half of the time or even full time, let them. The best remote workers depict responsible work ethic. You may want to call your employee into the office for an occasional meeting, but if the work is getting done when they are remote, allow the option.

When Is Telecommuting Not Feasible for Your Company

• Position requires high amount of supervision
• Position requires a lot of live interaction with co-workers
• Employee deals with sensitive or confidential information
• Employees must attend meetings

A large part of building a great company is making your employees happy. Now, more companies allow employees to work remotely. You can increase productivity and avoid high turnover. If your employee is asking to work remotely, evaluate their position and whether it would fit your company’s needs. A great employee can be hard to find. Do your best to make them happy and you will draw more forward-thinking workers.

YOU DON’T NEED US if the position(s) you have to fill are not considered critical, AND you can take whatever time is necessary for the right person to see your job posting, AND you have the time to review all submitted resumes to find the ones you want to interview. If this is the case traditional methods of recruiting may work for you.

BUT, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER US if filling the position(s) quickly and with the right person is critical, and you need someone with the experience and understanding to do the first level screening to weed out all but the top 3-5 candidates for you, AND you are not getting much response to your current recruiting efforts. Top caliber candidates are NOT scouring job postings. They’re too busy getting their work done. They also take less time to get up to speed.

WHAT MAKES US ANY DIFFERENT OR BETTER THAN OTHER RECRUITERS?

• I worked for 4 years as an Engineer designing new medical devices, and 5 years as a Marketing Product Manager developing and launching new products to the market.
• I’ve spent the past 20+ years filling critical positions in the Bay area with experienced, top performing Regulatory, Clinical, and Quality professionals.
• I’m also a career counselor to several local Regulatory, Clinical, and Quality professionals and understand what they’re looking for in their careers, and know how to approach them to have them consider your opportunity.
• I am a certified Facilitator for Everyday Engagement methodology for building High Performance Teams.
• I take the time to get to know the “personality” of my client companies so I can better match the personalities of the candidates for a better and longer lasting fit.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US

• I will take the time to understand what problems you are trying to solve and what type of person would perform best in that role and send you the top 3-5 pre-screened candidates to consider.
• Weekly updates on the status of your search so you KNOW it’s being worked on.
• I have a 74% accuracy rate on submitting candidates you want to interview.
• I have a 93% success rate on getting your offers accepted and having the candidate ready to go on day one.
• Periodic follow ups with the candidate and the hiring manager during the first year to ensure a good fit.
• A 5 year replacement policy to ensure you’re happy with the outcome.

TESTIMONIALS

“…I know that Jeff is not in the business to make ‘a quick buck’. He is a reliable, trustworthy resource who has my best interest in mind. In my fifteen years of experience, the proof is always in the end result. Candidates represented by Jeff have gone on to become key contributors and successful team members. When staffing needs arise, Jeff King is the first person I contact.” – J. Cook QA/RA Director

“…Jeff is thorough in understanding the requirements of each open position. He is considerate of my time, as well as conscientious in his follow up. He is a pleasure to work with.” – M. Ashburn HR Manager

Meetings – we have to have them but they can be giant time consumers in our work day. For many companies, meetings are prolonged from chit chat and ramble. Others are poorly organized. This can be frustrating for employees that have piles of work.

As a Specialty Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have seen the processes of many different types of companies. Some works. Others ends in disaster. Meetings can be crucial to organize your team and make sure you are on the same page.

I have outlined tips that can create more efficient meetings. Start implementing these tips to save valuable time at work.

Review Attendee List

It’s frustrating for employees who are sitting at meetings that they know that they don’t have to attend. A meeting could add an extra hour onto their work day. Before you ask for a meeting, consider who really needs to attend.

The employees that should be at meetings will contribute to the project. Unnecessary attendees will only waste valuable time at the company’s expense.

Distribute Written Agenda in Advance

Be prepared before the meeting. Create a written agenda and email it to your attendees. That way, they will be prepared with the information that they need to bring. Your employees will not be pulling up information spontaneously on their lap top. You have already prepared them for what you need to discuss.

Manage the Meeting by the Clock

It’s easy to waste time chatting about weekend plans, family, or sporting event. However, meetings are not the time to have these discussions. Create a timeline to keep the meeting moving.

For example, 10 minutes for project status. 30 minutes for planning.

Determine the timeline that works best for the productivity of your team.

Take Notes

We can’t remember everything. As a business leader, it is essential to take notes. Record project status, updates, and plans. Type out your ideas and send the record to attendees after the meeting. This will prevent your team from forgetting details. You will not have to repeat information at the next meeting.

Start On-Time

Along with following a time schedule is starting on-time. Tell your employees in advance the meeting will begin promptly at the arranged time. Start the meeting even if some of your attendees are absent.

Punctuality is professional and necessary in the workplace.

Tardiness is embarrassing for most professionals. Starting your meetings on time can help influence your team to arrive promptly.

It’s important to make your employees feel valuable. A large part of doing so is giving raises. The trick is knowing when and how much to provide. You need your employees to prove their worth but not feel over expended without proper compensation.

As a Specialty Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have seen successful companies follow the properties that I will outline in this article. Employees leave jobs for many reasons. Pay and lack of recognition are big ones.

Acknowledge Value

To award raises, you must understand value within your company. This means, creating key performance indicators (KPI’s) for each employee. That way, your employees will know what they are working toward. Make sure that your goals challenge them but are achievable.

Keep Your Employees Informed

Communication is essential in any relationship – this includes business. Keep your employees informed throughout the year of whether they are meeting their KPI’s. You could do this by quarterly reports. Most people want to do well. Taking the time to review job performance, write a report, and meet is an investment for your company. Growing the skills of your employees is cheaper than hiring.

But, of course, if you need to add to your team or upgrade the team you have, I can help you find the right employee to help you meet company goals.

Don’t Guess! Crunch the Numbers

If your employees reach their goals, it’s essential that you provide them with the correct compensation. This is not only essential for them but the financial stability of your company. Employees receive more salary when they are providing more return to the company. Top performers should get a bigger raise, but be careful.

Giving too much of a raise can cause drama. Employees talk. If a colleague earns less of a raise than another a coworker could get upset. When you give your employee the raise, explain what goals they completed to justify the number.

It’s also important to make sure what you are paying your employees is competitive. There are salary surveys that can help. And for Regulatory and Quality positions in the San Francisco Bay Area I can be a resource to let you know what the market is paying for these positions. Paying a competitive salary will help you keep your employees. If you don’t want to pay the market rate for good talent, your competitors will.

Sleep – we know that we need it but between work and life, getting enough hours can seem impossible. However, it’s essential to make time for seven to eight hours of sleep per night. Sleep deprivation can lead to serious mental and physical health problems that impacts your work performance.

If you are a business leader, you may find that you need to hire another employee to get the sleep that you need (that’s where a specialist like me can help you find someone to help you sleep better and not lose even more sleep).

Not convinced? Learn how sleep deprivation could impact your mental and physical health:

Memory

Without adequate sleep, your body has trouble absorbing information. If you are sleep deprived at work, you could forget to complete daily tasks, phone calls, or even show up to meetings. Forgetting can severely hurt your job performance. In the worse scenarios, forgetfulness leads to losing your job.

According to WebMD, there are three stages of memory:

• Acquisition — learning or experiencing something new
• Consolidation — the memory becomes stable in the brain
• Recall — having the ability to access the memory in the future

Acquisition and recall occur while you are awake. However, consolidation requires sleep. If you do not get the sleep you need, your brain will have a hard time absorbing new information. That means, double the work or training time.

Moodiness

After a sleepless night, you may notice yourself irritable and moody. Not only does this create a bad day but can be annoying for everyone around you.

University of Pennsylvania researchers found that subjects who were limited to only 4.5 hours of sleep a night for one week reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad, and mentally exhausted. When the subjects resumed normal sleep, they reported a dramatic improvement in mood.

High Blood Pressure

Sleeping seven to eight hours a week may treat high blood pressure.

Sound too good to be true?

It’s actually pretty simple.

Sleep helps regulate your stress hormones. Lack of sleep could decrease your body’s ability to regulate stress hormones which leads to high blood pressure.

Make sure you receive adequate sleep if you experience high blood pressure. Missing sleep could make your blood pressure difficult to manage.

Weight Gain

Do you ever notice that you want to snack when you are tired? Your brain is looking for food for energy. Unfortunately, no almonds, chips, or vanilla latte will make up for a bad night’s sleep.

Sleep deprivation can cause increased levels of a hunger hormone called ghrelin and decreased levels of the satiety/fullness hormone called leptin, which could lead to overeating and weight gain.

Poor Balance

Lack of sleep can impact your coordination. This can lead to workplace trips and falls. It’s important to get enough sleep for any office setting.

Taking care of yourself is important to all aspects of your life. Make time for sleep and, at work, make sure you have a team you can rely on to meet your goals to reduce your stress. I can’t do much to help you with your sleep, but I can do a lot to help you build a great team.

Managers have more responsibility than overseeing project scope and client delivery. People Management can be the hardest tasks on a manager’s job description.

Every employee is different. Successful managers recognize employee strengths and different types of communication required. This is not an easy task. You must first understand the different personality types.

According to Gallup’s State of the American Manager: Analytics and Advice for Leaders report, there are 6 types of personalities.

Personality Types

Judging

Judgers want work to be neat, orderly, and established. They want the workplace to be predictable.

Perceiving

Perceivers are more openminded than judgers. They can change to your office’s situation and respond well to unpredictable events.

Extraversion

Extraverts are lively, energetic, and always looking for ways to interact with other coworkers. Extraverts are often involved in brainstorming sessions and work well with others.

Introversion

Introverts are the opposite of extroverts. They would rather perform tasks by themselves. They are independent, reserved, and focused.

Thinking

Thinkers are the analytical employees in the office. They will think of how to improve projects and are detail oriented. Thinkers are often experts in a single field.

Feeling

Feelers are the opposite of Thinkers. A Thinker is compassionate, warm, and supportive. They often go out of their way for other employees. Their motivation is often for people, rather than facts.

How-To Manage Different Personality Types

The first step is to assess, not assume. View every new hire as a blank slate. After you discover their personality type, you will be better able to manage for each employee’s strengths and talents.

Some simple way to gain some insights as to their personality type is to ask them to describe a job or project that they really enjoyed, and ask them what specifically made it such an enjoyable experience. You can also ask the opposite question of a job or project they enjoyed the least and what made it so terrible. Their answer will give you clues as to what is most important to them and how best to manage them.

The Meyer Brigg’s Personality test can provide a more accurate depiction. Speak with Human Resources to discover if testing is available for your employees.

Managers are the backbone of the company. Make it clear that your employees are all working toward a common goal. You may need to reassign your employee’s tasks for their strengths. Doing so, might be timely but will contribute to the success of the project.

By narrowing down your employee’s strengths, they will feel more successful and appreciated. Everyone wants to feel appreciated. Your team could work harder for you which increases productivity. Do not punish your employees in public if they are not achieving their goals.

Learning to manage different personality types can be rewarding and improve employee happiness and the productivity of your company. If you are hiring, know what skills you require. As a recruiter, I can help create appropriate personality questions to find the best employee for the job position.

Delegation can be difficult for many business leaders – even scary! When you delegate, you are handing over responsibilities. Often, these could be tasks that you performed well for years.

Wouldn’t it be better for the company to just continue the tasks yourself?

Rarely.

Delegation can improve the productivity of a company. You can complete work faster and grow branches of the business. It can even help you keep your most valued employees by giving them new challenges. If delegation is a struggle then follow these five steps:

1. Trust Your Employees

The first step to delegation is trusting your employees. If you cannot trust your employees you will never be able to delegate.

Ask your employees if they would like to take on more responsibility. Tell them if this could lead to a raise or promotion. You can even make this part of your employee development plan.

2. Establish Your Priorities

Create a priority system for delegating tasks. You can divide tasks into categories – for example, urgent, important, and low tasks. Delegate the urgent tasks first.

3. Hire If Necessary

No delegation systems work without a strong team. You may determine that you need to hire after you establish priorities and the status of your employee.

As a Specialized Quality and Regulatory Recruiter, I have helped business leaders hire productive employees to handle delegation, and to upgrade the caliber of their team.

4. Include Instructions

It would be great if your employees could read your mind. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t have that technology! Include detailed instructions to get your delegated tasks finished correctly and also set clear expectations. Eventually your employees will not require lengthy instructions which can save you hours, or even days of work.

What to Include in Your Instructions

• Detailed Milestones
• Deadlines
• Small Tasks

Delegating is a major step for any business leader. If you feel you need to add to your team, contact me to discuss your needs and we can create a solution plan for you. Contact me at jking@rfocus.com or (541) 639-3501.