Greater Milwaukee Jobs

The number of workers employed through tempo- rary help agencies is at all- t i m e h i g h s. E a c h w e e k about 3 million people – 2 percent of the workforce – cycle through staffing com- panies. If you're looking for a job, you should consider being one of them. Temp jobs are a main road to employment. Employers increasingly try out temp workers before offering "permanent" positions. Temp jobs can be good for job hunters, too. You get a foot in the door for hiring consideration, and you gain lines on your resume instead of blanks. That said, there can be drawbacks to temp work. You're wise to choose agen- cies and job placements carefully. Start by researching and signing up with staffing companies that specialize in your industry or profession. Temp placements range from entry-level jobs up to the chief executive office. Don't waste time and effort with agencies that aren't a good match for you. Research the pay rate to know the market-rate range for the job you're pursuing. A recent report by the National Employment Law Project said temp workers often are paid less than the typical hourly rate. Know what's acceptable to you. That same report also challenged the lack of safety training for temp workers, especially in ware- housing and manufactur- ing. There's a high inci- dence of injury among temp workers on their first day on the job, compared with employees who have more training or experi- ence. What safety tips do you need to know? Use online search engines or personal contacts to investigate if "temp to hire" advertising is likely to come true. Reports abound of employers that keep cycling a slew of temps through the job rather than convert- ing them to permanent positions. Temp work can be a choice or reluctant stopgap. This is a great time of year to sign up for seasonal jobs. Be smart about your choic- es, and don't automatically discount temping. 2 GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS • October 9, 2014 the person on the other end of the negoti- ation, so be respectful and use good manners always. Rule 2: Know your worth Make sure you've done your research. "Know the average salaries for the posi- tion and for the market," says Delecki. That means what others with similar experience would make in the same city where you'll be working. And this isn't a time to be modest about your potential value to the compa- ny. "Tell the company why you are worth more than you are being offered. Show them how you will contribute to the company's profits and help their bottom line," advises Delecki. Rule 3: Ask for the right amount Ask for too little and you'll sell your- self short, but if you ask for too much you'll risk offending your future employ- er. How much should you ask for? Jack- son recommends anywhere from $3,000- $5,000 above the company's offer. After conveying your gratitude for the job offer, confidently state: "I'm hoping to negotiate a salary closer to $xx." Rule 4: Don't forget other benefits There are times that companies may not be able to budge on the dollar amount, but that doesn't mean negotia- tions are done. This could be an opportu- nity to negotiate other benefits like paid time off. "Ask the company whether they can be more flexible about vacation or PTO days," says Delecki. In addition to vacation days, other ben- efits that you could try to negotiate for include flex time for working from home and subsidized day-care costs. "I've known people who negotiated for imme- diate vesting in the company's 401(k)," observes Jackson. Rule 5: Be realistic Keep in mind, people negotiating higher-level jobs will likely have more success negotiating. If you are just out of college and accepting an entry-level job, employers typically will not negotiate much, if at all. Young professionals can always ask, but they must be realistic about what they should ask for and about what an employer is likely to approve. 5 Rules . . . from page 1 Choose temp work with care for career advancement By Diane Stafford The Kansas City Star Managing an underperformer By Liz Reyer Star Tribune (Minneapolis) & A Q Q. I have a challenge with an underperforming employee. He is being given a last chance; how do I give him assignments to see if he can step up while still maintaining my team's quality of work? Liz Reyer is a credentialed coach with more than 20 years of business experience. Her company, Reyer Coaching & Consulting, offers services for organizations of all sizes. Submit questions or comments about this column at www.deliverchange.com/coachscorner or email her at lizdeliverchange.com. A. Clear expectations and feedback are essential, along with good contin- gency planning. THE INNER GAME Prepare to do some soul searching as you make a plan. Settle in, focusing on your breathing to become calm and centered. Now, explore the question of what you'd like to have happen. Are you pulling for him to succeed, or are you going through the motions and are ready for him to move on? If it's the latter, make sure that you're put- ting internal and external mechanisms in place to ensure that you're being fair to him. Articulate specifically the ways he is falling short. Technical work skills and interpersonal skills all may be factors, and all need to be in place for him to suc- ceed at his job. If your company's performance assessment format lends itself to analysis, use it to determine the key items for attention. Otherwise, create a grid that outlines competencies and charac- teristics that are essential to the job. Then prioritize the list - must haves vs. nice to haves. Gather current perform- ance information from people who are affected by his work, and deter- mine whether there is concern about working with him as you try to get him up to speed. This will help you decide which assignments might be best for him and the back up resources you'll need to have in place. Finally, be sure that you're up-to-speed with expectations from your boss and your human resources department, and find the resources inter- nally that can help you. THE OUTER GAME Using your prioritized list, meet with the employ- ee to discuss your expec- tations. Set some specific targets using clearly defined behaviors that you expect, and timelines for demonstrating the behav- iors. Document this care- fully and be sure that you both have a copy. Err on the side of com- munication. Set up fre- quent meetings to let him know how he is doing on the areas of concern. Also, whenever possible, provide feedback in the moment. For example, if responsive- ness is an issue, if some- one comes to you because he has not gotten back to them, share that right away. You also need to manage risk in case he does not succeed in the assigned tasks. For example, if he is supposed to provide a document for a meeting, set up time in advance to make sure that he's on track, and also have anoth- er person identified who has enough experience to readily complete the task if he has fallen short. If it's still not working out, determine if there's a more junior role or a posi- tion on a different team that'd be a better fit. Oth- erwise, it'll be your responsibility – a difficult one – to make the deci- sion to let him go. Again, have your boss and HR department in the loop as you make that call. THE LAST WORD Managing underperfor- mance is challenging; how- ever, the success of your team depends on your leadership courage. A publication of Conley Media Distributed by: Conley Distribution 262-513-2646 ©2004 by Conley Media, LLC Waukesha County Independent and Locally Owned GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS is published weekly by Conley Media – Waukesha County, 801 N. Barstow St., Waukesha, WI 53186. Contents of this publication may not be reproduced in any form without the written consent of the publisher. GREATERmilwaukeeJOBS assumes no liability for any error in copy or content. It is the advertiser's responsibility to be aware of the laws pertaining to employment advertising. Subscriptions are available for $34 (non-refundable) for a 6-month subscription. Call 262-513-2698 for information. 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