In 1994, I had just graduated from college and began working with FurstStaffing. Darlene Furst gave me a piece of paper with a poem on it. I tacked this piece of paper above my desk in the 2 room office we were renting across the street from a manufacturing client. The poem is titled “Attitude” and its author is Charles Swindell.

ATTITUDE
The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of
attitude on my life. Attitude, to me is more important
than facts. It is more important than the past, then
education, than money, than circumstances, than
failures, than successes, than what other people think
or say or do. It is more important than appearance,
giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a
church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a
choice every day regarding the attitude we will
embrace for that day. We cannot change the fact that
people will act in a certain way. We cannot change
the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on
the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am
convinced that life is 10 % what happens to me and
90% how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in
charge of our attitudes.

When I am working through a challenging or difficult time I often reflect on this poem. It is a simple poem, with a simple message that gets me in the right mind set to meet and overcome whatever challenges I might face and life in general.

Never Used a Staffing Firm....Here's what to expect and why it might be a good idea.

The labor market is changing. Companies are laying people off and downsizing. The unpredictable economic times are challenging for businesses and the individuals who have lost their jobs.

We have met with a number of individuals who have never had to partner with a staffing firm before and are unsure of what a staffing firm is all about and what they should expect. We will try and answer some of these questions in this blog.

A staffing firm is a company that serves two clients: individuals seeking employment and companies seeking employees. When partnering with a staffing firm you need to do your due diligence and make sure the staffing firm is a reputable firm. Ask friends, co-workers, family, and your former HR representative for recommendations. Most staffing firms have thorough screening processes that include: pre-screening, completed applications, face-to-face interviews, references checks, and skills evaluations. Positions can range from C.E.O. to laborer. Typically, staffing firms offer three types of employment: project/supplemental/temporary, temp-to-hire, and direct placement.

Supplemental or temporary staffing are projects that can last a couple of hours to several years. Companies will hire a staffing firm to help find employees to cover vacations, medical leaves, or to meet high workloads. These types of projects are great for individuals seeking employment for a number of reasons:

• It provides a source of income while seeking a regular, full-time opportunity.
• The staffing firm can act as a job reference and resume builder to fill gaps in your employment history while between jobs.
• Companies often call staffing firms to fill immediate needs. So, you could find employment fast.
• Temporary work allows you to accept assignments that meet your availability.
• Many companies hire their internal staff from the ‘temporary’ employees. The temporary employees have already been trained and assimilated to the environment.
• The temporary position can provide you with great networking opportunities. Meeting people in your industry and developing some good job leads through this interaction.
• You can gain experience in a new field. You may have the skills to do the job, but lack the experience. Sometimes a staffing firm can help you gain that much needed experience. Or it may be an industry or career you had not thought of previously.
• Many staffing firms provide access to benefits.
  Staffing firms have access to job leads that are not advertised.
• 2.5 million people a day are employed in the staffing industry. (American Staffing Association)

Temp-to-Hire (or what we call Furst-to-Hire) is when a company has an internal need and would like to “try before they buy”. Recruiting, screening, testing, training and hiring an employee is expensive. Many companies want to make sure the individual they are hiring has the skills they say they do and have the personality that will be a good match in their environment. A temp-to-hire, is a temporary project with a set time period that the employee would be on the project at the client before the client would hire that employee internally. If the client or employee felt that this arrangement would not work out long term…the project would end and the staffing firm would find another employee for the company, while assigning the employee to a different project that would better fit their goals.

A temp-to-hire includes all of the benefits that a temporary project offers plus it allows you the opportunity to try a company before committing to a full-time, internal position. It is difficult to interpret a company based on one or two interviews. The goal is to find a position that is a long term career move and a temp-to-hire allows you the chance to see the day-to-day operation and make sure that the position accomplishes your career goals and meets the criteria you have established.

• 8 out of 10 employers feel that staffing firms offer a good way to find people who can become internal employees. (American Staffing Association)
• 72% of temporary workers obtain an internal position while working through a staffing firm. (American Staffing Association)

Direct placement occurs when a staffing firm is engaged to match a candidate’s skills with a specific job opportunity and the candidate is hired directly by the client company. They are never employed by the staffing firm. Companies may hire the staffing firm to do this to eliminate the time and expense to conduct a job search. They may not have the internal staff to sort through all of the resumes they receive.

The hiring company usually interviews several candidates from those presented and makes the decision on who will best fit their needs. The staffing firm will present the job offer to the candidate who is then hired directly by the client company.

What is a staffing firm looking for when you meet with them?

• They will take note of your appearance, personality & attitude.
• Make sure you decide in advance whether you are open to working temporary projects, open to temp-to-hire and want only direct hire placements.
• Be honest.
• Be on time and follow up.
• When assigned to a project keep the staffing firm informed of any concerns or positive events.
• Turn your cell phone off when interviewing.
• Be prepared to answer questions like; “Tell me about yourself”, “How would your supervisor describe you”, and “Give me an example of…”.
• They will want to hear about your successes and specific examples to support those successes.
• They will look are your employment history. Make sure your employment dates are accurate. Be prepared to explain any gaps in your work history.
• Keep your staffing company informed of any changes in your contact information or your availability.

As you can see there are numerous benefits to partnering with a staffing firm. Again, do your research to make sure you are working with one that will represent you properly and is respected in the community.

USCIS Delays Rule Change for I-9 Form

USCIS Delays Rule Changing List of Documents Acceptable to Verify Employment EligibilityReopens Public Comment Period for 30 days
WASHINGTON-U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it has delayed by 60 days, until April 3, 2009, the implementation of an interim final rule entitled "Documents Acceptable for Employment Eligibility Verification" published in the Federal Register on Dec. 17, 2008. The rule streamlines the Employment Eligibility Verification (Form I-9) process.
The delay will provide DHS with an opportunity for further consideration of the rule and also allows the public additional time to submit comments. A notice announcing the delay was transmitted today to the Federal Register. In addition, USCIS has reopened the public comment period for 30 days, until March 4, 2009.
Employers must complete a Form I-9 for all newly hired employees to verify their identity and authorization to work in the United States. The interim final rule will amend regulations governing the types of acceptable identity and employment authorization documents employees may present to their employers for completion of the Form I-9. Under the interim rule, employers will no longer be able to accept expired documents to verify employment authorization on the Form I-9.
The interim final rule and an informational copy of the revised Form I-9 will continue to be available for public comment at http://www.regulations.gov/.

We have posted the new form on the FurstStaffing website under both the Candidate Forms and Client Forms section.

Bank of America Health & Fitness Expo (Shamrock Shuffle 8K & 5K Fitness Walk)

2009 Bank of America Health & Fitness Expo will be held at Chicago's Navy Pier, in Festival Hall B. The Expo will feature more than 75 exhibiting companies, offering the latest in running footwear, apparel, nutrition and technology.

Friday, March 27th, 10am to 8pm & Saturday, March 28th, 9am to 6pm.

Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K run is Sunday, March 29th at 9:30 at Grant Park. This is the world's largest 8K race. The field size will be capped at a maximum of 32,500 participants. Registration is $40.00.

Bank of America 5K Fitness Walk starts at 10:00am on Sunday, March 29th, also starting from Grant Park. Registration is $40.00

http://www.shamrockshuffle.com/

Part Time Claims Processor

Will be handling claims processing and insurance benefits. Will do phone support, data entry and filing.

Location: Rockford, IL

Hours: 24 hours per week. Office is open 8am to 4:30pm. They are flexible on the schedule. Ideal would be someone working 3 days of 8 hours.

Pay: Based on experience, $10.00 to $12.00 per hour.

• Intermediate to advanced Word and Excel skills
• Ability to adapt and multi-task
• Positive and upbeat personality
• Will train on industry specific software, ability to learn quickly
• Must have previous claims processing experience
  

If you are an experienced claims processor, please submit your resume to: furst.nre@furststaff.com or contact Nancy with FurstStaffing in Rockford @ 815.229.7810.

To view all of the opportunities available through FurstStaffing and
FurstProfessionals, please visit: www.furststaff.com/jobs

Welders (Monroe, WI)

Description
A well established manufacturer is seeking experienced welders for first shift opportunities. Welders must have 1 or 2 year Welding Certificate + previous welding/fabrication experience.

Duties will include:
Mig welding
Fabricate custom truck bodies, tool boxes
Structural and Steel welding

Location: Monroe, WI

Type of Placement: Furst-to-Hire

Shift: First Shift (40 hours per week, plus OT)

Salary: Negotiable ($12 to $14 to start)

Requirements
Ability to do repairs.
1 or 2 year Welding Certificate
Previous welding/fabrication experience
Please submit resumes to: darlington@furststaff.com or

contact FurstStaffing in Darlington directly @ 608.776.2600.

To view all opportunities avialable through FurstStaffing and
FurstProfessionals, please visit www.furststaff.com/jobs

Machine Operators in Platteville, WI

Description
Excellent Furst-to-Hire opportunity for an individual with excellent math, ruler and writing skills who has previous experience in a machine shop or other manufacturing setting.

Machine Operator will load and unload parts into CNC equipment including Lathes and Mills. Once machined the operator will remove the part from the machine and perform hand grinding if needed. In addition, they will clean the part to prepare for packaging.

Location: Platteville, WI (Grant and Lafayette Counties)

Type of Placement: Furst-to-Hire

Shift: 1st & 2nd shift available, 12-hour rotation schedule over 7 days.

Pay: $10.00 +

Requirements
Ability to stand for duration of the shift with constant movement.
Willingness to rotate job stations.
Ability to lift 30 lbs repetitively.
Ability to lift parts, bend, step up and down on a platform throughout shift.
Must be able to provide at least 2 positive references.
Successfully pass a Drug Test and Background Screening.
Successfully pass a math, writing and ruler evaluation.

Please submit your resume to: darlington@furststaff.com or contact

FurstStaffing in Darlington @ 608.776.2600

To view all of the opportunities available through FurstStaffing and

FurstProfessionals, please visit: www.furststaff.com/jobs