Finding employment through our mortgage staffing service is a team effort.  Without all the pieces of the puzzle, the perfect career match for you may be lost.  To get the most out of your relationship with your recruiter, follow these helpful steps…

Be Honest: Your mortgage staffing partner can only help you if they understand your goals and current position. Let your recruiter know where you’re interviewing and where you’d like to interview. Through thorough understanding, your recruiter can determine how best to proceed to meet your goals as well as the goals of the client company.

Be Available: The perfect fit for you may come at a moment’s notice, as we offer temporary mortgage staffing services to our clients.  In order to take full advantage of these opportunities, your recruiter must be able to get in touch with you as soon as new opportunities arise. Keep your contact information up-to-date, and be sure that you’re able to take your recruiter’s call.

Be Aware: Your mortgage staffing partner represents the client company as well as you, and facilitates the relationship between the two of you. Developing any relationship is a delicate business. Any misstep along the way can damage the developing trust. Be aware of the position of your recruiter and that they are working diligently to build the best relationship possible for you and the client.

Be Respectful: After initially meeting with your recruiter, touching base once a week is most likely sufficient. A little contact goes a long way to creating a great partnership. An email or voice message is adequate if they are not able to speak with you directly.

If you are interested in partnering with one of our talented mortgage recruiters, visit our Job Seekers page and get in touch!

You don’t have to go it alone in a job search. Recruiters work for employers to provide them candidates for their positions. Forming a relationship with a recruiter makes it mutually beneficial for you to get a job, making it so you have someone on your side to help you accomplish your job-search goals. Learn how a recruiter can help you prepare for an interview and increase your chances of job search success.

They Know What Employers Want

Recruiters work with a variety of employers, and therefore have a vast amount of industry knowledge you can tap into. They can answer any questions you may have before the interview to help you feel ready and provide tips on what you should expect and how to make a great first impression to the employer. A recruiter can also work with you to develop relevant questions you can ask during the interview.

They Can Help You Market Yourself

A job description tells you as a candidate what qualifications the employer is looking for, but a recruiter can work with you to ensure that you’re communicating what makes you stand out from other candidates as the best choice. Employers aren’t just looking for technical skills; they are also striving for soft skills that are more difficult to demonstrate via resume. Each employer may have particular soft skills they’re looking for, but common examples include: communication skills, problem-solving skills, and leadership skills. A recruiter can help you market yourself and your soft skills for the interview so hiring managers have a clear idea of what intangible attributes you bring.

They Can Provide You Constructive Feedback

Candidates don’t typically receive feedback on why they weren’t selected for a job, which can make it challenging to know what areas you need to improve upon.  This gets you stuck in a cycle of repeating the same behaviors and getting the same results, simply because you don’t know where you’re going wrong. A recruiter can be more direct and give you more candid feedback on how you can best present yourself during an interview. Then you can practice overcoming your areas that need improvement and feel more confident going into the interview.
Are you ready to find your next job interview opportunity? Turn to Professional Alternatives. As an experienced staffing firm serving Texas, our recruiters can connect you with the available positions from area employers that are the right fit for you. Apply online to get started on your job search with Professional Alternatives.

With resumes only getting an average glance of less than 15 seconds by hiring managers, it’s important to make every word count. “Buzzwords” are common words used on resumes with the intent of impressing hiring managers – but more often than not, buzzwords don’t convey any real information. Don’t waste a valuable opportunity with ineffective buzzwords. Check out these five words to leave off your resume:

1. Motivated

While it is a desirable trait to be engaged in your job without the need for micromanaging, anyone can say they’re motivated, so this subjective term doesn’t really prove anything to hiring managers. Instead, provide an actionable example that demonstrates you’re motivated, such as brainstorming and implementing ideas or that you worked autonomously to achieve results. This shows your motivation instead of telling about it.

2. Go-Getter

This is a prime example of a positive trait when others are using it to describe you, but that sounds almost silly to call yourself. Think about what you’re trying to convey with the use of “go-getter” – it’s likely you mean that you’re proactive and involved in your job. Use an example of a past achievement or duty that supports this point instead of just relying on the word itself.

3. Results-Driven

Most jobs require employees to be results-driven in order to meet expectations, so this word isn’t really effective on its own. Rather than just saying you’re results-driven, take it a step further and actually let hiring managers be privy to the results that you’ve achieved, and include some key supporting examples.

4. Team Player

This is technically two words, but it’s a buzzword phrase that most hiring managers are not impressed by, yet is used so much on resumes. The ability to work effectively in a team is a requirement that most hiring managers actively look for in candidates, but the phrase “team player” doesn’t show enough on its own. When trying to drive home that point, make sure to include instances of your previous work experience in which you worked collaboratively with others.

5. Detail Oriented

Being detail orientated is so important, regardless of the particular job. But the buzzword itself is a prime example in which proving it is so much more effective than saying it. Besides utilizing the best practice of giving actionable examples of previous job duties that require attention to detail, use your resume itself to show it. Carefully proofread your resume and ensure it is error-free – it can hurt you if you claim to be detail oriented, but have a sloppy resume that you clearly haven’t scanned carefully.

Are you ready to find your next job interview opportunity? Turn to Professional Alternatives. As an experienced staffing firm serving Texas, we match top candidates with available positions from area employers. Apply online to get started on your job search with Professional Alternatives.

Wellness programs aren’t just a way to help out your employees by providing resources to improve their overall health – they can also benefit your business by reducing costs associated with unhealthiness. Employees who aren’t as healthy as they could be aren’t able to give it their all in the workplace. Learn more about the various ways employee wellness programs can save your business money:

• Healthcare Costs

Helping your employees take better care of their health can reduce the costs associated with your company’s health insurance. Employees who take more preventative steps for self-care are less likely to submit high-cost medical claims, which can in turn help reduce the cost of the insurance premiums for your company’s healthcare plan.

• Lower Turnover

Replacing workers can be expensive, in terms of the actual hiring and training costs as well as lost opportunity during the transition. Companies that implement employee wellness programs often have less voluntary turnover. This could be for a variety of reasons, such as being less prone to stress-related burnout, not having to leave because of healthcare issues, and simply enjoying it as a perk.

• Increased Productivity

Employees in good health have the physical and mental strength to perform better and produce more results. Wellness programs can help ensure that your workers have the tools they need to keep their bodies properly fueled so they not only have the energy to perform their jobs, but also more mental clarity to work more accurately and reduce costly mistakes.

• Reduced Absenteeism

When workers are constantly calling in sick or not showing up to work, it can cost your business big. From paying out sick time without having any results to show for the money spent, to shelling out for last-minute temporary workers to keep the workflow running smoothly, absenteeism has widespread financial consequences. Employee wellness programs can help make your workers healthier, so they are less likely to call off work.

• Morale

Employee wellness programs can boost the morale of your workplace by making workers feel like you value and appreciate them. Positive morale may not have a tangible cost-savings attached to it, but it can indirectly impact your business’s bottom line through increased engagement, which makes employees want to work hard and go above and beyond for you.

Another way to save your business money is by outsourcing part of the time-consuming and costly hiring process. Work with staffing firm Professional Alternatives –  we can provide the candidates you’re looking for that match your targeted hiring strategy. Since 1998, we have been serving Houston employers throughout a variety of industries with their staffing needs. Contact us today to learn more about our employer services.