If you’re graduating college this spring, consider yourself luckier than your counterparts of the last few years: a survey of businesses shows that most companies said they intended to hire more newly graduated college students this year than in recent years past.

The annual survey by CareerBuilder.com and CareerRookie.com found that 54 percent of business surveyed said they would be hiring more college grads, and increase from 46 percent last year. The survey in 2010 found that 44 percent of employers surveyed planned to hire new grads that summer, with 43 percent saying so in 2009.

As for the majors most in-demand: 39 percent of employers said they were looking for business majors, followed by computer majors (24 percent) and then information sciences grads (23 percent).

As for the other top majors, those who majored in communications technologies, health professions, the clinical sciences, math, and statistics are expected to be the most sought after.

Other good news for this year’s grads: employers are planning to pay more when it comes to starting salaries.

The survey reported that 20 percent of employers said they would pay $30,000 or less, while 38 percent said they’d be paying $50,000 or more. Thirty percent will start new grads out with a salary between $30,000 and $40,000, while 21 percent will deliver salaries between $40,000 and $50,000.

Be sure to watch what’s on your social media profiles: 15 percent of those employers surveyed said they didn’t hire a recent grad because they didn’t like what they saw on the candidate’s social media feeds.

The survey also found that, while a good GPA is important, so are extracurricular activities such as part-time work while in school, internships and volunteering. In fact, of those surveyed, 53 percent of employers said they looked at volunteer work as “relevant experience.”

If you’re still in college, or a recent grad, working in temporary assignments also counts as “relevant.” If you’re at school in the NYC area, contact a recruiter at Winston Resources. We’d love to talk to you more about the short- and long-term temporary assignments we offer, as well as direct-hire opportunities if you’re looking for regular employment. We look forward to hearing from you!

If you’re trying to claw back some time out of your busy schedule, what can you do? One thing we can try is to look at things that really amount to little more than busy work in our schedule, but give us the illusion that we are accomplishing something.

Here are a few suggestions from business advisor Dorie Clark.

One is to ease up on checking email, which can act like a stimulus-response activity. We keep hitting that refresh button to see what new stuff has just come in. We tend to back into it more often than we know is good for us just to get that thrill of finding out what’s new. Instead, set up a schedule for when you will look at email, every hour or two hours, for example.

Also stop the mindless habits, things that you continue to do even though they serve no real purpose. One example is sending out the mountain of Christmas cards every year because it’s something you have always done. Do you need to send that many?

Another thing to look at is your reading. Did you get a subscription just because they were offering a deal on it? Do you feel you have to consult an array of news sources each day to keep up with things? Can you narrow down your professional reading list? Are all of those publications you are reading to supposedly help you with your job and career really helping that much? What can you cut out?

Are there tasks you are doing that are more trouble than they are worth? In other words, are there activities that make you jump through so many hoops compared to the return that is delivered that make the task really not worth doing?

Are you tying yourself up by making things more complicated than they need to be? Worrying or planning for things that never materialize comes under this category. Most of the things we fear will happen never do, and so we waste time making plans for nothing. There are a lot of “what ifs” to every project, but it is important to ask the what if only when appropriate.

Have you been wondering “what if” you found a new job? If so, and if you live in the NYC area, contact a recruiter at Winston Resources. We can help you find work with some of Manhattan’s best companies. We look forward to hearing from you!

Turns out the flexible workplace supporters were right after all: workplace flexibility really does help employees’ health and well-being!

A December 2011 study that appeared in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior followed a company that had instituted a new management system in which work was changed to that employees had considerable more flexibility in when and even where they did their work, so long as certain measurable results were met.

The study found that, among other things, employees reported getting almost an hour more of sleep a night. In addition, employees didn’t feel as obligated to work when sick and were more likely to take care of their health by visiting a doctor when ill, even if they had an approaching deadline.

The study also found that employees felt more in control of their schedules; they reported having less conflict between their professional and home lives, leading to better sleep and health, higher energy, and less stress.

Another study, this one reported in The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2008, found that employees of all types – those who work in an office environment as well as a executives, and warehouse and production workers – reported that those employees who believed they had more flexibility in the workplace tended to have engage in healthier lifestyle activities and habits.

If you’re looking for flexible staffing services, whether you need a job or you need workers – contact Winston Resources. We’ve been serving job seekers and our client companies in the New York City area for more than 40 years and we’d look forward to be of service to you! Contact us today.

As just about everyone in today’s workforce knows, pension plans are going the way of the dinosaur, being replaced by employee contribution plans such as 401(k)s and Individual Retirement Accounts. But with the recent severe downturn in the economy, it has become evident that these retirement accounts leave a lot to be desired. Moreover, an additional problem is that many employees are not putting enough money into the plans.

Because of these problems, many human resource departments are attempting to help employees through the maze of retirement options to help ensure that they have resources after retiring, according to Rita Pyrillis of Workforce Management.

Employers and workers today are taking an intense look into retirement plans and what types work the best. With the recession, the amount of money in employee retirement plans took a big hit, in turn prompting them to delay retirement – which also affects their employers.

Companies are looking at combination plans, for example, that bring together a 401(k) component with some type of guaranteed benefit, such as a cash-balance plan, Pyrillis says. These kinds of plans are among the fastest growing, jumping about 20 percent since 2001.

Because many workers have not even been enrolling in the plans, employers are now taking action to do it automatically. Companies also are offering employees time with financial advisors, according to Pyrillis. Part of the reason for this is that when employees cannot retire, there is less opportunity for growth and advancement for younger workers, which in turn affects employee morale. If the regular cycle of employees retiring and new ones coming on board is disrupted, the company is faced with an aging group of increasingly disengaged workers simply hanging onto their jobs because they cannot afford to do otherwise.

Some business analysts say that the shift in responsibility for retirement from the employer to the employee has led to a big erosion of trust between workers and employers. As a result, in order to attract and retain good workers, employers are increasingly feeling pressure to take a more active role in retirement plans.

Two of the most prevalent trends right now, according to experts, are measures employers are taking to automatically enroll employees in retirement programs, and the increased use of target-date funds, which rebalance an investment portfolio toward less risky assets as a person’s retirement date approaches.

Winston Resources has been helping Manhattan-area companies find great temporary and direct-hire workers since 1967. We’d love to do the same for your firm. Contact us today!

Many employees often undertake big, long-term projects at work. It may be a project with no definite deadline, or with a deadline that is several months away.

These are the projects that often create the most anxiety, says business consultant Peter Bregman. Sometimes they lead to procrastination, until the deadline looms before you. Often, you may not even know what you need to do to get started, and when you do start, you find that you don’t know everything you need to know or have the skills you need to finish it, Bregman says. And, other more urgent things keep popping up, so we lay the long-term project aside.

The standard advice to getting a big project done is to break it up into smaller parts, concentrate on the next step to move ahead, and set incremental deadlines along the way. It’s good advice, Bregman says, but it’s not enough.

It’s not enough because it doesn’t address the real culprit behind our procrastination – our fear of failure. We are afraid that we will fail, Bregman says, that we will spend all of our time on it, neglecting other things, and in the end it won’t be very good anyway.
So how do we handle this fear – the elephant in the room?

Don’t pretend it’s not there, Bregman says, acknowledge that you are afraid. Don’t try to downplay it, because that is just another form of denial – denying the reality of the situation. It’s a natural feeling. Moreover, Bregman says, by trying to ignore it, we stoke that fear even more, because it’s always there in the background gnawing at us.

But by admitting to your fear, you also are admitting that you may not be able to meet your expectations, Bregman says. By doing this, you are acknowledging that your effort is not going to be perfect.  This will help you get started, because it is that desire for perfection, or something close to it, that often prevents us from moving ahead.

Also, by accepting your fear, you also are accepting the fact that you don’t have everything you need to get your project done, and this in turn will spur you to seek out the information, skills or other support you need, Bregman says.

After you have confronted and accepted your fear, make the project a priority. In fact, Bregman says, make it one of your top five priorities. To do this, you may have to figure out what you are going to bump off your priority list in order to make room for the project.

Then, he says, you can go back to the standard advice of breaking it up into parts focusing on those parts and setting deadlines in your calendar.

When you need great people for either temporary or direct-hire assignments at your Manhattan-based company, call upon the recruiters at Winston Resources to find you skilled and reliable professionals. Contact us today!

In business, the situation with technology sometimes resembles a person stranded on a deserted island, surrounded by water, but none to drink.

We have more ways to communicate than ever before, according to Stephen Paskoff, a human resources specialist, but despite that, all the advances in communication technology have done little to help us understand each other better. In fact, the plethora of communication modes may be adding to the problem. This becomes something that human resources specialists need to keep in mind, given the fact that workplace harassment and other communications problems and conflicts  usually end up in their area.

The fact is that when we write something, we have a particular meaning in mind, but the message often is interpreted in a different way by the recipient. When this happens, there can be misunderstandings and conflict.

Part of the problem stems from our relationships with others, Paskoff says. When we get a message from someone we like, we interpret the message in a positive way. We are generally willing to accept statements at face value, and assume a sincere intent. But when the message comes from someone we have a more ambiguous or contentious relationship with, we automatically adopt a certain stance toward the message, becoming more guarded, more suspicious of meaning and motives.

Take for example, Paskoff says, the message, “Great seeing you. That was some presentation you made. I couldn’t believe you did that.” Then think about the different ways you would interpret that message coming from a friend or an enemy, Paskoff says.

Texting, because the messages are so brief, can sometimes create even more misunderstandings, even though they are more convenient. Misunderstandings are likely to escalate, with globalization increasingly bringing together people of diverse ages, nationalities, cultures, and idioms.

While Paskoff says he has no clear solution to the problem, he recommends using tools such as email and texting more for just informational purposes, rather than messages of a more nuanced nature.

Let there be no doubt as you read this message: When you’re looking for great professionals for your New York City-based company, come to Winston Resources. We can help you find reliable and skilled workers for your temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments. Contact us today!

Leadership has acquired even more emphasis in the current business climate, as it appears more and more that leaders are putting their own self-interest ahead of the organizations for which they are responsible.

What can you do to upgrade your leadership skills? Here are a few tips from business analysts John Coleman and Bill George.

One thing you can do is find a good mentor, Coleman and George say. This is very important for developing skills as a leader. A recent study showed that people who had mentors were more likely to succeed and to be happier in their careers than people who did not have mentors. When looking for a mentor, try to find someone with whom you get along well and who has your best interest at heart. And recognize that the character and values of your mentor are just as important as his or her success.

Another strategy for developing leadership skills is to form a leadership development group. This is a group of generally six to eight people who get together on a routine basis to talk about their challenges and what is important to them. It gives members of the group an opportunity to think exclusively about leadership, what defines a good leader, how good leaders face the difficulties that confront them and how good leaders have a long-term impact on their organizations.

Volunteering for a civic or service organization is another way to develop leadership skills. It gives you an opportunity to take a leadership role and to get in touch with people in the community, broadening your perspective and experience. It gives you experiences you cannot get just from work alone.

Travel also is a way to gain leadership skills, according to Coleman and George. In the age of globalization, being able to deal with people of diverse cultures has become almost a requirement of good leaders. A survey of top MBA candidates revealed that most of them had worked in at least four countries before they enrolled in graduate school, and they expected to work in several countries after they graduated.

Finally, if you want to develop your ability as a leader, you need to keep an open mind and a curiosity about the world. It’s not always about having the right answers, but in the age of information overload, about knowing what the right questions are

If you have managerial experience and want to move into a more important leadership position, contact a recruiter at Winston Resources. We can present your qualifications to some of Manhattan’s finest employers. We look forward to helping you take your career to the next level.

If you are looking for work right now, you may want to take a look at larger companies.

Recent poll results show that larger companies – those with 500 employees or more — are more likely to be hiring than smaller companies. But the survey showed that almost 75 percent of companies are doing some hiring for full-time employees.

The survey of more than 2,000 companies was conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management to gauge the ongoing impact of the recession  on companies’ hiring and their bottom line.

Most of the hiring, about 75 percent, is for levels below management — hourly and salaried positions. More than half of the businesses surveyed are hiring for management positions. About 20 percent are hiring at executive levels.

Almost three-fourths of the companies surveyed said they had lost about 10 percent of their employees or fewer in 2011. That is actually up from 2010, where about two-thirds of companies said they had lost 10 percent or fewer employees. Only about one-tenth of the companies reported laying off between 10 and 20 percent of the workforce. About one-tenth of the companies surveyed reported laying off between 20 and 50 percent of their workforce.

As far as the financial health of businesses is concerned, most reported little change from 2010 to 2011. Two-thirds said things had pretty much stayed the same or had improved a little, while the other third said they had experienced a small decline.

In 2011, a majority of companies, nearly two-thirds, indicated that they were hiring to replace people, but only about a third  are hiring for new positions. Only about one-tenth of the companies surveyed said they were adding new duties to current positions.

The survey also showed that the small companies, those with fewer than 100 employees, were most likely to be hiring for new positions.

More than half of the new positions created require new skills, along with the same kinds of skills needed in the past. About 15 percent of the new jobs created, however, require completely new sets of skills. About one-fourth of the new jobs require the same skill sets as jobs did before the recession. When a job required new skills, almost two-thirds of the companies surveyed said they had difficulty finding people to fill the positions, especially smaller companies.

When you’re looking for work, look to Winston Resources. We have connections with hundreds of New York City’s best companies – both small and large – and we can help you get your foot in the door through a temporary, temp-to-hire or direct-hire assignment. Contact us today!

Although getting laid off can be a traumatic experience, experts say you shouldn’t panic. You need to be calm and levelheaded to plan a course of action for while you are unemployed and to plan a strategy for finding another job.

There are several things you can do to help yourself get through this tough time, according to Chuck Koeber, a professor at Wichita State University.

One of the first things you should do is apply for unemployment benefits. If you wait to file, you might not get reimbursed for the time before you applied.

Many employers and unions have resources available for employees who have been laid off, such as job counseling. Check with your former employer and union to find out what they have available and how you can access them.

Labor departments, at the state or county level, also have resources for people who have been laid off, such as help centers. You should make use of these resources as well.

Have a plan, Koeber says. Draw up a written plan of action with the things you are going to do, the strategy you are going to follow, in looking for a job. And use the plan to schedule your time. Don’t just make things up as you go along. This will only extend the time it takes you to find a job, needlessly drawing out the anxiety that goes along with it. Do a self-assessment to help identify your skills and abilities. There are many sites on the internet than can help with this, such as www.jobskills.info.

Don’t shut yourself off from your family. Talk with your spouse and children about what has happened and how they feel about it. Ask for their support.

Keep an eye on your budget. You are going to have to make changes in your lifestyle. Try not to run up too much debt. Watch your credit card use. Try to stay away from using retirement funds. If you need some financial counseling, groups like the Consumer Credit Counseling Service can help.

If you are depressed, or otherwise emotionally disturbed as a result of what has happened, look for professional help. Many communities and universities offer low-cost counseling.

And don’t forget engaging the services of a staffing service such as Winston Resources. We can help you secure temporary, temp-to-hire and direct-hire assignments with some of New York City’s best companies. We often find that our temporary workers eventually find regular, full-time work via a temporary assignment. Contact us today!

You are out of work and actively looking for a job. You have had an offer, but it’s something you are not thrilled about. You are way overqualified for it, and it doesn’t pay nearly as much as you had been making. What should you do?

Some would counsel passing on the offer. It is not the right fit, they would say. If you don’t like the job, you won’t be happy doing it and that will show up in your performance. Also, being hired at a lower salary level will affect future earnings and benefits.

But there are advantages to taking the job. You know the old saw, “A bird in hand is worth two in the bush.”

The fact is that with the unemployment needle stuck at more than nine percent, you never know how long you will be waiting until another offer comes along. And there is also the unfortunate reluctance on the part of many companies to even consider people who are currently unemployed. Also, the longer you remain unemployed, the more your skills deteriorate, which will in itself affect your employability.

And sometimes, taking the lower level job leads to something better, along with a better salary. You might be able to learn new skills. Also, you will meet new people, giving you the opportunity to network and find out about other positions. And being employed will make you a more attractive candidate for other job openings.

The fact is that today a steady climb up the job ladder may not be as realistic as it may have been in the past. You may find you need to make some lateral moves or even a few steps back required in order to get back on track.

Being employed also has other intangible benefits. It certainly helps your self-esteem. And it also helps if you take a different perspective on the situation – not letting yourself be defined by your job. It may be an opportunity to broaden your life, to try new things outside of work, develop new interests, to become a more well-rounded person. In short, in may help you to realize that you are more than your job, and help you to take a more balanced view of your life.

Getting employed quickly in a down market is where staffing services such as Winston Resources can be of great help. Apply with us and we could have you working quickly within temporary, temporary-to-hire and even direct-hire assignments with some of New  York City’s best companies. Contact us today!