Soft skills are a bit harder to showcase since they generally aren't supported by certifications or licenses, but instead are exhibited by the ways in which you conduct yourself.

Some of the most common soft skills include, but are not limited to:

• Leadership
• Effective communication skills
• Ability to maintain interpersonal relationships
• Creative problem-solving
• Motivation/work ethic
• Time management

As you can see, these skills are much harder to teach in a classroom and generally don't have proficiency tests. Sure, there are some exceptions such as taking leadership training courses, but those types of sessions won't suddenly make you a good leader overnight. As they say, you can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink. In the same way, these types of courses can give advice on how to think about problems differently, but can't provide the necessary environment for real-world experience.​

Even if there are no prospects of becoming a full-time employee when you start working as a temp, doing a good enough job and wowing your superiors may open some new doors for you. Employers never want to let a well-liked and productive employee go, so there's no harm in making that decision hard for them -- especially if it's a job you enjoy and in which you feel fulfilled. Before the contracted work period is up, be sure to tell your boss point-blank that you really enjoyed working with them and that you'd love to come back as a full-timer if they'd have you. Sometimes all it takes is genuine interest in the job and hard work to convince them to make the hire. Be sure to submit your resume to open positions within the organization. After all, depending on the position and industry, it's probably easier to hire you (an experienced worker at the company) than it is to find yet another temporary employee.

Summit Staffing has worked with job candidates and companies throughout the Midwest for over 30 years, helping to place the right people in the right jobs. If you're interested in making a career change or just need some extra income via seasonal jobs, get in touch today!​

There's no question that happy employees = improved productivity. This is shown consistently, especially by the growth and success of tech companies who have revolutionized the idea of the typical work environment -- from Google's employee concierge services to Facebook's all-encompassing benefits packages and free meals. Companies are striving to blur the lines between home life and work life in order to make their employees feel more relaxed, and by proxy, productive. But while your business might not have the resources or desire to provide craft beer on tap in the break room or organize free concerts, there are some very simple ways to improve employee morale and establish a positive work environment. Here are just a few:

Create Trust Between Employees
When employees trust each other, they feel comfortable with expressing concerns to work through them, working together and striving toward the same goal. Being able to approach a boss or coworker with an issue and talking it out, learning from the experience, and improving your skill set without fear of serious repercussions is invaluable to the productivity of a business. 

However, some workplaces take the opposite philosophy: encourage competition amongst the staff. The theory is that if each employee sees one another as a competitor, they are driven to be better; and when everyone does this, productivity increases. But this old-school management method just doesn't cut it anymore, especially if you value long-term employees. Management often strives to create competition through negativity, which in turn results in bad blood within teams. Hypothetically, each employee will strive to be better to get ahead of their peers, but instead, employees often drag each other down to "be ahead" -- backstabbing, sabotage, mistrust and lack of communication are all common results of this management style. When everyone feels they're alone in their mission to be a valuable employee, team cohesion and cooperation dissipate, which is NEVER good for productivity in the long run.

Keep it Lighthearted, But Professional
Employees are with their coworkers for 8 or more hours per day. It only comes natural that friendships will form and this should be encouraged! Fostering a happy, friendly environment and encouraging healthy communication is a good thing for employee morale and therefore productivity. But like everything, there needs to be a balance. While you don't want every moment of the workday to turn into a kaffeeklatsch (you've got a business to run, after all!) you also shouldn't discourage friendships or quash social engagements that your employees plan. 

Plus, a sense of "we-ness" is good for mental health:

"In a meta-analysis covering 58 studies and more than 19,000 people, researchers discovered a positive relationship between organizational identification and health, regardless of the type of job you have. Meaning? Your relationship with your workplace affects your health." (source)

Maintain Unique Look and Feel
Sometimes a bland environment = a bland attitude. If you want employees to be active, engaged, and productive, then their environment should reflect it. Many organizations tend to interchange "cohesion" with "blandness", keeping decorations to a minimum and enforcing blank, white walls with fluorescent lighting and limited room for personal creativity at employees' desks. No staff member wants to come to work every day feeling like they're entering a hospital (unless, of course, they work in a hospital). Instead, decorate the office space with branded materials. Paint a giant mural of your logo on the wall, decorate the space with local art, and let employees make their workspace their own. People will feel more comfortable and less monotonous.

Plan Optional Social Outings
Social outings are always a great idea for team cohesion whether it's a company softball league, periodic happy hours after work, holiday and birthday parties, or any other creative way you can encourage a social environment. It will increase overall happiness, relieve stress, and increase engagement and company loyalty. But not everybody is able or willing to participate in social engagements outside of the workplace, so make them TRULY optional -- don't hold it against your staff if they don't want to join in and they should not feel obligated to do so.

Whether you're a college kid looking to earn some cash over the summer or you already have a career but work seasonally, summer temp work is the perfect option for you. There are no long-term commitments, you're learning valuable skills both for your future career and in life, and to top it off, you're being paid. Here are a few ideas to make your summer professionally productive, lucrative and physically active!
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1. Shipping and Receiving Clerk
Median salary: $33,000

​A Shipping and Receiving Clerk will generally work in a warehouse environment, keeping accurate records on inventory levels and handle all aspects of shipping & receiving at the facility. They print packaging labels, pack items into boxes, inspect merchandise for damage, and distribute it accordingly. Most shipping & receiving clerks work with tools and may be trained on forklifts or other applicable warehouse machinery.

2. Construction Worker
Average salary: $36,550

If you love being outdoors and staying physically active, temping as a construction worker is right for you. Duties vary greatly depending on the company and their project(s), but you probably already know the drill: ability to lift, walk, carry, and basic knowledge of tools are all essential expectations. For larger or more complex projects, the company may need someone with specific certifications. They may even decide to train their temps on how to use heavy machinery, but generally speaking, if you are only working there seasonally, you'll be delegated to other duties. Regardless, if you want to make money while burning calories and working on a summer tan, construction is your calling.

3. Warehouse Packer
Average salary: $28,600

Warehouse packers, also referred to as pickers, prepare all packages to be shipped from the warehouse. Typically, the packer will retrieve the necessary items, ensure they are in satisfactory condition, then pack them up and update inventory. Physical strength is a must-have for this type of work, since it usually involves a lot of heavy lifting and machinery use.

4. Inventory Control Associate
Average salary: $35,330 or $13.77/hr

Inventory Control Associates usually work in retail stores or warehouses and are in charge of auditing inventory to ensure the product(s) are reaching their destination, that everything is properly and sufficiently stocked, and that all records are accurate and filed correctly. Employers usually need someone with basic math skills and that is able to work with computers, and has high attention to detail -- accuracy matters in supply chains!

5. Welder
Average salary: $38,150

Welding is a bit of a different beast when it comes to temp work because experience and certification requirements vary company-by-company and project-by-project. Some companies might offer on-the-job training for candidates with no experience, while others may require a welding apprenticeship completion. Either way, you'll need good hand-eye coordination and dexterity as well as up-to-date knowledge on the latest technology and techniques.

Summit Staffing has the experience and expertise to develop a custom staffing solution to meet our clients’ needs, ranging from customers that require a single temporary associate, to managing a 24/7 onsite operation with over 1200 temporary employees. View our current job openings now or contact us directly with any questions.

The hiring process can be rigorous, tedious and long. After all, you want to find the best candidate for a particular job. But when it comes down to it, finding and hiring good employees isn't enough; you also need to retain the valuable employees by fostering a positive work environment. Simple employee retention methods are cost effective, they build your reputation as a company, and they help productivity. When companies have a high turnover rate, they'll find that there are vast gaps in knowledge transfer between old and new employees. If it takes a few months for an employee to get the hang of their daily tasks, and you have a new staff every 6 months or year, your entire staff is essentially stuck in the training phases and never actually reach their fullest potential. Here are some ways you can retain your employees.

Create A Work Environment Of Trust
The first and probably the best thing you can do as an employer is to create an environment of trust. When employees trust each other and their superiors, they're more likely to be open, collaborative and forward-thinking when it comes to overall processes, resulting in increased efficiency. Employees will also feel less reluctant to call attention to budding issues in the workplace that management may not even be aware of. When employees feel that they are able to speak their minds without fear of repercussion, it improves their morale, boosts confidence and fosters creative problem-solving.

Maintain High Morale
The fact that high employee morale = higher productivity is indisputable at this point. This philosophy manifested itself in many ways in the modern workforce. For instance, some tech giants, and even many smaller companies, have gone through great lengths to make office life not only easier, but enjoyable. Some of the more famous amenities provided include cost-free, on-site daycare for employees' children, free food, on-site fitness centers, flexible hours, etc.
While not every company can have a beer-stocked fridge available to their employees, the point still stands that employers are starting to realize that happy employees = productivity. To you, that may mean having quality social time, providing free meals periodically, encouraging team activities or any number of fun, creative solutions that align with your company's core values.

Reward Good Work And Offer Learning Opportunities
This goes hand-in-hand with improving employee morale. By acknowledging and rewarding your team's efforts, individually or as a group, you're encouraging them to do their best work. Research suggests that up to 78% of workers say that being positively recognized for their work motivates them to keep doing their job. Keeping employees engaged and passionate about their jobs is crucial to retaining them. Here are some suggestions:

• Create continued learning opportunities - if employees are unable to learn new skills, their day-to-day can get stale. By giving them avenues to learn new methods or hone their skills, you'll not only keep them engaged and challenged, you may also benefit from their newfound abilities.
• Privately thank individuals - for large achievements, maybe a company party is warranted. But for smaller, individual achievements, pull aside the employee(s) and let them know that you appreciate their efforts.
• Publicly recognize overall efforts - sometimes public recognition is beneficial. Figure out a creative way to thank your team or individuals for their great work in front of the rest of the employees. For example, some companies organize their own little 'award ceremony' each year.
• Monetary incentives - raises and bonuses show appreciation and trust for employees. They may not be right for every situation, but they are certainly appreciated when big projects are completed or when continued excellence is exhibited.

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Provide Feedback To Your Employees
Whether a project is well done or gone awry, it's important to tell your employees how they did a good job and what can be improved next time the situation arises. By giving constant feedback, you're motivating people to grow and do their best all while giving them new learning experiences. And if something doesn't go as smoothly as it could have, sit down with the employee(s) to talk it through in a calm and casual way. Explain to them what could have been done better and take the opportunity to remotivate them without getting heated. It's rare that somebody enjoys doing subpar work, so unless they repeat the same negative behavior ad nauseum, try not to admonish. Turn it into a personal growth opportunity.

'Tis the season! As the snow slowly starts to fall and the trees become bare, we know the holiday season is nearly upon us. Companies of all industries begin to brace themselves for a massive influx in sales -- between Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and other holiday shopping, the public is ramping up to spend their hard-earned cash to make the lives of others around them a little brighter. In order to fill increased public demands, most businesses need extra staff. But they only need the extra staff for a limited period of time -- they can't afford to permanently hire so many fresh new faces. So what can they do? Well, that's where temp workers become the most valuable.

What is temp work?
Temporary employment, aka temp work, is exactly what it sounds like: a job that lasts for only a limited period of time. That timespan is dictated by the company and is entirely dependent on their needs. They might offer a temp position that lasts only a few days, weeks, or even months or years depending on the project. Temp work is most commonly implemented for seasonal employment or for additional assistance with a project. But during the rush of the holiday season, many companies will hire from October until January.

Why should you hire temporary workers during the holidays?
The beauty of temporary employment is that you don't need to make any commitments when it comes to your seasonal hires. Whether you need more helping hands at the registers or a boost in manpower at the warehouse, a few temporary employees here and there will help you get through the inevitable holiday chaos. They'll help things to run much more smoothly -- and the best part is that you don't have to retain them after the dust settles in the new year. Go back to the way things were or, if you find that any of the workers exceeded expectations and would make a valuable team member, you can always hire them on permanently. Think of temp employment as a sort of "trial run" of new staff. Don't like what you see? You don't have to keep them. But if you do like what you see and have it in your budget for another employee, feel free to hire them full-time. It's completely up to you.

How do I hire workers for the holidays?
So, this sounds fine and dandy, but how do you get started? Well, Summit Staffing has over 30 years of experience in temp and permanent staffing throughout the Midwest. We serve companies in a variety of industries and place numerous positions including, but not limited to:

• General Labor
• Forklift Operators
• Shipping & Receiving
• Assembly/Packing
• Warehouse/Inventory
• and more!

Our pool of experienced workers allows us to fill any position you may need quickly. All you need to do is get in touch with one of our staffers to get started! Don't fret the holiday season -- we can provide all the support you need to have a smooth operation during the most hectic of holidays. Give us a call today.

​It's getting closer to that time of year again. As the temperatures drop, so do bank account balances from holiday gift shopping, Black Friday spending sprees, travel and more. Experts estimate that 2018 holiday spending in the United States could reach up to $1.1 trillion, accounting for a quarter of retail sales this year. There's no doubt that the vast majority of Americans will spend a lot of their hard-earned money in the next few months to bring joy to their family and friends, but it's not always easily affordable. Some people might even dread the holidays because they know it will drain their checking account. It doesn't have to be that way -- here's how.

Find A Temp Job
Temporary employment is a great way to make some money during a career transition, as a way to try out a new industry or even to make some extra money during seasonal employment. Temporary jobs are exactly what they sound like: employment that lasts for a designated period of time. Whether that means the position is seasonal, or simply because companies just need additional assistance for a particular project, is completely at the discretion of the employer in question. But the fact of the matter is that the holidays are crazy busy for many industries, not just retail storefronts and ecommerce sites, so many companies need a lot of extra staff from October to January each year. That's why they turn to us.

What Type Of Industries Hire During The Holidays?
During hectic holidays, companies are in need of extra staff to stay efficient and provide quality goods and services to consumers. During the month of October, Halloween decoration manufacturers, candymakers and costume creators need temp employees to help run the show. Once November hits, things start to really ramp up. Many warehouses and factories need forklift operators and delivery drivers to take care of the extra stock that will inevitably be sold out during Black Friday. And of course, during the month of December, last-minute Christmas shopping gets wrapped up, affecting industries across the board. Delivery drivers, warehouse/inventory workers, general labor, assembly and packing all see a boost in employment numbers during this time.

Get A Head Start
Get started with a temporary position now. Summit Staffing has provided quality temporary employment opportunities to job seekers during the holidays for over 30 years. We have exclusive access to a wide variety of positions in a number of different industries. Most of the time, these companies don't even bother posting the hundreds of open positions online because it's far too tedious and time-consuming. So they turn to us to supply them with a qualified labor force. If you're looking to make some extra money on the side, we can help.

So whether you're between jobs or simply wish to make some extra spending money during the holidays, get in touch. Our staffing experts are dedicated to finding the right worker for the right job; and with plenty of temporary, seasonal job openings, we'll be happy to help you find some extra income this holiday season. Just give us a call!

Have you ever considered working in manual labor? Desk jobs aren't for everybody and that's okay. If you find sitting 8-10 hours a day boring, then a manual labor job could be right for you. It's no secret that sedentary lifestyles negatively affect your health -- and if you like to stay active and have tons of energy, then perhaps ditching the all-too-common 9-5 office life is the right move for you. Manual labor allows you learn new skills that strengthen both mind and body, that are also applicable to both professional and personal life. Here are a few things you can expect with a manual labor career.

Burn Calories Through Exercise
The first and most obvious benefit of working a manual labor job is, well, exercise. It only comes natural that being on your feet, moving, lifting, and doing general physical activity all day will burn calories, contributing to weight loss and reducing the risk of obesity-related conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and more. That's not to say that taking a manual labor position will suddenly replace regular exercise or magically cure you of all ailments, but physical work undoubtedly offers more opportunities for burning calories than sedentary, posture-destroying office lifestyles. 

As with any physical activity, injuries can happen. But doing some quick daily stretches before and after your shift and following safety guidelines for the workplace will keep you out of any serious physical harm's way.

Develop A Better Work Ethic
Anybody that's worked in physical labor will tell you that one of the greatest things they learned was the value of a dollar. When you're working 8-10 hours doing physical activity, that paycheck feels much more "earned" in a way that an office lifestyle doesn't match. You'll feel a great sense of accomplishment because much of the time, the final product of your efforts is tangible, giving you the opportunity to take more pride in your work. It builds character and promotes self-discipline and self-reliance, which carries over into home life as well.

Improve Cognition
Sure, lifting, walking, carrying, and a variety of other common activities that come with blue collar work builds muscles through exercise. But it also has a positive effect on the brain. Exercise has been proven again and again to improve mood, help with depression, deter cognitive disabilities such as Alzheimer's and dementia, and gives a generally positive outlook on life. Adopting a more positive attitude makes life generally more enjoyable and impacts personal relationships and your home life in a good way.

These benefits and more are apparent throughout manual labor positions, whether landscaping, working in a warehouse, doing maintenance or shipping & receiving. Summit Staffing has more than 30 years of experience finding the right candidate for the right position and a variety of manual labor positions around Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana. If you're ready to take the next step in your career, get in touch!