What is our best line of defense right now, in the middle of the chaos? Simple, across the board, the average hourly earnings in the construction industry are higher than the average of all private sector positions (excluding farming) by over 10%! Not to mention that a large majority of construction trades do not require a college degree, this should be a fairly easy sell, right? Unfortunately, that is proving to not be the case.

The conversation regarding skilled trades opportunities has to start before today’s youth hits the workforce. This information needs to be getting in front of parents, guidance counselors, educational leaders, and the students themselves at a younger age. There seems to be a miss-conception and stigma attached to positions in the construction industry, that they may not be able to make a living wage. This couldn’t farther from the truth as James Haas, a learning coordinator with Capital Region Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) reiterates.

“We’ve got to get mom and dad, we’ve got to get the guidance counselors, we’ve got to get the kids to understand that it’s not always a baccalaureate degree (that’s necessary),” Haas said. “Laborers are making real, living wages, that have good benefits, that have a Monday through Friday work schedule. And they’re probably making $1500 a week.”

BOCES has been partnering with school districts for over 70 years in an attempt to better garner and promote evolving and necessary educational programs. For more information on how you or school district can get involved with BOCES, please visit their website at www.boces.org.

This could and should be powerful information that needs to be getting in front of families and educational institutions. We all need to keep in mind that the shortage of workers in the skilled trades industry ultimately can affect everyone in the economy. The shortage can lead to public and private sector construction projects taking longer, costing more money and in the end stunting overall economic growth. It is up to all of us, including our educational system to once again get students excited about the skilled trades industry. There are and will continue to be excellent skilled trades opportunities out there, just waiting for the next generation to step in and take the charge.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, Trillium Hospitality and Trillium Techs. With approximately 98 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Today’s job market is, in every sense of the phrase, a job seeker’s market. With the demand for qualified talent at an all time high, candidates understand that they can be more demanding and much more selective in not only the position they choose but the company they work for. With this in mind, here are a few tips to help ensure that potential employees see your job openings as attractive and more enticing.

• The candidate’s experience matters! No amount of marketing can save a company culture that doesn’t put the candidate experience at the top of the priority list. The best part about simply treating potential employees better during the entire recruiting process is that it is 100% FREE. Surprisingly one of the easiest ways to improve the candidate experience is to simply communicate better. If you reach out to a candidate regarding a position, keep the lines of communication open. You would get frustrated too if you applied online, came into an office, talked to a Recruiter and then the communication went silent. Stand apart and communicate better!
  • Stay on top of sending responses to candidates. Even if your existing ATS does some of this automatically, it is still important to include a human element to responding to interested candidates. Time may not allow you to communicate with all applicants but do the best you can, whether that is via phone or email.
  • Screened candidates love feedback! Staying in contact with candidates through the entirety of the interview and recruiting process will ease concerns and make the candidates feel more comfortable working with you as a Recruiter and your company as a whole.
  • No matter the situation, do not give candidates the silent treatment. Whether or not you are able to place the candidate on a current assignment, be sure to provide feedback in a respectful manner. If possible, provide constructive criticism and try to suggest avenues with which they may be able to improve their hire-ability. It’s important to remember that word travels fast and if an applicant feels like they were treated well by you and your staff, they will remember that and spread the word.

This may not seem like rocket science or anything over the top exciting, however just by making these small changes to your company’s recruiting strategy can go a long way. In the end, the main goal is to attract and retain qualified candidates and improving the candidate experience is the fastest and easiest way to reach this goal.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

I know it may be hard to believe that your summer job working at the local pool as a lifeguard or picking up part-time hours at the downtown ice cream parlor could have had a lasting impact on your your overall wellness and professional success. But in fact, that may be just the case. Here are a few benefits summer or part-time work can have as you start your career path.

1. Increased confidence and independence: Having the ability to earn your own money, no matter how much or how little can have a huge impact on a person’s confidence. It is during these first part-time or short term positions that we learn to trust our own abilities and grow confident in our still developing skill set. Customer service, patience and even interpersonal skills are all concepts that you may grow more confident in after your first opportunity for employment.
2. Time management: While balancing going to school and participating in extra-curricular activities during the school year can certainly help you to develop time management, these skills can lose their potency if you find yourself sitting around the house all summer. The best way to get prepared for college and adult life in general is to continue to practice prioritizing your days. The older we get, the more full our schedules seem to be. With that in mind, the time management skills we learn early on can help us be better prepared to juggle work, home life and even hobbies.
3. Stand out among your peers: After high school and even college, it is important that you have already started growing your work experience. While a summer gig at a fast food restaurant or mowing lawns may not necessarily prepare you for a future career in an office setting, you don’t want to walk in to any interview with a blank resume. Being fresh out of school and having work history already under your belt will set you apart from your peers as future employers will see this as a sign of your willingness to work and dedication.
4. Learn more about yourself: While many of us may think we know what we want to do for a career going into a summer job (means to an end), those experiences may actually help you get to know what you like and dislike regarding work related activities. For instance, working at that local ice cream parlor may make you realize that you truly enjoy working face to face with the public but it also may make you realize that the food industry isn’t for you. Anything you can gain from previous employment to help you make a better career choice down the road, can be more than beneficial.
5. Broaden your social and professional circle: It’s all about networking, networking, networking! Throughout high school and even college, you will consistently hear your peers and colleagues discuss the importance of networking. Networking allows you to meet new people that you may not have had interactions with previously which can open up the door for new opportunities for growth professionally and personally. You never know, you may meet a good friend or potential future employer while working that summer position.

The bottom line here is that although that summer gig is great to bring in some extra cash, it can also help to prepare you for college, future employment and simply growing as an adult. Keep in mind that just because these jobs are not the most glamorous or may not pay higher than minimum wage, it is the important skills that we learn in these positions that can help us on our way to the career we want and are striving for.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Let’s take a look at what, according to Business.Linkedin.com, are the recruiting trends to watch in 2018.

• Diversity: A staggering 78% of talent professionals state that diversity is the #1 trend currently impacting how they hire. Why? What LinkedIn found was that the main reason is to improve and diversify the company culture but also to boost financial performance and even to better represent their customers. Although companies are quick to boast wanting to focus on increasing diversity in the workplace, few actually succeed. This is largely due to the in-house Recruiters and hiring Managers are having a hard time locating enough diverse candidates to pull form.
• New interviewing tools: 58% of talent professionals state that new interviewing and hiring tools are the top trend affecting how they hire. By using tools such as online soft skills assessments, job auditions, casual interviews, virtual reality and video interviews, companies across the globe are able to improve the old model of interviewing candidates. The traditional interview is not going away any time soon but these new tools enable companies to look beyond the initial bias that may come from traditional interviews.
• Data: 50% of talent professionals say data is the most noticeable trend affecting their hiring practices today. Having data at a Recruiter’s fingertips to assist with hiring isn’t anything new but what is new is the speed with which this information is available and the different metrics that can be derived from it. Hiring professionals are able to gather and use data to predict hiring outcomes and trends and also to power machines to make smarter recruiting decisions for them (ie. AI).
• AI (Artificial Intelligence): While AI and data seem to go hand in hand, 35% of talent professionals described AI specifically as having the greatest impact on their hiring strategy this year. Can AI takeover your job? Possibly parts of it but having your position as a Recruiting professional taken over by robots isn’t happening. Only 13% of those surveyed believe that AI will take away their jobs. There is a lot more to recruiting than simply matching candidates based on a resume. The human element is very important in terms of building relationships, making judgment calls based on culture fit and determining the proper interpersonal and soft skills.

Being able to embrace these trends and determine how to best institute them into your existing recruiting process is your best bet in competing in today’s competitive job market. Just remember, that you’re not alone when it comes to trying to diversify your strategy. Companies across the country and the globe are keeping a keen eye on these trends now and into the future to make sure they continue to have a competitive advantage.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

“We have the same commitments to each and every one of our employees as we do our clients. We have high expectations and our requirements are stringent. Once you become an employee of Trillium, we’ll do everything in our power to help you succeed and meet your career goals. When our employees are successful, we’ve done our job,” stated René Poch, CEO.

Trillium Staffing was founded in 1984 in Battle Creek, Michigan by CEO René Poch and has expanded to include six companies and over eighty offices nationwide. Trillium was recently recognized as the 57th Largest Staffing Firm in the United States and ranked in the Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firms in the U.S. by Staffing Industry Analysts for 2015.

Are you a stand out professional, technical professional, driver, or skilled worker seeking contingent, temporary, or long term career opportunities?  Visit our job board  for more information!  Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professionals and skilled workers? Contact us today!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.

This year Trillium’s own Jenna Mathieu, Marketing Manager (pictured left) and Carmen Hoover, Marketing Group Leader (pictured right) were able to accept the award on Trillium’s behalf.

“It was extremely humbling to be surrounded by companies of this caliber,” stated Jenna Mathieu. “Listening to how these companies have continued to represent West Michigan in such an overwhelming and positive way really brought home how proud we are as an organization to be included in this year’s West Michigan’s Best and Brightest!”

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Simply put, Recruiters are trying to get you a job. Their repeated phone calls are for one purpose, to fill the orders presented to them by local companies. Today, a majority of companies are starting to turn to staffing companies to source for their internal openings for the simple reason of saving time. If you are thinking about jumping back into the job market or are thinking about changing careers, a Recruiter can be one of your best resources. Check out a few key reasons to make sure you take that call:

• They are the first line of contact with a potential future employer. If you do not make it past the first interview with the Recruiter, your chances of landing that job are slim to none.
• Networking is extremely important. In today’s job market, it’s all about who you know. If you are not a good fit for the position you applied for, they know of other opportunities in your area.
• The Recruiter was assigned to the job opening and is entrusted by the client to find the right fit. This in and of itself adds to your credibility when your resume is presented to the client. The Recruiter knows who you are and is aware of your skill set. You would only be contacted by the Recruiter if they felt you were a good fit for the position.
• The best part is, working with a Recruiter is a FREE service for job seekers.

Recruiters are, in essence, Human Resources people who track down potential employees for their clients. Equipped with only a rough job description and their knowledge of the industry, they dive headfirst into resumes to find the perfect candidate for each position. Who knows, it could even be you! What are you waiting for?! Be prepared for your next great opportunity to come through a phone call!

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information, please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

“We have the same commitments to each and every one of our employees as we do our clients. We have high expectations and our requirements are stringent. Once you become an employee of Trillium, we’ll do everything in our power to help you succeed and meet your career goals. When our employees are successful, we’ve done our job,” stated René Poch, CEO.

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

“All branches working together to reach a common goal is the main reason why Trillium was awarded this achievement in the first place.” Stated Jenna Mathieu, Marketing Manager. “Memphis drivers was chosen due to their unbridled teamwork and willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty when needed, but now it’s Memphis’ turn to pass the award!”

To continue the chain, the Memphis team has chosen the Birmingham office as the next recipient of the award.

“The Birmingham office is the perfect example of team work. When a fellow office is in need of help they are always the first to offer assistance either by phone or jumping in the car and driving over to the office site for a few days to help out. Team members like this are just one of the many things that help make Trillium one of the best & brightest companies in which to work.” Stated Michelle Shannon, Memphis Branch Manager.

Congratulations Birmingham and keep up the good work!

The Trillium brand of companies is privately owned by René Poch and provides more than 30 years of industry leading recruitment and staffing services through its divisions including: Trillium Staffing, Trillium Construction Services, Trillium Driver Solutions, Trillium Marine, Trillium Technical, Trillium Environmental, and Trillium Techs. With approximately 90 offices nationwide and nearly 400 internal recruitment professionals, the Trillium brand is proud to be recognized by Staffing Industry Analysts as a Top 25 Largest Industrial Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Largest Staffing Firm in the U.S., a Top 100 Fastest Growing Staffing Firm in the U.S., and a 2015 winner of National Best and Brightest Companies to Work For. For more information please visit www.trilliumstaffing.com.

Our offices will be closed on Friday January 1, 2016 in observance of the New Year. We look forward to another year of giving and success in your communities in 2016!

Are you a stand out professional, technical professional, driver, or skilled worker seeking contingent, temporary, or long term career opportunities?  Visit our job board  for more information!  Want to learn more about how you can gain access to Trillium’s national network of professionals and skilled workers? Contact us today!

Trillium, a national leader in staffing and recruitment is a valued staffing partner to over 5,000 companies nationwide. Trillium is privately owned by Oskar René Poch.