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Who Can You Trust to Help Your Business?

7/5/2018

I was reading online today that only 29.44% of people who attempted to climb Mount Everest between 1922 and 2006 actually made it to the top.

Most failed!

Some even died.

Which might not surprise you, I mean… It is the tallest mountain in the world, so I bet getting to the top is actually quite hard.

But here's something that you may not have considered.

In today's business world, 80 businesses out of 100 go out of business in the first five years (and then in the five years after that, of the 20 survivors you'll have just four left.

And then five years after that, you're down to just one.

In other words, there's a 99% chance of you going out of business in the first 15 years of operation.

That means only 1% actually get past the 15-year mark.

Wal-Staf was founded in 1977. We’ve been in business for more than 40 years!

Let us help you be one of the 1% and better!

Bob Walther is Founder/CEO of Wal-Staf Personnel Services, Headquartered in Gainesville, Florida.

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Avoid High Stress, Reduced Effectiveness, and Exhaustion

6/8/2018

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Jim Clemmer recently wrote “In these times of light-speed change, we must get off the ever-accelerating treadmill before we burn out – or burst a blood vessel! We need to step back to step ahead. We need to slow down to increase our speed.”

This got me thinking; someone once said “do what your good at.” With the world’s knowledge growing daily at mind blowing rates, is it necessary or even desirable that we absorb it all. How many times have we heard I’m too busy? The truth is if we want to do a good job and keep from burning out we need to concentrate on what we are good at and delegate all the other mind blowing stuff to other people who are good at that! Doing this, allows us concentrate on improving our skills in one area getting better and better at it.

Why are there so many specialties in medicine? Because the world’s medical knowledge has expanded so far and so fast, no one can absorb all of it and use it in an effective way. Why do we have computer specialists who can solve a problem in minutes after we have spent two days trying to figure it out? The fact is our time can be better spent doing what we are good at. I might be able to repair my car if I had all the time, books and equipment available to me and I didn’t need my car right away. But if I need my car it’s awfully nice to turn the problem over to a trained mechanic who knows what they are doing.

When our copier machine breaks down, we call a copier repair specialist because we have other important things to do that we are better at. When our computer network goes haywire, we call a network specialist because we have other important things to do that we are better at. When we have empty spots in our organization and need to find and hire new employees with specific skills and experience, why do we think our time is best spent doing it on our own? After all there are staffing specialists available who do this every day that can do it better and faster than we can. Don’t we have other important things to do that we are better at?

Bob Walther is Founder and CEO of WAL-STAF Personnel Services.

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Why use a search firm?

4/5/2018

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Bob Walther explains the benefits of using search firms for employers looking to hire senior professionals.

Higher stakes for senior hires: When firms hire critical senior-level employees, the stakes are high. The basic salaries offered for these roles are often in excess of $100,000.00 and employers will be looking for a candidate who meets all requirements in terms of their experience, is the right fit for the position and will commit to the company for a significant period of time. For the employer, finding the right person is absolutely key as he or she will be integral to overall organizational success. The selection process therefore has to be extremely rigorous.

Specialist hiring strategies: Executive Search and Contingent Executive Search firms specialize in hiring senior professionals and therefore are used to dealing with all the issues that typically arise from recruiting at this level. For example, there is normally only a limited candidate pool to choose from because these professionals are often treated well by their existing employers and very rarely put themselves on the market. It is therefore very difficult for businesses to find these types of professionals, which is why many use search firms to do it for them.

Retainers verse no retainer: Not all executive searches require a retainer. Most Executive Search firms require a retainer up front as a sign of commitment. This assures they are compensated for their time and effort. Contingent Executive Search firms on the other hand still need the commitment of the client but do not require a retainer. This assures that the client only pays if the Contingent Executive Search firm finds and places the right employee.

The recruitment process: After an exhaustive search, we will typically interview between 15 and 20 candidates before narrowing these down into a shortlist of three or five. Each individual on the shortlist is discussed and submitted with full details of the applicant’s relevant experience, their strengths and – if any – weaknesses for an interview with the client. Critically, we will also outline exactly what each individual is looking for from the position, preventing potential for any mismatches of expectation.

During the recruitment process, we provide feedback to both the client and candidate after each interview. This enables questions or concerns on either side to be addressed and therefore ensures that momentum is maintained throughout the process. Once a job offer is made, we can play a full and thorough part in the salary negotiations having already provided guidance on expectations to both sides at the outset. Due to our day-to-day conversations with senior executives and our clients, we have an accurate understanding of an executive’s worth.

The benefits: The benefits of using a search firm are numerous. The time and techniques along with the search firm’s highly-specialized experience-ensure that the clients will find the best person available for the senior vacancy they are looking to fill.

Bob Walther, Founder and CEO of Wal-Staf Personnel Services, has been providing Contingent Executive Search services for select clients for four decades.

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Just Run an Ad

3/14/2018

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Back some time ago, I was talking to a business acquaintance of mine. I asked how business was going and he said pretty well, but a key employee had just left and he needed to replace her. I said, “Well you’re in luck, that’s what we do at my company Wal-Staf Personnel. For years, we’ve been finding the best people for the best companies in North Central Florida!”

He replied “Oh that’s not necessary I’m just going to place an ad on one or two job boards.” Smiling, I said, “OK, but let me know if I can help! There’s no cost unless we find the person you want. Sorting resumes and running background checks can become time consuming and expensive doing it yourself.”

Three weeks later he called and said he was sorry he hadn’t taken me up on my offer in the first place. He had spent a lot of money on ads and received a deluge of resumes, but most respondents didn’t have anything close to the experience and skills required. I told him my company received the same mountain of resumes and applications daily, but we have many, many jobs we can match people up to instead of a single one.

We got to work looking for just the right candidate for my friend. We had someone in place within a week and not only did he thank us but said he would never ‘just run an ad’ again.

Bob Walther
Wal-Staf Personnel, Founder

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I Can Do It Myself, Why Call a Professional?

3/2/2018

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Years ago, I thought I could fix anything. Once there was a leaky toilet. No big deal, I thought, I can do this, why call a plumber? So off I went to Home Depot to buy the parts and supplies I needed.

I never saw so many toilet parts in my life. Well, after about a half an hour I used my “expertise” to buy what I needed. Looking back on this, I’m not sure why I thought I had this “expertise.” Exhausted from making all these tough decisions and spending more money than I thought I would, I headed home to fix the toilet.

The good news was that I had everything I needed and I should be able to fix the toilet in a few minutes!
Two hours later, I was now a sweaty mess and if anything the toilet was in worse shape than when I started. I had not bought the right parts after all. Back I went to Home Depot.

Unfortunately I had damaged the first set of parts trying to make them fit and Home Depot could not take them back. I spent quite a bit more money, sure that I now had the right parts understanding why the first parts didn’t fit.

Back home I went, now wondering if I had made the right decision, since half a day was gone and the toilet still wasn’t fixed. Three hours later “I had fixed the toilet” yeah! Or had I? My wife went in to use it and promptly announced (in her not friendly voice) the toilet is leaking worse than ever!

Time for a new plan, I called a plumber friend of mine who I’ve known for years. He sent one of his guys out who fixed the toilet in 30 minutes or less and was gone with a smile. My wife said (in her friendly voice), “Dear, next time we have a plumbing problem, please call the plumber.”

The moral of this story is it’s not always the best idea to try and do everything ourselves. I’ve known lots of business owners who try to find and hire someone on their own or have someone in their company (even less qualified) try to hire someone.

The horror stories they’ve told me are almost as bad as my plumbing story: Lots of money spent on advertising; reading through hundreds of resumes of people with no qualifications; interviewing people who were dressed like they were going to the beach; going home with a migraine night after night; finally hiring just the right person except for one thing, they never showed up on the day they were supposed to start!

Fortunately many of these business owners knew it was time for a new plan. They called a staffing company like Wal-Staf Personnel Services, headquartered in Gainesville, FL who they had known and trusted for a long time. Wal-Staf was able to find just the right person for them and said thank you with a smile! They all said (in their friendly voice) next time we need to hire a new employee; we’ll just call Wal-Staf!

Bob Walther
Founder, Wal-Staf Personnel Services

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Feast or Famine?

2/27/2018

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According to a recent publication by Haley Marketing, it’s getting tougher and tougher for companies to find the employees they need.

As we all know, unemployment has been trending downward for years, making great employees harder to find. But it's only one of the factors contributing to our nation's current talent crisis:

Unemployment has actually surpassed prerecession lows, and is currently hovering just above the 4 percent mark.
The job market continues to expand. In December 2017, the nation added 148,000 new jobs, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Baby boomers are retiring at an unprecedented rate (10,000 turn 65 every day!). With a smaller population of replacement workers to fill the void, talent gaps are widening in virtually every industry.

Of course, you don't need me to tell you how painful - and downright dangerous - this candidate drought is. But while your company has little control over the economic or demographic factors fueling this crisis, you can control how you respond.

The best way to thrive in a drought?

Adapt to the conditions! Use these innovative strategies to find the people you need:

Ask for help! You say to yourself; who do I ask for help? Staffing companies like Wal-Staf Personnel Services, headquartered in Gainesville, Florida are in the business of finding the very best employees available! That’s all we do!

Maximize your results! Think through carefully the type of employee or employees with the type of skills you need. Which skills are must haves and what skills are nice to have? Explain why the job is exceptional or at least why it’s a good opportunity. Be willing to act quickly when a qualified candidate is presented. The better the communications, the more likely the search will be successful! Consider the suggested pay rate range necessary to find this employee! You may have to pay a little more than you first thought.

Why this strategy makes sense!
Reduce your overall costs. Reduce your hiring risks. Have better access to talent. Save time. Increase flexibility. It gives you a competitive advantage.

Bob Walther
Founder, Wal-Staf Personnel Services

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The Emerging Workforce

2/26/2018

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As we all know, the world is always changing, everything around us keeps changing. Have you ever said why can’t things just say the same? This not only applies to our personal life but to our business life as well. I once read “The only thing you can count on is change.”

In order to grow and prosper, companies and the workplace must continue to change and evolve. As time goes on the emerging workforce must be able to change and adapt as well. There will be fewer and fewer individuals retiring from organizations after thirty years of continuous employment. Very few big organizations are going to take care of your future. You alone will be in charge of clarifying your values, defining success, developing your skills and designing a career path to capitalize on the future.

Employees of the emerging workforce will be more independent and skilled than ever before. The emerging employees will take control of their careers in ways previous workers did not. They will be sought more on a project basis for their skills and talent rather than as permanent employees. They will gain more expertise and value to add to their ever growing resume with the completion of each project. Accepting multiple assignments per year will enhance their work experience actually turning them into experts in their field, individuals who are up to speed on all the latest developments. They will control their own destinies so to speak. In addition to income, they will seek three things from their project employment; challenging assignments, personal fulfillment in their work and performance based recognition.

Staffing companies like Wal-Staf Personnel Services headquartered in Gainesville, Florida will provide many of these talented and techno-savvy professionals with the choices they want in work schedules, work places and work assignments. These contingent workers will provide companies the needed expertise they need when they need it. In this way the companies will be able to permanently employ only the core employees they need 100% of the time and look to companies like Wal-Staf Personnel Services for the skilled workers they need on a more project bases.
Bob Walther
Founder, Wal-Staf Personnel

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Who Can You Trust to Help Your Business?

Avoid High Stress, Reduced Effectiveness, and Exhaustion

Why use a search firm?

Just Run an Ad

I Can Do It Myself, Why Call a Professional?

Feast or Famine?

The Emerging Workforce

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