News Tag Archives for Events

Suit Up Rhode Island

City Personnel is proud to announce the first annual ‘Suit Up, RI!™’ initiative.

City Personnel, a boutique recruitment firm in Providence, in conjunction with the Clothing Collaborative will be running a professional clothing drive beginning April 2nd and running through April 20th. The Suit Up RI initiative will be challenging companies throughout Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts to collect the most articles of professional clothing and accessories.  All of the collected pieces will be donated to the Clothing Collaborative’s closets to help the disadvantaged population of RI to find employment and build self-esteem. It’s widely known that Rhode Island has been battling one of the worst unemployment rates in the country since its peak at 11.9% in January, 2010 (U.S. Department of Labor Statistics).  Presently the unemployment rate in RI is only down to 11%. Suit Up RI hopes to slash this number even further. City Personnel has set a personal goal of 5,000 pieces of clothing for this drive, let’s see what this state can do when we join forces and really work together!  For additional information or if you want to get involved please contact either Brittany Bert or Kerri Thornsbury at 401.331.2311 or by e-mail at suitupri@citypersonnel.net.

Mark the Calendar, RIC Job Fair!

City Personnel wil be present at Rhode Island College's March Job & Internship Fair.  More details will follow closer to the event, but if you're an employer or potential employee who will also be in attendence please stop by and say hi! 

Interviewing? How to Make a Killer Impression

Yesterday I spent the day down at URI conducting mock interviews for the School of Business.  For all my companies out there reading this, it is definitely worth your time to work with the local schools.  The programs they are trying to build for their upper classmen will not only benefit the students, but it will also benefit employers by teaching kids early whats expected in the working world.  Enough of my PSA though.  Almost all the students I interviewed said their number one concern is preparing themselves to make a killer impression on a potential employer.  This tip sheet is for them.

5 Steps to Making a Killer Impression
(Forbes)

1. Go in with a clear intention: Before you get in front of your interviewer think of what points you would like to get across and how you would like to be perceived.  Mentally visualizing these things will help you be able to convey them when it comes time, I.E. in your interview.
2. Think about what you're wearing: Before you get dressed be aware of the message your clothes, make-up, jewelry, watches and shoes are saying about you.  Your outward appearance is the first thing an employer will see and like it or not establishes some type of a judgment about you.  Make sure your outfit is saying what you want it to.
3. Body Language:  Be aware of what you are doing and how it can be perceived. Stand up straight, angle your body towards your interviewer. The way you physically respond can say a lot.  Slouching can be taken as low confidence, sitting angled away from the interview disinterest, and the list can go on.
4. Avoid Bad Days:  If you're having a bad day sometimes it can be hard to shake it.  The results can be written all over your face in terms of frowns, swollen eyes, etc.  Either figure out how to shake the mood or reschedule. The last thing you want is an employer to feel this is your day to day mood.
5. Be Interested and Be Interesting:  Make eye contact, listen to what the other person is saying.  We have all been taking to someone and known they are uninterested in what they are saying. Its a turn off.  Also be interesting.  Open up about what makes you unique.  

Friday Night Flick

The lovely gentleman on the radio informed me this morning that this weekend’s weather will be scalding hot and suffocatingly humid.  Thank you weatherman, I hadn’t noticed yet despite the fact my hair went from straight to a fro in the .5 seconds it took to open my front door and face the day.

Despite the oppressing weather all is not lost.  It presents you with the opportunity to catch one of the most lighthearted comedies of the summer, Horrible Bosses. 
Now while I do recommend using your Friday night to catch this film, I in no way advocate for you to emulate the bosses portrayed.  It is a bad idea.   You will not make friends.  Hence the film.  In the spirit of good bosses that do not have films made about plots to do away with them, here are some tips from John Baldoni of CBS on improving relationships with your staff.

• Be the  first to speak:  Remember where  you came from.  You weren't always the CEO, everyone starts somewhere so don't be unapproachable.  Say hello to your cubicle bound employees while you walk the office.  Start up a conversation in the lunch room.  By being unapproachable and extremely distanced from your employees you send the message that they don't matter.
• Keep it light: Yes business is business, but everything isn't business.  Nor is it all bad.  Smile, talk about neutral topics like the weather or how they are.  Once you're more familiar with an employee talk about common interests like sports, tv shows, etc.  This will build self esteem and confidence in your employee.  It will allow them to shine.
• Ask good questions: By asking good, relevant question and being receptive to whatever answers are thrown your way you encourage employees to speak up and could gain invaluable insight into various aspects of your organization.
• Listen more than you speak: Your responsibility is to start the conversation, once its underway, sit back and listen to whats being said.  The danger is not in what you know its in what you don't.