October is Fire Prevention Month

Light Industrial Staffing Experts want you to be Safe!

October is Fire Prevention Month – 10 Home Fire Safety Tips

A home is often referred to as a safe haven. This month, make sure your home is protected from (and your family is prepared for) a fire. Here are 10 simple tips to help you avoid fires and reduce the risk of injury should one occur:

1) Smoke Alarms – These are still a very important addition to your home. Smoke alarms are widely available and inexpensive. Install a smoke alarm on every level of your home and test it monthly.

2) Prevent Electrical Fires – Don’t overload circuits or extension cords. Cords and wires should never be placed under rugs or in high traffic areas. Avoid loose electrical connections by checking the fit of the plug in the wall outlet. If the plug loosely fits, inspect the outlet right away. A poor connection between the plug and the outlet can cause overheating and can start a fire in minutes.

3) Keep Plugs Safe – Unplug all appliances when not in use. Follow the manufacturer’s safety precautions and use your senses to spot any potential disasters. If a plug is overheating, smells strange, shorts out or sparks – the appliance should be shut off immediately, then replaced or repaired.

4) Alternate Heaters – Make sure there is ample space around any portable heating unit. Anything that could catch fire should be at least three feet away. Inspect your chimney annually and use fire screens to help keep any fires in the fireplace.

5) Fire Safety Sprinklers – When combined with working smoke alarms, home fire sprinklers greatly increase your chance of surviving a fire. Sprinklers are affordable and they can increase property value and lower insurance rates.

6) Create An Escape Route – Create and practice your escape plan with your family from every room in the house. Practice staying low to the floor and checking for hot doors using the back of your hand. It’s just like a routine school fire drill – but in your home.

7) Position Appliances Carefully – Try to keep TV sets, kitchen and other appliances away from windows with curtains. If there is a wiring problem, curtains can spread a fire quickly. Additionally, keeping your appliances away from water sources (like rain coming in from windows) can help prevent wiring damage which can lead to a fire.

8) Clean Dryer Vents – Clothes dryers often start fires in residential areas. Clean the lint filter every time you start a load of clothes to dry or after the drying cycle is complete. Make sure your exhaust duct is made of metal tubing and not plastic or foil. Clean the exhaust duct with a good quality dryer vent brush to prevent blockage & check for lint build up behind the dryer at least twice a year.

9) Be Careful Around the Holidays – If you fill your home with lights during the holiday season, keep them away from anything that can easily catch fire. Check all of your lights prior to stringing them up and dispose of anything with frayed or exposed wires.

10) Conduct Regular Inspections – Check all of your electronic equipment and wiring at least once a month. Taking a little time to do this each month can really pay off.

Following these simple tips could potentially save your life or the life of a loved one. Pass this list on to your friends and family and make this fire prevention month count!

Facebook Is Stopping You From Getting Your Dream Job

Dear Job Seekers,

You would have never thought that the way your Facebook account looks or the kind of pictures you post can affect your chances of getting a job. Job seekers, it is no joke!

According to a survey, a lot of companies have now started rejecting job applications on the basis of social media accounts of the candidates. Before making any move, HR professionals do research about the candidates by having a look at their Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts.

Many times these HR professionals won’t even call you to inform you about any job openings if they do not like your posts and pictures on social networking sites. (Also read: 9 Tricks To Increase Your Productivity At Work)

And sometimes you can be rejected in the interview if your profile hints at behavioral misconduct or certain personal affiliations that may be a problem for the company which is possibly thinking of hiring you. So, think twice before adding any pictures of last night’s drunken antics on Facebook from now onwards. You should be aware of the effect of a ‘bad looking’ social media account on your job prospects.

Always remember, just creating a profile is not enough, you need to manage your profile well and make use of privacy settings. Social media can be a very powerful tool to build a personal brand and attract employers.

However, the internet is a two-way street as both the company and the candidate can get information about each other via social net. So, both should be cautious about how they are being portrayed on social media.

According to the survey, 28 per cent of applicants have admitted that what they read about a company online has influenced their opinion to apply for a job.

Experts believe that both employees and employers look for a good cultural fit, so they often go for a Google search. It can inform a recruiter more than what a CV can.

So, candidates should think about how they use each channel for – whether personal or professional – to build a profile for themselves.

Similarly, recruiters should think of the image they are projecting online as an organization. Check out some of our Industrial Staffing positions and see if you’re be a great fit!

http://www.lifehacker.co.in/jugaad/Dear-Job-Seekers-Facebook-Is-Stopping-You-From-Getting-Your-Dream-Job/articleshow/53841574.cms

Staying Safe During the Summer

SUMMER SAFETY TIPS from the Staffing Network

One of the best ways to stay safe this summer is to wear a helmet and other safety gear when biking, skating and skateboarding, and when riding scooters, all-terrain vehicles and horses.
Never bring charcoal grills indoors. Burning charcoal produces deadly carbon monoxide.
When cooking outdoors with a gas grill, check the air tubes that lead to the burner for any blockage from insects, spiders or food grease.
Make sure your home playground is safe.
Use softer than standard baseballs, safety-release bases and batting helmets with face guards to reduce baseball related injuries to children.
If you are a soccer mom or dad, beware that movable soccer goals can fall over and kill children. Make sure the goal is anchored securely at all times and never allow anyone to climb on the bet or goal framework or hang from the cross bar. Remove nets when the goals are not in use.
Do not allow a game of hide-and-seek to become deadly. There have been reports of numerous suffocation deaths involving children who crawled inside of old cedar chests, latch-type refrigerators and freezers, iceboxes in campers, clothes dryers and picnic coolers. Childproof old appliances (such as by removing doors), and warn children not to play inside them.
Install window guards to prevent children from falling out of open windows.
Summer also means yard work. When mowing, keep small children out of the yard, and turn the mower off if children enter the yard. With a riding mower, drive up and down the slope, not across it. Never carry children on a riding mower.

Enjoy your time outside and if you have any questions regarding a new job or career, please CONTACT US HERE!

8 Tips for Resumes

Now a day more and more employers and recruiters are requesting resumes from the industrial field. If you don’t have a resume, several Workforce Centers and unemployment offices provide free resume writing workshops and access to computers. If you have a resume that needs updating, we came across a great article with few easy steps to upgrade your resume. Here are some of them:

Get rid of you address
Get keyword savvy- if you have experience with specific programs, equipment, tools, machinery, etc., name them!
Delete the year you graduated
Tailor your resume for different jobs
Delete “Reference on Request”
Don’t include sports, clubs, or grade point average from high school or college
Use your name in the file name
Bring paper resumes to interviews

You can view the full article at: http://www.refinery29.com/resume-tips?linkId=24896108#slide-20

Get to Know Our Team

Get to know our Team!

Natalia Craciun, Area Manager- Lombard & Bensenville, IL

Natalia is a Moldova native with a B.A in Foreign Languages and Literature from Moldova State University. She is fluent in several languages including Romanian, English, Spanish and Russian.

She has been part of the Staffing Network family since 2012 and we are thrilled to have her in our team. Natalia has built a strong and successful career over the last four years, placing several candidates with top clients in the industrial field. She currently oversees the day to day operations of two of our Illinois locations, Lombard and Bensenville, and is leading her teams to the top!

How to Apply and What to Expect?

You have seen an online posting or came across one of our local offices and are interested in exploring employment opportunities. What do you do next? Well, there are several ways to apply!

Apply Online
- You can view all of our employment opportunities at www.staffingnetwork.com . Click on “Start Your Job Search”. Once you find positions that you are interested in you can apply directly. After you have completed the application call the “Branch” listed at the top of the job listing to follow up on your application.
Submit your resume
- Many times an online ad will request that you submit your resume to a specified email address. Submit your resume.
Apply In Person
- Call your local branch and inquire about current openings and schedule an appointment to complete an application in person. You can view all our locations by clicking “Locations” and selecting your State.

Once you have completed the general application our Staffing Specialists will match your job skills with current openings. If a position is offered and accepted you will go through the new hire process that includes completing tax, payroll, and safety forms, and attend orientation (if applicable).

If a position is not immediately available that best suits your skills and needs and you have completed an application, follow up with the branch on a weekly basis and let them know you are still interested and available for employment.

Benefits of Temporary Work?

Staffing firms often have a stigma that temporary work isn’t ideal or for someone looking for long term stability. But, before you dismiss the idea of signing up a firm, here are a few reasons why it can be beneficial.

Ideal for recent high school/college grad who haven’t landed employment, or maybe someone in between jobs. Great opportunity to be introduced into the workforce and learn new skills and gain practical work experience.
Make some money! If you are out of work some work is better than no work.
Temporary assignments aren’t so temporary anymore. During the recession temp assignments were only a few days long but now businesses are growing and busier than ever! Assignments can last three to six months and some are even long term.

So, if you are ready to explore what’s positions are available go to the Job Search menu.

Community Involvement: “It’s Who You Know” Speed Networking Event

On March 31^st Staffing Network/QPA was proud to sponsor the One Million Degrees “It’s Who You Know” Speed Networking event. The event is designed to support scholars’ communication skills and ability to effectively prepare for future networking events, internships, and job interviews. With the help of Staffing Network/QPA volunteers and other community participants the event was a success. We had a great time meeting and mingling with future leaders.

The One Million Degrees program empowers low-income, highly motivated community college students to succeed in school, in work, and in life. To learn more about One Million Degrees visit http://www.onemilliondegrees.org/.