How to Stay Hired

We have all been there. Sweaty palms. Crinkled resumes. Scuffed shoes. It’s job interview day and despite sticking those germ-infested hooves in our mouth during an intense question, we snagged ourselves an illustrious position at our dream job. 

You see, several years ago, that was me. I remember what I was wearing, the weather, a few of the interview Q&A's.

After a while I got comfortable with everyone and work life proceeds. The mantra practice makes perfect fueled me through the day. However, a nagging question snuck in, how do I keep the dream alive? How do I stay hired?

And now I’ve planted it in your head…

Be On Time: Punctuality is equivalent to reliability. Not only should you be on time to plopping your fine rear anatomy at your desk in the morning (seriously, how many traffic jams can your encounter in a week. Seriously.) but you should be on time with handing your work into your boss and to your clients.

Be Honest: Own up to your mistakes. While it is a globally known fact that America is in crisis mode for an ever-growing debt, (you didn’t really think that was was a national secret, did you?) that is not the only deficit we own. We are deficient when it comes to taking responsibility.

Be Likeable: What does that even mean? If your coworkers grimace when you talk, that’s a strong indicator you are on the wrong spectrum of likeability. If you extend a BBQ invite and 80% of the office shows, you’re on the right track. Listen to people, share your food (be respective to food allergies and try not to get people severely harmed) and respect boundaries.

Be Open: Whether it’s opening up to others, being open to ideas or critique or helping others open up, shutting down means you lose out. Allow people to explore alongside you.

Be Proactive: Don’t wait for someone to ask you to do something. If you see the water is about to run over the sink ledge, for Niagara Fall’s sake, get up and shut it off even if you didn’t leave it on. A cautious person with a good set of eyes in the future who has the team’s back (quite the visual) is always an asset.

Be Versatile: Let people know about your multi-faceted skills and your willingness to use them whenever, however, and wherever needed. This may be your dream job in an illustrious team, but it takes many moving parts to make mighty things happen. Moreover, it takes all kinds of special too.

So finally, how to stay hired is to be hired. While being on time is essential, don’t just show up because it’s your dream. Be hired. And stay hired.

Here’s to many more years at Worx…because it just Worx for me.

Introducing the Worx Girls

How well do you know us? We bring our personalities with us, and you can always count on meeting the authentic Worx team. We embrace each other’s differences and help fill in the gaps of weaknesses with strengths to create a close-knit, un-breakable, one-of-a-kind team. I spend more time with these girls a week than with anyone else. Let me introduce you to…

Our fearless leader, Laura:
She’s so brave; Braver than I can fathom and I think the other girls would agree with me. The things she gets herself into blows my mind. She’s involved, motivated and dedicated to the many roles she plays. She’s mother to Kandon, age 6; wife to AJ; sister and friend; Creative Director of Worx Graphic Design; creator of The Green Couch Project; President of the American Advertising Federation of Greater Frederick; a member of Business Networking International; the Greencastle, PA Chamber of Commerce; as well as the Hagerstown, MD Chamber. Some of her non-professional titles would include athlete, interior designer, accountant, professional organizer and party-planner. She is a visionary and loves to brainstorm with our clients to help take their ideas to the next level as well as building their brand from the logo –up.

The web guru, Amber:
She’s the introvert of the group. She is also the healthy-inspiration member of Worx. Her healthful vegetarian lifestyle has inspired all of us to explore juicing and running 5K’s. You should see the vegetables this girl eats (even her daughter, Morgan snacks on peppers and cucumbers!). Her usual days of “plugging in” with headphones and designing websites are (almost) free of distractions. Her daughter Morgan joins us in the office a few days out of the week. Her off-the-scale cute factor makes up for her threenager mood swings. Amber’s patience with her is very admirable. Amber can say that she has a genuine fear of public speaking and will go to great measures to avoid it. Her addiction to Etsy and Pinterest are evident off-the-clock. She is the expert of website design and with her Masters degree in branding, she writes our proposals to clarify the goals of the project.

The Word Master, Momina:
The newest Worx girl may not be a designer, but she definitely thinks like one! How many copywriters have a “logo inspiration” board on Pinterest? Her vocabulary and writing skills are phenomenal, and she loves a good play-on-words. She knows how to put the personality of a business into their materials, as well as brainstorming with the team on advertising strategies. She is the fashionable one of the group and inspires us all to look a little more like our Style inspiration boards on Pinterest. She is a Twitter master, tweeting more fluently than some birds I’ve heard. Sitting across from her playing peek-a-boo over our giant computer screens has added to my experience at Worx in the past 9 months.

Then there’s me, Collateral Kassie:
It’s hard to believe I’ve been here over two years, but I feel like I’ve known these girls for my entire life. Whatever I’m doing – brainstorming, collaborating, coaching, designing – I’m passionate about and give it my 100%. I’m over-enthusiastic and have an unnatural obsession with glitter and sparkly things. I’m even wearing a shirt as I write that deemed me with the nickname “sparkle pits.” I love to dance and party on the weekends but love also just relaxing in a hammock listening to reggae. I love to create materials consistent with the company’s brand and tend to handle rush projects well. I enjoy helping a client meet a tight deadline; they are always grateful.

Our differences and similarities make for quite the chemistry of team members. The office experience we live everyday is one like no other. Our company culture creates an environment for personal and professional growth. This makes work fun, life enjoyable and clients happy.

Building the dream team

A few months or years back you had an idea to create a company. You went through the day to day operation wearing all the hats; making sales calls, building relationships, doing the work, accounting, marketing and everything else that comes along with being a risk taker.

Then one day you realized that you haven't been outside in two weeks, your refrigerator is empty and the only bags you've packed are under your eyes. Working 12-15 hours a day catches up to you quickly. Then the thought crosses your mind - should I hire someone to help me? Well if you want to grow your company and gain your sanity, yes, you should.

It's scary to hire for the first time. Or the third. Or the tenth. How do you find people that are just as dedicated as you are? How do I know someone won't take advantage of? Well the truth is, you'll never know. But there are things you can do to not only find the right people but also keep them.

About three years into my business I was exhausted and knew I needed help. I asked a mentor "How do I know when it's time to hire?" He said something that has been engrained in my head: "When it hurts." When I am working into the night, barely keeping my head above water and it lasts for more than a month or two, it's time to hire. It hurts.

I now have one part-time and two full time employees that I adore. Sometimes I sit back and wonder what I've done to deserve a team that is just as passionate about Worx and our clients as I am. Then I remember that things don't happen accidentally. I'm often asked how I've put together such an amazing team so I thought I'd share those answers with you here.

1. live your brand - your personal brand should be an extension of your business brand. When I'm at work I am the same person that I am at home (minus the computer). They know what to expect by experiencing the company culture. We laugh, joke, smile and do crazy stuff all while cranking out a great deal of quality work and making deadlines. We're dedicated and optimistic. Each new employee can anticipate what its like to work here before setting foot in the door.
2. teach them - the first few months with a new employee are critical. Teach them about your company culture, what your expectations are and what your processes are. When you change things in the office, show your team what to do or how to do it. They cannot execute what's in your mind if they don't know about it.
3. invite them to be part of your dream - don't hire people to be the busy workers that make your dream come true. Instead, invite them to be part of the dream. Express what your vision for the future is, share your mistakes and victories and get them exited. Set the tone that you're in this as a team.
4. let them make mistakes - they're people, just like you are. I'm not sure about you but I sure as heck am not perfect. Mistakes in the workplace happen! Let go of the "to do it right I have to do it myself" mindset. Show them what they did wrong, give the advise they need to fix it and they will learn how to avoid it in the future.
5. spoil them - good people are hard to find so when you find them, spoil them! I'm not saying buy them a car or give million dollar raises (although I'm sure they wouldn't mind) but treat them well. Sometimes we shut down early on Fridays, I show up with surprise coffees or have lunch delivered. Most recently I told them that once a month ongoing we'll be getting chair massages in the office. It's a small investment that makes a big impact. Take care of the people that take care of you.
6. show them gratitude - this is one of the simplest things to do yet gets lost in the day to day. Tell them how much you appreciate them. Call them out on something great they did, how they handled a situation or how much you appreciate a task they completed. Stop and say THANK YOU. They're like mini checkpoints along the journey. 
7. let them know how you feel - for better or for worse. My team knows I am human just like they are because when I'm excited I am dancing around the office and when I'm upset it's silent. Apparently my eyes also turn ice blue? Who woulda thought. The point is, invite them in to rejoice with you and help iron out the wrinkles when they arise. 
8. invest in them - this is one of my favorites. There's nothing that screams "I believe in you!!" like investing in your team. We recently attended an all day webinar on leadership. I very well could have gone by myself but why? Worx is WE not I. To get to our next goal we need all of our minds to grow, not just mine. 

The law of attraction proves that you attract what you put out. Be as authentic as you can be, make yourself available and lead by example. Your team is reliant on you to lead them!


Photo by Anderson Photographs