About TGHR

20 Years of Staffing Stories: Mary Springer

February 20, 2020

If you had asked Mary Springer in college if she wanted to own her own business, she would have told you no. At the time, she was preparing herself to climb the corporate ladder, most likely in the area of finance. Upon reflection, she has always been metrics-driven and self-motivated, which are two vital skills for any business owner.

Upon graduation from Purdue University, armed with a degree in financial planning, she moved to Ft. Wayne to start a management training program to become director of finance for an educational institution. While she enjoyed the management aspect of the job, Mary was eager to move back to Indianapolis. Moving back without a job would be tough, so she found a new job in a way that many people get a job – through networking. A college friend had recently talked to a national staffing firm with a local presence in Indy and thought the job sounded like a good fit for Mary, not him. He was right and Mary worked at that staffing firm for six years and then was recruited to open the temporary staffing division at a new, locally based staffing firm that was just starting out – That’s Good HR.

There are some aspects of the staffing business that have remained the same since 2000, but many have changed. In 2000, there was an online job board – Monster.com, while today there are plenty to choose from like Indeed, Zip Recruiter, LinkedIn, Career Builder and more. The online job boards have provided access to more people, but everyone has that access. Mary recruited at college fairs in her early days, a practice that is still done today. And the number one thing that has stayed the same through the years is the fact that staffing is about connecting the right person with the right job at the right time.

Social media has also changed the landscape of staffing. As Mary points out, back in the day when you put an ad in the paper, the people responding didn’t have a LinkedIn profile that was readily available – not to mention that they were still reading a printed newspaper regularly. Online job boards and social media sites like Facebook have changed how we talk to people. In fact, That’s Good HR has only been on Facebook for the past decade! In today’s fast-paced world with technology at your fingertips, Mary remarked that finding that personal connection is harder, but she’s up for the challenge.

The biggest challenge in the past 20 years was the recession of 2008, as it was for many businesses. In theory, the staffing industry is “recession-proof” since when the market goes down, many companies hire contractors and there are more people looking for work, which is good news for staffing firms. But the recession of 2008 was different and forced more than 170,000 small businesses to close during the first two years of the recession. That’s Good HR was forced to reduce staff and do more with less resources but was able to not only survive but thrive amid a dismal economy.

As That’s Good HR continues to reinvent itself to meet the changing needs of the local landscape, Mary looks forward to what the next 20 years will bring. And the end of the day she is most proud of building a place where people want to come to work and help people find jobs to achieve their goals every day. Cheers to 20 years!

Do you have a story about how That’s Good HR has impacted you in the past 20 years? Let us know as we are sharing staffing stories all year long as part of our 20^th Anniversary Celebration!

Seasonal

Fun and Festive Drinks from TGHR

Meaghan Smith

December 10, 2019

We conduct very important research in our office. Of course, we track our staffing stats weekly, but in preparation for New Year’s Eve we have been trying a new drink recipe during Happy Hour. Here’s our favorites ready for you to mix up and enjoy this holiday season.

Week 1: Root Beer Float
To make this take on a soda fountain classic, mix three parts root beer with one-part RumChata. Frosted mugs are optional!

Week 2: Cinnamon Roll
We liked the RumChata so much, we brought it back in week 2. This time, we mixed one-part RumChata with three parts cream soda.

Week 3: Red Wine Floats
To change it up a bit, we switched to wine. For these delectable drinks, you need one pint Magnum Dark Chocolate Raspberry ice cream, 1/2 bottle of red wine, seltzer for serving and to make them extra fancy – chocolate sauce, for lining glasses. Start by rimming the insides of four glasses with chocolate sauce, then scoop in ice cream and pour in the red wine. Top off with seltzer before serving.

Week 4: Apple Cider Sangria
First step for this drink is grab a large glass pitcher. Then gather a Granny Smith apple (sliced), a Red Delicious apple (sliced), Golden Delicious apple (sliced), lemon (sliced) and an orange (sliced). Add that fruit to the pitcher and pour in two cups of apple cider, two bottles of ginger beer and a bottle of white wine. Stir and enjoy! Feel free to add some bite size pieces of all fruit in the bottom of each glass to really impress your guests.

Week 5: TGHR Holiday Spritzer
Break out the bubbly for the finale. Pour ¾ of a glass of champagne, then add equal parts pomegranate and cranberry juice. We like to make it extra fancy with fresh cranberries and pomegranate seeds in bottom of glass (added to the glass before champagne).

Cheers to the new year!

Staffing

When is Sharing NOT Caring? When it Comes to Sickness…

Greta Cline

Partner, CFO/COO

November 12, 2019

It’s cold and flu season, which means germs and bacteria are EVERYWHERE. It’s important to keep yourself healthy. So how do you combat these germs?

Clean your desk! According to studies, more than 10 million germs can be found on the average work desk, which is 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. Totally gross, right? Use cleaning wipes to routinely wipe down your desk surface, phone, keyboard and mouse. Do you have a co-worker out sick? Wipe down their desk too!
Sharing is NOT caring! The saying goes “sharing is caring”, but not when it comes to illness. If you are feeling sick, don’t share coffee mugs or food with others.
Wash your hands! It’s the advice we have heard from parents and teachers hundreds of times over the years. But when washing your hands, make sure not to touch the soap dispenser. In a article from Cosmopolitan Magazine, it states that the University of Arizona found that a a fourth of office soap dispensers are contaminated with fecal bacteria. You’ve been warned!
Stay clear of the kitchen! The microwave, water cooler, and coffee pot handle could be plotting against you. Do you have to give up coffee? We, at TGHR would not suggest such a thing, but give it a wipe or use a paper towel to pour your coffee.

We hope you stay healthy during this cold and flu season! If you have an employee out with the flu, don’t stress and give us a call. We can send a temp even if it’s just for one day. We’ll supply the employee, you supply the cleaning wipes – teamwork!

Staffing

Don’t Get Spooked…The Why Behind Ghosting

Mary Springer

Partner

October 10, 2019

It is said that time heals all wounds but ghosting still hurts no matter how long it has been. Ghosting is not a new phenomenon, it has been around for decades and still leaves a sting. Why does ghosting hurt so much? Psychology Today points out that being rejected stimulates the same receptors as physical pain. Being “stood up” or ghosted makes a person question not only the other person, but also themselves.

So…why do people ghost and simply not show up without an explanation? It is a technique to avoid confrontation or seemly uncomfortable situations. In addition, when people ghost they are thinking more about themselves and their situation than the other person. This often happens when a person is job searching, especially in a tight job market with a qualified candidate.

Electronic forms of communication such as email, texting and even social media, has made ghosting even easier. It is possible that a candidate’s interaction with a company has only been through email, which makes it easier for the person to ghost. One of the ways that TGHR can help is through our time-tested candidate screening process. We meet in person with all the candidates that we present to you, which helps create that personal connection.

Do things still come up? Of course, but you do not need to be spooked – it is our problem, not yours. We shoulder the responsibility so you can save your scares for Halloween. We will not ghost you – 20 years of staffing Indianapolis proves it!

Job Advice

Can You Ever Recover from a “NCNS” Situation?

Amber Crosby

October 6, 2019

Our #1 priority at That’s Good HR is finding great candidates for great clients. It’s what we do every day and we do it because we know we can help people. That assistance includes helping people avoid one of the biggest mistakes that can be made. That mistake is getting labeled as a “NCNS”.

The term “no call, no show” (NCNS) is attributed to a person that doesn’t show up to an assigned place or time. This could be for a day of work or for an interview. It is deemed as highly unprofessional and often can have repercussions beyond just that one day. This situation should be avoided at all costs but ghosting becomes more prevalent in a tight job market. If you find yourself in a seemingly impossible situation that will result in a no show, you need to make every attempt to communicate to your manager or hiring manager and recruiter. In this situation, over-communication is best – call, email AND text (yes, all three). Your job – either keeping one or getting one – is your priority and TGHR can help you manage that priority.

Is it possible to recover from a no call, no show situation? Yes, but it is extremely difficult. First, you need to have a valid reason for your manager or the hiring manager. This needs to be true and monumental, like an unfortunate death in the family. But stick with the truth, fabricating an excuse will make the situation worse down the line.

Next, you’ll want to apologize to any coworkers if you are currently working. Your absence likely impacted them, and an apology would begin to repair broken trust. If you are currently working, you need to know the applicable policies that are in place. Is there a no tolerance policy? What are your company’s repercussions? Knowing the policy will help you understand the consequences you will inevitably be faced with.

Finally, don’t forget to communicate with your recruiter. They need to be made aware of the situation as soon as possible. The same courtesies need to be extended and a valid reason needs to be shared. TGHR recruiters are experts in staffing and experts in knowing when something does not add up, so be forthcoming as an attempt to salvage the relationship.

Bottom line – it’s best to avoid this situation altogether. If there are extenuating circumstances, relationships with your manager, hiring manager, co-workers or recruiters may be able to be salvaged, but do you really want to take that risk?

About TGHR

Our Staff’s Favorite Apps

September 11, 2019

What’s one app on your phone that you use daily? The top contenders are most likely your Calendar and Email apps. Your Camera, Photos or social media icons are probably up there too. TGHR payroll manager Kirstia Cropper uses Pinterest daily to make or save her favorite recipes. Did you know that That’s Good HR has a Pinterest page? Go ahead, open your app and follow it!

Meanwhile, our resident amateur meteorologist and VP, client partnerships Tiffany Moore, does not leave the house without consulting her Weather app. Her other favorite app is Evernote, something she has in common with staffing specialist Lana Bobb, who also claims Evernote as her favorite every day app. One of the key features of the Evernote app is it syncs with the desktop version, so if you write a note on the go, it will be there when you sit down at your computer. Staffing specialist Lindsey Curtis organizes her life with the Cozi app. Cozi has a shared calendar, grocery list, recipe saver and reminders built in to make your life simple.

Amber Graves, account executive, logs into to her Meijer app, which helps to keep her family fed! Not to worry thought, she uses YNAB to make sure her grocery spends stay on budget. YNAB, which stands for You Need a Budget, is such a popular app, it even has its own Facebook group dedicated to using it. TGHR owner, Mary Springer, loves Mint for budgeting – no wonder she’s a businesswoman! Meanwhile, director of marketing Susie McKenna orders more things off her Amazon app than she is willing to admit while staffing specialist Madison Schacht uses My Fitness Pal daily to help her stay healthy.

CFO/Owner, Greta Cline would be lost (literally) without her Waze app, especially this construction season. Before senior staff accountant Meaghan Smith leaves for the day she takes a moment to read the daily version from her Holy Bible YouVersion app. This app even lets you read the bible on your iWatch!

Many TGHR staffers would be lost without their Starbucks app, which is key for keeping complicated orders straight (grande skinny cinnamon dolce latte with soy milk or iced blueberry black tea with only three pumps anyone?). Other favorite apps of almost all staff members are Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Of course, you can find many of us on LinkedIn daily!

What is your favorite app that you could not live without? We would love to hear about it!

TGHR News

Organize Your Inbox Today

Kirstia Cropper

Operations Manager

August 19, 2019

Since it’s back to school time, let’s take a pop quiz! When it comes to email are you the type of person who:

A. Cannot stand unread emails in your inbox

B. A little email clutter does not phase you at all

C. Your email box is always filled with messages or

D. Email? Who has time to read email?

Whether you answered A, B, C or D – these ideas can help you organize your inbox. And who knows? You may just find some extra time in your day because of it!

Make F.A.S.T. Decisions

F.A.S.T. stands for F = file it, A = assign it, S = store it and T = trash it. When you are reading your email, keep this acronym in mind and act quickly. You can store emails that need responses, but once you respond make sure to file it or trash it. Another method is the O.H.I.O. method – Only Handle It Once. Once you read it, take action with the email before moving on.

Be a Rule-Follower

Using rules can automatically sort your email without you even looking at it. For example, use a rule to automatically send e-newsletters you receive to a specific folder – therefore keeping them out of your inbox and in a safe place where you can refer to them when you have time. You can even set certain emails to be automatically deleted after a certain amount of time. Setting rules is simple in Outlook and Gmail.

Put Your Patience On

Does your inbox make a sound every time a new email arrives? Hearing a “bing” is an instant distraction. It is counterproductive to check your email every five minutes. Try blocking specific times in your day to handle email, starting with 30 minutes in the morning and afternoon. If you need more time, set a timer so you know that you will be checking your email on a regular basis, but email won’t be a distraction to getting your to-do list accomplished.

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

Do you get emails that you send out similar responses to? Save time by creating responses you can cut-and-paste in order to reply quickly. Step this up by creating a “Canned Response” in Gmail. Head over to the gear icon in the top right corner and select “Settings” from the menu to get started. If you use Outlook, an email hack is to use “Signatures” to have prepared responses to often answered emails. Open a blank email and select “Signature” from the top menu bar. Then, click on “Signatures” to create an email that you can access with the click of a button. You can still personalize your message before sending but using these tips can help you start from something other than a blank screen.

We would love to hear your favorite email hack – share it with us on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)!

Tips

Five Steps Toward Leadership You Can Take Today

Greta Cline

Partner, CFO/COO

July 11, 2019

Every day, 10,000 Baby Boomers reach the retirement age of 65 – that’s seven Boomers per minute. Therefore, it won’t be long before millennial employees will take the helm in the workplace. In fact, two-thirds of millennials intend to hold a leadership position within the next decade. No matter what generation you fall in, is it time for you to step up? Here are five actions you can take today to grow your leadership skills.

Create goals.

Start by taking some time to think about the type of leader you want to be. What does the role look like and how do you become that person? Knowing where you’re going is half the battle. Write down a few simple, measurable goals that will lead you in the right direction and begin working on them one at a time.

Grow your vision.

Leadership is a weighty responsibility. When others depend on you to set the tone, you need to provide direction. Once you have worked on developing a long-term idea of where you’re going – share it! Your vision casting plays an important role in employee satisfaction and creativity. As an added bonus, sharing your vision helps keep you accountable.

Be bold.

Being a leader often means blazing new trails. At times it can be challenging to change established patterns and adjust company culture, but you need to be willing to take risks and stay the course. A decisive and confident leader propels a company forward and gives employees something to get behind.

Never stop learning.

No matter how informed you are, there is always more you can learn. Ask questions and listen to your employees, clients, and peers. Travel and pay attention to the cultures you experience. Create a space where people feel comfortable talking about ideas, challenges, and shortfalls. Creating an environment where knowledge can be shared starts with you. Keep in mind – everyone you meet knows something you don’t!

Harness the power of networking.

Take advantage of every opportunity to connect with others in and out of your field. Networking is a great way to make your company known in the community and form a trusted circle of colleagues where you can go to for advice. And you may even meet a mentor, form partnerships, and come up with new business concepts along the way.

As the face of leadership changes, it’s important to know your leadership style. Figure out what makes you a great leader so you can play to your strengths when the time comes. Now, get organized and get going!

Seasonal

Summer Reading Professional Development Books

June 10, 2019

While you are laying by the pool or relaxing on the beach, let summer do some work for you! We’ve got links to summer reading lists (see below!), but here’s a short round-up highlighting some of the latest (and soon-to-be greatest) professional development books that are hot off the presses just in time for summer.

Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates

Melinda Gates, who is more than just the wife of Microsoft guru Bill Gates, shares stories of the women who have inspired her through the years in this book published in April 2019. The stories begin with her own mother and fan out to include the extraordinary women she has connected with through both her professional and philanthropic work all over the globe. The conversational tone of this book will keep you turning the pages faster than you can sip on your summertime beverage.

It’s the Manager by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter

Just published in May 2019, this book reveals 52 key findings from Gallup’s largest study on the future of work. The study found that the quality of managers and team leads are the single biggest factor in a company’s long-term success. Both authors have previously penned best-selling books, and this is sure to join that list shortly. A bonus in this book is it also comes with a code to access the CliftonStrengths assessment, which reveals your top five strengths. If you haven’t taken the assessment yet – it is definitely worth doing so this summer!

Feedback (and Other Dirty Words): Why We Fear It, How to Fix It by M. Tamra Chandler and Laura Dowling Grealish

Performance reviews are often dreaded events, but this book helps flip the script and explains how to turn that fear into an opportunity to flourish. You will learn the three F’s of feedback (focused, fair, and frequent) as well as find exercises to practice what the book preaches. The real-world examples help to underscore how to turn receiving feedback into a positive experience. This book is the perfect pick for your Fourth of July vacation since it doesn’t debut until June 18, 2019.

WOLFPACK: How to Come Together, Unleash Our Power, and Change the Game by Abby Wambach

As the Women’s FIFA World Cup kicks off in France this month, it’s the perfect time to read this book written by one of the stars of soccer. Based on her 2018 Barnard College commencement speech, which went viral, this short read (less than 100 pages) serves as a rallying cry for women to unite with their “wolfpack”. You will be fired up and ready to take on tasks of Olympic proportion after finishing the book.

Want more summer reading suggestions? Bill Gates recently released his 2019 summer reading list or you can check out our past suggestions. Let us know what books tops your list this summer – we’d love to hear from you!

Job Advice

Four Simple Steps to Prepare for a Second Interview

April 11, 2019

You have gone to a job interview and left with the sense that the interview went well. Then your recruiter calls and says the company would like to talk to you again. Your first thought may be “why?”, but this is often a necessary step in today’s tight job market. How do you prepare? Here’s four simple steps to ensure you rock the second interview, just like you did the first time.

Dress the same. Whatever professional outfit you wore for the first interview, match that level of professionalism in your follow-up interview. Don’t assume that you should be more casual when meeting with the company for the second time.
Prepare questions. It is possible that you will be meeting with different people than you did the first time you interviewed at the client company – your recruiter can let you know. If this is the case, you can use some of the questions that were asked in the first interview. However, make sure you have at least three new questions to ask of your interviewer.
Be prepared. Whenever you are headed to an interview, you should be prepared. Your recruiter at That’s Good HR will help you with this step. For a second interview, review your answers from the first round interview, because it is possible that you might be asked the very same question. Check out these answers to the 31 most common interview questions.
Write a thank you note. It’s always a good idea to follow-up with a thank you note. Write one to each person you interviewed with. If you do not know what to say, not a problem – we’ve got you covered. An example can be found on our online resources page.

If a company is interested in talking to you for a second time, take it as a compliment. It means they liked you and want to get to know you more before moving forward. Once your second interview is complete, let your recruiter know and hopefully they will have good news for you shortly. Best of luck the second time around!