Provisional Blog

Gossiping. Drunken karaoke. Throwing up in the bathroom. A frat party? Nope. We’re talking about the office holiday party. As a Seattle employment agency, we’ve heard it all. But acting inappropriately at a work party can seriously damage your reputation and, in some cases, even result in you losing your Seattle job. So how can you ensure you get through your office party without a hitch? Start by avoiding these 5 blunders:

1.) Skipping the office holiday party.

Everyone has busy schedules and a lot to do, especially at the end of the year. But that’s no excuse for skipping out on your office holiday party. One reason your company throws a holiday party is to recognize and reward employees. By not attending (without a really good reason), you’re signaling that you’re not a team player.

2.) Not taking full advantage of networking opportunities.

Your office party is a great opportunity to mingle with your best office buddies, as well as connect with people you don’t get to work with regularly. So get out of your comfort zone and invest the effort to introduce yourself to people you don’t know.

3.) Drinking too much.

While drinking at most holiday parties is perfectly appropriate, getting completely wasted is not. You could do or say something stupid and harm your reputation, or worse, get fired if you make a really egregious error. When you’re at your office holiday party, don’t make drinking the main focus and limit your drinking to one or two cocktails. If you do drink too much, and you behave poorly, then make amends and apologize the next day. Don’t ignore the behavior and hope no one noticed. Trust us, they did.

4) Dressing provocatively.

Dressing provocatively, no matter how festive the occasion, is distracting and inappropriate for a work party. Dressing poorly can impact how others perceive you and ultimately hurt your credibility. Tight, sexy, or suggestive attire should be left at home. That said, you don’t have to dress in the same clothes you wear to work. A party dress or more casual attire is fine, as long as it’s tasteful.

5) Bringing people not invited.

Thanks to budget cuts, it’s not uncommon to not invite an employee’s spouse to the holiday office party. If that’s the case, then don’t bring your husband, wife, children or second cousin. If you’re unclear whether or not your spouse is invited, then ask your boss ahead of time. Don’t make assumptions.

What about you? What are some of the worst office holiday party blunders you’ve encountered?

Making good hiring decisions matters now more than ever for Seattle employers. The last thing you want to do is hire someone you thought was a star performer and have them turn out less than stellar.

So what can you do to make better hiring decisions? Use the right assessment tools.

Here are a few to consider:

Assessment tool #1: Qualifications screens.
This is the application the candidate completes to determine whether or not they meet the basic requirements of the position. Qualification screens offer an easy and affordable way to screen out a large number of unqualified candidates. But…your assessment of a particular candidate certainly shouldn’t stop here.

Assessment tool #2: In person interviews.
Once you’ve made your first round of cuts, it’s time to bring in the handful of qualified individuals that you’d like to interview in person. Your interview can be totally unstructured, carefully designed beforehand, or a mix of both. Regardless of the format you choose, you must be able to clarify responses and ask good follow up questions to get the information you need to make the best hiring decision.

Assessment tool #3: Skills testing.
Testing skills is an important way to ensure the candidate you hire has the knowledge you need. Depending on the position you are hiring for, you may want to give the candidate a knowledge test, have them engage in a role-playing exercise, or even have them come in for a day of work.

Assessment tool #4: Personality testing.
Besides skills testing, you may also want to conduct personality assessments to determine whether the candidate’s personality traits are a good fit for your company. A personality assessment can give you a clear picture of the candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and potential.

Assessment tool #5: Background investigations.
By using outside sources, you’ll be able to gather critical information about each candidate. Whether you simply do a reference check or conduct a full out criminal background check, these types of investigations can help you avoid a bad hire. Sometimes it can be tempting to skip over this step – however, it can also be potentially catastrophic.

When used properly, these assessment tools can help you to gain a better idea of a candidate’s ability to perform the job and also help you to avoid making bad hiring decisions.

If you’re not sure which assessments are right for your job opening – or you need help conducting effective candidate assessments, contact the employment experts at Provisional. As a leading employment agency serving companies throughout Seattle, WA, Provisional has the knowledge and experience to properly source, screen, interview, and hire the very best fit candidates for your positions.

Contact Provisional today to learn more.