Are you out of the honeymoon stage at your new job? Remember when you had that feeling of excitement, fulfillment and curiosity all wrapped into one? If you are not feeling that way anymore, then you may need to make a few small changes that can bring you back to that feeling you had on day one. The next time you find yourself unmotivated, try out some of the tips below to ensure you get back on track.

Stay away from Negative Nancy.

Is your negative attitude the result of a disgruntled coworker? Nothing is worse than someone walking over to your desk every single morning complaining about the job. What’s even worse is when you come in ready to put in a solid day’s work and your coworker wrecks your positive outlook.
Staying away from negative people is vital. The next time they come over, make sure you are too busy to engage in the regular negative conversation. Try surrounding yourself with positive and motivated coworkers. Once the Negative Nancy’s see your new positive vibe, they will get the hint that you don’t have time to engage in negative conversations. Even if they don’t at first, they will eventually get the hint.

Good communication with management.

Open and continuous dialogue with your manager can go a long way. Nothing wreaks more havoc on your week than a problem arising due to miscommunication with management or fear to take suggestions to your boss. With continuous dialogue comes good rapport – which leads to trust. Once you’ve established a sense of trust with management, your workplace becomes a whole new world.

Remember your purpose and goals.

The workplace is constantly evolving, and with changes, you can sometimes forget your purpose for taking the job in the first place. Stay focused on why you are there and what your goal is no matter how much change comes. One tip is to find inspiration with motivational quotes. Keep the quotes fresh and change them out depending on what aspect in your life you need to kick into gear. If you can wear ear phones at your desk while you work, listen to your favorite music that puts you in a good mood. You can even find some motivational speakers on YouTube to listen to when you need that extra motivation.

Check out for a minute and smell the fresh air.

Working hard and going the extra mile always yields positive outcomes, but we all need a break for some personal time. If you are inside all day staring at a computer screen, then go outside and walk around to get some fresh air. Take your mind off what you have been working on for the past several hours. Checking out for 10-15 minutes and getting some fresh air will recharge your mind.

Take care of your health.

I think we can all agree that a clear mind is an important piece for performing at our highest level in the workplace, but sometimes we forget about our health. A good diet and regular exercise can keep your positive attitude constant. If you are truly sick, make sure you use a sick day and take the time you need to get yourself feeling better. Trying to work through a seasonal bug can make you feel sluggish, and it may take your body even longer to recover. In addition, people around you don’t appreciate you coming into work if you are spreading germs. If you are taking care of your body and your mind, then you are ready to perform at the highest level possible.

The next time you are feeling yourself falling into a funk at work, try out some of the above tips to turn things around. You’d be surprised how a slight tweak in your daily habits can improve your attitude. Don’t let yourself turn into the Negative Nancy others don’t have time for in the workplace!

Krista is a Creative Circle candidate, creative writer and content creator in Los Angeles. Her background includes news, marketing, copywriting and editing. If you are interested in working with Krista, please contact Creative Circle LA.

Work is just like life: you encounter different personalities, dispositions, and temperaments.

But work is different. You can’t simply walk away and disengage with someone who has opinions and values that don’t align with your own. You can spend as much as a third of your life at work, so it’s important to make the most of it; learning the skills to cope with many different personality types can help you navigate challenging situations that may arise.

Personal conflicts in the workplace can be even more common during presidential election years (a recent survey found 42% of U.S. workers have had political disagreements at work), so keeping these top tips top-of-mind can help avoid workplace strife before it arises.

1. Don’t take everything personally.

Right now, your coworkers are likely dealing with their own issues, and their actions may be a reflection of something they’re going through either at work or in their personal lives. If others are being negative or unpleasant to be around, remember, not every negative or uncomfortable encounter is directed at you. Take a few minutes to step back and assess the situation fully; maybe they are worried about something going on at home or stressed about a big project. The best skill you can have is to just offer help and rather than contributing to a hostile environment, even if someone else is.

At times, others’ actions can feel like personal attacks, but ask yourself, “Am I telling myself a story?” Perhaps someone’s email response was curt. Ask yourself: Did this person intend to upset me, or are they just in a rush between meetings? This mindset can help you talk yourself off of proverbial ledges — and can help keep the peace.

2. Remember: It’s okay to disagree.

Being a team player is one of the most common phrases in job descriptions, and it’s a soft skill that can have a large impact on your team dynamic, promotion potential, and more. It’s natural to feel frustrated with a coworker in the face personal or professional disagreements — but try not to let this frustration get in the way of your own productivity. Don’t be afraid to sit down with this coworker (if you feel comfortable doing so) and explain your frustrations; if you can focus the conversation on facts and events rather than emotions, it’s easier to engage in a rational discussion.

And if you cannot come to a consensus, it’s okay to disagree. Disagreement in moderation is healthy in any relationship, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of your mental health and overall working relationship. At the end of the day, everyone on your team is (or should be) working toward the same goal and outcomes.

3. Learn to handle egos.

He got a big ego? It’s not uncommon to encounter coworkers with large egos, and the tension egos can cause is often a source of conflict — particularly when egos clash. People may go out of their way to prop themselves up and stand out by positioning their coworkers as lesser than them in quality of work and stature. To avoid an ego-driven conflict, it’s important to remind yourself that this isn’t personal. Like it or not, you only have control over your own response to others’ personalities. If you’re frustrated by a coworker who puts others down, try to find ways to level-set with an honest conversation, based in facts rather than emotions. Your coworker may not even realize that their behaviors are negatively impacting you. (Of course, if someone’s ego turns into bullying you or others, it’s best go down the proper channels with your manager or with HR.)

4. Keep gossip positive.

No matter the office or industry or team, gossip has a way of festering in a work environment. Gossip is a slippery slope and can often increase interpersonal conflict and decrease morale — while simultaneously straining relationships and decreasing productivity. The best way to avoid gossip is by identifying “gossip triggers,” so you can find ways to work around them. Sometimes, gossip is unavoidable, particularly if you’re part of a group conversation. If you’re able, try to tactfully redirect the conversation to something positive, or disengage.

As with any work environment, there will be frustrations and the desire to vent — but tread lightly. A certain level of venting is okay, as long as you can trust this person 100%. If you have a “work best friend” (a recent Gallup poll finds that you should!), try to confide in them and keep the conversation between the two of you, in order to avoid any inadvertent gossip and conflicts down the line.

Remember, your priority is doing great work. Try to maintain a non-judgmental attitude and know that at the end of the day, it’s all about how you react.

Krista is a Creative Circle candidate, creative writer and content creator in Los Angeles. Her background includes news, marketing, copywriting and editing.

Interviewing is tricky business. Interviewing creative candidates, such as designers and copywriters, now that’s an art form. It is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that judging a creative candidate by their portfolio alone is sufficient. Well, it isn’t.

Below we’ve outlined a handful of reasons why it is necessary to go beyond the book when interviewing creative candidates, as well as a few example interview questions that can help you dig deeper to ensure you are finding the perfect match.

Why go beyond the book?

  1. Without asking additional questions about a candidate’s portfolio, it can be impossible to tell what is truly their work vs. collaboration with a larger team. Many creative teams work cohesively, so the final product is often a combination of efforts.
  2. As important as quality work is, gaining insight into the candidate’s creative process is just as important.
  3. The candidate’s creative process can also give you insight into future opportunities for the individual. Do they present well? Imagine the candidate as a future art/creative director pitching clients… Now was that frightening or promising?
  4. When you ask pointed questions about a candidate’s portfolio, you will also be able to gather valuable insight into their personality and how they may react in your environment. Do they seem ego driven or more open to feedback?
  5. Because “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”, meaning you are interviewing not just a designer, copywriter or marketer, but a human being! Not digging in and asking additional questions means you are missing out on some of the variables that make the greats, well, GREAT.

How can I do this?

Below are a few example interview questions that will allow you to dive deeper into a candidate’s potential:

What portion of this work did you complete and what was collaboration?

  • Pay attention to how they answer this, as it will give you insight into how they talk about their team as well as their level of pride/ego in their work. Perhaps challenge them – if merited – with a compliment on the creative piece of work; do they eagerly accept all accolades as their own, or give credit where credit is due?

Walk me through your creative process here, A to Z.

  • This is used to both see how self-aware (and detailed) they are, as well as how well they can describe processes.

What challenges did you encounter while working on this project/campaign?

  • How do they talk about their team? Or the creative process within the organization? Do they speak directly to people, product or process challenges?

What technologies/programs did you use here and how did you use them?

  • This is a seemingly basic question, but listening to how well they speak to the tools of their craft, as well as how much detail they go into, can be telling.

What project/campaign would you consider your greatest career accomplishment?

  • This let’s you know a bit about their focus i.e. business, brand, conceptual, team focused, etc.

What do you like about OUR branding/content/marketing, and what would you change?

  • This question puts the candidate on the spot a bit, which is why we love it! Listen to how they share their ideas, how they approach the brand and on a basic level how much research they have done!

How do you stay up to date on industry changes?

  • This is again to see how passionate and serious they are about the industry, as well as how motivated they are to grow and evolve.

Now this is just a short list of questions to get you thinking outside of the book. What other questions do you ask when interviewing creative candidates?

Nick is a former Creative Circle Account Executive. His background is in recruiting, sales, PR and marketing.

Hey, here’s my resume. Read it. No really, go on. I’ll wait.

The last time I heard someone scoff at the concept of resumes was just a few weeks ago, over lunch. “Oh come on, who actually reads a resume?” Um, I do. And you probably should too.
The funny thing was that just days prior I’d placed a copy of my own resume in this very person’s hands. I like the guy, and he had no way of knowing what an unexpected pain in the rear it had been to put together five copies of my portfolio on short notice. (First, the realization that my husband had been ignoring his printer’s pleas for new ink cartridges past the point of usability; then the unanticipated time spent driving to Staples and back; and then the friend who tried to help me but ended up mis-ordering all the pages and somehow cutting her hand and getting blood on two of the front pages, setting me back to square one.)

What I mean to say, is that I wasn’t that miffed (it helps that he had been clearly receptive to my performance in said interview), but I was slightly appalled. It was less than six months ago that I was still working as the managing editor of a media company, which included participating in the hiring process. When it came to interns, the decision was typically left up entirely to me.
It was the kind of place that attracts young candidates, so our public calls for entry-level internships would result in mountains of resumes. I’m not going to lie and say I read each and every single one that hit my inbox—a few terrible lines in a cover letter were enough to send many applicants straight to the recycling bin. However, when you’re trying to differentiate the suitability of people who are largely just starting out, most of them don’t have a ton of tangible, finished work to reference, much less a slick, smoothly navigable profile site. Often their educational background is completely relevant to who they are in the present moment. They just haven’t done that much yet. So I actually read their resumes.

At some point in your career, writing your resume can evolve into an editing project. More than two pages is rude, so eventually you have to stop being exhaustive (and stop abusing tiny type sizes) and whittle it down to only the most impressive—a living document tailored by time and situation. Perhaps you remember writing your first resume—I know I do. That’s when all the opposite tricks were called for—furiously bumping up the type size to fill a single page and extracting every ounce of potential material from limited experience.

It’s kind of a great exercise, and frankly it can be a really interesting, not just useful, read. That’s partly because these types of resume writers are telling you everything—not just which schools they attended, but what their extracurricular activities were, or whether they studied abroad. A lot of them are also probably telling you revealing little white lies about what they did very little of (but, you know, they technically did… probably) and perhaps they now wish they’d done more of. They’re calling attention to their weirdest, least relevant work experience to simply reinforce the basic understanding that they’re a warm body who will show up on time and not steal the company laptops. Read as a whole, it’s actually a pretty effective map of a person’s life-experience.
Again, I’m not making the argument that anyone needs to read every resume they get. I’m totally down with the method of doing a quick first round of elimination based on a scan for minimum requirements. Blaze through those mountains. But by the time you get to the point of interviewing a candidate, I feel strongly that you should have read the thing in its entirety, whether you are dealing with entry-level or senior-level candidates (who probably ought to be able to edit a resume with at least some charm, anyway).

It’s not an etiquette thing. I relate to the fact that it can seem like more of a burden than it’s worth. But it’s only two pages (or less, and heavy on the returns and bullet points). It will take a very short time for you to read it, and the time it will save you in return makes for a fantastic ROI. Your conversations with candidates will be more efficient, you’ll be able to make decisions more quickly, and they will lead to better choices. Choices that may even have direct bearing on your own workload.
These are the people you’ll be seeing more days than not, after all. Read their resumes.

Marjorie is a former Creative Circle candidate based in Portland who recently accepted a full-time offer for her dream job. She is a writer/editor and stylist/producer with an emphasis in the design world. If you are interested in working with someone like Marjorie, please contact your nearest Creative Circle office.

The silver lining of life’s most uncomfortable moments is without a doubt the comedy. All but the most harrowing of today’s embarrassments and blunders eventually become tomorrow’s knee slappers—we laugh because we survived, and we survived because we learned something… albeit the hard way.

Job interviews are an excellent arena for this type of fodder. When someone’s very future is on the line, and they’re looking down the path of a possible future (“Could this be me?” “Am I home?” “Are you my mommy?”) weird things can happen. Sometimes these things are very, very bad in the moment, but we can all laugh about them now… and take furious notes to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes in our own interview.

On the flip side, it’s terrible practice to give a crappy performance as the interviewer, too—acting bored, insulting someone’s experience, getting their name wrong, making someone in an incredibly vulnerable position feel absolutely terrible… (or, in the case of the stories I heard, much, much worse). Unless you don’t care about attracting good employees and coworkers? Either way, you’ll get what you give.

In that spirit, I recently solicited stories about people’s worst interview experiences — from both sides of the table.

The Bad

  • “The interviewer fell asleep during my interview. Right in the middle of my answer, his head just went down.”
  • “I’ve had a few where candidates seem like they have a chip on their shoulder. I’ve called it out.”
  • “I was like 30 minutes late! I couldn’t get service on my cell phone, so I started to panic. And I ended up being way too dressed up—I’m talking super corporate attire—because I’d always been told that it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed. I felt like it was the worst experience… but I got the job.”
  • “I had a candidate show up with nothing—no purse, no pen, no paper, no resume… nothing. Another whose resume spelled “communication” three different ways—for a PR job—then kicked off the interview by talking shit about his current job. I interrupted him after two minutes to tell him he wasn’t getting the position but then I offered to give him some tips on what not to do.”
  • “The following things happened: They took a polaroid of me, they played a video of Arnold Schwarzenegger giving a speech at a fat camp, and they made me fill out an “employee test,” which was about five pages of math story problems that had been printed on a ditto machine (purple ink!).”
  • “Six months after giving birth, I was called in to interview at a high-profile ad agency. I was lumpy and tired and had lost my ability to think. I had cut my own bangs the night before—like Dumb & Dumber I wore so many Spanx I almost died taking them off. When I get there, I pull the front door and it somehow runs over my foot, which breaks the strap on my shoe. So I walk up the stairs kind of sliding so the shoe stays on. The woman comes out and she’s all cute and small and has her shit together. We go to this café, and she starts talking about wine and looking at the wine menu. I order wine. She doesn’t. She asked me to describe myself. I started saying stuff like ‘You go girl!’ I repeated myself and went into a dark place. Finally it ended.”

The Ugly

  • “[The worst are] hostile non-verbals, like furrowed brows, head in hands, near-throwing of pens, and—my favorite—the dropping of glasses on the table then looking out the window.”
  • “I had an interviewer on the phone ask if I was A) tall and B) blonde. Shockingly, I made it to the in-person interview, where he proceeded to walk me through the office—shadowed by an aghast HR rep—announcing all the derogatory nicknames he’d given his employees.”
  • “I was once interviewed by a CEO who went off on a tangent about how, if he had to choose between meth and cocaine, he’d go for coke every time because it’s natural.”
  • “One guy recently actually had cocaine on his face when he came in at 10 am to interview.”
  • “I was in a group interview on Skype when, in the background of the person we were interviewing, a human crawled out of a refrigerator box in the corner. The box had been there the whole time, not moving, and he said nothing about it.”

Have an interview story of your own? Share it with us in the comments!

Marjorie is a former Creative Circle candidate based in Portland who recently accepted a full-time offer for her dream job. She is a writer/editor and stylist/producer with an emphasis in the design world. If you are interested in working with someone like Marjorie, please contact your nearest Creative Circle office.

The search for your new career, or job, does not have to happen alone. Whether you are interested in freelance work or a full-time position after graduation, staffing agencies offer qualified candidates a team of recruiters and account executives who are all working toward finding the best fit for your career needs. They work to build a relationship with the client that job seekers can benefit from, making staffing agencies another resource for your job search.

According to the American Staffing Association, around 3.2 million temporary and contract workers were employed by U.S. staffing companies per week in 2014, up 5.4% from 2013.1 Additionally, more and more companies are using one or more agencies to fill open positions; often, those positions may not even be publicized. Partnering with a staffing agency on your next job search gives you access to that many more opportunities. If this is your first time considering it, read on for information on the process.

 Selecting an Agency

With so many choices, making the first move toward finding a recruitment agency can be just as stressful as finding a job itself. How do you know which one is right for you? The answer really lies in what you are looking for. Before moving forward, start your list with agencies specific to your industry. There is a staffing agency for every field from creative to financial to technical. Creative Circle, for example, specializes in placing advertising, marketing, creative, and interactive professionals. This narrowed focus ensures that the agency has the connections to hiring managers in that field and expertise necessary to be successful.

Another testament to an agency’s connections is how long they have been in business. One that is more established will have accumulated loyal clients along the way. The established agencies have spent years developing direct client relationships that job seekers won’t get from applying directly. Alternatively, a relatively young agency may have fewer candidates you are competing with for the same position. Either way, determine which factor is most important to you to get the most out of the agency you decide to work with.

The last factor to look at (but definitely not the least) is the industry experience of the agency’s recruiters. Your recruiter will be your partner on the journey to a new job so look for an agency staffed with professionals who have industry-specific experiences, that way they will understand you and your skills.

Creative Circle’s recruiters, for example, all have creative backgrounds. As experts in the field, they will be able to provide relevant feedback on your resume and portfolio. In addition, they know the technical terms around your work and will have no problem relaying to clients. Be at ease knowing that your connection to the client can sell your skills in a way that reflects you in the best light.

Submitting Your Application

You’ll find that applying to be represented by a staffing agency starts much like applying to work directly for any company: with a resume. Because this is the first impression you get to make on a recruiter, include all relevant experience and skills. Be honest with your proficiency in each area of your work – your recruiter cannot help if they do not have an accurate representation of who you are.

While the exact registration process varies, most agencies will ask that you sign up online and upload a resume and work samples or portfolio, if applicable. You may also be able to respond directly to the job posting. Once you are in the agency’s system, a recruiter will review your documents and may get in touch to schedule an interview if you are a good fit. The interview helps the recruiter gain a better understanding of your career goals and objectives. You will also get a chance to receive feedback on areas of improvement so that you can better your chances of getting placed.

Keep in mind that your first interview may not be for one specific job. Recruiters work on dozens of jobs at one time and after the interview, they may find that you are a better fit for another position you had not yet seen. Interviewing is the first step to unlocking the connections that an agency’s experience and client relationships can bring you.

The Hiring Process

The most beneficial part of applying with a staffing agency is being represented by a team who puts your best foot forward to clients. After the interview, you can expect that your recruiter will share your resume, portfolio and details of the interview with the rest of the team. Once a job order from a client comes in, they will begin to make calls to viable candidates to talk about the job specifics and determine availability and interest. The candidates who fall into these categories are submitted.

Since companies often work with more than one staffing agency, it is likely they are receiving several submissions to one job since each agency will present their top candidates for the position. If the client would like to learn more about you, your recruiter would set up an interview, communicate the expectations and make sure you are prepped to meet the client. At this point, your pay and other terms of employment would be negotiated on your behalf. Because this happens directly with the client, it is important to be upfront with your needs and expectations during your initial interview.

If the client thinks you are the perfect fit for them, you can expect competitive rates and the opportunity to enroll in benefits. Since most staffing agencies provide this service at no cost to the candidates, it is a smart way to expand the reach of your search while ensuring you have the help of industry experts along the way.

Get Started

Working with a staffing agency gives you one more resource in your job search toolbox. Spend the time to refine your resume and develop clear objectives so your recruiter can find the best possible job for you. Know that you will have a team of recruiters and account executives all working behind the scenes on your behalf. You will benefit from their experience, client list and many available jobs. While you are still encouraged to use other job search resources, submitting an application to a staffing agency relieves the pressure of job searching on your own and provides guidance to make sure you find a position that is right for you.

This article was originally posted on CSU Global’s The Global Broadcast here.