Benefits for Job Candidates

The Alta Advantage

As a testament to our mantra, the best candidates — the best companies, we support our associates with a full benefits package that is unique in the industry.

Health Benefits

We live by the philosophy that a healthy body leads to a healthy and happy mind. We act on this philosophy by providing our associates with co-paid medical and dental benefits. We also offer corporate gym membership rates.

Financial Benefits

It is never too early to start saving for tomorrow. We try and make this saving easier with our financial benefits, which include direct deposit, referral bonuses, vacation pay, and pre-tax transit check ordering. We also support our employees with training programs that improve financial literacy and encourage saving.

Career Benefits

We encourage personal and professional growth in your current career and/or your next step. To assist you with this growth, we provide complimentary(free) weekly career development courses and skills advancement courses. We also offer online training that you can access at your convenience.

Additional Perks

With your health, finances, and career in order, we want to do our part to make life a little easier, make essentials more affordable, and the world a little cleaner. At AltaStaff, we offer these unique perks:

 

Current Opportunities and Referral Bonuses

We update opportunities at AltaStaff weekly on our job boards. Please contact your counselor if you or someone you know (and would recommend) would be interested in a job listing.

You are eligible for our generous referral bonus program if you refer a new candidate who is hired.

See "Today's Jobs" for a sample of current opportunities and call us to check to see if we have any opportunities that meet your interests and goals.

Manage your Career

Whether you are a recent college graduate or an experienced Executive Assistant or Creative Writer, career decisions are a major component of your life. These decisions determine where you spend a third of your day, where you live, and how you live. While the process can be overwhelming, with knowledge and assistance, you can make an informed choice for your career.

There are numerous resources on the Internet to begin your research. We suggest exploring these sites for current information on careers, companies and salaries:

Resume Writing

Your resume sells you, your experience, your interests, and your skills to the client; it is their first impression of you.

Tips:

Sample format:

First M. Last
Address
City, ST Zipcode
name@site.com
312-XXX-XXXX

Career Objective

Professional Experience (chronological order most recent going back)

Company City, State
Title Month, Year or Present

  • Description with action words and quanititative and qualitative facts
  • Description of position or role
  • Description of position or role

Company #2 City, State
Title Month, Year

  • Description with action words and quanititative and qualitative facts
  • Description of position or role
  • Description of position or role

Education

University City, State
Degree or Major Year - Year
Honors or awards

Skills

Computer skills, Languages, etc.

 

Interview Tips

You've researched your companies, sent a resume, received a recruiter's call, and now you're scheduled for an interview. While you might be exhausted from all of the work up until this point, the interview is just the beginning of the real work.

It is critical to be prepared, professional, and poised for each and every meeting with your potential employer. That being said, not every interview will lead to your dream job. Take these meetings as an opportunity to learn about companies, introduce yourself to new people, and gain insight to what your really want out of a new position.

We try and prepare our candidates for any interview with a few interview guidelines for Interview Dress, Preparation, Etiquette, and Follow-up.

Interview Dress

It is important to dress in a way that matches the dress code of your potential employer. Consult an employer's dress code online or ask advice from a colleague or friend.

Women –

  • Wear a conservative, well-fitted suit with either pants or a knee-length hemline
  • Dress your hair in a conservative fashion back off of your face
  • Wear dark-colored, unscuffed, close-toed, low-heeled shoes
  • Do your makeup in a natural fashion with clear or neutral nail polish and little or no perfume
  • Wear stockings or hose regardless of the weather
  • Keep jewelry and accessories to a minimum – less is more

Men –

  • Wear a conservative, well-fitted suit with a clean, crisp button-down shirt and tie.
    • If you hate to iron and want to save on dry-cleaning bills, try wrinkle-free shirts. (e.g. Arrow, Van Heusen, Jos. A. Banks, JC Penney, Brooks Brothers, Lands End, Target)
  • Dress your hair in a conservative fashion with light hair products
  • Wear dark, unscuffed, dress shoes
  • Clean and trim your fingernails
  • Skip any cologne or aftershave
  • Leave any jewelry or accessories at home

Interview Preparation

An interview is a presentation to the client of yourself, your skills, your interests and how they will match with the particular position. Without preparation, it is challenging to give a convincing argument about why you are the best fit for the job. 

  • Research the company and position thoroughly on the internet
  • Research the skills required for the job description
  • Write down the key points about you and how they contribute to the position
  • Create a list of solid, engaging questions
  • Practice an interview with a friend or family to collect your thoughts and gain confidence in your presentation
  • Plan your commute: Print directions, gauge the worst-case scenario commute time and plan to arrive 15 minutes early. Practice the commute a day or two before if you are unfamiliar with the area 

Interview Etiquette

It is important to maintain your professionalism and poise at all times in your potential employer's office. Acting professionally will often have more of an impact on a lasting impression than what's on your resume.

  • Arrive on time, but no more than 15 minutes before your interview
  • Introduce yourself to everyone with confidence, respect and poise from the doorman to the receptionist. You want as many people as possible to put in a good word for you.
  • Greet your interviewer by standing up, making eye contact and extending a healthy handshake with a firm wrist.
  • Maintain your posture and eye contact throughout the interview
  • Speak positively and professionally of all situations and do not tell bad or personal stories even if your interviewer asks for dirt
  • Listen to each question and statement of the interviewer and stop before you answer to craft a thoughtful response
  • Review your questions and pick one geared towards your discussion or the work interests of your interviewer. Do not discuss salary and benefits - we'll have that information for you.
  • Ask for the business card of each interviewer and mentor so you remember their names for thank you notes
  • Close the interview with a thank you and express your interest in the opportunity and company 

Interview Follow-up

1. Write thank you notes:

  • Write thank you notes to each person with whom you interviewed regardless of your interest in the position. A good impression here may help you in the future. The person you meet or work with today may be a future boss or ally.
  • Thank them for their time, mention something positive you like about the company and express your interest in the position
  • Maintain your professionalism and keep the note short and concise

2. Review the meeting and think of ways you can improve for the next interview.

Re-entering the Workforce

Re-entering the workforce after any amount of time can lead to a whole set of questions. Whether it has been a year or ten years, companies, skills and requirements can change dramatically almost overnight. You've also changed; you have new priorities, skills, and outlook. It becomes a whole new challenge to create a balance during this transitional time.

We hope to answer these questions and help you to overcome some of these challenges with our Re-new program. This program focuses on providing professional support both in group workshops and individual counseling.

College Grads

After early morning courses and cramming for multiple exams, you probably could conquer most anything, including the job market. Many of your college skills will apply to your career search with certain caveats, e.g. you can't wear a baseball cap to cover your bed-head to an interview.

Begin your search with a little self-evaluation and a lot of research. Educate yourself on the companies, industries, and opportunities before submitting a resume. The internet is a fantastic tool for all of this information. This process will provide the "thesis" for your search so you have some direction. Now, the real work begins...

There are many avenues for job seekers thanks to technology. You have the ability to apply to multiple positions with a few hours work. However, this ability can make the search process somewhat impersonal and one-sided. We recommend the following strategies to making the most of your search:

While the last two suggestions seem biased, staffing agencies are an excellent resource for your job search. Whether you want to focus on direct hire or temp for experience, they can provide guidance, connections, and important feedback throughout the job search. Let us help you network.

At Alta, we also have a College Grad program with a seminar once a month that allows you to share the challenges of post-grad life and brainstorm solutions. View our calendar for more information.

Creativity at Work

Working with many great associates in the creative fields, we realize one of the largest challenges is presenting how creative skills can greatly enhance productivity and innovation.

Whether you are a graphic artist or a great creative writer, a potential employer might miss your genius if it is not portrayed in an appropriate manner for the business world. At Alta, we want to help you create a professional portfolio.

Combined with great interview skills, this portfolio will demonstrate how your artistic skills can contribute to a company's image. Through group courses and individualized counseling, we hope to match our creative minds with growing companies.

Contact a counselor for additional information about companies that need creative people like you in areas such as Corporate Communications, Sales Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, Human-Computer Interaction, and Usability.

Development Courses

At AltaStaff, we hope to encourage continued professional and personal development. This development creates more confidence, career security, and self-awareness. It might be as simple as reviewing how to create spreadsheet formulas, how to simplify your wardrobe, or how to improve your presentation and public speaking skills. These small improvements provide great returns.

To assist with this development, we host complimentary(free) career advancement and skills development courses in our offices. Each week, we will cover a new subject or skill.  Please review our course calendar or newsletter on a regular basis for the upcoming topics.

These courses are available for our registered associates and their friends, as well as anyone who is interested in furthering their career. We have limited space in each course; please sign up in advance through our site.

If you have questions about a particular course or would like to highlight a certain topic, ask an AltaStaff counselor for more details.

Referral Bonus Program

We pride ourselves on working with great associates and maintaining a relationship with them throughout their career. Many of these associates come from referrals and we want to encourage you to keep the names coming.

Any associate (active, not active, or Alta Alumni) can refer a candidate. If the associate is placed, they will receive a $100 cash bonus per candidate. After 5 placed referrals, the associate will earn an additional $500 bonus. After 10 placed referrals, the associate will earn an additional $1000 bonus.

The candidate must work just 90 hours through AltaStaff or remain 90 days on a direct hire placement.