/EINPresswire.com/ Temporary, part-time jobs during the holidays can be great opportunities for employees to make an impact for their companies and merit a long-term job, long after the Christmas sales cycle.
As retail and service companies hire temporary workers to help during the busy holiday season, Gary Blackard, Vice-president of Client Operations for the Xerox Corporation and author of the new book Relevance in the Workplace: Using the Bible to impact your job (Intermedia), says there are five key strategies for employees to turn their temporary job opportunities into long-term employment.
First, Blackard says employees should show integrity in the workplace. Simple steps like always showing up early and never being late, go a long way in establishing a reputation of integrity. Examples of poor integrity on the job include managing time dishonestly, taking office supplies home, or giving a discount to a friend unapproved by management. The integrity of an employee is critical to the success of the company.
Second, Blackard suggests an employee should always perform at optimum levels and never settle for just an average completion of a task. Blackard offers a recent example when he was at a Starbucks. “I had noticed an employee cleaning the store,” Blackard recalls. “When I say cleaning, I mean really cleaning. She took the time to wipe each chair leg, table leg, pictures on the wall, and other areas. I was impressed that she took the time and effort to ensure the cleaning was done thoroughly. I have seen other employees in many other stores around the world and have never seen one clean to this level. She was performing at optimum levels. If you were a manager, would you want her to work for you? Of course you would.”
Blackard says another way to become an essential employee is to think like the customer. One of the most important areas for any business is what their customers experience with their products and/or services. A bad customer experience leads to exponential problems and bad publicity. A great customer experience provides value to both the customer and the business enabling the company to have a competitive advantage over time.
Fourth, Blackard says serve the team. Teamwork and the ability to work well with others is crucial for productivity and performance in general. An indispensable employee should learn to focus on the performance of their peers and help them to succeed. Consistently helping team members builds trust, confidence and camaraderie. And lastly, Blackard says great employees are knowledgeable about the industry as a whole. “If they understand the industry/market trends,competition, and corporate culture of their current employer,” says Blackard, “they become more invested in the company’s success and provide incremental value.
Blackard’s book, Relevance in the Workplace, covers various topics including how to perform better on the job using spiritual disciplines, how to incorporate the Bible into leadership roles, and something Blackard calls the CE6 principles that relate to the customer experience. Blackard also makes the case that the Bible can help people be more creative in their jobs as well as lay a groundwork for strategic development in a company’s overall direction.
ABOUT:
As a long-time executive for Xerox, Blackard has over 20 years experience working with Fortune 100 companies across the globe, and is founder of Eagle Peak Leadership, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping business leaders in the U.S. and abroad integrate faith into their workplace. Plans are currently in the works by Eagle Peak Leadership to do several “Relevance” conferences in select cities beginning in 2012. Relevance in the Workplace is available in print and ebook format via Amazon and Barnes & Noble. For more information, visit www.EaglePeak.org.
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