Walk the Talk = Leadership Style

There is a philosophy about the sergeant kick-ass leadership style of management. It goes like this: don’t question me, do as I say, you are grateful to have a job, while peering over your shoulder, hard and relentless – you know who I mean.

That attitude only lasts for so long and people get tired of the humdrum and nagging, so they quit. What you have in the interim is a tired, beleaguered workforce that does not like their manager. Therefore, they do not like their jobs and for them, work is about punching in and out to earn a paycheck. They handle co-workers like the manager treats them, and the customers are treated even worse.

For Christmas, my parents sent me a Chick-Fil-A gift card, not on my normal routine, but there is one in Pasadena. It is always busy with a drive-through line winding down the street. I did the unthinkable during those cold, COVID winters in Southern California: I got out of my car and went inside…

My expectation was to enter a busy maelstrom only to be greeted by a disheartened worker who wanted more than anything to get his fifteen-minute break and get away from sergeant kick-ass. While it was busy inside, the real traffic was in the drive through.

The first person who greeted me in front of the counter was the manager. He flashed a smile bigger than that of Magic Johnson as he asked, “How are you?”

Was this a joke? Where was the roaring confusion and yelling along with the sad people who hate their jobs? Why was this nice gentleman with a southern accent taking my order with a pleasant demeaner, disrupting my fast-food stereotype?

I thought I would trick him and send him back behind the counter. “I’m having a stressful day, and I’m too hungry to wait in the drive through…so I need a chicken salad.”

“Give me one minute,” he replied.

He quietly asked the worker behind him for a chicken salad; and in almost twenty seconds, there was a vibrant green, chicken salad. Was this salad pre-made for people like me on the go. What was going on? I knew this could not be possible since fast food restaurants do not have green salads. Taken aback, I ordered a chocolate shake.

The manager said this would take a few minutes as he had to have one prepared for me. While waiting, I had to ask about his accent, and he told me he was originally from Texas. Then I asked him if he ever had Blue Bell ice cream. He said that he loved and missed it, and from time to time would have a container shipped to the store for the employees to enjoy.

This was not the sergeant kick-ass philosophy at work; in fact, it was the direct opposite. It was the positive, lead by example, greet the customer with a smile, do business in front of a desk, ask politely for something and have the team prepare it, then reward the group leadership style. During stressful times, this is a lost art form.

Which one do you think works best?

Why Some Companies Aren’t Struggling to Hire

A Friday night bad habit had my tastebuds struggling to fight the urge for a cheeseburger, animal fries, and large strawberry shake. So, I dodged the drive-through line and decided to order at the counter of my local In and Out. I was sitting on a bench, waiting for them to call out my number when I took the machine operation. From ordering to cooking, the production process was tremendous; I could not believe how many people worked there. Aren’t we in work shortage, I thought? Especially in the food and beverage industry, there have been great staffing shortages because of the pandemic. But this In and Out was buzzing with people and atmosphere.

In and Out is known for paying workers on a higher pay scale, specifically their management. They are among the highest paid in the fast food industry and the best benefits. Pay matters! For someone in high school, a dollar or two more makes a big difference. For someone supporting a family, it is stressful to work a job, where you are not well compensated.

This enterprise has a winning environment. Have you ever been to a place where the staff is yelling at each other. Well, it is the last place you want to be. A positive work environment is key to success, one where people are always having fun, and customers want to stay and come back. This is an essential but sometimes forgotten element of customer service.

Always Hiring is the sign on the door.  As I came into and exited the place, I saw that both had “Now Hiring” signs for $$ per hour. It was a direct advertisement for people in the neighborhood looking for work. As a recruiter, I cannot imagine that a high-volume establishment like this has heavy turnover. Sure, most restaurants do, yet you don’t always see signs encouraging people to come in and apply. Marketing is key.

Staffing starts with people; that’s why they have a department called human resources. The people dealing every day with customers should be compensated fairly. The environment they work in should be filled with positive energy. we should always be looking to add good people to the organization.

Dane Flanigan CEO

ultraHealth Agency

How to Highlight your Resume During a Job Interview and Nail it!

In one of my last blog posts I wrote about how to nail a virtual interview. As we approach the end of this month and hopefully soon, the end of this pandemic, I wanted to give some tips for nurses to nail their next in person interview. I’ll also go over some great resume resources, this will help put your best foot forward and stand apart from the competition.  

1. Study Common Healthcare Interview Questions and Answers

Whether you’re applying for a job at a hospital or clinic, chances are management will be asking you similar questions in the interview.

One of the best interviewing tips for nurses is to study these questions in advance and prepare your answers. Some questions that might come your way include:

  • What is the most difficult part of being in healthcare?
  • Do you like working alone or with a team?
  • What would you do if a patient was constantly complaining about pain?
  • What are your top skills/weaknesses?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?
  • Why do you want this job?

2. Dress the Part

Always, always, make sure you dress the part. Clothing plays a big role in your confidence and self-esteem, meaning that one of the biggest interview tips for nurses is taking your outfit seriously.

I am all for personal style and expression. For the initial interview it is best to wear something more business formal. Make sure you feel comfortable. When you feel good about how you look it’ll boost your confidence and you will be ready to take on anything that comes your way. 

3. Know your resume front and back!

If you don’t know what is on your resume , you may become nervous and tend to glance down at your resume to verify your job history and education when they ask. The interviewer will pick up on your nervousness if you keep glancing down to verify your job history and education. Its always best to memorize all the details so you come off as cool and collected when asked about yourself.

Its best to walk into the interview with both your cover letter and resume. When writing your cover letter, try to remember the following :

  • Avoid “To whom it may concern.” Know the name of the person who does the hiring.
  • Tailor your letter to the employer. Mention their mission statement and how your goals match. Tell a brief personal story that illustrates why you want to work in a particular area, and list any unique skills pertinent to the position.
  • Thank the reader for his/her time, and include your phone number.

Your success will largely depend on how you present yourself in your nursing resume. Listed below are a few pointers to remember: 

  • DO use the chronological format for your work experience. List jobs starting with the most recent. If experience is limited, focus on skills, special activities, volunteering and association with professional organizations.
  • DO use good quality paper without designs or borders. Use 1-inch margins, 12-point type, and an uncluttered look. Use bullet points.
  • DON’T include a photo or list health, hobbies, marital status, family information or your GPA. “Recruiters tell us that …you can have a high GPA, but that doesn’t make you a good clinical nurse,” Cardillo says.
  • DON’T list references or say “References available upon request.” This is understood.
  • Always bring a hard copy

4. Ask Questions

Never feel uncomfortable about asking questions. Always remember to ask questions. The interview isn’t just for the interviewee to learn more about you. 

Asking questions will put you in a position to learn more about the position, where you will be working, and whether or not it’s right for your personal and professional needs. By all means ask whatever you think will help you, such as the work culture, job responsibilities and overtime pay.

5. Research the Facility

Always research the facility ahead of time. This will eliminate a potentially embarrassing situation of asking a question in the interview that could have easily been looked up online. This potentially could come off as not being prepared. 

6.  Be Yourself

Everything above is crucial, but at the end of the day, its important to be yourself. If you get hired, the persona presented during the interview. As a nurse you already possess such great qualities. Allow that to come through during the interview, if you are authentic, it will come off as such. 

You got into nursing because you love helping people – not because you love interviewing.

Even for the most experienced nurses, Interviews can be tough. Try to keep these points in mind when you go for your next interview. The goal is to help you calm your nerves, play it cool, and walk away with your ideal nursing job.

By Julia Samaniego.

A Focused Approach to Medical Staffing

ultraHealth Agency, is an exciting medical staffing company that truly focuses on a white glove approach. ultraHealth came to fruition after seeing gaps in the market not being filled and the healthcare professionals looking for work feeling undervalued. We are changing that, we have a very human approach to recruitment and are candidate focused. We consider ultraHealth to be a community, made up of a strong home base with the team we have put together, the amazing pool of candidates in our pipeline, and the facilities we work with. We offer our services that go above and beyond traditional placement.We are able to do this by connecting premium, contracted and placement medical professionals with hospitals and specialty care facilities.

As a startup , ultraHealth Agency right now focuses primarily on the Los Angeles Area. We are located in Pasadena, Ca and have built close ties with the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas. While this may seem limited, it allows us to focus.

Our Process:

  1. Although it has become industry standard for recruiters to look at a resume in a 6 second time span, our team goes through resumes thoroughly. We do this because we will be bringing these people for an in person interview.
  2. In person interviews are at the core of our business. We want to get to know the people we are interviewing. We pride ourselves in being a strong representative of our candidates, but it works both ways, they are a reflection of us and it is important that we have quality candidates who are both compassionate and professional.
  3. Every one of our candidates are fully credentialed. Our team has credentialing specialists that are PES certified which allows them to validate proficiency in the enrollment process, identify any knowledge gaps, and create a training roadmap. Our credentialing process affords us a prompt provider enrollment process. We combine our internal efforts with third party verification processes that are local, regional, and national. They conduct background checks consisting of criminal history, a sex offender search, school graduation verification, disciplinary records, insurance claims, license verification, HIPPA, and DEA.
  4. We find the right match. We work hard to match goals both short and long term; caregivers want to be in facilities they deem as a good fit and facilities like having happy employees

We strongly feel that our model will be the crème de la crème of local Per Diem and Placement staffing solutions to healthcare facilities. Allow us to help with your staffing needs!

www.ultrahealthagency.com . 877.390.0992. info@ultrahealthagency.com