The August Potluck Team brought a new dimension to our monthly event, opting to go outdoors. And with such beautiful weather, why not? They picked a lovely spot not far from the office, with waterfalls, koi ponds, and plenty of shady trees under which to set up our picnic blankets. And the food wasn’t half bad either, highlighted by Hunter’s smoked ribs and a top flight mac & cheese from Kassidy.

Outsource is exhibiting at the International Security Conference & Exhibition this week in Las Vegas. As the security industry’s premier launching pad for new products, technologies and solutions, this is a great event that Outsource never misses. Over 900 security product companies exhibit, and it’s estimated that 23,000 security industry professionals will be in attendance. The technologies & products being exhibited keep evolving and advancing, and Outsource is right there, ready to provide knowledgeable, experienced technicians to install and manage these systems. From Access Control technicians, Fire Control techs, CCTV, and systems integration specialists, Outsource maintains a deep bench of qualified technicians across our national network of 17 U.S. branch offices.

Were you at the show? Drop us a line and let us know what you thought of this year’s turn out and what advancements caught your eye.

The BICSI Fall Conference & Exhibition was held at the Anaheim Convention Center on September 16-20, 2012. This is one of the key shows in the information technology systems and structured cabling industry, and Outsource is a regular presence at both the West Coast and East Coast shows.

With two days of technical pre-conference seminars, countless breakaway sessions to attend, on-site examinations for those looking to get their BICSI credentials, and every attending company’s booth to visit in the exhibition hall, these were a packed four days for BICSI Conference participants.

Outsource was represented at the vendor exhibition by VP of Sales Steve Ebenhack, Western US Regional Manager Sam Jarvis, as well as Chris Kemble, Kassidy Miller and Jenny Zhao. With over 120 exhibits to see, it was tough to get around to all of them, but Outsource appreciates all of our clients that stopped by to say hello, and those new faces that we met for the first time.

The Outsource team also hosted two happy hour events at the nearby Morton’s, where we were all able to relax and spend some more time visiting with clients and BICSI attendees afterhours. Thanks again to all that stopped by.

Outsource will be back at BICSI for the winter show held in Tampa, FL, on January 20-24, 2013. If anyone would like one-day tickets for the exhibition hall, please
CLICK HERE to email us your request. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Outsource was represented at the UCLA Jobs Fair earlier this month by four UCLA graduates, including Jenny Zhao (Business Development Manager), Brett Hays (Inside Sales), Amanda Delzell (Recruiter), and Brie Harvey (Director of Recruitment). It was a great opportunity to tell UCLA students about Outsource and introduce them to the staffing world. Zhao noted that some of the representatives of Outsource were in the same situation as the students not even a year ago, so they were particularly qualified to inform students about the young, dynamic culture at Outsource and they served as ideal examples of how quickly new talent can have an impact at Outsource.

As a native of San Antonio, one of the reasons Jenny enjoys working at Outsource is she can return home for longer stays due to the fact that she can work out of the San Antonio office. Many of the potential hires that met the team were interested in markets like San Francisco and Seattle, where Outsource is already established. Now with 18 offices across the country, the company’s national presence is one of the big bonuses of working for Outsource. This was a big attraction for several new hires who wanted to take advantage of Outsource’s national footprint, which enables them to explore different corners of the country and meet their colleagues in various locations.

The competitive nature of the staffing business set in a team environment was especially attractive to many Bruin student-athletes, according to Brett Hays, who also said, “It was great to get back to campus and recruit future Outsource team members.” Besides the number of athletes they met, Delzell remarked at how many sophomore and junior students attended the jobs fair and were interested in internship opportunities at Outsource, especially after the team explained what daily life and the culture is like at Outsource. The idea to attend the jobs fair went into effect once Harvey received approval from the Executive Team to register with the fair, which offered fantastic visibility for Outsource. Not only UCLA students, but also other companies represented at the fair were impressed to see a table full of UCLA graduates. As far as the future is concerned, Harvey says, “We are working on new marketing literature for other job fairs in hopes of implementing the same system the team applied at UCLA.”

Hurricane Sandy’s late October visit to the East Coast has left a swath of destruction in its wake. Fortunately, our personnel in our New York City, Washington, D.C and Boston offices came through the storm unscathed. But they all have family and friends whose lives have been uprooted by the storm. So we’re asking you to donate, in any way you can. The American Red Cross is doing terrific work on the ground providing food and shelter to those displaced by the storm, and you can click on this link to donate. There is also a fundraising concert that NBC will be televising Friday, November 2nd at 8 PM from Rockafeller Center, with Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilera, Sting, and many others expected to perform. All proceeds from the telethon go to the Red Cross relief efforts, so please tune in, and please donate.

A well-trained crew is a successful crew, which is why Outsource is proud to provide entry-level training for prospective cable installation technicians. Recently, in both Los Angeles and San Diego, 17 entry-level technicians completed an intensive four-day training program that resulted in job placement for all 17 technicians in structured cabling positions. The training was intended to accomplish three main goals: instill a foundational knowledge of industry standards and practices for our technicians, provide them with additional skills necessary to meet and exceed these standards, and familiarize them with cabling workplace culture. These three elements allow a new technician to do their job effectively and to integrate into a crew more quickly. At Outsource, we want our technicians not only to understand what they do, but also why they do it. Our structured cabling technicians are trained to understand how their skillsets and their line of work fit into the overall operation of daily life. Voice and data systems are critical utilities that underpin much of our modern-day commerce and communications. Communication media are expected to be reliably available at all times, whether it be Internet connection in hotel rooms or the ability for point-of-sale systems to relay credit information to a bank to complete a retail purchase. Structured cabling is the essential groundwork for this communication to take place, and our immersive training allows us to provide our clients with crews that not only perform the technical aspect of the job safely and effectively, but also understand the important role they play in the big picture, as well.

Whether you are a construction worker, a clerical temp, an engineer or an electrician it is important that you understand how to get the most out of working with an outsourcing staffing placement agency. When you begin your process with a staffing agency, generally you will be connected with a recruiter and set up a time to meet with them, interview and exchange information. Just like all interview processes it is important to provide good references, accurate contact information and an up-to-date professional resume. If you have other shows of your work, including portfolios or websites, those should also be well maintained and ready to show to prospective clients. You will be given the opportunity to let your recruiter know how much work you are looking for, and what type, as well as your general availability to take on new jobs.

Usually, at this point your information is entered into a secure database that is physical and/or software based. This allows the agency to organize and search through the available labor sources to best serve employers looking to hire. If for any reason it appears that you are unavailable or limited within this database, it will limit your ability to be hired. So, when interviewed be very clear about all of your available skill sets and experiences. Make sure also that you are logged as currently seeking work, if in fact you are looking for hire. The job of recruitment is often like a puzzle. The recruiter’s job is to anticipate the needs of clients and try to hire labor that will match the specifications of those clients. However, no matter how talented the recruiter, they cannot always be sure which companies will be looking for what kind of workers when.

This is a case when you want to look as good on paper as possible, so that you are more likely to match the vacant hole in the puzzle that prospective employers are looking for. If you are skilled and have a good track record, it does make a recruiter look good to be affiliated with your talent. Because you can never be sure when you may need to turn to your recruiter again, it is the best plan to perform well in the positions they place you in. If you make them look good, they are more likely to send you out again next time. Make a strong connection with your recruiter, learn their name and their strengths. Just like any good business relationship, this may take a little upkeep and persistence. If they prove to serve you well, try to ensure that your relationship continues with the same recruiter every time.

Do not wait in restlessness for too long. If you do not hear about jobs in a reasonable amount of time, or if you have been sent out on an interview and do not hear from the agency, give them a call or drop them an email. Be courteous, but specific. Asking about where you are in the hiring process is your right. If you didn’t get the job you wanted yet, ask what you can do to make yourself more desirable and capable of getting the next one. Many staffing agencies can recommend new ways to market yourself, as well as training and certification programs to keep your skills current. The relationship should be symbiotic, do not forget to hold up your end.

As some Outsource employees and clients already know, John Lowell, in addition to serving as CEO of the company, also moonlights as a rock ‘n’ roll drummer with his band, which includes bassist Michael Devin (Whitesnake) and guitarist Brent Woods (Warrant and Vince Neil). Known for their deep-cut, blues-inspired rock covers and their energetic live shows in some of the most prestigious and most notorious bars and music clubs in LA: The Viper Room, The Mint, Abuelitas in Topanga, and El Cid in Silver Lake. The shows are a blast and turn into company events as several of the Southern California team members are usually in attendance.

You never know who is going to be at the show. Recently, Adrian Smith of the legendary band Iron Maiden showed up and asked to sit in for a couple of songs. The band was happy to oblige. Someone in the audience was able to capture a bit of what transpired:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY-HCWa5WSE

The band recently reached a new milestone when they were asked to play with the band Chevy Metal, whose members include Taylor Hawkins (drums) and Chris Shiflett (guitar) of the Foo Fighters. The show was announced on several of the Foos websites, creating a huge buzz as well as a line of about 300 people waiting to see the show at Rock & Roll Pizza at the Rack in Woodland Hills, CA.

For those of you in the Southern California region, this band just added a show at THE SHORE in Redondo Beach on THURSDAY, MAY 17th. For more information, check out the band’s Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/

Here’s a link to the band performing at The Viper Room:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBp4A9nOnsc 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDgiIxBIRqI 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MLh-Cy4VY0&feature=relmfu 

Outsource held a group training course for 10 of it’s newer recruiters. Held February 11th-15th at the Southern California corporate office, the class offered the recruiters a comprehensive and in-depth course on how to succeed in their roles. Attendees came in from all regions, including Anna Sather and Danny Brawer from Seattle, Jorden Noack and Hunter Schmidt from Los Angeles, Kathryn Capogrossi from Atlanta, Nicole Manning from Chicago, John Carey and Rachel Cohen from New York, Brandon Johnson from San Antonio and Chloe Davidson from Phoenix.

The week of hands on training included one-on-one training and role playing with Brieanna Harvey, Director of Recruitment, Steve Ebenhack, VP of Sales, and was also lead by John Lowell, Outsource CEO. In addition to the rigorous classroom schedule, the recruiters were able to spend time after hours socializing & getting to know the rest of the corporate staff, and there were a few excursions that took advantage of the fair weather and proximity to the beach.

John Carey had this to say about his experience during the recruiter training: “The training experience in LA, was a great way to connect with the corporate office and bond with the Outsource team.”