From a lifestyle standpoint, sitting on the Northway from 7-8am and 5-6pm was no way I wanted to go through life. Being able to have my schedule adjusted this way made the job much more enjoyable.

I’d like companies to consider this bold move as an option:

Monday through Thursday 930-330 in the office, and 2 hours per day work from home

Friday work from home any 8 hours of your choosing

By doing this, your staff will be able to avoid traffic on either end of their commute, yet still be productive and in person for 4 days a week during the bulk of the day.

The post A Potential Solution To the Work from Home / Work from Office / Hybrid Debate appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

When you go to a career fair, you can see what recruiters are engaged and what ones are sitting in their seats.

As a job seeker, you don’t want to be sitting on the sidelines.

It gives off a negative impression when you are standing around during a high-stakes event or job air.

When you go to a job fair, be sure you chat with everyone, and don’t feel intimidated if someone is sitting down. More often than not, recruiters at job fairs have fallen into this habit of being seated rather than being engaged and standing.

Be the one to do the outreach!

Want to discuss the job search! Setup a 5-15 minute get to know you call at https://go.oncehub.com/RobertBraathe

The post The Risks Of Sitting On the Sidelines In Your Career appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

Behavioral interviewing is a structured method employers use to assess a candidate’s past experiences and predict future performance. Unlike hypothetical questions, this approach focuses on real-life examples to evaluate technical, soft, and hard skills more objectively.

At the core of behavioral interviewing lies the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—a framework that helps both interviewers and candidates stay focused and organized. Interviewers should prepare relevant questions, actively listen for STAR components, and ask thoughtful follow-ups to uncover complete stories.

This method also helps reduce common hiring biases, such as the halo or recency effect, by offering measurable insights into a candidate’s competencies. To avoid these biases, companies can use structured interviews, blind resume reviews, and panel evaluations.

Candidates can prepare by identifying 4–5 strong examples and practicing STAR-formatted responses, highlighting results with metrics where possible.

Beyond hiring, behavioral interviewing is valuable in performance reviews, leadership development, and internal promotions. It ensures fairness, consistency, and deeper insights—making it a vital tool in today’s talent strategy.

By focusing on what people have actually done—not what they might do—behavioral interviewing brings clarity and confidence to the hiring process.

The post Mastering Behavioral Interviewing appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

Anything that could take me less than 15 minutes I schedule on my calendar as a task using Google Tasks.

Even in the summer months, when I tend to have more available time, I still follow these protocols to ensure that I am using time wisely and not filling up time for the sake of it.

Interested in getting more control over your calendar? Setup a call at https://meetme.so/RobertBraathe

The post Why 15, 25 and 50 Should Be Your Favorite Work Numbers appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

Education and support help to normalize mental health in the workplace. Human resource professionals must be able to encourage employees to prioritize their mental health and communicate whenever they feel like they are struggling. Human resource professionals can also reduce the stigma surrounding mental health in the workplace by promoting employee assistance programs (EAP), which can help employees with mental health issues by offering many resources, such as counseling. Management should also go through training sessions to be able to help educate them on this topic.

Mental health awareness in the workplace allows for a functioning, healthy environment. Human resource professionals need to promote awareness of this issue to achieve this outcome. By providing education and support to workers, human resource professionals can create a thriving organization.

The post Mental Health Awareness in HR appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

Loser language is anything that presents your situation in a way that states that it is unsolvable.

Words and phrases like confused, frustrated, struggling, busy, “I don’t have time”, and “I don’t know” are all dead-ends to conversations and change.

Instead of confused, ask questions for clarity.

Instead of reaching the point of frustration, ask for assistance or set expectations clearly.

Instead of struggling, state “Here’s something I am dealing with right now, can you provide me some advice on how to effectively handle it?”

Instead of busy or “I don’t have time”, let people know what you can do.

Instead of “I don’t know” or “I didn’t know”, be sure to follow directions and re-read or ask questions for clarity to learn more.

Need more advice on how to avoid defeatism and loser language? Setup a call at http://meetme.so/RobertBraathe

Robert Braathe

www.careerservicestation.com

The post Cut Back on Loser Language and Defeatist Thoughts appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

There are some critics about the label of “quiet quitting.” In the eyes of many workers and those that advocate for workers’ rights, this term describes someone that is completing the required tasks and supposedly working for what they are paid for, so they are not really quitting. National Public Radio writer, Amina Kilpatrick, claims that quiet quitting “may be a misnomer for setting boundaries at work” and that devoting time to their personal lives should not be seen in a negative light. 

The desire for balance between work and life, as well as the power dynamic between employers and employees, are significant factors influencing this new trend. Twitter user, Randy Miller, tweeted, “A lot of talk about quiet quitting but very little talk about “quiet firing” which is when you don’t give someone a raise in 5 years even though they keep doing everything you ask them to.” Some argue that employers may be at fault for pushing workers to exhibit quiet quitting, by refusing to give them promotions or raises, or by creating a stressful or hostile work environment by encouraging competition or expecting overachievement. Employees want to have power and the knowledge that hard work will pay off, and this concept may be a better way for them to assert control over their situations/ work-life balance. 

We know that workers exhibiting what is known as quiet quitting are still completing tasks, but they are lacking determination and pride in their work. Employees are essentially giving up opportunities, and Alyssa Navarro of People Matters writes that they will become “totally disengaged from their work… and reject projects that may potentially advance their skills and career.” Some may feel like they were owed a promotion or raise, and when they didn’t receive it, they downgraded their work ethic. But this surely will not get them to where they want to go. 

Employers are also catching on to this negative trend, and are looking to flush out those that are not committed to their work. So, “quiet quitting” could really turn into not having that job. 

Ultimately, if you feel like quiet quitting applies to you in any future job you have, this could be a sign to search for something new. If your current job or any job in the future gives you no sense of fulfillment, it is better to fully move on, rather than engage in quiet quitting. This could be just one scenario that could prompt someone to look for a new job or career, and this is why the work that we do here at Braathe Enterprises is so important and necessary. 

Sources:

Kilpatrick, Amina. “The term quiet quitting is everywhere now.” National Public Radio. Aug. 25, 2022.

https://www.npr.org/2022/08/25/1119343413/quiet-quitting-work-experience. 

Navarro, Alyssa. “The good and the bad of quiet quitting.” People Matters. Sept. 6, 2022. 

https://www.peoplematters.in/article/employee-engagement/the-good-and-the-bad-of-q

uiet-quitting-35172. 

The post New Trend of “Quiet Quitting” appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

Everyone may have different priorities in terms of what they look for in a job. Before going into specifics of an offer, it is important to consider how your values align with the values of the company that has offered you the job. Companies will often have mission statements or explanations of their vision on their websites, or they may explain them during the interview process. These will be relevant to any work you do for that company, so it is necessary that you find an employer that is compatible with you and your beliefs so that you can feel fulfilled and ensured of your purpose in your job. 

Specifically in the job offer, there will be conditions of employment which include descriptions of the position’s responsibilities and duties to give you an idea of what the job entails. The status of the position will let you know if it is part-time or full-time and the hours of work will explain the hours of operation and the minimum hours of work per week if applicable. The position will either be exempt, meaning that it is a salaried position and you will not be eligible for overtime pay, or non-exempt, meaning that you are able to receive overtime pay.

The job offer will also outline opportunities for time off and vacation. Benefits, such as insurance, may be written out or shared during new employee orientation and enrollment could take place immediately upon getting hired or once you meet eligibility criteria. The hiring process may also include a probationary period in which the employer can terminate your employment without cause or advance notice. You should also be aware of your rights as an employee and if the state you are getting hired in has an “at-will” law, which signifies that an employee can be hired or fired at any time for any reason.

It is also a good idea to negotiate aspects of the offer. Negotiations are becoming more common in the workplace and they ensure that you make every effort to establish your priorities and get what you want out of your job. Consider what you may be willing to sacrifice in exchange for a request in your negotiation. It is common to negotiate salaries, so being aware of common salaries within that career can help you get a salary that you deserve. Salary.com and Glassdoor.com are great options to explore this. You can also make sure that there are opportunities for promotions if that is important to you.

Job offers can be packed with information and terms that may be unfamiliar to you. This is why it is integral to take an adequate amount of time in reviewing a job offer and researching its components. Determine what is the most essential to you and express this to your potential employer so that you can have the best job situation.

The post Evaluating and Prioritizing Elements of a Job Offer appeared first on Robert Braathe's HR & Albany Jobs Blog.

What was it like starting a business from the ground up?

Well to be frank, it was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. First, finding the money to fund something that you are not sure that will prosper is scary, but you have to take the chance. Fear and finances were the main two concepts that worried me in the beginning. 

What made you take a small successful 4 person painting and wallpaper hanging company and create a large maintenance company?

I really just wanted to know that I could do it, I knew the industry and the people and knew that there was a demand in our area for a “one stop shop” for all home goods needs and took a stab in the dark with hope and determination and turned it into a wonderful thing. It was a huge gamble deciding to take my part-time company with a few friends and create a company that would not only have my name and reputation attached to it, but to also create a company that would employ at the average 20 people that would use this place as their main source of income.

What was it like to be a woman in a male-dominated work field?

It was not easy starting out, it did help that I was known on the jobs sites but having order from a woman that most do not know or respect came with its hardships. Mostly older men did not want to take orders from a woman, trust the advice of a woman, or respect a woman in this field. This industry was more of a respect and trust in knowledge that had to be learned and earned, but I do think I had to do more to prove myself in the world of maintenance and home building. There were times that my personal supplies were thrown in the yard, having men speak to me foul-mouthed, and certain people talk about the job or myself like I was not present. Any of these difficulties could be plenty to drive those away if you did not have drive, motivation, and a thick skin. But with time other contractors, customers, and other companies in the world on maintenance and renovation could see through actions that I am serious, I do know what I am talking about, and I am a force to be reckoned with. 

What type of outlook does this career have in your opinion for both owners and employees? 

I do not have statistics or projections in front of me but I know through experience that over time generations grow older and with that in mind younger generations are buying or building homes, with this in mind every first time homeowner has an amazing vision in mind and I wanted to be that company that made it come true. And the older generations are getting to a point that they will need home with home maintenance or upkeep with age, there comes a point where getting on a ladder to change lights or climbing up to clearing gutter becomes dangerous or impossible. With that being said that whether it’s convenience or a necessity, there will always be homes and work that need to be done with the homes. But from an human resource outlook with hiring within this industry I say that it was one of the hardest things about the company. The industry is very competitive for employees with there being multiple plumber, air condition, or maintenance companies around, so the job opportunities are in abundance but as an employer finding employees who are motivated, interested, and hard working, as this is a very manual labor career path, can be challenging. 

Do you think this is a competitive industry?

Home services is a large demand company. There are some easy ways to stand out from other companies, which are simple and should be done without saying but that is blatantly giving excellent service. Do the small everyday jobs that might not be worth it, but customers remember who was there for them when they needed it. We did not do much advertising, but mostly because most of the time we did not need it. We do all work just by word of mouth and through referral from HOA and condo complex managers. Clients not only way fair prices and good work, but having a friendly face, being polite, and respectful will always guarantee continued business. It says a lot when competitors charge less than fair prices and are not insured but clients will pay more for your insured company. It says a lot about your customer retention. 

Was it difficult being an owner, worker, and human resources manager all at once at Coastal Maintenance?

You have no idea how hard it was wearing multiple hats at one company at once. As a worker, I work whenever a wallpaper job comes up alongside a friend of mine. While wearing the hat of a worker I cannot let business decisions or other company related topics distract from performing at the utmost degree. As a human resource manager you juggle so many things that you might not realize, meaning anything from hiring, firing, workplace conflict, and payroll. And lastly, as an owner almost everything else falls into this category. Customer relations and conflict, creating estimates, meeting with clients and other contractors for large orders, and making sure everything is generally okay. It is very easy to become overworked, and possibly if I could do it again I would create a few more positions that would have benefited me more.

What are some ways that you have gone out of your way to help your employees?

Firstly, I would always make sure that the employees were given at least a 40-hour full-time paycheck weekly. I understand cutting hours not only drives away employees but even the loyal employees would have had hard time and struggles being that this was most employees main source of income. During hurricane preparations and evaluations, I would pay the employees in advance to help aid them and their families with either setting up their plans to leave the area or so they could buy supplies. I always had an open door policy whether that was an employee just needing to talk, needing advice, or just a quiet space to collect their thoughts. I always tried to be a boss and a friend and I think the employees appreciated that from me.

When did you realize that you were truly successful in the company?

There are two different answers that I cannot choose how to explain to you. I will tell you both and you can decide which you feel is right, but I do not think either is wrong. I knew I was successful when I managed to keep a small business company during the drop in the economy. During hard times I made sure clients were helped fairly, employees had a paycheck, and no one unnecessarily suffered. I was told as a small business if I could get through that, I could get through anything. But my second answer is who knows. You never realize that you’re successful when in time there is always the newest stressor; lack of employees, lack of work, new competition, etc. After every struggle there is always a small success until the next struggle. But looking back I when selling my company I felt nothing but success and I still do today,

What does customer service mean to you?

Customer service means everything. As I’ve explained in past questions, without good customer service and retention I would not have been able to have had a successful company as long as I did. I personally handle all company client issues but I never took full credit for company happiness. It is truly a group effort on making a client happy from the administrator taking the order, technicians seeing the job through, consultations with me if needed, and accounts payable and receivable to ensure happiness. 

If there was someone wanting to go into the industry as a business owner what advice would you give them?

I think some advice I wish that someone would’ve told me starting off is networking and start up is not the easiest. Starting any company can be expensive but anytime your business offers a service as vast as maintenance, which includes painting, paper hanging, air conditioning, appliances, electrical, plumbing, and basic maintenance, can add up when considering stock, tools, equipment, vehicles and more. I do not think I understood exactly what starting the company entitled so I would recommend thorough financial planning. And in that planning remembering payroll taxes, workmen’s compensation, vehicle insurances, rent for office space, etc. And jumping into a maintenance company is easy, if you have the finances, but what connections you have will be key to being successful. I would recommend starting by working at a company and working lower on the pole, making connections, understanding the way it works, and using this time and knowledge in creating a company that you know works versus what you think  might work. 

What made you retire and do you regret it?

I would say yes I do regret retiring. I do not think that I decided to retire when I did, that it was actually more due to monopolization. My largest client wanted to buy my company, even though I had my doubts after looking at the numbers and eventually decided against trying to push back and ended up selling. I was supposed to continue working as a manager for the company but after creative differences I decided to retire permanently.  It is sad to know that that company is not around anymore but turn into something different. It is hard to see something that you worked so hard for turn into nothing. I still work as a paperhanger here and there, it keeps me active and I enjoy working, but I do wish that I could go back in time and hesitate a bit longer to give myself time to think thing through more. 

If you were to open another company what would you do?

If I was to open another company, I would open another maintenance company. Even though it was not my first choice all those years ago I have fallen in love with that world and would more than enjoy doing it all over again, and having the knowledge now that I did not have then makes me think that if I did do it again it would again be successful perhaps even more. Honestly, I even have past clients that are curious to have me back in the industry, even if part-time.

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