One of the many pleasures of working with so many fine non-profits is the opportunity to have an impact on their ability to meet their goals and ultimately their organizational mission. At The Choice, we truly believe each of our placements give us an opportunity to further enhance workforces, promote synergy and build team camaraderie. Why do we believe this can happen with each placement? Because we strive to work with Citizen Leaders.
If you “Google” the term ‘citizen leadership’, one of the definitions that comes up is – “An activity that happens when citizens have power and influence and responsibility to make decisions. Citizen leadership happens when individuals have some control over their own services. It also happens when citizens take action for the benefit of other citizens”.
The Choice embarks on a very stringent vetting process for each of our associates. This process includes conducting education and employment verifications, as well as extensive background checks. However, one of our most important credentialing exercises occurs when reviewing resumes. When reviewing resumes, we look for certain traits that are indicators of a Citizen Leader. These indicators are evidence of a candidate’s engagement in his or her community—an eagerness to go the extra mile to make a difference.

The Choice believes it is very important to work with associates who understand they have the “power, influence and responsibility to make GOOD decisions.” These good decisions include the obvious—good work ethic, precision in the work you perform, ability to work well with others and the desire to go above and beyond what is asked of you to make yourself indispensable. Another important component of citizen leadership is the awareness that you have control over your own services. When working with The Choice—your services become our services – and vice-versa. It is imperative to sustain our stellar reputation that The Choice continues to recruit, retain and train Citizen Leaders—we are only as good as the people with whom we work. Our favorite component of the citizen leadership definition is taking action for the “benefit of other citizens.”

The “benefit of other citizens” is the fun part—the thinking outside of yourself and the ability to work at quality non-profits where you can enrich the lives of other citizens through your daily work. It would be rare for you to watch the news for one whole week and not hear of the commendable work being done by one of our non-profit clients. This is very exciting for our associates who are looking for meaningful work. A citizen leader understands that engagement in their job, regardless of the ranking on the organizational chart, means contributing to the overall mission.
There is no doubt that our clients benefit from this type of engaged placement – which is evident in our nearly 30 years of developing the workforce of DC area non-profits.

Thanks for your interest in our mission—to be a different type of staffing service. One truly engaged in each client’s mission.

The current labor market requires a fresh approach for all professionals seeking employ; however, I firmly believe organizations are continually looking for hardworking, top caliber talent. Time and again we hear how our quality associates deliver enhanced performance to our clients and set the bar higher for their co-workers. What makes this difference? We like to think it’s our thorough vetting process – degree verification, extensive referencing, skill assessment and background checks. But we also believe it has to do with a key part of our candidates’ background – CITIZEN LEADERSHIP!

Candidates with demonstrated engagement in their communities seem to result in engaged team members time and again. No doubt, this engagement assists our client organizations in realizing their organizational missions. Non-profits throughout the Washington, DC area are noticing the positive effects of a “Choice transformed” work force. This work force is not simply looking for a job– they are looking for a mission they can connect with and achieve purposeful work. Our goal is to have engaged citizen leaders throughout our client organizations…from the receptionist to the Executive Director.

Simply put– all jobs aren’t glamorous. However, all jobs should be valued or they should not exist. The Choice partners with organizations which value our associates. Organizations which empower our team members to make a difference because they have proven their intelligence and engagement. Don’t view any job as beneath you. We can share a tremendous number of success stories throughout our rich corporate history as testament to this statement.

We are proud of the continued partnerships we have with many executives who started with us in the early 1980′s in clerical positions. View every opportunity as a stepping stone. Ensure that those who make up your work culture see you as an attribute.

Cultural engagement is multi-faceted. Here at The Choice– you are not just passing through. We want to be a part of your career launch and help you achieve continued success. Our most successful day will be when one of the Executives we placed as a receptionist comes to us during a successful retirement and says – “find me some purposeful work on a flexible basis.” Now that is full circle!

Celebrate our country’s citizen leaders this year– not only those who founded it– but those who have challenged it to evolve into the great democracy we call America.

Here are a few behavioral habits that will truly set you apart from your peers:

1. Go to work and work.  Technology is a great thing and has advanced the way our world communicates. However, during business hours your communication should be limited to business communiqué. Wait to plan the weekend’s festivities in the evening. (And be sure to plan fun ones!) During the business day, all of your supervisors should see that you are completely committed to the advancement of the organization’s mission. This also means “go” to work. Don’t miss work. You should feel that your job has a purpose. Being able to casually miss work communicates that your work is not meaningful, and that should not be the case. Not only should you “go” to work— but you should also do so in a timely manner. I assure you, it is noticed. The Choice team is a stickler on timeliness. You may think your on-site supervisor is great and “doesn’t care if you are a few minutes late”—but we can assure you, they do. They will far more appreciate the associate who arrives before them and is already working when they walk in, as opposed to the one who shows up late and leaves early. This is why so many of our temporary job orders convert to temporary-to-hire positions. Our clients want to harness the talent and work ethic we have presented to them.

2. Don’t participate in office gossip.  Office gossip is destructive. Even listening can affect people’s impression of you. Remember: you are judged by the company you keep. The best advice we can give you is to be nice and kind to EVERYONE in the work place. Leave favoritism at home. Charge up on weekends and evenings with quality and rewarding relationships, but allow work to be about just that—work. And ENJOY IT! The Choice is elated to help people not only find work, but MEANINGFUL work. Allow your work to challenge you and keep your mind so engaged that there is no time for gossip. Office gossip is not only harmful to your reputation, but destructive to your entire psyche. Again, be pleasant with all of your interactions— no need to place judgment. Simply don’t participate.

Work can be (and should be) a positive and fulfilling portion of your life. Work life balance is a key to “whole person wellness”. Remember—there is nothing wrong with “a lot of work to balance A LOT OF LIFE!”

Here’s to enjoying your work and your life!

The Choice has been in business since 1983.  Our CEO started out as a recruiter, facilitating placements in an era of “Color Me Beautiful”, carbon paper and IBM Selectrics.  Our Vice President has facilitated placements in Washington, DC for nearly two decades–not from a glass tower but through engagement in each and every placement.  We know all too well what makes our associates thrive, and we seek these traits during our significant vetting process.  It is our team’s investment in each interview, associate and placement that has helped us retain our clients for not just a year—but a CAREER!!!!!

The Choice has always valued training and development.  The Choice takes great pride in the skill level of our associates.  Skills can be taught and enhanced.  Traits are developed.  Our blog’s purpose is to simply stimulate thought on which traits we should develop or enhance to assist us in not just “landing a job–but LAUNCHING A CAREER!”  Hence the name of our blog, “Don’t just land a job–Launch a Career!”

The Choice takes great pride in assisting our associates in finding some of the region’s very best opportunities.  We also remain grateful to our clients for the opportunity to engage our associates in these opportunities.  Though we have had some clients for nearly 30 years, we understand we are only as good as our very last placement.  Our blog is about helping our associates realize their full potential through self-actualizing behaviors that afford them real job satisfaction and, very naturally, career advancement.

We will talk about work ethic, team players, celebrating others and “mission buy-in” over the next several weeks.  Though our medium for delivery is high tech, our principles are basic–good solid behaviors, ethics and habits that ensure a launching pad for a fulfilling and rewarding career.