Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Tim Whitney is a Dallas-based business executive, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. His latest book, The Fast Track 50: The Get-Ahead Guide for Temporary Employees, combines his 22-plus years of senior leadership experience with temporary employees and the team-building science he studied in obtaining his MBA. The end result is a simple yet powerful pocket guide of insider tips that rapidly shortens the team-building process, thus saving time, money, and aggravation for employer, employee, and temporary staffing agency.Tim completed his B.S. in Business Administration at Northeastern University and graduated with a Team-Building MBA from Western New England University. He is currently VP of two companies, Naturich Labs, Inc and International Products Group, LLC, as well as the founder of www.APlayForFood.org, which unites theaters with food drives all across the USA.

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The Fast Track 50

Bancroft Press

Contents

Chapter One

All of my working life has been spent building a career, continuing my education on team-building, and compiling hands-on research for this book. During my 22+ years in manufacturing, I have been continually promoted, flourishing as a Production Supervisor, Superintendent, Manufacturing Manager, Plant Manager, Quality Manager and, most recently, VP of Operations for three different companies, all while running my own international manufacturing consulting company.

I have hired, fired, coached, and worked side-by-side with thousands of temps looking for a permanent job. I've also worked hand-in-hand with more than two dozen temp services.

I know first-hand what temps are going through and how challenging and stressful it is to transition from temporary to permanent employment. I started out as a temp with my first employer and, within three months, became a full-time employee. Less than nine years later, I'd advanced with the same company through seven positions and was successfully running a multi-million dollar, 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility by the age of 34.

With the birth of my first daughter, I decided to move back to New England to be closer to family, and my employment search started all over again. I spent the next six years with my second employer, advancing through five positions while going back to school at night to obtain a Team Building MBA in 18 months. For my efforts, I was rewarded with promotions, well-above-average raises, and stock options.

I spent over three years traveling back and forth to Guatemala consulting with manufacturers, and working side-by-side with companies exporting to the U.S. All companies—whether in Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, or the United States—face the same challenges when it comes to hiring quality full-time employees.

As a successful executive and international consultant, I've been extensively involved in the hiring process. I've worked with more than two dozen temporary staffing services over the years, trying to select the best temporary employees for permanent positions. I've also been actively involved with acquiring new companies, succession planning, cooperating with executive hiring committees, interviewing and recommending the best candidates for leadership positions.

Over my entire career in manufacturing, both domestic and international, there are two significant things that continue to amaze me about the hiring process of entry-level employees:

1. How little time temp agencies spend making sure temps understand the basic rules of employment before they begin their assignments. As a temp, you need a competitive advantage to stand out in a crowd and be considered for permanent employment. There is a growing pool of intelligent and hard-working temporary employees who are rarely, if ever, provided the basic tools and guidance required to obtain permanent employment.

2. Today's managers are maxed out with their workload resolving conflict and managing change.

No one is set up for success! If a company tries to get the job done with a workforce lacking the proper tools and guidance supervised by an overtaxed manager with no time to provide those tools and guidance, how will consistent productivity ever be maintained? The teaming tips found in The Fast Track 50 provide that workforce with the necessary tools for success, leaving managers with more time to work with an already capable group of team-oriented employees, thus reducing unnecessary turnover and increasing productivity.

During my career, I've used a set of basic requirements to hire the best and brightest. I've observed these same basic requirements with manager after manager, company after company, and even country after country.

The Fast Track 50 includes the proven set of rules that sets temps up for success starting on day one. The Fast Track 50 list, based on team science, is a list of basic attitudes, behaviors, and actions designed to enhance your chances of quickly morphing into a member of an existing team in an established work environment.

Think back to your days on the playground when you had a pickup game of kickball, soccer, baseball, or basketball. Which kids got picked for teams? The kids who knew the rules and knew how to play the game! Time is limited. If you have 30 minutes to pick teams and play a competitive game, you're not going to pick the new kid from out of town who doesn't even know how to play. You pick the people who can play the game without wasting time. Managers do the same thing. They are simply too overloaded to waste their time trying to get temps up to speed.

Additionally, downsizing is rapidly becoming a means of economic survival, so most companies have fewer full-time employees and a growing temp workforce, resulting in more qualified people out on the street looking for work and competing for the same jobs.

As the workforce becomes more competitive, managers are forced to save money and improve performance. While they need temps to augment their workforce and to flex with the needs of the business, the end result is they have less time to orient, train, interact, manage conflict about, direct operations of, and fully evaluate temp employees for permanent employment, or even long-term temporary employment. In order to succeed and find permanent employment, you absolutely need to have all the right basic tools and know the rules of today's competitive work environment.

If you are one of the millions of temporary employees searching for permanent employment in manufacturing, logistics, or even an office environment, this is the book for you! By purchasing Fast Track 50, you've made a great investment in your future!

Tim Whitney, Team Building MBA Author of The Fast Track 50, founder; tipsfortemps.com, creator; SafeTemps Certification Owner, TCW Consulting LLC. Vice President, Naturich Labs, Inc Vice President of Operations, International Products Group, LLC Founder, A Play For Food (www.APlayForFood.org)

Temps Treadmill or Career Escalator?

Many temps are stuck on what I call the "temp treadmill." They lack team- building skills and regularly bounce from job to job hoping they will get lucky. They must live a life with an uncertain paycheck, inconsistent assignments and pay, potential risk of and times of unemployment, limited hope for benefits, and continual job insecurity.

Then there are the temps who are ready to take the first step on the career escalator. They want a career so strongly that they follow The Fast Track 50 and change their actions, attitudes, and behaviors to quickly fit in with any team. When they do, they achieve a higher level of security, which means a regular paycheck, a steady pay rate, possible benefits, and a reduced level of stress.

If you are ready to step off the Temp Treadmill and take the first step on the Career Escalator, read my Fast Track 50 and realize that every assignment is an opportunity to show your team skills and obtain a foothold on a full-time career.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Who needs this book? This book is for temporary employees working in manufacturing, shipping, warehouse, construction, retail, or...