Blog | Career Tips & Insights by Peak Performers

April 17, 2024

Skills-Based Hiring: Do You Still Need a Degree to Get Hired Today?

Is a college degree necessary for job success? Explore the truth about skills-based hiring and discover alternative paths to employment in today’s market.

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March 21, 2017

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Writing a compelling cover letter

Writing Cover Letters Six seconds. That’s the amount of time recruiters typically spend reviewing an individual resume. That’s the same amount of time you probably spent reading the previous sentence. Or about how long it takes Usain Bolt to sprint across a fifty-meter finish line. That means you’ve got to catch their attention quickly and hope they somehow stay engaged long enough to consider your actual qualifications. When you’re trudging through the muck of a job search, much of the process can feel painfully automated. Resume. Application. Follow-up. Rinse and repeat. And then there’s the cover letter. It’s typically the …

March 9, 2017

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Disability awareness

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4 tips for job seekers with disabilities

Disability and Employment Based on Census Bureau data from 2015, there were an estimated 1.6 million working-age Texans with one or more disabilities. In the same year, Austin was home to nearly 72,000 residents living with disabilities or roughly 8 percent of the city’s population. These are significant numbers, and they likely do not include many invisible disabilities as defined by the ADA Amendments Act (2008). While the situation is improving, many challenges remain for job seekers with chronic medical conditions in the United States. Discrimination in the workplace, lack of accessibility and inaccurate perceptions are all contributing factors to a disability …

February 27, 2017

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Sneak Peak: Featuring Darwin H.

Past Employee Showcase Welcome to the inaugural post of Sneak Peak, an on-going series highlighting the career path of one of our former associates – how they got started, what they’re doing now and what advice they have for current job seekers in Austin. Our Peak recruiters ran into Darwin. recently at a local community meeting. In a city becoming synonymous with gentrification and displacement, Darwin is a 5th generation Austinite. He is also an active volunteer, community leader and board member for several local civic organizations. Darwin was gracious enough to share a glimpse of his journey in his …

February 21, 2017

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7 questions to ask in your next job interview

What Should You Ask During an Interview? Most job seekers understand the importance of asking good questions during the interview. Not only is it essential to come prepared with answers, but it’s also critical to ask the right questions. Your inquiries communicate a lot about who you are and what your expectations are for the position. By asking genuine and engaging questions, you’re showing the interviewer that you actually care about the position, the company, and how you might be able to contribute. Think of the questions you ask as being statements that can help set you apart from competing …

February 9, 2017

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What to wear to your Austin interview

Tips for Dressing for your Interview According to the Austin Business Journal, there are an estimated 157.2 people moving to our area every single day. Central Texas has been one of the fastest growing regions of the US for many years. More and more people are drawn to Austin’s growing economy, laid-back atmosphere and mild winter weather. We’re also proud to be ranked 2017’s best place to live by the ubiquitous assessors at US News & World Report. If you’re new to our beautiful city, we feel confident you’ll assimilate quickly. With so many fresh job seekers from other parts of …

January 30, 2017

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5 tips to make the most of your next job fair

Advice for Attending Job Fairs Job fairs can either be an incredible networking opportunity or an incredible waste of time. Like most aspects of the job search, thorough preparation and strategic follow-up are crucial to success. Also, many job fairs have moved online with Covid-19–that said, you should still prepare for them the same way you would with in-person networking events. Here’s how to make the most of your next event: Come prepared. Once you find out what companies will be present, do some additional research to help prioritize the ones you’d like to target. Don’t waste your time talking …

December 20, 2023

Is Your Compensation and Benefits Package Aligned with Your Needs?

Compensation and benefits are crucial to your lifestyle and your satisfaction. This article looks into the importance of compensation and benefits, providing ways to communicate and know if your compensation offers are enough. Let this guide help you align your benefits package with your personal needs and career goals. A Look at the State of Work Benefits Today A Pew Research Center survey on why US workers quit their jobs found that 43 percent of the respondents felt their benefits weren’t competitive.¹ It’s worth noting that in a survey by Mercer, 70 percent of large companies and 53 percent of …

December 13, 2023

A Path to Unity: Celebrating December Holidays and Human Rights for a More Inclusive Year-Ender

Thanksgiving has passed, and there’s another celebration worth highlighting: Human Rights Day. This resource will discuss this monumental day and how it synergizes with holiday celebrations. Through this article, we hope you embrace various holidays that can be a powerful platform for promoting understanding and respect. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights The international community commemorates Human Rights Day every year on December 10. In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). This helps protect human rights, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, disability, and other statuses.¹ Here are the 30 articles listed in the …

November 29, 2023

Navigating People-First and Identity-First Communication

Empower disability-inclusive dialogue with Peak Performers. Explore, learn, and foster inclusivity in your workplace.

November 15, 2023

The Key to Job Fulfillment: Learn to Evaluate Company Culture

Finding the right job is more than just finding the right compensation package. Discovering long-term happiness in a job also means identifying a company culture that resonates with your values and what matters most to you. In this article, we examine the importance of company culture and also provide you with tips to evaluate the work culture of perspective future employers. The Importance of Company Culture In a Gallup report, employees who were quietly quitting were surveyed about what they would change about their current workplace.¹ These three were the top answers: 41% Culture or Engagement 28% Pay and Benefits …

November 1, 2023

Disability Awareness and ‘Movember’: Breaking Stigmas, Building Movements

Movember is the time of the year when men grow their mustaches. However, it’s not just about the beards. We’ll dive into the meaningful intersection of Movember and National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), highlighting the importance of raising awareness, encouraging men to talk about their health, and sharing several activities that can help promote men’s health and advocate for individuals with disabilities. Why Is Movember Celebrated? In 2003, Australian friends Luke Slattery and Travis Garone had two things in mind: to bring back the mustache or the “Mo” in recent trends and make a campaign on men’s health and …

October 18, 2023

NDEAM 2023: Debunking 18 Common Myths About Allyship

October marks National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a time when we celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities and acknowledge the importance of creating inclusive workplaces. A significant aspect of fostering inclusivity is allyship, which involves individuals using their privilege to support marginalized colleagues. In this article, we’ll debunk common myths about allyship in the workplace for individuals with disabilities to help you be a better ally. Debunking 18 Myths on Allyship Myth 1: Allyship is Only About Being Supportive While support is a key aspect of an allyship, allyship goes beyond offering a sympathetic ear. Allyship involves taking …

March 19, 2024

Scaling Workforce: A Strategic Approach to Volume Hiring for Long-term Projects

A Strategic Approach to Volume Hiring for Long-term Projects

November 4, 2022

Careers are not always linear

Hiring for humans, not machines Disability hiring starts with considering all applicants There are certain patterns you can see in a resume that signal someone is dealing with a disability. Each resume leaves us hints about life events and perhaps what someone is currently going through. Each resume tells a story both in what is included as well as what is omitted. To be more inclusive in hiring people with disabilities, pause to dig into these resumes further. Resumes we see on a regular basis: A person is seeking employment after a 5 year employment gap. Perhaps they are recovering …

October 13, 2022

Everything you know about disability inclusion is WRONG

Everything you Know about Disability Inclusion is WRONG Summary of Event Everything You Know about Disability Inclusion is WRONG! In …

September 2, 2022

Disability Inclusion Starts With You

You Must be Part of the Change Making Meaningful Change to Disability Inclusion and Hiring After explaining Peak Performers Staffing Agency mission of hiring people with disabilities to a new person, I experience a range of emotional reactions ranging from enthusiasm to curiosity to indifference. But my least favorite reaction is… “Well, good for you. I’m glad someone is helping those people.” While this seems like a benign statement, what is often implied here is “someone else is helping people with disabilities so I don’t have to.” Furthermore, the speaker usually makes it pretty clear in the statement that they …

August 25, 2022

Labels for people with disabilities

Labels matter Respecting what people call themselves It can sometimes be confusing when a group of people start calling themselves something different and ask you to do the same. Language changes and so too does cultural norms and the labels applied to people. Over time, we have seen people with disabilities (as well as other minorities) change what they prefer to be called. Once we used the word “handicapped.” Now many prefer to use the words “person with a disability” so as to put the person before their disability. Once we referred to people as having “shell shock.” This has …

August 19, 2022

People with invisible disabilities are everywhere

Empathy for invisible disabilities Not all disabilities are visible The other day, I was having a conversation and a person. The conversation turned to our mission and they said “I don’t see your disability–it can’t be that bad.” To which, I wanted to reply “Well, that’s great but I have to live with it.” Some people without disabilities struggle to recognize the significance and impact of invisible and hidden disabilities. After all, if we can’t see it, can it really be all that bad? Invisible disabilities are very real The first thing to realize is that invisible disabilities are very, …

August 12, 2022

Asking People About their Disability

Curiosity is Not the Problem Asking People About Their Disabilities Have you ever wondered: – How a wheelchair user drives …

April 10, 2024

The $4,700 Price Tag: The True Cost of Hiring and How to Reduce It

Unlock cost-effective hiring solutions! Discover winning strategies to reduce hiring costs and find top talent without breaking the bank.

March 20, 2024

The ROI of Talent Development: The Link Between Human Capital and Business Outcomes

Empower your team! Unlock business success by prioritizing talent development. Discover how nurturing employee potential drives long-term growth and sustainability.

March 13, 2024

Welcome to the 2024 World of Work: 4 Things Your Workforce Needs

Explore key trends to meet the demands of today’s dynamic workforce. Embrace change and stay ahead in the evolving world of work in 2024!

February 28, 2024

Why is Hiring People with Disabilities a Smart Business Move?

Unlock potential! Explore the strategic impact of hiring people with disabilities—proven to boost revenue, income, and economic profit. Build a smarter, more inclusive business.

February 21, 2024

Navigating Change: C-Suite Leaders Are Adjusting Workforce Strategies and Here’s Why

Great C-Suite leaders adapt to navigate change. Explore strategic workforce balancing for optimal efficiency and satisfaction in a dynamic business landscape.

February 14, 2024

Shaping Tomorrow: 6 Most Important AI Trends for 2024

Explore groundbreaking AI innovations in hiring and staffing.

December 31, 2015

Resume header: Your professional email address

Email Address: Part of your Professional Image One of the most common resume mistakes we see is with email addresses. Your email address is just one of the many elements that can contribute to your professional image. Certain e-mail addresses do not convey professionalism: Hotmama78@hotmail.com or Benchpress247@yahoo.com, for example. Aside from a professional-sounding address, for consistency of personal branding, I recommend an email address that closely matches the name on your resume. This kind of address has the added bonus of always being recognizable; it takes the guesswork out of a contact list. Common Email Mistakes Certain details that should not …

December 31, 2015

Resume header: What’s in a name?

Resume Headers As my favorite leading lady Julie Andrews once sung on screen, “Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” In this series, however, we’re not going to learn how to sing (at least that’s not the plan). Instead, we’re going to learn how to write a resume, starting at the top and working our way down. The Alps and singing nuns might not be involved (again, not in the plans), but we do guarantee you this: if you follow these guidelines, step by step, your resume will convey professionalism and help you look like …

March 27, 2023

Salaries on job description

Salaries on Job Postings Overview of Issue In a recent survey, 91% of job seekers and 67% of recruiters want …

March 24, 2023

Engaging and Remote Workforce

Remote Workforce Engagement – A Guide for Businesses Overview of Remote Work Challenges Over the pandemic, we saw a huge …

March 24, 2023

Nobody wants to work any more

“Nobody Wants to Work Any More” Discussion for Businesses Overview of Recruiting and Hiring Challenges When the labor market gets …

March 24, 2023

Quiet Quitting: Advice for Employers

Quiet Quitting Guide for Businesses What is quiet quitting “Quiet quitting” is the phenomenon of employees doing the minimum to …

March 24, 2023

Loneliness at Work

Loneliness and the Work World Advice for Businesses to Combat Loneliness Whether employees are working on-site, hybrid, or remotely, loneliness …

November 7, 2022

All about staffing agencies

Staffing agency business overview What is a staffing agency? A staffing agency is a business that searches for workers on …

October 5, 2023

50 Years of Empowerment: Celebrating the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and NDEAM 2023

This year’s National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) holds a special significance as we celebrate not only NDEAM but also …

March 13, 2023

Free Training and Learning with Metrix

Announcing Partnership with Metrix Learning Peak Performers is proud to announce a new partnership program with Metrix Learning and Workforce …

November 3, 2022

Employee of the Month Program

Peak Performers Employee of the Month At Peak Performers, we understand that recognizing our employees is key to their job …

October 20, 2022

Largest staffing agency in Austin award 2022

Peak Performers recognized in Austin 2nd largest staffing agency by hours billed Peak Performers Staffing Agency is pleased to announce …

August 22, 2022

2022 Peak Performers Employee of the Year

Employee of the Year Peak Performers is proud to announce our employee of the year award. This year we’re recognizing …

July 8, 2022

About Disability Pride Month 2022

What is “Disability Pride Month?” On July 26, 1990, George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act. This laid …

March 24, 2023

Loneliness at Work

Loneliness and the Work World Advice for Businesses to Combat Loneliness Whether employees are working on-site, hybrid, or remotely, loneliness …

March 23, 2016

When was the last time you thought about your posture?

Posture in the Workplace “Be a swan, Minerva, be a swan,” says wicked stepmother Bernadette Peters in Cinderella. Posture training …

February 2, 2016

Flu season is upon us

Balancing the Flu with Work The flu season is here with a vengeance! The flu season peaks this month and …

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