A first impression can affect the course of any relationship. As a member of our HR recruiting team, we understand the importance of every first impression during the candidate interview process. After-all, it is not just the interviewee that bears the weight of making a good first impression, but rather the interviewer as well.

While hiring is our primary job function, being an ambassador for the company is an important element of our day. First impressions eventually become lasting impressions, and we want each candidate to get a sample of what life at A.S.P is like. We believe that these positive interactions will help improve our reputation and attract more talented and skilled candidates to join our team.

We’ve compiled a few tips that we use to help create a fantastic first impression:

1. Expert customer service skills: It’s the underlying skill to any conversation.
2. Tell a great story about our culture: We love mentioning our employee success stories to new candidates, and explain to them that everyone has an opportunity for growth at ASP
3. Be open and honest: By starting with transparency and honesty, this helps to build trust and foster a positive relationship.

Each and every day, we interview dozens of candidates collectively to fill our open positions. Using a variety of skills, stories, and underlying ethics, we try to create these positive interactions because we’re focused on our brand and how we’re perceived by the public. If we make a good first impression with everyone, this can help the company to grow and attract top talent.

The world right now is almost unrecognisable from what it was nearly two months ago. Instead of crowded streets and traffic-filled commutes to work, we have empty highways and online meetings. Instead of sameness and routine, we have change and uncertainty. It is like we are in a constant state of culture shock.

Society is so focused on physical health, symptoms, staying safe and healthy. Although it has been mentioned a bit, I feel there needs to be a priority on mental health. As a team, we need to check in on one another. Everyone is handling this unprecedented time differently and although we may not all be showing it, this is taking a toll on each and every one of us.

From the outside looking in, a girl very close to me is very successful. She is the lead of a team at her company, making a difference in the lives of children with autism. She has just been accepted into a Master’s program at Western university, and there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that this girl is determined, driven, and passionate about what she does.

However, what was unclear from the rest of the world, was the anxiety, inner demons, and fear of failure, that drove her success. When her world of routine and sameness changed so fast; it was easy for her to fall into a world she no longer recognised, a world of fear and anxiety. In this world, things got so bad that she could no longer separate thought from fact. Her body was trying to justify the physiological feelings of anxiety by convincing her that things were real, when in fact they weren’t. She couldn’t trust her own thoughts; she was scared to talk to anyone in case those conversations triggered another attack. All she wanted to do was sleep and escape reality because that’s where her own thoughts couldn’t haunt her there.

Now this is one of the strongest girls I know, so she wasn’t going to let this beat her, as hard as it was. She talked to me, she talked to her family, and most importantly, she talked to her doctor and got the help she needed. Days aren’t always perfect for her; she’s tired all of the time and needs to force herself to trust her thoughts again, but she’s got the relief that she needs, and the relief that so many other people may be desperately needing as well.

Now more than ever, it is so important for us to check in on each other. Even the strongest and most successful people can be secretly struggling.

We are a team and we owe it to each other to check in, reach out, say hi, give a smile, ask how our teammates are doing, and mean it. We owe it to each other to make sure we are doing the best we possibly can. Together.

Over the last several years, ASP has continually experienced organic growth in specialized services. Our reputation and dedication to be the best has always been integral to our success.

I wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate the ASP family for the growth within the Residential and Commercial division again.

Earlier this year, we were advised that we were awarded a new contract with the City of Toronto. This contract was awarded for the Respite Centers throughout the city. This contract consists of six different locations from Scarborough to the west end of Toronto. This contract brings with it about 70 to 80 new employees to the ASP family. This was a big win for us, as we can showcase our high level of service in a specialized area that we would like to grow in. We started this contract in February 2020.

This contract was awarded to us due to our reputation and the hard work of our field staff over the last several years at our sites. This is a testament to how important it is to always maintain a professional image and attitude.

This contract has provided us with another unique vertical market within our specialist services. It allows us to assist in an area that helps service the city’s most vulnerable people and to be a part of something special.

I wanted to welcome all the incumbent and new staff as we transition this contract and bring a large amount of intellectual capital on board through the highly experienced security staff. The team’s support and willingness to help is a big part of the smooth transition and the future success we will have with this contract.

We have several projects in the works and I am looking forward to the continued growth within our ASP family and to see where we can take this in the future.

Congratulations to the ASP family!