With the government unrest in Libya and most of the Middle East, gas prices are skyrocketing in the United States. In St. Louis, MO, the price per gallon this morning was $3.17; and while filling up my SUV, I did contemplate biking to work (20 mile commute). When gas prices rise, I make a conscience effort to consolidate shopping trips or only travel when absolutely necessary. Conserving fuel makes a difference in my family budget during hard times.

Professionally, how are high fuel prices affecting your recruiting business? Employees may want to work from home or candidates may requests job opportunities that are closer to their residents.

Comment below and let us know how the rising gas prices are affecting you!

Happy President’s Day! Today, we honor the accomplishments of all past and present U.S. Presidents; but do you know when this Monday in February became a national holiday? In 1880, Congress declared that George Washington’s Birthday (Feb. 22nd) a federal holiday. However, President’s Day has also become a day to honor President Lincoln, who was born on February 12th, and all U.S. Presidents.

Being a national holiday, most schools, federal and state offices, banks and private and public business are closed. However, some of you had to brave the morning and return to the office. On a holiday, does your candidate activity increase? Many workers are off and may be more open to answering job related questions and having more of a conversation than they might during a normal workday. So this leads to the question:

Do your activities increase on holidays?

Our good friend and fellow St. Louisan, Scott Ginsburg, appeared on KSDK last week to discuss the rise of divorce cases using social media as grounds. While Scott is discussing divorce cases, the same can be said about anything – Who you are in real life comes out on facebook, twitter etc… This is a great, to the point video that we’re happy to share.

We have added three new members to the Sendouts Team. As we grow we want to make sure our customers receive the ‘Stellar’ Service they’ve grown accustomed to. Our three new members are in critical client facing positions (two in support and one in training) and we’re lucky to have such amazing people step into those roles.

Introducing our newest team members:

Beth, Support

Beth previously worked for another software company and is a rockstar in support. She started a couple of weeks ago and has already jumped in to save the day for a few Sendouts clients. In her free time she can be found taking pics of flowers at the MO Botanical Garden or jungle gyming-it around our famous City Museum.

Kate, Training & Implementation

Kate is yet another Mizzou grad we have on the team. She majored in Spanish and has lived in Spain and Mexico. Her work experience includes running a bookstore and event planning. She has a knack for teaching and explaining that will surely help our clients. She is soon to be married and has two dogs, Winnie and Chloe

Meghan, Support

In the month that Meghan has been here she’s received two kudos emails from happy customers, one of which proclaimed her as “MY SUPERHERO!”. Meghan is a wiz on the phone and live chat and brings a great perspective to the Support Team.

We’ve been growing like crazy around here and putting top people in places they’re needed most. As always, you can find our open jobs by visiting www.sendouts.com/about/careers

Happy Valentine’s Day! On this…the most romantic day of the year, people will shower their loved ones with gifts, cards, candy, jewelry and of course, flowers. But, how many of us know the history behind Valentine’s Day? Historians say that St. Valentine, a Catholic priest, lived during the ancient Roman rule of Claudius II in the third century. While the emperor built his army, he felt that single men made better soldiers than married men. He then outlawed marriage to single, young men and drafted them into his army. However, St. Valentine defied the emperor and continued to perform private marriages to young lovers. When St. Valentine was discovered, Claudius condemned him to death.

“According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl – who may have been his jailor’s daughter – who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed ‘From your Valentine,’ an expression that is still in use today.”

Now that we have a little bit of history, how are you going to show the love today? Especially, to your clients and candidates? It’s always nice to remember your clients and how important they are to you with a nice gift of specialty food, a “thank you” card or flowers. For your candidates, send an email to your contact list and wish them a wonderful Valentine’s Day and happy job hunting. Everyone likes to be remembered on this day.

So, what will you do for your clients and candidates on this Valentine’s Day?