Resolutions? Not From Me!

Why do people make resolutions? I am so tired of hearing things about losing weight, quitting smoking, drinking less, attending more religious services, etc. We all know that this is a bunch of hogwash! Face it folks, we are who we are and only one person could change us. Most of us are not strong enough to push ourselves.

However........................I do have some annual resolutions every professional should abide by whether currently employed or not:

1. Update your resume at least once a year. Even if you have held the same job for 10 or more years, chances are something has changed about your duties or skill sets.
2. Do at least one thing this year to enhance your skills. This could be attending a seminar, learning a new piece of software, or reading an interesting book.
3. Find some way to make yourself noticed in a positive way by your superiors, colleagues or internal/external customers or clients.
4. Look at yourself in the mirror on the first day of the new year and ask what you may do to be the best at your job.
5. Set some performance goals by quarter and review them as the time arrives.

Have a successful and healthy 2009!!

It's Not My Job!

"It's not my job." "I don't know. " "We don't carry them here. " "Go ask someone else."

Yesterday, I decided to take advantage of the weak economy and use a gift card from a major department store. Should I mention their name? Why not! - Macy's. I wanted a package of basic men's hankerchiefs. My first thought was to check by the socks. A young lady there told me to try accessories. The lady working the floor there told me she was pretty sure they stopped selling them years ago! I asked her if she could check and she said she was too busy straightening neckties. Just down the way was a young man who said try behind the register area in men's sportwear. That area was jammed with people angry at the 2 staffers who were having a private chat in their own dialect and being rude to all. I calmly asked if they could aim me at handerkerchiefs and one grunted that they had no idea and turned away. Finally, I saw a manager roaming around and told him how disappointed I was. He grimaced and muttered about the company hiring lazy help and aimed me back where the 2 rude people were and told me to walk through their station to a rack full of handkerchiefs!

Sadly, I wish I could say this has only happened to me at Macy's. The reality is that I have had similar experience at supermarkets, electronics stores, restaurants, etc. I have also gone in big circles on the phone with AOL, my local hospital, insurance companies, Bank of America, Sprint, TMobile, etc.

Whenever possible, I get the names of those who treat me shabbily and make sure I report them as I move up the chain. Most of you probably are wondering what my point is by now. Big companies who decide to give job references will likely assign that task to someone in HR who simply pulls up performance reports. Many companies actually log the complaints made against your name and will probably find some way of giving a very non-committal reply that will put up flags. On a more local note, I once had someone with this type of attitude resign before I got the chance to dismiss her. Just a few months later, one of my counterparts at another facility called for an informal reference check. This person had lost her new job and heard of an opening and wanted back into our company. I assure you this did not take place.

Please remember that actions you take today will remain with you, in one way or another, for the rest of your career!!!

Requests?

Do you remember when the airwaves were filled with DJ's such as Cousin Brucie, Harry Harrison, Alison Steele, Vin Skelso, the Wolfman, Murray the K, and local favorites Steve Tapper, Tony Dee, etc? You could call them at almost anytime and here your favorite music played just when you wanted it?

I want you to treat this blog as a request line. It would be my pleasure to address topics related in any way to job seeking, interviewing, recruitment, etc. Please either reply to this blog or send email to hblevin58@gmail.com and I will attend to your requests as quickly as possible!

Reminder About LinkedIn

LinkedIn is growing by leaps and bounds. If you are not already signed up (free to use), I highly recommend doing so now. Employers are finding it easy to use and there are so many options such as interesting discussion groups. ways to search for jobs, ways to identify strong candidates.

I am so impressed with this service. Feel free to ask me to help you navigate the site.

Planning for the New Year

Unfortunately, I am hearing about too many friends and/or colleagues who have recently been downsized. Reasons vary from a facility being shut down to a larger company gaining control and pushing out the existing staff to one person being hired to (allegedly) do the work of 2 or 3 people who have been released. Companies are making some strange, knee jerk decisions.

The key is do not take it personally. Get yourself organized and into circulation as soon as possible. The next few weeks will be very quiet with not much happening until mid-January. That is actually a good thing as you have roughly a month to fine tune your presentation before hitting the market really hard. Let me know how I could help you.

Etc.

• Proofread your resumes now! I said, proofread your resumes now!!! More and more folks are competing for every job that becomes available. Do you really think anyone will hire a Chemcical Egineer, especially one who graduated for a universalty? I read at least five resumes today with absolutely horrible spelling errors.
• Old fashion networking is still a major part of job hunting. Make sure you have resumes and/or business cards with you at all times. You never know when a member of your house of worship, the coach of your child's soccer team or the person chat with on the train each day might have a job lead to share.
• Caroline Kennedy's attempt for nomination as Senator of NY makes me realize i have been around for a long time. I remember viewing her at her father's funeral on television as I was out of school that day and replaced kindergarten with watching one of the most solemn days in the history of our nation.

Quick Tip

Many people look at December as a dead month for job hunting. This is not necessarily correct! Though it may appear that every single decision maker is on vacation, some are actually working. take some shots at sending your resume out the next few things. Any hiring manager working will generally have time on their hands and might even review some resumes. As they say about the lottery, you have to play if you want to win!

The Fall Guy or the Culprit?

Sports of almost any type are among my favorite things to chat about but I refrain from using this blog as a forum. Once in a while, I am tempted to cross the line and chat sports here! My topic today is more about the business of sports, poor management and oversight, and holding onto your job.

Just in case you have been on a remote island without Internet, radio or television, you may not know that Bob Mulcahy was fired as the Athletic Director at Rutgers University this week. Mulcahy has been at RU for about 10 years during the twilight of a terrific sports management career. The big picture at RU looks great: stadium expansions, facilities upgrades, nationally ranked football and women's basketball teams, etc. A closer look reveals the deletion of sports like crew, fencing, and swimming; elimination of many other jobs across the university; lack of sufficient housing for students, etc. On top of that, very fishy deals were made under the table with coaches and Nelligan Sports was hired to manage the college's sports broadcasts. This is the same Nelligan that hired Mulcahy's son into an executive role and fired Bruce Johnson, the longtime voice of RU sports, in favor of younger announcers with a New York feel.

Mulcahy and his cronies say he is the fall guy for the RU President and Board of Governors who established the climate he worked within. My feeling is Mulcahy was totally at fault, did not care about the livelihoods and well beings of his staff, the students, and his colleagues and spared nothing to win in high profile sports. I would love to see performance appraisals during his tenure but I bet they do not exist!

New Search Engine

I just happened across a website that focuses on the southern part of New Jersey's job market. Check out www.jerseydeviljobs.com . Feel free to let me know your reactions after giving it a try!

Reference Checks

A recent situation caused me to start giving some new consideration to reference checks. I want to share some general thoughts aimed at employers first then will give some suggestions to candidates as well.

Employers beware! Most references listed on a job application are going to be positive since few people would be crazy enough to identify negative contacts (at least that is what you would suspect)! I once hired a young retail salesperson based on four glowing references. He arrived to work on the second day of training to tell me he had to go to court that afternoon as he was facing shoplifting charges against a former retail employer who was not listed on his resume. Even worse, he had a sealed juvenile record and had done time in a youth corrections center for shoplifting as well. I had gone so far as to call folks not listed as references and still did not get enough information.

Candidates beware! Many employers could give you a negative reference by simply refusing to answer questions. It is best to secure the name of a positive reference before giving it out to perspective employers. Ensure they are comfortable endorsing you and your work abilities with others. Also, all temporary and/or contract work should be verified by the company who signed your paycheck, in other words, the agency who assigned you, not the actually company where you did the work.

I hope this was useful to many of you!

Suggestion for CPA's

There seems to be a market for temporary CPA's and may firms specializing in tax preparation. My assumption is that more people are heading to professionals for assistance to ensure every penny is properly accounted for this year. While few firms will talk about employment past April 15 at this moment, worst case scenario is you will earn a paycheck through the first quarter of 2009. Best of luck to all who try this!!!

WiserWorker.com

I just stumbled across WiserWorker.com, a site dedicated to assisting seasoned professionals re-entering the job market later in their career paths. Among the features are links to job fairs, search skills, and job opportunities for the more experienced people who may not have done job hunting it quite a while. Check it out!

The Right Attitude

One of my clients called me about a week ago to obtain the services of a calibration and metrology technician on a contract basis. After scouring my sources in North Jersey, it was apparent I had to dig deeper to fill this. Luckily, I found someone willing to go the extra mile (about 50 of them!) to be gainfully employed in his profession. The commute is longer than normal and pay is nothing earth shattering, but it's a chance to earn income for the next several months. Keep in mind, the client has a habit of converting strong contractors to permanent employees in many instances. Putting the negatives aside, my tech had a great interview and will be at work immediately following Thanksgiving weekend!

Sacrifices are sometimes hard to make but they could lead to great success stories. Please remember this as you enjoy your turkey this week! Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Don't Get Bamboozled!

I am not sure Bamboozled is a real word but it comes to mind when I see the price at gas pumps in Central Jersey. For weeks, we were told that holiday travel would be at an all time low because of the $4.00 a gallon price we were paying. isn't it amazing how the price is now at a four year low just as Thanksgiving approaches? Could it be that the federal government cut a deal with the oil companies? Certainly ,it was not a holiday gift from them to us!! If you have been car pooling, please don't stop. If you have been consolidating your trips more efficiently, keep doing that. The only way to really rejuvenate our economy and ultimately the job market is to stay in control of the situation. We seem to have caught the attention of the government and big business and need to continue doing so!

Seasonal Work

If you are unemployed, or underemployed, seasonal work might be worth considering. many of you probably think I am crazy suggesting this since retailers and restaurants are feeling the economic crunch worse than ever. Keep this in mind, people will still go shopping for the holidays and they will go out to eat while shopping. Yes, they may buy less and eat less as well but they will be there. The extended hours forced upon these establishments by their landlords will force them into some level of seasonal hiring.

You never know when a store manager, display manager, banquet coordinator, etc. might resign. If you have demonstrated great abilities as a seasonal staffer, you could possibly be asked to stick around for a while longer. look at it this way, any source of income is worth investigating. A colleague recently commented that a whole new set of doors are starting to open. Maybe your future is behind one of them. Good luck!

We Live in a Buyer's Market

Just today, 3 or 4 candidates called me with lines like "what have you got for me today" or "tell that company that $25 per hour is not enough for me to go on the interview" or "I will be glad to travel if they work around my personal schedule." These approaches had the potential to succeed when unemployment was extremely low and highly qualified candidates were in short supply.

Guess what, 2008 is a buyer's market like we have not seen in a very long time. Employers are insisting on extremely flexible parameters when hiring new staff. This too shall pass and will lead to numerous resignations and excessive numbers of job hoppers, but not for at least 12-15 months at best.

Expense Paid Round Trips between NJ and Puerto Rico!

If you have 3-5 years experience breaking down, relocating, and setting up equipment with some knowledge of the biotech, medical device, or precision instrument manufacturing fields, I have a client that needs your help. They are relocating a production process from Puerto Rico to Northern New Jersey and need two people for several months. All travel-related expenses will be paid by them! If you are interested or know someone who might be , send resumes ASAP (and I do mean RIGHT NOW!) to harold@smartstaff.jobs!

Realistic Advice for Hiring Managers

The Perfect Match was the promise many headhunters made to employers in the 1980's when peddling their services. Sometimes they delivered exactly that. Today, finding perfect matches has become rather difficult for a variety of reasons.

First, many companies have merged two, and sometimes three, job descriptions into one. Unfortunately not many people will have all those talents ready to go. Second, so many places use proprietary software, manufacturing processes, or homespun formulas for success that finding someone who will fit like a glove is just not possible. Finally, our colleges and trade schools react sluggishly to changes being made and offer courses that are potentially a few years out of date. Unless you are willing to hire someone trained in another country and deal with all the related visa issues, be prepared for a learning curve.

My solution is quite basic. Figure out what pieces of the puzzle need the most attention then look for folks who fit those needs and be willing to allow for a little ramp-up time. Keep in mind that you could offer a slightly lower pay rate for perhaps 90 days to allow for the learning process to be complete!

Do Not Become Complacent!

I recently met with some people who feel they are underemployed. Most seemed appreciative of the fact they are earning some level of income but all realize how important it is to keep looking upward. Obviously, some employment is better than none but please do not lower your bar so low that the transitional situation becomes the norm for you. Many employers will look favorably upon the fact you are working but will become wary if you stay in that role too long.

How long is too long? I would say that you have been there too long when you start applying for jobs that are lateral positions to the one you are presently holding rather than those that are at least one rung up the ladder! For example, if you were a VP of Sales and got laid off, you might have taken a Sales Associate post to keep working. After months of being turned down for VP jobs, you might start to look at other Sales Associate jobs if the compensation is slightly higher. Be careful! The more appropriate move would be to apply for Sales Manager or Team Leader opportunities to show some upward mobility! Good luck!!

Be Yourself!

We all know that losing your job is catastrophic in several ways. A major (or perhaps only) source of income has gone away, health care benefits are an issue, finding a new job seems like an impossible task, etc. Possibly the worst impact is what a sudden job loss does to your self image and confidence.

Please remember, a layoff is not your fault. Companies, even in better economic times, go through reorganizations and being caught up in this is usually more from bad luck than poor performance. Do not let this change who you are one bit! My observation has been that many times people think they need to reinvent their persona to survive in the job market.

Stop and think for a minute. What made you successful to this point? Was it your tenacity, your dedication, your spirit, your outstanding followup skills, your incomparable knowledge of your business and/or profession? Just because you are momentarily out of work does not mean any of this has changed. Too often, folks try to come across different, try too hard to impress people and sadly give off the impression they are desperate.

Whether you are currently unemployed or something happens down the road, please be yourself while job hunting. Good luck!

Jobs Ready for Candidates!

I have been blessed with some new job orders this week! Here they are:
Tech Writers (2 needed)- Long term contracts in Mahwah with prior documentation experience in the medical device or pharmaceutical industries preferred. hourly rate likely to be between $25 and 35.

Process Engineer- Full time and permanent in Phillipsburg with 4-6 years tooling design and production of products related to the catheter manufacturing industry.

Engineering Manager-Essex County company needs someone with knowledge of how to run the entire process in the manufacture of power supplies and furnaces.

Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs.

Please Vote!

I am sick and tired of all the voice mails! Tonight, Leonard Lance left voicemail telling me he is better than Linda Stender for Congress. Bill Clinton called to say vote for Stender and Stender left word to vote for Obama. A group of concerned citizens and the local PBA called to say the Democratic Township Committee candidates are being bankrolled by the Teamsters union.

Of course, none of these calls would be needed if everyone could be counted on to vote. Please get out there on Election Day.

Some Thoughts About Resumes

Tough economic times makes for even tougher hiring standards. this is a fact that has become all too obvious in recent weeks. While companies are definitely making hiring decisions, they are eliminating resumes from their pool faster than ever.

Let's say a company needs an Equipment Validation Engineer, it is simply not enough to mention it in the job title. You have to show proof that you have really done the job and can show related experience. Another example deals with skills summaries. If you list Oracle and SQL in your summary, make sure you back that up by listing those skills under every job where you used them!

Following the above mentioned suggestions will keep your resume in the 'in box' and hopefully get you called in for an interview. Good luck!

ETC.

Here are a few odds and ends as I prepare to hopefully watch my Phils win the World Series tonight!

One of my clients needs a Validation Engineer for a long term project in Northern NJ. Must have strong experience with PQ, IQ, and OQ but cannot be a software validation expert. Candidate should come from medical device or pharmaceutical firm and understand validation of machinery. Send me your resume if you fit to harold@smartstaff.jobs.

I have been exploring new ways to maximize linked in and would love to trade ideas with anyone else who is utilizing this service.

With Linens and Things closing, I could connect hiring managers with some talented AS400 people I have known for over a decade up there. It is sad to see a long time NJ employer reach the end of the line thanks to the credit crunch.

On November 5, I will be leading a discussion on how to maximize participation at job fairs for the Job Seekers Support Group of Jewish Family Services in Somerville. This is open to all but reservations are preferred. I could provide contact info if anyone wishes to stop by.

Go Phillies!

Those of you who know me well are aware that I have been a loyal fan of the Phils since I was old enough to watch TV. I have bittersweet memories of watching them blow a practically free pass into the World Series with my father and grandfather when i was about 5 and actually learned that day that my grandfather understood baseball! many reports have been written about how the Phils usually do well in bad economic times and then an upswing occurs shortly thereafter. Perhaps this will be the first time in 28 years that they bring a World Series Pennant home and we will see an end to the recession as well! As Richie Ashburn always said, it is a great day to watch some baseball!!

Lesson Learned from Debates

I am writing this during the final Presidential Debate of 2008 which I quickly turned off. This is not meant as a 'no' vote for either candidate as I will not make political predictions on my blog! Rather, it is a gripe about sidestepping issues and dodging questions. When interviewing, answer the question straight and to the point. Do not drift to sidebars or answer with another question. If you do not know the answer, be honest!!!!

Method to My Madness

I apologize if this sounds like a ranting but there is a method to my madness! One of my clients recently asked me to put together a team of engineers to move a production line from Puerto Rico to NJ (yes, strange things are taking place in our weird economy). The deal was that about 60% of phase one would take please in P.R. and 40% in NJ and that this would shift toward the start of 2009. Four of the five people are in place. The 5th one decided to not join the group because of the travel. I located another great candidate who could not wait to interview. Once I set up the meeting, he asked me to change the time. Once I changed the time, he asked me to change it again then admitted that he did not want to take off during work hours to interview. When I explained that after hours meetings were not an option, he chose to stay put, earning almost 15% less than he could at the new job! Please do not do this to a recruiter from a search firm or a human resources person. We have a way of reappearing over time and this could hurt you down the road.

PSG

I just added another new link to my Useful Sites section. This one will take you to the Professional Services group. While new to my blog, the PSG has been around for at least 15 years, probably longer. The PSG is operated through the NJ Department of Labor and is self managed by those utilizing it. It is designed to help professionals who suddenly find themselves in need of support while job hunting. Some of the chapters are more active than others. I have had much success locating potential candidates through the branches in New Brunswick and Dover. Please check out the site and contact the group nearest you.

COBRA

Unfortunately, I have been receiving too many calls from people being laid off suddenly during the last few weeks. Let's hope that whoever ends up in the White House does a better job of stimulating the economy and job growth than the current person living there rent free.

In the meantime, you need to stay healthy even when benefits are cut off. The Department of Labor has an extensive website explaining your rights to COBRA as a stopgap until you are gainfully employed and receiving employer sponsored health insurance. the link will remain on my blog for your constant reference. I hope this helps.

Career Seminars at Raritan Valley Community College

I thought some of you would be interested in the following programs:

1) Networking 101 for Success: Tuesday, October 21st, 6:30-8:00 PM in College Center, Room C205. Led by Giulio Padovani, participants will learn effective networking skills that will help them to create opportunities for new careers, jobs, sales and much more!

2) Careers in Education Seminar, Tuesday, October 28th, 6:30-8:30 PM, Conference Center. Participants will learn about a variety of careers from Pre-K up through the High School level. Attendees will be given the chance to meet with professionals in roundtable sessions.

For directions to our North Branch campus, please view the following:
http://www.raritanval.edu/rvcc/frameset/maps_directions.html

Registration is preferred for each event by calling Career Services Registration Hotline at 908-526-1200 ext. 8934 or by visiting our website at:
http://raritanval.edu/transfer-careers/careers/workshop_reg.html.

Welcome to October!

Certainly, the month that ends with the ancient ritual of trick or treating could be a tricky one on the job search front. The month before a presidential election is always quite unpredictable and the mess on Wall Street and the lack of direction by our nation's leadership might make the next several weeks even stranger to deal with.

Oddly enough, companies are hiring to fill essential roles in an attempt to keep business flowing as best as possible. Job seekers need to tread carefully when selecting new positions. Employers may add extra duties to new positions in an attempt to get by with less staff producing bigger results.

Here are a few questions to keep in mind while job hunting. Please realize you should ask these questions whenever job hunting but even more so in tough times:

1. How much travel is involved? Is it day trips or mostly overnight?
2. Will I be expected to use my own vehicle for travel? (Receiving mileage compensation may not be enough considering that many people are using mileage restricted leased vehicles).
3. Is the company privately held or part of a larger corporation?
4. Are you capable of performing at least 90% of the required work?

Please contact me to discuss these items or others that might interest you!

Update to PERL Opportunity

The position I wrote about yesterday will pay up to $70 hourly while contracting then up to 125K with complete benefits when it goes permanent!

Perl Developer Needed

I have a client in New Providence NJ who needs a developer with experience in Perl, PHP, and Oracle. Any background with Catalist or Ruby-On-Rails would be great but is not essential. Please send resumes to hblevin58@gmail.com or harold@smartstaff.jobs.

A Suggestion for Hiring Managers

I know some of my readers have the power to hire staff for their companies. This is definitely a buyer's market in many industries with many people currently unemployed or under employed. Certainly, this could be the time to attract new recruits at much lower pay rates than in recent years.

The old phrase, 'buyer beware', comes to mind. unless you are hiring a contract staffer for a finite period of time, try not to come in so low on salary offers that your new folks will be gone the minute the economy loosens up. While people are generally appreciative of the chance to be gainfully employed, they are not going to justify staying with you if better opportunities appear. Please remember that a happy employee is a long term investment!!

Market is Not Totally Dry - Just Different

I heard a financial analyst on an all news radio station this evening who believes that small and midsized businesses are having a great week in spite of the incredible changes among some of our largest and oldest financial companies. The mainstream media is certainly hoping for increased readers/listeners/viewers, etc. My experience in the last 72 hours is that jobs are opening up and people are being interviewed and actually hired. There are some items to keep in mind in this very odd marketplace.

First, if you are gainfully employed, sit tight! I receive calls everyday from people who want to change employers or worse yet, they want to leave their field for something different. NOW IS NOT THE TIME FOR DRASTIC CHANGES OF ANY KIND!!!!!! SIT STILL UNTIL THINGS STABILIZE!!!!

Second, if you are out of work, consider contract positions for the time being. Offers overall will be lower than you are used to. Rather than lock in somewhere at a lower rate, take something short-term which makes it easier to keep your options open. Many employers will select new permanent staff from the pool of available temps since they are already familiar with the company's procedures.

Finally, do not decline any realistic interviews. The pool of people competing for jobs will grow exponentially in the next few months. You have to interview to get a job, don't rely on fate. Please own your job search and treat it like a precious gem!

Believe it or not: New I.T. Job Opening in NJ

All is not hopeless during on of the strangest weeks in a very long time! One of my clients needs a Programmer/Analyst with experience with Ruby-on-Rails along with CGI/Perl and PHP. The job is in Union County, near Routes 78 and 24, is starting as a 3 month contract but should most likely go perm at that time. Fastest way to reach me today is harold@smartstaff.jobs.

Job Search Engines

I am curious to learn which job search engines are catching the attention of both job seekers and hiring managers today. There seems to be a shift away from CareerBuilder for job seekers and certainly a shift toward more third party visa holders who could only be hired with sponsorship for contract work. JobCircle's candidate pool is growing quite a bit and responses to postings there have improved significantly. I have become a friend of Craigs List in the last few months after experimenting with a few postings out there. Response to those postings was so strong that I now post with them almost daily. The only real drawback is you have to post in metro areas individually which takes a little time but, for now at least, postings are free! Please write me with your favorite engines.

Fort Monmouth to Host a Public Job Fair!

I just received word of a job fair on September 16 at Fort Monmouth. This fair is open to everyone but the link listed below provides very specific instructions if you wish to attend. If you have never attended a fair before or if it has been a long time, please contact me for tips to make your day a great one!

http://www.monmouth.army.mil/C4ISR/services/mwr/jobfair.shtml

Dig Deeper!

I had an interesting chat with a young candidate this week. She called looking for any work we might have to help pay back those ugly college loans. This individual had graduated over a year ago with a degree in Hospitality Management and Food Service Marketing from a well known university in Rhode Island. While the school has not done much to help her find a job in NJ, I was dismayed at how easily she had thrown in the towel.

Her job hunting had been limited to places such as Applebee's, Olive Garden, Marriott Courtyard, Comfort Inn, etc. Most offered her part-time work at around $10 per hour. I inquired as to whether or not she had checked out the well known, privately held catering facilities and the boutique hotels and the answer was no. next, I asked which assisted living facilities and specialty food purveyors were on her list and got the same blank answer.

Your profession does not matter. The best jobs are the ones you go out and creatively seek.

Newsflash-Engineering Jobs in NJ!

One of my clients is jumping into hiring mode! They have asked me to locate Mechanical Engineers with ProE, Electrical Engineers with Power, mid-level and senior Project Engineers with strong electromechanical experience and a little bit of design as well, a Director of Project Engineers, and RMS (Reliability, Maintainability, and Serviceability) Engineers with strong statistical analysis and testing backgrounds. Please feel free to spread the word or contact me yourself via 908-508-0300, ext 205 or hblevin58@gmail.com or harold@smartstaff.jobs .

Disappearing Act!

Everyone needs to take a vacation now and then (though I have not done much about this of late) but your job search should never take a break. Sometimes, you might get a bite, have an interview, get called back for a second round, be asked to submit references and be in the waiting stage when a planned vacation pops up. My advice is take your vacation, but make sure the perspective employer and your recruiter, if you are working through one, are able to find you at any time. An offer could easily be made by cell phone if needed but being unreachable for more than 24 hours could jeopardize the deal. Please do not feel chained to your home but make sure you are easy to find!

Always Represent Yourself!

I picked up the phone at my office recently and was engaged in conversation with a woman who told me she was inquiring about jobs for Mechanical Engineers. She answered a few basic questions tentatively then I asked her about software packages she knew and I heard her whisper, "he's asking about things I never heard of, which software do you know?" In the background I could barely hear someone mumble a weak answer. When I asked what was going on I was told her boyfriend was shy and did not like to talk with people! Needless to say, that was the end of that discussion and I told her I could not even review the resume of an Engineer who was unwilling to speak for himself.

This might sound fabricated but I assure you it occurs a few times each month. It makes me think of a few friends I had as a teen who let their parents speak for them all the time. As I have written previously, how you market yourself will dramatically impact your personal job search!

Programmer Needed

I have a client who is close to needing a consultant for a few months who can code and make modifications in PHP with MySQL. He told me that he prefers someone who could work from home for this project. If you or someone you know is qualified to do this, please email resumes to hblevin58@gmail.com.

ETC.

New Name / Same Place
Chubb Institute was sold several years back to Hitech yet retained its name with a disclaimer that it was no longer affiliated with Chubb Insurance. Now, Chubb is following in the footsteps of Ultrasound Diagnostic Schools, The Cittone Institute, and others and becoming Acclaim Institute.

SAP BW R/3 anyone?
I have a client desperate for a full time Business Analyst with those skills in northern NJ. Please contact me if interested at harold@smartstaff.jobs.

Check Your Phone Numbers!!
As a recruiter, I detest people who don't take the time to check contact information on their resumes. In the past week, I have seen at least a half dozen each of wrong phone numbers and incorrect email addresses. Most employers ask for candidates who pay close attention to detail. You make a lasting impression when your resume directs hiring managers and recruiters to the wrong person or an invalid number. Please be careful!!

The Maddog!

For the past 19 years, whenever I needed something recreational to listen to during the evening rush hour, I tuned in to Mike and the Maddog on NYC's WFAN radio. The Dog (Chris Russo) decided to resign and redirect his career stating today that, at 48 years old, it is time to freshen up a bit. Undoubtedly, Russo has a contract lined up to remain somehow in sportscasting.

Please do not think it is always so easy. Many folks contact me asking for help because they left a solid position seeking a change. Unfortunately, employers do not have the time to accomodate career changers during tough economic periods. If you are contemplating such a change, please share your thoughts with me or anyone you choose before making your decision final!

Job Fair in Newark on August 19

I just found this posting online and do not have any additional information. www.employmentguide.com looks to be the sponsor so I assume they will provide updates on their site as employers sign up for the event.

New Jersey Diversity Job Fair at Newark Gateway Hilton!
Date:August 19, 2008
Time:11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Facility:
Newark Gateway Hilton
45 Market St
Newark, NJ 07102

$6000 You Do Not Need To Spend!

A colleague was chatting with one of his candidates yesterday. This individual has been unemployed for a few months after falling victim to layoffs brought on by the fall of the sub-prime mortgage industry. He somehow met up with a representative of an executive placement firm and was told they could rework his resume and guarantee him a new job in a matter of weeks! The fee for this was $6000, before any services were provided!! Needless to say, well over a month has passed and the revised resume is still in the works and no legitimate interviews have been scheduled.

Please do not throw your money into the shredder like this person did. Hiring a job coach or resume writer is one thing but paying such a large sum of money is not a great idea. No one can guarantee you a new job no matter what they claim and rewriting your resume should certainly not take over a month to complete.

If you are in need of such assistance please write to me at hblevin58@gmail.com.

The Non-Profit Sector

The Newark Star Ledger had an interesting article about careers in non-profit organizations in its employment section on Sunday, August 3, 2008. I have had the pleasure of serving on search committees for non-profits and the intangibles of working in that sector could easily make up for the slightly lower earnings potential than that of the corporate world. If you are contemplating a change in direction or find yourself forced into a new path, think about the transferable skills you possess that might make you attractive to a non-profit.

One example to share is that most non-profits need to market their organization to gain members, supporters, financial gifts, etc. If you were responsible for promoting your business unit internally or selling your company's services to the outside world and you served in a leadership role for your house of worship, Little League, a food bank, etc., you now have crossover value!

Take a few minutes to perform a self evaluation and you might be stunned by the results.

Feel free to contact me for help evaluating yourself if you wish!

Selecting Trade Schools to Redirect Your Career

Many people, who go through the unfortunate experience of being downsized, decide to use available funds to learn a new field. Proprietary trade schools are a good alternative to local colleges that you should definitely consider. Assuming you already have a degree, the focus this time should be on obtaining marketable skills. Trade schools offer certificate programs which are geared toward one goal, preparing you to re-enter the job market.

How do you select the right school to attend? As someone who spent many years working at a trade school, I have a short test you should put each school through:

1. Will my curriculum allow me to graduate with the certificates / licenses needed to work in my new field or simply prepare me to take the tests on my own?
2. Is the school nationally accredited and is my particular curriculum accredited?
3. What is the school's overall placement rate and my chosen program's placement rates?
4. How is retention, in other words, what percent graduate each year?
5. What will the tuition be and does it include certification / licensing fees?
6. How many hours per day will I attend school?
7. If an externship or internship is required do I find my own site or will the school arrange it.

I hope this helps you redirect your career! Write me with any questions

Mechanical Engineer Needed

I have a very good client in the Mahwah NJ area looking to add a Mechanical Engineer who hopefully has exposure to machining (CNC, CAD, tooling design, etc.) and biotechnology. This is a temp-to-perm situation for someone with 2-4 years experience and is available now! Please send me your resume or feel free to refer others who might be great for this job. You could submit to harold@smartstaff.jobs or hblevin58@gmail.com. PLEASE, do not submit your resume directly to this blog to keep things confidential!!!

Etc.

• About 18 months back, I was searching for potential candidates using Nettemps as my engine. Numerous candidates popped up where the resumes were housed on Gadball. Being curious, I logged onto the site and discovered a free search engine for employers to locate candidates! I have placed a few people found on Gadball. On July 9, Gadball started charging employers a rather steep fee to search their database. My assumption is that your resume will receive a lot less views since Gadball changed their rules.
• Teva is buying Barr Labs which could lead to even more pharmaceutical jobs lost in NJ as that industry is really being condensed. Please share my URL, and other sites/blogs you know about, with anyone impacted by this situation in the coming months.
• There seem to be some signs of the job market opening up a bit in Monmouth and Ocean Counties in NJ. Electronics and consumer goods manufacturers appear to be shopping a bit for folks with engineering skills related to mechanical, manufacturing, or packaging.
• I am curious to learn where those of you who are seeking new jobs have posted your resumes. Many of the better known engines are starting to look very tired. Please share the sites you are happiest with (and those that you do not care for as well)!

How are recent grads doing?

I am curious as to the success rates of recent college grads in finding jobs this year. A very large number have been calling my search firm looking for entry level positions as they are getting minimal support from their college's Career Services Office. If you are a recent grad reading this blog (or perhaps a parent who could pass this info along), please feel free to share your experiences either by responding to this entry or writing me at hblevin58@gmail.com. Feel free to use me as a sounding board to make sure you have left no stones uncovered.

One word to the wise: If you decided to "take the summer off before going to work," start ending your summer now! Those who get the ball rolling in the next week or two have a much stronger chance of being on a payroll around Labor Day than those who stay on the beach a bit longer! This is not the best year to find entry level employment and my advice is to take any job somewhat related to your career path regardless of pay rate. Building your resume with experience is more crucial than the starting rate keeping in mind that seasoned professionals are accepting salaries way below market value . It is much easier to upgrade from one pay level to another than it is to go from unemployed to gainfully employed.

Excellent Support Group!

The Job Seekers Support Group is a terrific organization. I visited with them and made a presentation there a few years back and was very impressed. It has been brought to my attention that some of my readers have recently been downsized out of their jobs and it is important that you stay in communication with other job seekers and professionals who could help you. Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate and I strongly recommend it. Elise Prezant is the coordinator and her contact info is listed below. In addition, her email is elise.prezant@verizon.net. Please tell her that Harold Levin suggested contacting her:

Jewish Family Service is offering a Job Seekers Support Group for active job seekers who are unemployed, underemployed or seeking a career change. The next group will be held on Wednesday, August 6, 2008 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at 150-A West High Street, Somerville, N.J.

The topic for this session is “There is Still Life after Being Laid Off” presented by Neil Friedman and Wayne Tillman. This group is offered free of charge and is open to the entire community. To register, please call 908-725-7799.


Elise Prezant
Project Coordinator
Jewish Family Service of SHW
150-A West High Street
Somerville, NJ 08876
908-725-7799
www.jewishfamilysvc.org

Career Fair Updates

JobCircle has a fall schedule of career fairs online at www.jobcircle.com. Here are three happening over the next few months:

July 16, 2008
Grand Slam Career Fair! Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA Come out to the ballpark for our biggest career event of the year! Traditionally over 100 companies come together for this fun, outdoor event at Citizens Bank Park. Bring plenty of resumes and your walking shoes and meet with tons of companies all in one day!

August 27, 2008
Educate U Fair16th and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA Join us for our first ever Educate U Fair on Wednesday, August 27th, 2008. JobCircle.com will fill The Shops at Liberty Place with the area's leading universities, colleges and trade schools. This is the perfect opportunity for you to explore the higher education options available to you in the Philadelphia area!

September 10, 2008
JobadelphiaWachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA Get your resumes ready! JobCircle.com is teaming up with CBS and The CW to bring you the largest career fair to hit Philadelphia this Fall!! Join us on September 10th at the Wachovia Center to meet with your future employer.

Placing URL's on Resumes

For some reason, a discussion I had with the recruiting manager of a huge cable company several years ago popped into my memory bank today. She told me about a Sunday afternoon that she set aside to screen a few hundred resumes that had accumulated in her inbox. While reading through them, she came across a candidate who mentioned working for Home Depot and he had included a URL. Assuming that he had provided a link to something related to his employment with the company she clicked onto it. After spending 2 hours shopping online, she realized how much time (and money) she had thrown away and accordingly, she deleted the resume! The obvious conclusion here is to only provide links that will help you get a job. Otherwise, don't waste any one's time!

Pick up the Phone!!

Telephones are never going to become extinct as far as I am concerned! From the old rotary to touch tone to wireless, now cellular and blue tooth and computer phones, they will keep being reinvented. Many of us, especially those 30 and under, are becoming way too reliant on email, instant messages, and texts. Of course, they are very easy and quick ways to communicate but not as personal as hearing other people's voices (sure beats communication shortcuts such as "kk", "lol", and "ttfn")!

As a recruiter, I get dozens of resumes via email daily, some of which I read, but the majority get deleted. Some brave potential candidates have the audacity to phone me and engage in live conversation!!!! Many times, something they say triggers an alarm in the deepest, darkest areas of my brain and I end up matching them to a client or opportunity that I would not have thought of simply based on email.

My daughter recently started a summer internship. A manager mentioned to her that he receives so many bulk emails from recruiting firms but that he rarely gets a personal phone call. Phone calls require a little more time and effort than email and I have always felt they are the way to maintain relationships with clients. It does not matter what service or product you represent, the personal touch of a periodic phone call is still your best marketing tool!

Job Fair in NYC

CareerBuilder is running a job fair in NYC. Here is the message I received. I will post any updates that come to me on this blog! (Please note that anything in blue is taken direct from the careerbuilder.com message).
Attend the CareerBuilder.com Career Fair and have better workdays. Come meet top employers who are there to recruit, screen, and hire qualified candidates just like you. With a CareerBuilder.com Career Fair it is your chance to interview in person, on the spot, and network with influential company members.
Positions available in Sales, Heathcare, Technology, Finance, Management, Government, Retail, Administration, Customer Service and more! More Details to follow shortly!

New York City:Thursday, July 10, 2008 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Metropolitan Pavilion North & South Pavilions
125 W. 18th St. (Chelsea)New York, NY 10011

ETC.

• It looks like there is a definite chance the minimum wage in NJ will rise above $8 per hour soon. While at face value many of you are likely thinking the rate should be higher, I am concerned about the impact on the bottom line for employers who use a lot of lower paid staff. Will this force them into cutbacks? Our local eateries and supermarkets appear to be operating on a shoestring budget already so I am not positive about the near future. You are welcome to comment on this site or by email to hblevin58@gmail.com.
• A well known trade school in Central NJ is looking for a new Director of Career Services. Contact me using the methods listed in this column if you would like a referral to them.
• Broken records are annoying but I need to play an old tune tonight. A resume landed on my desk in response to a job I posted recently. Upon quick review, I put it aside as I saw very little applicable experience. The candidate called to followup and I explained what I was looking for. It turns out that this individual could be a close fit. Please thoroughly demonstrate who you are in your resume as it is the first impression most employers get of you!
• Speaking of broken records, Greater Media fired most of the staff at WCTC in New Brunswick and WMTR in Morristown and replaced them with an oldies format delivered by a feed from who knows where. Many local communities lost part of their voice today. I wish the displaced staff members a quick rebound professionally and emotionally.

From Walter Cronkite

"I can't imagine a person becoming a success who doesn't give this game
of life everything he's got. "

These simple yet wise words come from Walter Cronkite, who certainly is one of the greatest broadcast journalists of all time.

A hiring manager, who I deal with quite often, taught me something that I try to give to each candidate I send out for interviews. Countless people might be qualified for one job and their skills could quite easily be equal or close to each other. This particular manager always hires the person who shows the most passion and drive toward the required tasks of the position. Good hiring managers easily see through smoke screens so you need to demonstrate your love for the job and your desire to give it everything that you have got if hired. Try this on your next interview and please share your results with me!

Check out this site.

Sometimes, brain flashes hit me during lunch as happened today! The U.S. Dept. of Labor discontinued America's Job Bank last year but replaced it with www.americasjobexchange.com. Though I wouldn't give it a five-star rating, it allows candidates to post resumes and search jobs regionally, and nationally, for free. Employers need to register which is free. Use its Resume Scouts section to get free resume alerts. Also, don't pay the $99 fee to place job postings. If you click around, you will be able to post jobs and search the resume database for free!

Reality Check

While it's important for both job seekers and companies to always remain positive, the current economy is certainly challenging. The CEO of a well established custom equipment manufacturer lamented to me that he hasn't seen the demand from domestic customers this low since the '80's. His solutions for weathering the storm include beefing up marketing efforts in Europe and using contract employees to fill gaps during the occasional spurts of activity rather than hiring full time folks who will be laid off in a short period of time. I hope any hiring managers and/or corporate directors reading this will think out of the box while business is slower than normal. Good luck!

Cover Letters, Valuable or Not?

Many career coaches, placement directors, and professional recruiters spend too much time perfecting cover letters. Of course, some employers still ask for them but the Internet has reduced their value. My recommendation to job seekers reading this post is to place your emphasis on developing an incredible resume. With email, it's best to write a one paragraph introduction and leave the rest for your resume. This morning, I received a call from a candidate following up on his submission. I told him I didn't see much substance in his resume. Over 3 dozen resumes were in my email today and I didn't bother to look for the cover letter. He actually had a better cover letter than resume! Please don't force recruiters and hiring managers to go fishing. Put everything we need to know into the body of your resume.

For Recent Graduates

Congratulations to all our recent grads from college, graduate schools, trade schools, etc! Hopefully, you are gainfully employed. If not, I urge you to use a resource you partially funded with your tuition payments: the Career Services Office at your school. As a former Career Services Director, I assure you nobody will guarantee you a job but the folks in this field are trained to help source out entry level opportunities. You owe it to yourself to become friendly with the Career Services staff at your school to supplement your self directed job search. Feel free to contact me at hblevin58@gmail.com with any questions.

The Right Attitude!

This afternoon, I was challenged with finding a candidate for a contract assignment where the pay rate was somewhat under market value. Unfortunately, the recent economic climate changes have impacted the dollars being offered by employers though there are still a decent amount of opportunities out there.

Since I was unaware of any candidates in my files who could do the task at hand, I started sourcing and making phone calls. One gentleman called back within ten minutes and was extremely upbeat. He spent most of his career climbing the ladder at a firm that shut down last year and took a job one step down to keep working. As luck would have it, that company was sold and the new owners eliminated his position. The job I presented is a contract position paying about 20% less than he is looking for but he was realistic and asked to be considerred. I hope the client interviews him as candidates like this are true gems!

Websites to Check Out!

There are some great websites available to help those seeking jobs in specific areas and those looking to recruit from more specialized areas. www.higheredjobs.com is a great exchange forum for those in academia while www.jewishjobs.com covers everything from teachers to fund raising experts to clergy. www.rileyguide.com is one of the earlier sites that continues to cater to entry level and mid-level job seekers and rotates its links frequently. Please feel free to use this blog as a place to share your favorite sites related to the job market!

A Few Quick Thoughts

Life as recruiter is never boring!

Today, I received a resume. Under the first job, the description consisted of 2 sentences about how unsafe the work environment was but no description of duties or accomplishments. Under the second job, the only comment was the place was great to work at but went bankrupt. Later today, I received a reply to a posting for an Engineer with 15-20 years of very specific experience. It came from someone who has never been an engineer, no technical skills whatsoever! As I have said before, the resume is your best marketing tool or...it could really hurt you. Contact me if I could help you with this!

Great Efforts = Great References

"The average person puts only 25% of his energy into his work.The world takes off its hat to those who put in more than 50% of their capacity,and stands on it head for those few and far between souls who devote 100%"- Andrew Carnegie -

Have you ever had the opportunity to contact a candidate's past employers when conducting a pre-hire background check? Those conversations are sometimes quite revealing and the unspoken words may be more crucial than what is actually discussed. Most employers will certainly verify dates worked, position held, responsibilities carried out, etc. Some will confirm attendance records but many will go no further. If you try to ask about quality of performance, whether or not the person would have been eligible for promotions, teamwork, etc. and get noncommittal responses, you likely have a candidate who fits into Mr. Carnegie's 25%. For some jobs, that may be fine, but for others it will send up a huge red flag.

I have learned many times that the effort you put out in a job, sport, volunteer activity, etc. equates to what you get back out. this definitely applies to job searches. Employers will be faster to go overboard endorsing a past employee who gave incredible effort to their job than the will for the reliable but average individual!

The Whole Truth and Only the Truth!

One of the most basic rules to writing a great resume is to be completely honest at all times! Embellishing, exaggerating, or (please do not ever do this) lying will get you absolutely nowhere and might even set you back a few steps. Most employers are doing extremely intense background checks before hiring anyone at any level. There are numerous services available to companies that are capable of digging quite deep into your past almost with one click of a mouse. I have known people who have lost offers because of something so innocent as claiming a college degree when they actually fell a few credit hours short of graduation. Keep in mind, if a registrar receives an inquiry such as: Did Jenny Expediter graduate from your university...and she did not finish (3 credits shy), the simple answer will be...NO!

When writing a resume, be sure to show everything you have accomplished. No matter how much or how little background you think you have, the key is you are demonstrating exactly who you are to potential hiring managers. Some of you have probably heard the claim that your resume is like a demonstrative advertising brochure. Please remember this when it is time to advertise your availability on the job market! If you have questions about preparing a winning resume, please ask me!

Some sage advice on Memorial Day

Whether you are a candidate deciding between new job opportunities or a hiring manager trying to select the best person for a job, it is impossible to be correct 100% of the time. Luckily, any mistake may be rectified but a non-decision is just that, a non-decision!

President Theodore Roosevelt said it well many years ago:

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

Never Shut the Door

For over 20 years, I have advised candidates to never turn down a job offer on the spot because they are shutting the door, likely for good. At the same time, accepting a job on the spot could lead to accepting an offer without knowing all the details. The best compromise solution is to ask for 24 hours before presenting your decision. This allows time to kick the tires a bit and see if everything adds up. If the salary sounds great what about the required hours? Is there schedule flexibility? How are the benefits? Will you receive family coverage if needed? What type of training is involved? There is absolutely nothing wrong with thinking of the unanswered questions and making a phone call to review the answers before making the final decision. One word of caution, try to have all your questions prepared first as you do not want to keep pestering your potential employer! This could annoy them, and even worse, make them doubt your interest in what they have to offer! Remember, open doors (even those open just a crack) have opportunity on the other side, closed doors are dead ends.

Feel free to write me at hblevin58@gmail.com if you want to discuss this in more detail.

Sound Advice

Please keep the following quote in mind when developing your resume and setting out to upgrade your employment situation:

"If a man is called to be a streetsweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great streetsweeper who did his job well."- Martin Luther King -

Screen Names That Could Cost You a Job!

Imagine finding a resume of an Ivy League educated Mechanical Engineer on the web, getting excited when reading his list of past employers, noticing an amazing array of certifications then looking for the return email address and finding: nouseforascreenname@yahoo.com !!! Perhaps an employer is looking for a Project manager with 3-5 years experience in the media research field and finds the resume of a candidate who spent two years each at Gallup and Nielsen. The recruiter is all set to write to the candidate and clicks on the link to hotblondemomma@hotmail.com !! There is nothing wrong with having fun with your email address but please create a more conservative one such as robertf@yahoo.com or maryprogrammer@gmail.com while searching for a new job opportunity. Quite frankly, goofy or quirky, email addresses might just drop you to the bottom of the list.

Have you seen any unusual email addresses recently? Let me know!

My first post!

The purpose of this first post is primarily to serve as a test drive for a brand new blogger! My hope in the coming posts is to share some of my experience and insight as Technical Recruiter in the placement industry and my past experience managing the Career Services Department of a proprietary trade school.

One common flaw I am finding made by many hiring managers of late is procrastination! Even though the unemployment numbers are growing daily, highly qualified candidates are in short supply. If you are trying to hire someone and find a really strong candidate, remember this simple idea: if the candidate has caught your attention, more than likely, your competitors are checking this person out too!