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.