Job Boards

Last week, while looking for a specialized candidate on a job board, I found a very good fit (at least at first glance). Skills matched nicely, salary needs were close but he lived about 30 miles from the site. Not to worry! His profile said he would drive up to 100 miles! A recent consultant of mine, drove about 150 miles round trip daily for over 9 months. Upon calling this candidate, he told me anything over 15 miles each way was out of the question. I figured he made a typo but he implied that he set parameters high to get calls. Do not do this ever! Most recruiters will agree with me that once this happens, they will keep that candidate's name in the back of their head for a very long time!!

Just Like the Good Old Days!

Once upon a time, in that era called the 1990's, recruiters prioritized their work day by asking a simple question: Which open job requirements are most likely to result in a deal? The most probable ones got the majority of their attention. As we endured the slim pickings of the past 10 months or so, any open job was considered a hot job! I am happy to say that trend is shifting yet again. To hiring managers: please be serious when you call a staffing firm and ask for help. Ensure that your superiors will utilize the services before wasting the time of a recruiter who is most likely relying heavily on commission checks.

ETC.

• Cash for Clunkers seems to have stimulated the economy just a bit. Even though my old car did not qualify, I was able to purchase a car at a very competitive price. It has been an exceptionally long time since the new car lots of dealerships have been so empty which i assume is good news.
• While not stellar, the job market seems to be waking up step by step. Companies are starting to realize they lack coverage for vacation or emergency leaves.
• Employers in hiring mode are being more cautious than ever. The toughest challenge I have seen is the requirement of verifying the last 3 employers. This is quite frustrating if some of the former companies are no longer in existence.
• Now is the time to make major purchases or home improvements (assuming you have the funds to do so) as I doubt prices will drop much more.
• Please do not become a couch potato. Now is the right time to start pounding the pavement.

Mechanics needed ASAP!!!!

A very good client in Northern Bergen County, NJ needs a Maintenance Mechanic and an Electro-Mechanical Maintenance Technician to work 3:30-midnight and other hours as needed. Send questions to Harold@smartstaff.jobs.

Recession Buster Resume Tip #3

Everyone I know in the placement field, every self proclaimed resume expert, and most HR professionals will tell you to list every skill you have ever used on your resume. They are correct but there needs to be a method to your madness. Make a list of all your skill sets and then investigate to learn which of them are in the highest demand and post them first.

Quick Tip!

www.jobcentral.org is becoming a good place for both employers and candidates to utilize and is much more efficient than its predecessor, America's Job Exchange. Give it a try!

Keeping Busy!

If you noticed I have not been writing very often of late, it is primarily due to a sudden flurry of job orders from my clients over the past 10 days or so! Here are the rules I am adhering to:
1) No job is too low paying or too complicated for me to fill.
2) If a client is asking for help, chances are it is critical and time is of the essence no matter what.
3) Only send out candidates who demonstrate a desire to work and a willingness to be flexible on all counts.

Assuming you are curious, I could use candidates who are Paralegals with heavy litigation experience and knowledge of the laws surrounding public utilities or telecommunications companies (Central NJ); CAPA Analysts with a lot of corrective action process experience in the medical implant world (Northern NJ); QA inspectors with solid background using gages, calipers, etc. to test medical devices (Northern NJ); and a Data Warehouse Manager for the Albany, NY region with SAP BW/BI experience. Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs or reach me via this site or LinkedIn!

Recession Buster Resume Tip #2

Hiding dates of employment is a terrible idea. Some of my colleagues are embracing this concept but I disagree. The one thing no one needs to do is raise flags of caution and taking out dates will do just that. Many people have taken jobs out of their field to simply stay afloat. No need to hide this! Instead, consider dividing your work history into two parts: Related Work Experience and Other Work Experience.

More to come....

Recession Buster Resume Tip #1

As promised, I will spend some time over the next few weeks on the evolution of the resume as the recession hopefully starts to diminish. Certainly, this is a work in progress and your comments and suggestions will be graciously entertained at any time!

My first tip is extremely simple. Stick to the basic format that has worked best for you in the past. For example, if you found that an overview summary caught hiring managers attention, keep it there but be conscious of the fact that some of the bullets may need adjustment to reflect our lean and mean economy. You may have to demonstrate more of a willingness to multitask and be sure to include any recent training you have taken.

That is enough for one night. Look at this process as another self assessment and learning experience rather than as an unpleasant task!

Credit Check Fiasco

Yesterday's New York Times reported about how employers and search firms are using credit checks to eliminate candidates from consideration. One man was applying for a $30K annual salary position as a property manager where he would have little or no contact with money. His former employer had shut down over a year ago, his house was foreclosed on, Chapter 11 followed, and he was living in a shelter. Of course, a credit check would not be very supportive of his efforts. Several states are restricting the use of credit checks to jobs that relate to finance but most are (especially CA and Governor Schwarzenegger) allowing them to be used. The court system is dodging cases where they are called discriminatory.

There are staffing firms (such as 2 national chains that both begin with the letter 'K') who have a reputation for credit checking every single candidate. many moons ago, one of them recruited me to work for them. Bear in mind they approached me, not the other way. After 2 meetings, I was told they needed to run a credit check before making an offer. I balked, simply because I felt it was an invasion of my privacy even though i knew there would be no flags, and was told it was essential. I still declined and walked the other way with no regrets.

To candidates, it is your choice but think long and hard before you open your personal finances to an employer. if anyone disagrees with me, please state your case!

Job Openings!!

I need to fill some immediate openings for permanent hires with some very good clients.

First, there is an opening for a Warehouse Packaging Technician in the Morristown NJ area requiring 2-3 years experience preparing packages for shipment including shrink wrapping, thermal wrapping, labelling, etc. Hands on experience with frozen or refrigerated foods is a plus. Decent pay, great benefits!

Next, one of my long time clients in Manhattan needs two Sales Planners to support Account Executives in the media and advertising fields. Background in MEMRI, Nielson, MRI, or Donovan, etc. is desired. Competitive salary, unique benefits, growth potential.

Feel free to send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs.

Recession Buster Resumes?

Okay-the title of this blog entry is not terribly stimulating but it is definitely not a clunker although someone might bail me out by giving me cash to curb the poor jokes! It might be safe to say the economy has worn me down just a tiny bit. Keeping that in mind, the time is coming to consider how resumes should look as the doors to opportunity gradually reopen.

Over the next few weeks, I want to look at chronological versus functional formats. We need to address how to cover large gaps brought on by the recession, unrelated jobs used to put food on the table, lower level positions than normally accepted, etc.

It would be a privilege to see some of your thoughts and comments on these and other points of interest related to resume development!

August Already?

The despicable weather in the northeast sure has made us forget about summer. My gardens are swamped, weeds are thriving, plants are rotting, yet somehow, I have picked everything from lettuce to beans, squash and peppers. Tomatoes are crawling along and a few cucumbers have survived the mushy terrain.

Come to think of it, this kind of sounds like our economy right now! It is hard to get excited about a Cash for Clunkers program that died in less than a week, a Stimulus Plan that is feeding millionaire bankers, or a health plan that cannot even get unanimous support from the majority members.

Light seems to be finally approaching the end of the tunnel as i have actually been working on a few permanent searches to go along with my already reasonably steady contract accounts. While way too many of my valued clients are still hanging on for dear life, some are starting to feel a touch better about the future.

My advice to both client companies and job seekers is simple. August is always challenging as so many folks take time off (not me!) but staying focused on success could lead to a rewarding September!