Great Affection, But You're Fired........

Hopefully, the title of this entry drew your attention! A gentleman phoned me today looking for a job, any job, related in any way to his field. The day before he left for a vacation to visit relatives in Italy, the owner of the firm he worked for called him into his office. Without any prior warning or even a hint, he looked at his longtime employee of 20+ years and said something like even though I have great affection for you after all these years, I am laying you off immediately.

Personally, I would hate to see how he dismisses those he is less affectionate toward. Remember the old adage, with friends like these, who needs enemies? Numerous companies are using the recession as a scapegoat for making change but I am obligated to question such a heartless move. More than likely, they paid his vacation week anyway. Why not let the poor guy enjoy time with is family then share the bad news upon his return? This brings back memories of the first heavy layoffs at AT+T in the 1990's when some cases of suicides were reported. Employers should give thought to what may happen in the future if they end up on the other side of a termination meeting when dealing with staff reductions.

Let us all hope that 2010 will be full of hiring and staff replenishment rather than a repeat of 2009!

ETC.

• Will the latest terror incident related to air travel result in the creation of additional jobs? Sad but true, this might be the case.
• I heard a report earlier today that the I.T. and manufacturing sectors should experience very significant job growth in 2010.
• Candidates need to remember to treat those potentially offering job opportunities in a professional manner.
• If you are beginning 2010 without employment, start researching government funded training programs early before the demand grows too high for their available money.

Values

We all are focused on earning as much as possible, hanging on to our jobs in a rather mystifying world, and doing the best we can each and every day. When does this go from be commendable to obsessive and ultimately to unhealthy behavior?

A football coach with a track record of unbelievable success was coaching his team one day in a pressure filled game and had to go to the hospital with significant chest pains. Happily, he did not sustain any serious damage to his cardiovascular system and was able to modify his career before losing his family and possibly his life. No, I am not talking about Urban Meyer, who just announced he is stepping down as head coach at the University of Florida, I am referring to John Madden who suddenly retired as coach of the professional team, the Oakland Raiders, around 30 years ago.

Keep things in perspective as you evaluate your career path during the final week of 2009.

Some Comparisons

I spent a few days in Palm Beach County, FL, last week and noticed some interesting characteristics about their economy. Anyone you chat with down there will tell you tourism is their number one industry. If so, why have they torn down wildlife areas, recreation areas, commercial entertainment centers, etc. and built tons of age restricted communities which are now sitting empty and being sold to anyone with money regardless of age? Tourists need to be able to enjoy affordable vacations. With that in mind, gasoline prices are about 40 cents per gallon higher than in NJ (plus it is all self service down there). Restaurants appear to charge on average about 30% more for the same menu items found in the Northeastern U.S. Driving down there is hazardous to your health and the people are not very friendly.

Should you be among the unemployed looking to move south and open a business, try either Broward or Palm Beach Counties. Bring your Northeastern personality, excellent customer services skills, and leave the gimmicks and games in the stockroom.

Double Check then Triple Check Before Hitting 'SEND'

A well-intentioned candidate sent me his resume for a recently posted job. When I opened the attachment, the document was under someone else's name and for a completely unrelated position! Just because the cover letter indicated that this might be a decent candidate, I wrote asking for the correct resume. The next email contained a polite apology and an empty attachment. Should I send another email to the candidate? I need a few to weigh in with your opinions. Please write to me!!!

Don't Rush

As 2009 plods to the finish line, many people have told me they are ready to change jobs or career paths early in 2010. My advice remains about the same as it was 6 months ago, don't rush.

This might seem harsh, especially from someone who makes a living in the staffing industry, but I feel there is way to risk involved in moving even though things are gradually improving. If you are gainfully employed, able to pay your bills without incurring a ton of debt, and your company appears fairly stable,why move? Greener pastures are made of artificial turf right now. No one has the money to offer terribly better benefits deals than their competitors and any time you move you must be aware of the old theory: last hired-first fired.

Career changing used to be highly regarded once you had 15-20 years at one profession. People admired the courage and enthusiasm that career changers brought to the job. Today, hiring managers are reluctant to hire entry level candidates who have experience in other areas because they will need to spend time and money training and believe that most will migrate back to their original fields.

My apologies if I put a damper on your ideas. Sit tight and wait until at least the second quarter before making a major career moves.

Team Players Wanted

Employers have not shown much loyalty to heir staffs of late, randomly cutting jobs regardless of the person's performance and work ethic. Somehow, they are not being chastised too much as it is just simply hard to maintain head count in very difficult times. Keeping this in mind, I ask employers why they are questioning candidates about their level of dedication and willingness to stay with them for the long term. How could you expect candidates to remain loyal to you when you are indifferent to their needs?

Excellent Job Opportunity

One of my very good clients needs a super strong QA Supervisor to run the operation on their second shift in Bergen County, NJ. Background in medical device manufacturing or other FDA environments is needed as is experience with GMPs and ISO certification. Lean/Six Sigma is highly preferred. I will gladly discuss further with anyone who is interested!!

ETC. (includes my Super Bowl prediction!)

• 2009 is winding down and 2010 has to be a better year on the job front. If not, President Obama has a lot of explaining ahead of him.
• On a brighter note, a handful of smaller manufacturing firms in NJ appear to be writing up work orders at the end of the year which hopefully means there will be a little hiring in the first 4 to 6 weeks of 2010!
• Employers still appear to believe in the myth that high unemployment equals a high number of custom made candidates. As has been obvious this year, many of those out of work have the same skill sets and those with unique mixes are still working.
• Take advantage of any free time you have to make sure your resume' is absolutely perfect. Show it to others and get their input. If you like, send it to me and I will be very honest in my assessment.
• Super Bowl prediction as we approach NFL Playoff time: San Diego vs. Minnesota with the Chargers winning by about 5 points!

Hooked on Phonics?

Please understand I believe in giving every candidate an equal opportunity to secure a job. Unfortunately, some folks are really pushing me to the limit of my patience with their resumes. What should I do with a resume that includes the work 'hortopedick' several times and uses 'two' instead of 'too' repeatedly and 'lake' in place of 'like?' No matter how open minded I am, I realize that a hiring manager will pick this up during the initial job application process. If you, or someone you know, has problems with spelling or grammar, please make sure proofreading takes place before submitting a resume.

Career Training Does Not End When You Graduate

A certain 4-year, private university in Bergen County NJ apparently brings in extra revenue by running a certificate (rather than degree granting) program in Paralegal Studies. At face value, that makes very good business sense and I imagine the allure of having a diploma from a private university that grants undergraduate and graduate degrees at its campuses in Morris and Bergen County sounds fairly reasonable and not too ridiculous (those who have been in north Jersey awhile know who I mean)!

Unfortunately, this school seems to have forgotten that they have an obligation to strongly support the job search efforts of their grads! This does not mean handing out a 5 year old list of employment agencies or printing a statewide directory of law firms off the web. It means contacting potential employers to ascertain whether or not they might need some entry level staffers for their office.

No matter where you live, it is important to remember that your school is expected to feed job leads and contacts to you. Absolutely, YOU must go get the job offer but your school needs to reinforce your efforts!! Good luck!

Impact of Increased Troops in Afghanistan

Numerous theories abound about how the addition of 30,000 new troops to Afghanistan will effect the economy next year. Aside from the fact that we are sending all these people into a terrible environment and risking too many lives, I have doubts about bolstering the economy. There has been no significant talk about needing new aircraft or naval vessels, communications systems or computer networks, etc. The only thing it might do is take some of the unemployed off the roles filling temporary holes when reservists get called into action. The price we will likely pay in fatalities seems too high based on all other conditions. Sincerely, I hope I am wrong.

Some Very Early December Rantings

For some unknown reason, I am ringing in December 2009 with both some early morning indigestion and insomnia. Of course, I am imagining everything from early onset of H1N1 ( makes me think of being dragged to see Star Trek/Wars) to the seasonal flu (dumb name) to a reaction to some medication changes to some unknown ailment waiting at the door........

Guess what? I figured out my problem! Indigestion was brought on by all the stupid decisions being made by our federal government which will undoubtedly mess up the economy even more resulting in more depressing employment figures to wrap up 2009. Insomnia was brought on by trying to figure out how to motivate my clients, who are desperately short handed to the point of barely being productive, to bring in staff (at least on a short term basis) to meet the needs of their valued customers without losing them to off-shore manufacturers. Also, I would sleep better if the unemployed populus became realistic about what it takes to jump back into the job market therefore making themselves more desirable to future employers once the fog lifts off our shoulders (yes, it has engulfed our heads and is working downward for now) and if I could bring employed folks to their senses about staying put until partial clearing replaces the fog.

Wow! Getting that off my chest was almost as good as a glass of ginger ale. Time to sign off and go find the Canada Dry!