One Month Down!!

One month of 2010 is just about in the books already. To recap: worst natural disaster in recent history rocked Haiti; health care reform remains unresolved; the Kennedy Senate seat was given away; U.S. Supreme Court cleared the path for foreign companies to buy elections; unemployment is still terribly high.

With all that being said, I think light is peaking out at the end of the tunnel. I have seen some hiring take place in January. Locating highly qualified and unemployed candidates has been a bit tougher. A few employers actually appear ready to add to their head count, not just temporary contractors.

Stay tuned. The next 2 months may be

Vicious Circle

Unemployed people are facing an unneeded obstacle. If they try to re-enter the workforce by doing contract assignments, they face the risk of either losing unemployment benefits or having to go through the process of filing a fresh claim. This is an unfair burden to place on someone who is is fighting for financial and career stability. It would be great to see our lawmakers at the state and federal levels finds a reasonable solution.

Keep the Door Open!

Never say know to exploring a job possibility if you do not have a guaranteed job offer in hand! I have repeated that advice to candidates at all levels during parts of 4 decades (yes, I am getting very old!) but many do not listen. This past Monday, i called a candidate with a job that fit her background like a glove. She had been scheduled for an interview at a slightly higher paying rate farther from home than the one I proposed. She refused to clear me to forward her resume to my client because the job was all but a done deal even though this was a first interview. Thursday, my client informed me they have enough resumes and will not look at more candidates. Friday, late in the day, the candidate phoned to say she did not like the place she interviewed at and wanted to be submitted for my client's job. TOO LATE!!! Please do not do this to your future!!

Dear Hiring Manager

The following is a message I want to send to all decision makers at companies of all sizes and types any where and everywhere on behalf of all the hardworking unemployed folks out there waiting for a chance to help your organization:

Dear Hiring Manager;

Your company posted a job opening over 2 months ago for a professional with five years experience in my field. Since I have about ten years of most of the required skill sets, I sent you my resume, emailed a follow-up one week later, left you a voice mail the next week, and finally received a one line email stating I was overqualified. When I tried phoning again, your assistant told me that with so many people out of work you saw no need to hire an over qualified person. As you saw in my cover letter, my last employer went bankrupt over 18 months ago. Rather than collect unemployment, I have taken a series of part-time jobs somewhat related to my field. The chance to re-enter my industry is much more critical than the pay rate right now. If you have been unable to hire the perfect candidate for the last two months, please consider at least meeting with me to see if perhaps I would be suitable for the open job.

Respectfully,
Available to Work

Personal Choices

Working in the staffing field, I talk with people with diverse work experiences and all sorts of philosophies on their careers. From very open-minded hiring managers to those who still think that recession means they will find perfect candidates for 30% below market value to candidates who will do anything to avoid unemployment to those who are collecting their government checks and refusing to job hunt, I hear a little bit of this and a little bit of that each week.

Yesterday, I had a great conversation with someone who has been in the engineering field for a very long time and never had been faced with unemployment until about 2 years ago. Insistent on remaining in his field to keep his career intact and properly provide for his family, this gentleman has juggled contract jobs that require him to at times live in a rented space about 2 hours from home and to live over 1000 miles from his family while commuting home once a month or so. He has never filed an unemployment claim and managed to keep0 plugging away no matter what.

No one has the right to tell you how to manage your career but consider how you stack up against others in your field when making very tough choices! As a recruiter, this is one type of candidate I will always enjoy dealing with as he subscribes to something I had pounded into my head when my career began back in prehistoric (or at least before texting developed) times, do Whatever It Takes to succeed!

ETC.

• The Medical Device industry seems to be ready for some growth once again which could be a very positive sign.
• Equipment manufacturers appear to have not retained the momentum they experience near the end of 2009, definitely not a positive sign.
• Retailers have some Help Wanted signs in their windows which could mean future growth is expected.
• It looks like the market for Medical Assistants has remained low in part because too many trade schools have taught the same curriculum.

Engineering Manager Needed!

I have a client in Northern NJ in need of a very hands-on Electrical Engineering Manager (PLCs, BSEE helpful). Please contact me either via this blog or via harold@smartstaff.jobs (refer back to this blog please!) and I will be in touch to discuss the details.

Think Before You Speak!

Senator Reid's run in with a political pothole made me recall so old advice which I have not shared in a long time. Before you speak, whether in an interview, with a client, amongst colleagues, etc., ensure you will not say anything that might just offend others. Political correctness applies quite well to the interview process. Just because someone is young does not mean that they are a Democrat. Don't ever discuss religious beliefs because you have guessed at the person's faith. Anything is possible and your attempt at light hearted humor could lead to a very unpleasant encounter.

Interview Wardrobes

Suffice it to say I am not a fashion consultant, never have been, never will be, and never will be confused for one! Numerous people have told me they are concerned as things begin to turn around that their interview clothes are out of date or worn out. Do not fret. Pull them out of moth balls, visit a dry cleaner (and perhaps a tailor) and see if a few dollars rejuvenates them. If not, skip the high price mall shops and visit the off price retailers. Find lots of separates (applies to both men and women) so you may create a large wardrobe out of perhaps 2 or 3 groupings of clothing. Neat but basic work work just fine! Good luck!

Honesty with Moderation

Withholding information from a resume is not something I recommend though some things are better discussed during an interview than printed on paper. A few days back, I received a very polished resume from someone with about 25 years of impressive experience at the executive level with some excellent attributes. I noticed that there was a 3 year gap with an asterisk. My first thought was he has semi-retired then changed his mind, or taken time off for health or family issues.

At the very bottom of the resume was an explanation, three years of incarceration. Upon researching briefly online, I discovered a rather disturbing history of white collar crime that apparently got blown out of proportion because of who some of the other associates were. Rather than becoming very concerned after seeing the footnote, doing some homework, and feeling compelled to not pursue any further, part of me thinks I would have reacted a bit different if I had spoken with candidate first and he had offered the information in his own words.

My past experience in Career Services for trade schools taught me that there are people with difficult pasts who have moved forward and deserve a chance to succeed. Perhaps this candidate fits into that category but I am now extremely reluctant to establish contact. My advice is never hide such information but it should come out either on a formal job application or during an initial discussion so the candidate has a chance to present the whole picture.

Forum for Women Job Seekers

For all women looking to re-enter the job market who live in driving range of Central NJ:

Jewish Family Service is offering a special Job Seekers Support Group For Women Only. This group is for women looking to return to the work force. This group will be held on Friday, January 29, 2010 from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. at 150-A West High Street, Somerville, N.J. During this session the group will have an “Open Job Search Discussion” facilitated by Elise Prezant, Career Counselor, JFS. This group is offered free of charge and is open to the entire community. To register, please contact Elise Prezant at 908-725-7799 or eprezant@JewishFamilySvc.org

If you do contact Elise, please let her know that Harold Levin highly recommended this program!

Thank You!

Thank you, these are two simple words that still mean an awful lot to hiring managers. Think about it for a moment, the number of people fighting for open jobs is extremely high and a manager might (misguidedly) interview 10 or 12 people for one position. By the end, they all start to look and sound very much similar. My guess is that maybe three or four will take the time to send a quick note of thanks (email is fine) for the time invested in meeting with them. Perhaps two will actually make a reference to something discussed. Quite likely, those folks will be among the people receiving call backs for a second interview. This is not new advice but it is a proven method to increase your odds of being hired. Since it costs nothing other than a few minutes of your time, I strongly suggest you start saying Thank you quite often!

Jobs in 2010

Now that the calendar has changed to a new decade, I am hopeful new windows of opportunity will appear. Here are a few thoughts to ponder:

• Unemployed I.T. professionals might want to look at teaching for government funded job training programs. With so many people looking for updated skill sets, I suspect these programs to thrive for the next year or two. Put on your cyber thinking caps and find some contacts wherever you reside!
• Pharmaceutical researchers who fell victim to the mergers and consolidations may want to look for start up drug companies who could use their expertise for a year or two as they go through the discovery and approval processes. Be realistic about your financial needs as you approach these firms since money is a bigger issue to them than you probably realize.
• So many companies have outdated manufacturing equipment that the need for repairs and maintenance is growing. Rather than pay a ton of money and benefits to a full time technician, outsourcing is growing. If you have the skills, team up with a few former colleagues and market yourselves to local organizations on an as-need basis.

Creativity and resourcefulness will be among the top keys to success in 2010 and beyond. Good luck!!