Continuing Education

Supplementing your talents is a great thing to do but make sure the source of your education is a good one. Most proprietary trade schools and colleges are accredited buy one of many legitimate groups. Ask the school who gave them their accreditation then call the accrediting body and make sure the information is accurate. Before investing your money and time, be certain the school is qualified to teach the subject you are interested in!

Missing In Action

Are you out of work?... Have your unemployment benefits run out?... Do you have a ton of unpaid bills?... Were you forced to take a low paying job just to stay somewhat afloat?... Without any doubt, is this the worst time you have experienced in your professional life?...

Let me guess, many of you answered yes to most of these questions? If that is true for so many people, why on earth are folks not showing up for interviews? I know of at least four cases in the last month where people with great backgrounds and skill sets simply never appeared for scheduled meetings. Life happens and emergencies develop but that is why cell phones and email were invented (well at least one of the reasons they came along)!

Keep in mind that the person you bl0w off today might hold the key to opportunity somewhere down the road. I remember being blow off years ago and putting the key in my back pocket a few years later!!

Salary Requirements

Never ever place a salary requirement in a cover letter if the hiring firm did not ask for one!! There is no quicker way to shut a door and have it padlocked than asking for the wrong amount of money! Should a company ask for a desired salary, try something like, "presently, I am very open to all offers." If that does not work, tell them that you are aware that salaries fit a huge range right now and you will be glad to discuss in detail after you mutually agree there is a match.

Many candidates still think they will command the numbers from 3 to 4 years ago and this will not happen in the near future. Anyone who puts out unrealistic dollar amounts will be on the bench for quite some time. Utilize your best common sense!

ETC.

A few loose thoughts while I take a lunch break:

• Message to employers: If you are hiring a contractor for 3 months or less, don't reject candidates who have jumped around too much!
• Message to candidates: Make sure you demonstrate some of the required skill sets on your resume before submitting for a job!
• Message to job counselors at the Dept. of Labor: Take a minute to actually evaluate your client before handing out job hunting advice!
• Message to career counselors at institutions of higher education: Aim your students/grads at realistic opportunities to avoid them becoming frustrated and complacent!
• Message to everyone (including myself): Strive for excellence each and every day!

Simple Logic

Simple logic says that if someone is unemployed, and has been for an extended time, that the prospects of a contract opportunity, no matter what the pay rate, would be worth considering. This past week has given me the chance to have this conversation repeatedly and the results have underwhelmed me. Of course, a few realistic folks have jumped at the chance to be considered but more than half have declined because they are insisting on making the same salary they were laid off at perhaps 3 years ago. Wouldn't we all wish the world had not changed? Sadly, that is not reality and it is time to get real about prospects for the near future.

A potential candidate called me yesterday about a posting I had placed which gave a range of $25-37 hour for a supply chain professional from the manufacturing sector. She was a displaced CPA from the financial world who had some related experience going back over 10 years ago. The first thing she told me was she expected to earn over $100 an hour for the posted job and my rate must have been incorrect! After explaining the current facts of life and ascertaining she had been out of work for well over a year, it became apparent she was inflexible and the conversation stopped.

There is not a professional recruiter out there who likes paying people less than market value but the truth is that there is no market value right now. Whatever the employer feels they could afford has become today's market value.

It's NOT 1, 2, 3 Strikes....Anymore

Fuses has grown shorter and nooses are getting tighter every day during The Great Recession. Once upon a time, a few mistakes resulted in nothing more than a stern reprimand. Today, you cannot afford to tell co-workers you are unhappy at work; call out with car problems one day then promise to come in the next and simply not show up; complain when asked to cover the tasks of someone whose job was eliminated in addition to your own duties; whine that others are getting assigned less tasks than you are,; etc.

These are extremely difficult times and each and every one of us should be thankful to be gainfully employed. Remember, if you mess up or say something stupid, the perception of most employers (whether right or wrong) is that hundreds of others are lined up to grad your job!

Puzzling Politics

Whether you reside in the Great (?) Garden State or not, you undoubtedly have heard about Governor Chris Christie's vendetta against public education, where he has stripped over $800 million of state aid while eliminating a special income tax to the state's most wealthy residents.

Beyond everything else that is wrong with the equation, he is eliminating a few hundred thousand jobs at a time when he promised to increase employment in NJ. Not only he is wiping out almost all extra curricular activities and fine arts plus some athletic programs which will put more youth on the streets, he is weakening the economy both forcing displaced teachers and their families to relocate to greener pastures.

Chris Christie will go down in history books as one of the most counterproductive governors in the history of the U.S. If you live in NJ, contact your local representatives to fight him. if you live in another state, protect your territory now and feel free to pass along websites where some of the finest teachers around could apply for jobs!!

References That Really Work!

My apologies for being silent this week. Passover and being a bit under the weather slowed me down a little.

More and more companies are asking for detailed reference checks BEFORE they even consider your resume. Unfortunately, the current climate is making them feel compelled to do this. Prior to sending out your resume to recruiters or hiring managers, take a look at your list and ensure the following:

1. All names and numbers are accurate and current.
2. You have called the reference to make certain it is okay to use their name.
3. You are able to provide someone at each of your last 3-4 positions to verify you were employed and that the dates match and someone to attest to your work abilities.

Too many people are not checking this information and it could prove to be a major roadblock. Do not leave it up to the hiring company to do the research as they will either give up due to time constraints or they will talk to someone who may not give you terribly good ratings because they never really knew you!