May is Ending!?!?

My punctuation in the tile of this entry is not a mistake. On one hand, may has given some signs of encouragement while it also has provided even more reasons to be concerned.

Right now, we seem to have a loose cannon running (ruining?) NJ, a lame duck heading up NY, a question mark at best in PA, and lots of red flags popping up out west. With such instability in key states, and a leadership group in DC that still has not defined itself, I am not surprised that the job market is still in flux.

That being said, May began for me with a flurry of activity. It was followed by a dismal mid-section but ended last week with some longtime clients finally showing signs of staffing needs.

With the market rising and falling rapidly, candidates need to be on their toes at all times. Should you receive a call inquiring about your resume, ANSWER THE MESSAGE IMMEDIATELY!!!!! There is no excuse for taking 36-72 hours to return a simple phone call. Remember that very old saying, if you snooze, you lose!!!!

Minimum Wage or Bust?

Three people wrote me this week saying they are so desperate to work that they will accept minimum wage. One told me he would only accept this for exactly the same type of work he earned six figures for as recently as two years back and another said he would work for that amount as long as some of his skill sets were utilized.

Marketing a seasoned professional into anything other than an unrelated, part-time job at minimum wage will not work. While all employers are very aware of the messy world we live in, they are also very wary (and rightfully so) of trying to get something for almost nothing. Looking that desperate could easily brand a candidate as a disaster area and could ruin them professionally for the rest of their
work-eligible life.

Jobs Available

A very good client in Northern NJ has two contract positions to fill. Please contact me at harold@smartstaff.jobs or hblevin58@gmail.com and mention reading this on my blog!

Programmer, CNC/CMM: 5+ years experience programming CNC machines and CMM (preferably Zeiss using Calypso but this is not essential). Must be knowledgeable of the processes used in forging, machining, casting, etc.

Manufacturing Engineer: Should have very strong gauge design, Pro E with Wildfire, GD&T, detailing, gage evaluation, etc.

Recent Conversation

This past week, I chatted at length with someone who has had a very strong career in I.T. for over 20 years. He sounded terribly frustrated and I understand why.

He has been out of work for over a year after making six figure salaries for a very long time. His problem has not been getting interviews but in getting past the HR recruiter at stage 1. They repeatedly ask for salary history and tend to lose interest immediately even though he tells them money is not an issue. If that works, he gets asked why he would take a job that is obviously a step beneath his prior positions. Once he replies that he will be glad to use any of his skill sets and not necessarily only the most recent ones, they look puzzled. Should he manage to keep the interview alive, it is killed off with a statement that they do not think he will stay put once the economy picks up.

Someone needs to wake up and smell the roses! People are happy to earn a reasonably fair salary in their industry to keep up their skills and put food on the table. When the economy loosens up, hopefully not everyone will jump ship, especially if employers realize their value and reward them modestly. Companies would be much more productive if they filled empty slots rather than looking for reasons not to do so!

Express Yourself Clearly

I am amazed at how many people phone me looking for work and it is clear after a few minutes that they cannot share what they are specifically qualified to do! Rather than sounding totally lost on the phone, consider wrtiting an outline of want you wish to say before dialing the number. Most folks do not own crystal balls and are unwilling to waste much time gussing at your motivation for calling.

Mixed Reviews

2010 is proving a bit hard to read on the job front thus far. This past week, I reached out to clients in a variety of industries and found things have a very long way to go yet. Medical device manufacturing seems strong as usual; finance and accounting are very weak; publishing is a bit healthier; machine and equipment manufacturing are a bit better than a year ago; while I.T. looks like it has a long and slow trip to recovery. Too many people I chatted with sounded exceptionally concerned about thier futures and were not positive about what they are hearing from the White House or, in the local sector, from Governors Christie or Patterson.

News reports came out yesterday that unemployment rates are climbing because many folks who had stopped looking for work are now trying again. Does this mean that because you take a break from searching for a few months our federal government does not count you as unemployed. Something is terribly wrong with that concept. I was a supporter of change in Washington in 2008 but not very impressed with the results so far. We need to see the real numbers, not manipulated information.

Personally, I was fortunate to start three consultants on new assignments this week so I do see a tiny ray of light shining through! I cannot wait for the day that we are all talking about the great strides beingmade toward recovery! Let's hope that is very soon.

Machinists Needed

I have over a dozen open slots for machinists with CNC and CMM experience at a client in Northern NJ. Position is within driving range of Orange, Westchester, Rockland, Bergen, Sussex, Morris, Essex, Hudson, Passaic and Union Counties. Hunterdon, Somerset, and Warren Counties are reaches for the truly energetic. All shifts are presently available. Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs and mention this blog!!

Will May Be the Month?

May arrived with incredibly hot weather in the Northeast and violent weather across the South. Does this mean we are about to see a storm of activity on the job front? April was very quiet though last week appeared to show some energy but I am unsure why that occurred. I would be curious to hear if any of my readers noticed a change last week. While there seems to be a momentary boost, some markets could be in for a rough time.

Governor Christie of NJ has imposed over $800 million in state aid cuts to public schools forcing about 200,000 teaching jobs to be eliminated. PA is laying off thousands of educators and trying to force them to come back at a fraction of their earning. We could see a huge influx of educators looking for jobs in other markets. One of these days, I hope we witness the job creation that President Obama talked about on the campaign trail 2 years ago.

Share your thoughts with me and have a good week!

I Am Not Your Buddy!

Never call a recruiter or hiring manager and start the conversation with, "hey Buddy, I saw your ad online for a Database Analyst (insert whatever job title actually fits) and wanted to find out how to apply for it Dude!" I guarantee that you will never get a chance at any job I might be recruiting for if that is your standard method of operation. The line I quoted above is not a dramatization, it is an actual call I received this past Thursday!

While not entirely fair, I may have been a bit more lenient if the caller was fresh out of trade school looking for their first job. Most likely, I would have taken a few moments to explain why this behavior was not a good choice. Unfortunately, this candidate apparently had about 15 years of I.T. experience and had to know better. To think this is the norm would be absurd but I must share that the quality of phone calls I receive are nowhere near what they were even two years ago.

Please think before you talk and definitely plan out your call in advance. Professionalism is not dead and is essential to a great job search!.