Jobs in DC

While enduring the heatwave in the Washington DC region last Sunday, I picked up a copy of The Washington Post. After spending about two minutes on their pitiful sports page, I moved on to the classifieds and found a fair amount of postings. Most were from consulting firms looking for software developers with rather new technologies and all required high end security clearances. My assumption is that most of them are competing for the same contract. If you are a programmer who could spend 6 months to a year in DC, you might want to get your resume headed to that region.

Accounts with prior government agency background also looked to be in high demand which makes sense considering the current financial mess. Engineers, manufacturing professionals, and teachers will find limited opportunities in DC and it suburbs right now. Based on what I observed, those interested in the hotel industry should check out Washington or Alexandria as every place I saw was loaded with guests.

Interesting Day

President Obama had some meetings scheduled for NYC tonight. Before heading into Manhattan, he took a side trip to the famed Tastee Subs in Edison NJ, one of the most well known yet nondescript eateries in Central NJ. He met with several small business owners for a brief time to discuss how his new bills would help struggling companies rebound. Selecting Tastee did not make a lot of sense as they have provided their employees with health care for decades and have thrived ever since their inception in 1963 and are busier than ever. Perhaps the White House thought the very shabby building would represent the scores of failing businesses across the nation but this is probably one of the most successful small businesses in the area stationed at one of the busiest intersections! Let's just hope that the end result will be prosperity for all small business owners and additional jobs to help fix the economy!

Quich Advice (Part Two)

Time kills.

• Submitting one's resume to a job posting then waiting 6 days to reply to a phone call will never get you a job as it will be filled before you respond.
• Interviewing a great candidate for an open need then not providing feedback for almost 2 weeks before making an offer will not necessarily mean the person is still available.

Things are improving slowly and employers and candidates need to realize timing is everything once again!

Quick Advice

Recently, the quality of resumes crossing my desk has been nothing less than abysmal. Spelling errors are only the tip of the iceberg. People are inventing words, putting dates on jobs that could not possibly be correct, and listing responsibilities and accomplishments that have nothing to do with the job title or type of company they worked at.

It is this simple:

Create a resume that would make you want to hire yourself!!

If your current version does not fit that criteria, FIX IT NOW!

Job Training Shortcomings

Everyone needs to read the article in today's New York Times about government funded job training for displaced workers. Over $800 Mil is being spent to train people who previously earned in excess of $75K for jobs that barely surpass minimum wage and are in fields that are terribly overcrowded already. The end result for many is that they are replacing their unemployment earnings with welfare checks and we are all paying for this through taxes. Please note that I did vote for President Obama so I am not tossing out some sour grapes but I am very disturbed by the results.

As a former Career Services Director for a proprietary trade school, I witnessed individuals who were pigeon holed by unemployment counselors into accepting training they never wanted because they knew it was a poor fit for them. Usually, the unemployment counselor has a menu of a few available programs and you must select from what is out there, not what is good for you. It appears that the Obama administration simply fed money into this worn out program instead of creating something that would best match the student with the right career move. Again, try to read this article and draw your own conclusions.

PS: If you participated in one of these courses, i would love to hear how you made out!

Etc.

• July is proving to be a mixed bag. While traditionally a slow time for placements, I do see slightly busier than normal activity.
• Pay rates are running about 25-35% lower than they were 2-3 years ago. Think twice before turning down an opportunity as the next one could be for less money!
• The federal government has a huge decision with millions of extensions for unemployment benefits ending this month and I am anxious to see how this is handled.
• Candidates appear willing to take jobs they are extremely overqualified for while employers seem fixated on hiring folks with 2-6 years experience. Simple fact, most of the unemployed population is comprised of those with under 2 years experience and those with 10+ years.
• For some reason, candidates are taking 2-3 days to answer phone calls about potential jobs. Is it frustration, complacency, or something else.

Very Unique Opportunity

One of my super solid clients needs a Research Analyst to work on gathering information to be used in media related surveys. They develop software, questionnaires and surveys for the advertising world. What makes this position unique is that the candidate must have grown up with Spanish as their primary language yet be proficient in English. Someone with a degree in Spanish from a U.S. college or University will NOT fit. They want someone who preferably was raised in a Spanish speaking country or environment who will be comfortable with the quirks of the language. A large amount of time will involve translation. The job is in NYC and relocation assistance will no be provided. A degree is needed in Psychology, Business, Marketing, etc. All referrals are deeply appreciated.

Buyer Needed in Northern NJ

Please mention this blog site when you reply!
Our client has a long term contract opportunity for a Buyer with 6-10 years experience in procurement, supplier management and strategic sourcing in a medical device or implant industry or a similarly regulated environment; Bachelor's Degree in Finance, Business or similar field of study; MBA is a plus but not required. CPM certification is needed. ISM, NAPM, and/or APICS certs are helpful to have. Experience in application of internet/reverse auctions preferred. 4+ years sourcing experience needed, global strategic sourcing highly desired. PLEASE NOTE: Candidates must live within about a one hour commuting range of Bergen County NJ to be reviewed for this opportunity! Qualified candidates should submit resumes and at least one reachable reference from each of their last 3 employers to Harold Levin via email at harold@smartstaff.jobs.SmartStaff Personnel, 908-508-0300, ext.205.

What is Loyalty?

Loyalty used to mean that someone worked for a company faithfully every day, performed at or above expectations, received periodic raises and benefits, was treated with respect and occasionally thanked for their hard work and dedication. it was a win-win for both the employer and the employee. yesterday, I had a chat with someone who watched five different CEO's enter and exit in a seven year span. Each one totally redesigned the way the company operated and no one had a clue as to what was expected from them. Perhaps a simple solution to our still under performing economy would be a return to basics where simple standards are set, reward levels are established and maintained, and a mutual respect existed between employers and employees. A team of experts are not needed to come in and develop such a plan. All that has to be done is bring a few folks from each level of a company to a meeting room, put some sandwiches in front of them and talk the old fashioned way over lunch!

Still Limping Along

I just returned from a mini-vacation to Massachusetts where it was apparent to me that the economy has a way to go. What follows are some random observations collected as our family travelled about.

• The town of Rockport (very cool place to visit) is usually jammed with visitors in the summer forcing day trippers to park outside town and hop on Shuttle buses. This time the lots were closed and spaces to park were not too hard to locate.
• Next door, the port town of Gloucester was not very lively on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon with numerous empty storefronts in their rather old fashioned yet intriguing business district.
• Restaurants in suburban Boston were perhaps 60% fool on Friday and Saturday evenings, a time when they used to have huge waiting lists for tables.
• Plymouth needed a last minute influx of donations to save their wonderful fireworks display on July 4th. The sense I got got from chatting with business owners was that things are not going well there right now and many seemed quite concerned.
• I overheard a discussion that Cisco is closing facilities in the region and that very few of those jobs will actually be relocated.

My apologies for pouring some water on your firecrackers. Unfortunately, the rehabilitation of our economy still has a long way to go to be successful.

Details

Yesterday, I had an interesting chat with a hiring manager I had never spoken with before at one of my longtime client companies. The department she manages deals with statistics and data so even the slightest error in a report could be devastating and cost a ton of revenue.

One error on a resume is enough for her to rule out a candidate without speaking to or meeting with them. This is understandable as perfection is the key to her division's success and she cannot take chances. After we spoke, I started reviewing resumes on her behalf and was disappointed with the results. One individual quite obviously misspelled thier name, another forgot to leave a space between their first and last name, and another one neglected to give an area code for their phone number.

Would you hire any of these people?