Thursday, September 30, 2010

September Song

As September floats (at least along the eastern seaboard) into the sunset, I see a tiny bit of light shining. Over the past week, jobs are slowly popping up, not very exciting ones, but they do come with paychecks. If you are among the unemployed, my advice is to grab anything offered then look for ways to move into other roles within the company. If nothing exists to move toward, at least you have filled in some of the white space that was growing on your resume! Looking forward to a better October!

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Things are Happening!

Okay, the economy has not rebounded but I do need CNC Machinists, Mechanical Inspectors, Collections Reps (Excel and phone skills) and someone to convert reports from SAP to Excel. Contact me for details!

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Job Opportunity

I have a client in Northern NJ who is converting their Supply Chain reporting process from SAP to Excel. The key is to find someone who is an Excel expert (V-lookups, pivot tables, etc.) who has some knowledge of SAP and Supply Chain. This is a long term contract with some potential of converting to permanent in 2011. Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs if you are interested or feel free to refer someone to me!

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Memories

Some people remember their child's first spoken words. Others remember their first date. Some remember very special events. Others remember everything and those are the ones to be mindful of!

Even though I have pointed this out in various ways before, a fairly recent conversation compelled me to go there yet again.
***** DO NOT IRRITATE HIRING MANAGERS OR HR REPS (or both) DURING THE HIRING PROCESS! *****

It will come back to haunt you again and again. Should a company turn you down for a job, move onward to the next opportunity. Continuing to call the company that rejected you will only serve to create hard feeling which will travel with the hiring party to wherever they go next. Reacting in a positive, gracious manner to go when participating in the search process!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Don't Give Up

In recent days, I have chatted with too many people who have been unemployed for 6 to 18 months and longer in a few cases. They are worried about unemployment extensions running out, college tuition for their children, mortgage payments, car loans, certainly nothing extravagant. It seems to me we are getting nothing but lip service from our leaders. For example, Governor Christie of NJ has been destroying labor unions yet he does not seem to have a plan to replace those jobs. The White House does not seem to notice that the not for profit business world is on life support. Speaker of the House Pelosi has not inspired any sort of recovery plan either. Obviously, neither political party has any answers. This is where it gets scary folks. Fringe party politicians (and perhaps the not so fringe Tea Party) are making gains right now and most of them have very dangerous agendas. Everyone needs to wake up and get their acts in gear immediately.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Works Progress Administration

So we need something other than President Obama's flop of a stimulus program to get the U.S. back in gear. Why not go back to 1935 and recreate the Works Progress Administration and modify the original model to meet the needs of our era? A large part of our country's infrastructure is falling apart on many fronts. Instead of doling out extensions to unemployment benefits, let's take that money and create a mix of white and blue collar jobs! For those of you who are uncertain about my idea, go look up the WPA on line and see what you think.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Doors

I have been watching a house along my commuting route that has been under construction for over two years and still is not finished. Yesterday, I noticed the siding is mostly in places as are many windows. The entry doors and garage doors are still missing.

This got me thinking. I wonder what creatures have taken the opportunity to wander around this shell while the doors were wide open. What have they observed and learned in their explorations? Once the doors are installed, the opportunity to learn is gone.

This recession has actually opened many doors for job seekers though not necessarily the front entrance. While opportunities are tough to come by, they are out there. If you have been struggling going the conventional route, tried some side doors or garage entrances. For example, if you have a sales background, checkout the retail warehouse clubs. On a recent jaunt, I discovered one such place with several stations selling high end products and services. Unless you check unusual resources out, you may being closing doors before they are actually shut!

Friday, September 3, 2010

Etc.

  • August was very quiet on the placement front. Media reports claimed that temps were in demand because firms were unable to find vacation coverage. My experience was that voicemail and email served as the replacements in most cases.
  • Someone who has not worked for almost two years was incensed when I called her about a two week project. She actually used foul language about my call to her companion before hanging up the phone. We need to fix a system which enables the unemployed to remain that way and we need to do so now!
  • I am trying to turn Twitter into a valuable resource. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
  • Labor Day used to be when we honored union workers. I wonder how Governor Christie of NJ and other Tea Party politicians will commemorate the day.
  • Beware of previously unknown engines offering to blast your resume for FREE! One never knows on whose doorstep or inbox (or Twitter Account) it will end up on!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Darn Bronchitis!

I have been quiet for several days thanks to a slowly developing case of bronchitis, an old friend who had not shown up for almost 2 years. Yesterday, I broke down and went to see my doctor. While waiting to be seen, I heard multiple patients approach the receptionist to explain that their health care coverage had changed to COBRA or that they were without health care for now. One person was bemoaning that he had signed up for Medicare and it was a total mess to deal with. I was getting sicker listening to their situations. One of these days, perhaps Washington will get it right.