Sunday, October 31, 2010

Think Please!

I received a resume this past week of someone who stated that he was an exact fit for a Pro-E Design Engineer opportunity. Upon reading his resume, it was obvious this person had been a terrific insurance sales rep, a bank teller, and a restaurant manager with a B.A. in English. There was no mention of Pro-E, design, drafting, engineering or anything else remotely of value to the job. I assume that a friend or spouse used a keyword search and somehow matched to the job. THINK BEFORE SENDING RESUMES OUT!! PLEASE!!!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cover letters

A discussion I had today made me realize I have not said a heck of a lot about cover letters in recent weeks (months?) so I will rectify that right now!

Cover letters, to me as a recruiter, are a nuisance. They were great in the golden days of recruiting (when my hair was thicker and had a bit less grey!) before email, Linked In, text messaging, etc. Snail mail still lends itself to cover letters to clarify the position one is applying for. Beyond that, they are pointless. Other than providing a full cover letter when asked for it, simply provide one only if asked for it. Under no circumstances should a cover letter be confused with a resume!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

ETC.

  • Job openings are starting to pop up here and there but companies still seem fixated on candidates with 2 to 4 years experience but want these folks to be experts in everything. The mind set of a lot of more seasoned candidates has helped bring this on so YOU need to demonstrate willingness and flexibility when job hunting!
  • Resumes appear to be getting sloppier and less accurate. With time on your hands, no excuses will be accepted for this lack of attention to a very important detail.
  • Pay rates are not rebounding as quick as job opportunities are at this point. be patient with employers. I do believe that if you take a job, you will eventually be rewarded. If not, as things loosen up in the next year or two, other employers will offer you the money you deserve.
  • Help wanted signs are visible in many retail establishments. If your chosen field is still plodding along, consider taking a seasonal job to get the blood circulating.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Totally Unrelated to Anything

Once in a while, I allow myself to digress from the main purpose of this blog and today is one of those times. So much is going on in the world that just makes me worry about where our priorities need to be. Consider these randoms event in recent weeks:

  • A Rutgers University freshmen jumped off the George Washington bridge because he discovered his dormitory roommate and friends had broadcast a sexual encounter he had with another male on the internet.
  • Lindsay Lohan has bounced in and out of jail and rehab units because she cannot or will not follow a judge's orders.
  • The State of Delaware has the opportunity to place someone into the U.S. Congress who cannot name any Supreme Court decisions she is unhappy with.
  • The Afghan leaders are trying to make peace with the Taliban warriors in their country.
  • Michael Vick, convicted animal abuser and killer, is collecting a massive paycheck from the Philadelphia Eagles.
  • For no good reason, Bristol Palin has turned into a TV star.
  • Our country is so unbalanced that a movement from the late 1700's, known as the TEA Party, is rapidly gaining momentum.

In all honesty, I am just not sure what is going to happen next and suspect this is why companies are barely hiring, malls have empty storefronts, and many homes have "For Sale" signs in the front yard.

Monday, October 18, 2010

If You Take the Credit, You Must Take the Blame

This past weekend, I spent time helping run some high school marching band competitions where I got to see the future of our country perform incredibly well. At the same time I witnessed educators taking credit for everything their young charges excelled at but laying the blame on them for any shortcomings. One wise judge put it well in telling a group of instructors that their students will perform up to the expectations set for them and if they fall short they have most likely not been inspired to do better.

The same message applies to managers in any workplace. If your team makes budget, you will jump up and let everyone know that YOU succeeded. Should things not come out so great, you will blame your staff. Remember, leaders need to be accountable for the good and the bad. Otherwise, you are not truly deserving of the title.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Project Manager Needed!

One of my top clients, located in Bergen County NJ, has a 6-12 month assignment for a Project Manager in a foundry environment who will be responsible for equipment validation and Capital Expenditure Requests (CER). 5+ years experience needed in a foundry or more generally, with metallurgy. Must have knowledge of FDA regulations, GMP's and ISO requirements; knowledge of Lean/Six Sigma; Factory Acceptance Testing, and equipment validation. They will only consider candidates within reasonable daily commuting range. Hourly rate will not surpass $38. If interested and qualified, send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs, referring to this posting!

Wake Up Time!

All of a sudden, head count dollars seem to be making a guest appearance at some companies. Perhaps this is an encouraging sign that the slump is gradually fading away. Now that some employers are looking for new team members, it is time for candidates to come out of this involuntary hiatus period and start interviewing. Based on what I have seen recently, many folks seem unwilling to jump back into the market just yet and I am concerned. Should they sit back to long, they might NEVER recover. Now is the time to recharge your batteries, dry clean your interview clothing, clean up your resume', and plunge back into the very different job market with open minds, positive outlooks, enthusiasm, and open eyes and ears!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Brand New IT Jobs! Read and Respond!

Perm opportunities in Manhattan!! Great way to begin the week!! Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobs or hblevin58@gmail.com

  1. Software Developer: Full life cycle development experience needed along with 3-4 years of: C#, VB Script, Javascript, ASP.net, HTML, XML, XSL, AJAX, CSS, SQL/T-SQL, and MS Visual Studio/SQL Management Studio.
  2. Senior Data Processor: 3+ years of processing and tabulating research reports with high level programming data editing and tabulation packages. Must have worked with SPSS, SAS, Visual Basic, VBA, DOS-Editor, etc. KEDIT for Windows is a plus.
  3. Research Analyst: Must be proficient with SPSS AND Excel with knowledge of CHAID analysis. Thorough understanding needed of logistic regression modeling and designing input for segmentation studies.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

NFL

I read yesterday that the head of the NFL Players Union was discussing lockout scenarios for the 2011 season. Granted, there are some issues separating players and owners right now but how could either side even think about shutting down one of the few things bringing in revenue in this country right now? The incredible salaries paid to players, the ridiculous money spent on new stadiums, the overwhelming extravagance poured into TV broadcasts (saw this up close last week) all seem out of place in our current environment. My feeling is that any sort of shutdown by the NFL, which will lead to layoffs of support personnel and lost revenue for a myriad of industries, will result in a dramatically smaller and much less dynamic league if and when it returns.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Etc.

  • October looks like it might actually bring normal weather to a lot of the U.S. Will this carry through to a more normal economy and job market?
  • McDonald's is apparently toying with eliminating or reducing health care benefits for their employees. Should this happen, watch out America, things will grow ugly.
  • Message to manufacturers of web cams: your overly sophisticated, highly affordable innovations may have led to the untimely loss of a Rutgers University freshman.
  • Jobs are starting to open up but pay rates are still lagging far behind what many feel is fair and reasonable.
  • Visited the New Meadowlands Stadium yesterday and learned know accommodations were made to feed proper meals to the 1000 or so support people needed to run the place.