Jobs?

Okay. I listened to the State of the Union Address followed by the Republican response last night and still have no clue how our government will increase jobs this year. Comments about the good old days when parents worked at the local factory then were proud when their children followed suit and about our current Speaker of the House working in the family bar in Scranton, PA did nothing to build my confidence that recovery is headed our way. Did you hear something that I might have missed (yes, I briefly dozed off a few times!) or interpret the message different than I did? If so, please share your comments.

Mid-point Review

President Obama has reached the halfway point of his term. I am not sure how to rate him so far. Jobs have not been created at the rate he promised and our health care system is growing into a bigger mess yet interest rates are making it easier to buy property, car prices are relatively low, and retail businesses generally seem a little livelier than a few years back. Yet, many manufacturing companies have failed, restaurants are folding, and cost of gasoline is way out of control. Please share your thoughts on the first 2 years.

Very Slow Progress

I honestly believe the employment market is improving but at a painfully slow pace. One position I just filled was about a 3 month process. Another one, which began months ago, will require a candidate to interview with close to 10 people. Before you start laughing, gasping, crying or whatever else you choose to do, I actually understand this trend (at least I think I do).

Companies are reaching the point where they have made do with less for so long that they no longer have the staying power needed to remain viable and are beginning to fill open needs. At the same time, each hire is being scrutinized closer than ever before and everyone in the hierarchy is involved. Money is still so tight that each and every dollar counts. If you only had $100 and needed to buy $125 worth of essential goods, I assume you would look for ways to stretch your funds. This is what is going on with the hiring processes at many firms. Please understand that Any flexibility you, as a candidate, can provide will assist you in getting hired!

Senior Mechanical Engineer Needed

Hear is a job I posted this weekend. The client is an excellent, privately owned company in the Roseland/Verona NJ area. Position will be begin as contract-to-permanent but there is a full-time, management opportunity in the next 6-12 months. Please read and respond or send referrals:

Hands-on Mechanical Engineer with 7-10 years exp. including AutoCAD 14 needed for manufacturing co. Must have excellent design skills (machinery or equipment preferred) and the ability to look at existing blueprints and diagrams and identify areas of improvement. Some project leadership or management desired. Knowledge of Lean methodology helpful. Send resumes to harold@smartstaff.jobsHarold Levin, SmartStaff Personnel, 908-508-0300, ext. 205.

Very Disturbing

The tragic events of the last several days in Arizona have demonstrated how pathetic both politicians and media sources have become. From what I gather, the Democrats, the Tea Party, Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, the NY Times, Rand Paul among others are all responsible for the shootings that have left six people dead, many others injured, and a Congresswoman fighting for her life.

It is time for political figures to return to putting our country back together and stop finger pointing all the time. If they focused on priorities, perhaps unemployment would diminish, salaries would increase, and business would return to some level of normalcy. We all need to insist on more responsible leadership to have a shot at getting things back in order.

ETC.

~As my back gets ready for yet another round of snow removal, I have to wonder what happened to all the teenagers who used to grab $10 to shovel people out. Facebook seems to have overtaken all of them!
~Today, I had clients contact me about resumes I sent them on November 6 and November 30. One candidate has taken another job while the other is still available. Time can eliminate your candidate pool so I urge hiring companies to act quicker if at all possible.
~There seems to be a gradual trend toward hiring for permanent positrons rather than just contract assignments and I take this as an upbeat indication for the economy.
~Attention candidates: Speak clearly, concisely, and intelligently when leaving voice mails for potential employers or recruiting firms!!
~ January is 11 days old. Have you updated your resume yet???

Public Perception

After watching too much football of late, I am deviating from the norm today to look at how the public perceives people through some personal observations dealing with college football coaches.

Urban Meyer has been highly successful where he has coached and I think the University of Florida would have been happy to keep him around for many decades. Last season he had some health issues and almost stepped down. This season, he found himself tired and missing the time he should be spending with his wife and 3 children so he resigned. Rumors have him doing some part-time work for ESPN but nothing at anywhere near the magnitude of a D-1 football program. He put his family and health ahead of his ego and preserved his future if he ever wants to return.

Dave Wannstadt was a fiery NFL coach who came back to his roots to coach at the University of Pittsburgh. While there, he forced several touted recruits (Joe Flacco-now an NFL QB for one) out to make room for his style of athlete. Most of his work backfired and now he is publicly stating he is angry at Pitt for forcing him to resign.

Pitt's new hire, Mike Hayward, came with only 2 unimpressive years as a head coach at a smaller school but with lots of talk about improving the discipline, GPA's, and dress codes of his players. Less than 3 weeks after being hired, he spent a night in jail before posting bail on a felony charge of domestic aggravated assault. Pitt fired him a few hours later.

George O'Leary was hired several years back to revive Notre Dame's slumping football program after some successful years in the Big 12. He was fired a few weeks later for falsifying his resume and has struggled to regain respect in the coaching world taking low paying assistant coaching jobs before making his way to the University of Central Florida.

Finally, there is Joe Paterno who just completed his 45Th season as head coach at Penn State, 60Th overall at PSU. 'Joepa' has never changed one thing about his approach to coaching, always putting integrity of himself, his staff, his athletes, his family and the university ahead of winning. Albeit a tough loss yesterday, he has taken his teams to 37 bowl games in 45 years. His graduates have become classically trained musicians, noted surgeons, politicians, corporate presidents, educators, and yes, football coaches and athletic directors. Those who got in trouble got a second chance but he strongly adheres to two strikes and you are out.

These contrasting stories could easily transfer to any profession. As 2011 begins, I urge you to take a good hard look at yourself and make sure you represent the type of person you really want to be!