Odds and Ends for December 2018

As 2018 comes to a close, I thought it was a good time to share some thoughts related to the staffing world.  For better or for worse, here they are:

• Hiring managers are slowly catching on to the fact that low unemployment equates to a smaller pool of people readily available to select from.  Alternatives are to consider training someone with related skills to do your specific tasks or to consider raising salaries enough to attract those who are gainfully employed.
• Most gatekeepers at companies have minimal time to read resumes on the first pass.  Candidates need to keep it simple and gimmick free to stand a better chance of moving on to the next step.
• While the number of people gainfully employed is up significantly, pay rates lagging behind and many analysts feel this will not change significantly in the short term.
• From personal experience as a recruiter, numerous companies are either dropping work-from-home as an option or are limiting the number of weekly hours  which can be completed off site.
• While less companies seem fixated on mandatory degrees or level of education, those that still do appear to have become increasingly inflexible.
• Small and mid-sized businesses continue to be more flexible when reviewing candidates for open slots than the large, global organizations are in part because someone with two feet on the ground locally has a better pulse on what is needed than does someone located off-site.
• On a lighter note, if you have struggled to get ahead in your career path, check out the recently released film, Second Act!  It should definitely give you a source for hope.

Wishing all much success, growth, health, and happiness in 2019!

No Facades Needed!

Be genuine, honest, and demonstrate who you actually are on job interviews.  Utilizing facades will absolutely catch up with you! 

Kick Off 2019 with Some Networking!

Here is an excellent networking event to start off 2019 for those in and around Central New Jersey:

Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties is offering a Job Seekers Success Group for active job seekers who are unemployed, underemployed or seeking a career change.  The next group will be held on Wednesday, January 2, 2019 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at JFS, 150-A West High Street, Somerville, NJ.

The topic for this session is “…and then I painted the garage: Staying focused in your job search” presented by Larry Finkelstein, author and President of Transition Management Associates. For more information, see Larry’s Monster.com interview at https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/larry-finkelstein-and-then-I-painted-the-garage.

            This group is offered free of charge and is open to the entire community.  Funding for this program is provided by grants from The Arnold A. Schwartz Foundation, United Way of Hunterdon County and Magyar Bank. To register for this session or for information about Career Counseling Services, please contact Elise Prezant at 908-725-7799 X108 or eprezant@JewishFamilySvc.org.

References Are So Important

References are so important to the job search process.  Quite honestly, I can present numerous reasons why this is not true but many employers live and die by them.  Failure to take this part of the process seriously can dramatically hurt your quest for a new position.

There are many examples I can offer up which demonstrate how ineffective checking references can be but I will focus on one today.  Many years ago, I was recruiting for a retail company in the process of staffing a new store.  After interviewing many individuals, I narrowed the list down and started making calls.  One particular individual got exceptionally high marks from all four of the references provided.  In addition, I found a few people who he had worked with not on his list and spoke with them.  Based on the reference checks and his in-person interviews. I hired him and set up a training class for the new team.  On day one, I went deeply into the company's security policies and procedures.  On day two, this individual resigned with tears in his eyes and told me he was going to court that day for his third shoplifting charge.  In two cases, he stole from his employers!

Still, many employers lean heavily on references.  Keep in mind, it is essential to be certain that your reference list is current.  Make sure everyone on the list is well aware that you are job hunting.  Ensure that you have listed the best contact information including phone and email.  Indicate how you know each reference (personal or  professional).  Should you be unsure someone will give you a strong endorsement, select a different person for your list.  Recently, I made a call and got the distinct impression that the person on the other end of the line really was quite uncomfortable discussing the candidate in a positive fashion.  Like it or not, reference checks can strongly impact your future success.

Be Proactive

The job market typically gets quiet in late December but that is the perfect time to send resumes to companies which are of interest to you. With less going on, hiring managers might actually have time to take a good look at your resume! 
Be proactive!

Dealing With Emergencies

Memo to job seekers: Emergencies happen.  Funerals happen. Illnesses occur.  Recruiters put a lot of effort into securing interviews for you with their trusted clients.  Should an emergency develop, you truly need to contact the recruiter BEFORE the scheduled interview time to cancel (postpone).  Failure to do so until after the fact makes you a high risk candidate should a new opportunity develop.

Impact of November Jobs Report

The November Jobs Report was released today.  While not as robust as anticipated, unemployment remained at 3.7% which is the third consecutive month for this historically low rate.  The number of new jobs create doubled the number of new hires made.

Hiring managers need to be realistic about the pool of candidates available in such a strong job market. Options to fill open jobs might include offering training programs, considering candidates with transferable skills, and/or engaging staffing firms to find the best talent available.

Dress Code?

I have to wonder if a job seeker's profile photo should be of a woman in a wedding dress or a gentleman in swim trunks on a surf board. Somehow, neither seems appropriate to me.

Feel free to share your thoughts on this. Maybe I am just being too old fashioned or....Maybe I am right on target here!