Tax Season?

Once upon a time, accounting firms hired temporary accountants, tax preparers, and support staff almost immediately after the start of the new year. Here we are at the beginning of March and not much hiring is going on. My gut reaction is that the recession has forced many people to attempt their own tax returns this year. Considering all the significant changes to the process, I doubt this will be a very reliable method. Sadly, what once was a financial boom period for tax professionals looks to be rather disappointing at least for 2010.

ETC.

• Just when I thought the employment market was ready to take a giant step forward, it slowed down the last few weeks. Of course, part of this may be due to the Northeast being a frozen tundra distracting people from functioning at full speed.
• Rather than painting negative pictures, the media should look for markets where hiring is still occurring (medical devices, legal fields, machine design to name a few).
• More and more employers are asking recruiters to verify employment and performance before they interview potential contract employees. The rational is that if the recruiter is hiring the person to be on his/her firms payroll, then he/she should do the legwork. If you are a candidate, NEVER refuse a request for references. I had to drop a candidate this week he was unwilling to provide the needed information.
• If you are an engineer in the automotive industry, I would get ready to do some contract work in QA as I suspect all the major auto makers will be looking to ensure higher standards than ever before.

Thank You!

Thank you, these are two simple words that still mean an awful lot to hiring managers. Think about it for a moment, the number of people fighting for open jobs is extremely high and a manager might (misguidedly) interview 10 or 12 people for one position. By the end, they all start to look and sound very much similar. My guess is that maybe three or four will take the time to send a quick note of thanks (email is fine) for the time invested in meeting with them. Perhaps two will actually make a reference to something discussed. Quite likely, those folks will be among the people receiving call backs for a second interview. This is not new advice but it is a proven method to increase your odds of being hired. Since it costs nothing other than a few minutes of your time, I strongly suggest you start saying Thank you quite often!

Great Affection, But You're Fired........

Hopefully, the title of this entry drew your attention! A gentleman phoned me today looking for a job, any job, related in any way to his field. The day before he left for a vacation to visit relatives in Italy, the owner of the firm he worked for called him into his office. Without any prior warning or even a hint, he looked at his longtime employee of 20+ years and said something like even though I have great affection for you after all these years, I am laying you off immediately.

Personally, I would hate to see how he dismisses those he is less affectionate toward. Remember the old adage, with friends like these, who needs enemies? Numerous companies are using the recession as a scapegoat for making change but I am obligated to question such a heartless move. More than likely, they paid his vacation week anyway. Why not let the poor guy enjoy time with is family then share the bad news upon his return? This brings back memories of the first heavy layoffs at AT+T in the 1990's when some cases of suicides were reported. Employers should give thought to what may happen in the future if they end up on the other side of a termination meeting when dealing with staff reductions.

Let us all hope that 2010 will be full of hiring and staff replenishment rather than a repeat of 2009!