Make Yourself Accessible!!

My thoughts today turn to a pet peeve I have mentioned before but is one that needs to be brought up from time to time. Staffing firms have a huge pool of candidates to look at when identifying candidates for job opportunities. A good recruiter will take a little time to find decent looking resumes before making calls and sending out emails. There is a darn good chance that, if you receive a contact from a recruiter, you are a reasonably good fit for the job at hand!

Time is money and I have a personal rule that I will make every effort to present several qualified candidates to my clients within 48 hours or less of learning of their staffing need. All too often, candidates take five or six days or longer to respond to me. If I wait that long to begin submitting candidates, another staffing firm will likely beat me to the finish line. This is NOT something I like to experience and I make every effort to avoid it.

Candidates will call me a week later and says things like I called their home number but they only check voicemail once a week and I should have called their cell instead. Obviously, I would have called the cell number except it was nowhere on the resume!! Another excuse I get for slow responses is that I used their casual email address instead of the one set up for job searching. Again, how can I write to an address which was not anywhere on their resume?

My rather cold-hearted opinion is that a candidate who does not put the most current or accessible contact information on their resume is not trying very hard to get a job. Some of my critics have told me I am too judgemental but, in my mind, if someone does not take complete ownership of their search I probably would not want to present them to my client companies.

Opinions will be graciously accepted and treated with respect even if I disagree!

Open Jobs?

Over the past few weeks, the number of I.T. jobs in the Sunday newspapers seems to have increased but something has me rather puzzled. Why would technology positions be listed that require resume submittals only by snail mail? Shout not there be an email address, web site link, or at least a fax number? Are the multitude of rather similar opportunities, with only mailing addresses listed and concentrated around 3 or 4 locales in Central NJ, for real or is something going on here?

Has anyone sent their resume to any of these ads? Have you received any sort of reply? Please enlighten me as I am more than a tiny bit curious!

ETC. Plus Some More ETC.!

Since the thoughts of an impending dental appointment in a few hours have me up early, my brain is filled with more items than usual before sunrise this morning. Here is what's on my mind in no particular order:

• The federal government announced we are down to an unemployment rate of 9% but only 30,000 new jobs were created (gosh, that is only 500 per state) last month and they cannot figure out a 0.4% drop if many new jobs did not appear. Perhaps they need to look at how many people no longer are eligible for unemployment benefits or maybe how many jobs remained unfilled for prolonged periods that are now starting to get filled or how many people have taken much lower paying positions just to get back to work!
• Governor Christie in NJ seems hellbent to break up all major labor unions. He is destroying public education (in my opinion) in NJ but even more disturbing is the fact that large, crime ridden cities such as Newark, Jersey City, and Camden have been forced to eliminate up to 50% of their police forces. Does he really think this will somehow stimulate the economy?
• Automotive repair centers are seeing a spike in business due to people attempting to keep their older cars alive longer and from damages and deterioration brought on by this incredibly challenging winter season that the majority of the U.S. is enduring. If you have the proper certifications and experience, go find a job in that field while they last!
• Placements are starting to happen a little bit more frequently and at a bit higher level from what I have experienced of late. Some companies are starting to actually hire full time people for their payroll and the level of jobs open has become a bit more senior. As one client said to me, he hopes this is just not another false start.
• Nobody should consider themselves too old to land a job. Finally, employers are rediscovering the value of hiring someone who has experience (even if not a prefect match), professionalism, and a commitment to do well in their new position!
• On a related thought, never try to hide your age on a resume or dramatically change your appearance to get a job. Go out there just as you are and demonstrate why you will be a great addition to a company!
• A few people have approached me about their adult children who have recently entered the job market for the first time. Right now, my advice is tell them to take any job related to their career goals in any way no matter the pay rate, hours expected of them, title of the job, etc. A start is just that but needs to happen soon than later!
• Retailers are practically giving away merchandise right now so it may be a good time to update your interviewing wardrobe. DO NOT spend a ton of money. Become a creative bargain hunter!
• Finally, if anyone really cares, I pick the "Pack" over the 'Steel Curtain' (I know I am dating myself!) by a score of 16-12 in the Super Bowl.

Have a successful week!

Watch Yourself!

Imagine yourself sending your resume to a recruiter, waiting several weeks before making a follow-up call then chastising the recruiter when he can not remember your resume! When he asks you for a quick overview of your background, you answer him with "come on, you have to remember me! If not, I guess you already decided I am wrong for the job. Hey man, we are in a recession, have a heart. If you cannot remember me I am hanging up!!""" ........................click, dial tone.

Names and voices stick in my brain for a very long time. Most recruiters remember their best success stories and their worst experiences!!

Remember this, professional recruiters are paid by their client companies. While we all try very, very hard to provide excellent service to candidates at all times, we must give our client companies the type of potential employees this wish to interview. All of us are in this ugly recession together and must play by the very limitted rules we have been forced to adhere to.

Dealing With the Unemployment Office

This morning, a gentleman who sounded genuine in his job search efforts, contacted me. He tried to apply for a job I posted online through the NJ state unemployment office (who, by the way, copied my listing from a paid site and made it look like their posting) and was forced to navigate through a series of unneccessary application forms which were not issued by me! Exasperated, he walked out after jotting down my phone number, called me, explained his problem, and sent his resume straight to my email account. Whether or not he secures this job is not the point of this article. The point is, something is exceptionally wrong with the unemployment assistance process in our country and we better get it repaired immediately!

Quich Advice (Part Two)

Time kills.

• Submitting one's resume to a job posting then waiting 6 days to reply to a phone call will never get you a job as it will be filled before you respond.
• Interviewing a great candidate for an open need then not providing feedback for almost 2 weeks before making an offer will not necessarily mean the person is still available.

Things are improving slowly and employers and candidates need to realize timing is everything once again!

Quick Advice

Recently, the quality of resumes crossing my desk has been nothing less than abysmal. Spelling errors are only the tip of the iceberg. People are inventing words, putting dates on jobs that could not possibly be correct, and listing responsibilities and accomplishments that have nothing to do with the job title or type of company they worked at.

It is this simple:

Create a resume that would make you want to hire yourself!!

If your current version does not fit that criteria, FIX IT NOW!

Advice to College Seniors

March 1 will be here tomorrow. Most college seniors will be done with their studies in 8-12 weeks. If you are not heading off to graduate school, I hope you are actively pursuing employment opportunities now! A few things to keep in mind include making sure your resume is ready to go (send me a copy if you wish), your references are aware that they are on your list, and that you have visited your school's Career Services office more than once and are keeping in constant contact with them. I worked in that field for many years and assure you that the students who kept most in touch with me were the ones most likely to find a job before graduation. There are jobs available to you but you will need all the help you can get to find the right one!