A Few Positive Thoughts

It only seems fair to counterbalance my last post with a few less negative reactions to 2010. Smaller companies seem to be finding new niche markets for their products and are gradually doing some hiring as a result. Former employees of the larger firms (IBM, AT+T, Dow Jones, etc.) need to reinvent themselves as multi-faceted team players and take advantage of these new opportunities.

Entrepreneurship seems to be on the rise as people realize their prior careers might never reappear. This will lead to some very talented people bringing new and interesting concepts to the business world.

People are learning to do more with less. Even though this is somewhat sad to realize as a state of our economy, who could argue with making our society more cost conscious, efficient, creative, and ultimately a lot more profitable?

There! I tried to be positive and it was not too painful!!

Hoping all my readers have a safe final weekend of 2010!

Biggest Disappointments of 2010

As 2010 limps into the sunset, I was thinking about those areas that underwhelmed me this year. The biggest shortcoming is from the Obama administration's efforts to stimulate job growth. Quite frankly, I see no signs that they accomplished anything whatsoever to get people back to work in jobs even somewhat related to their previous fields. The federal government has become too much of a battlefield rather than a playing field and both major political parties need to step up to the plate and repair this situation now.

Next in line is the lack of sensitivity companies appear to be showing toward their employees. Layoffs are taking place without any warning to soften the blow. Even worse, those same firms are hiring for slightly different positions practically at the same time the layoffs occur. How about retraining your loyal workforce rather than dumping them in favor of total strangers who are unknown quantities?

Finally, my last concern is that we still seem to be an entitlement driven society even in light of everything that has taken place the past few years. Way to often, candidates call me with their lists of must-have items before they will consider interviewing for a new position. Once I start hearing these unrealistic needs, I simply move on to the next available candidate.

Hopefully, 2011 will get going quickly as the year of recovery!

PS: I am attempting to make a list of positive items from 2010. Any suggestions?

Have It Your Way!

Hold the overtime and the travel requirements; give me 12 paid holidays; don't make me attend weekly status meetings; let me work from home whenever I feel like it AND don't track my productivity on those days. Many candidates tell me things like this when we discuss potential job opportunities and I move them to the bottom of my list immediately. Now more than ever, employers are in the driver's seat and job seekers need to respect this if they want to improve their situations.

A Stronger Economy?

Reports today claim that shoppers spent over 3% more than last year from Thanksgiving through December 23. I wonder how much will end up as refunds in the coming week and how after holiday sales will turn out this week. With unemployment still terribly high, I have doubts about whether or not the economy has actually turned around.

Quality Reference Checks

~ Make certain the contact information on your reference list contains accurate information as it looks really bad if your references can not be easily reached.
~ Only list references that you are positive will say good things about you when asked.
~ Send word to your references when you think they might be called just to give them time to be prepared.
~ If you are listing a large staffing firm (Aerotek, Kelly Services, Labor Ready, etc.) as a reference, try to find out their process in advance as they have been known to be uncooperative.

Work History

Employers keep telling me they want to see resumes of candidates who have no more than 2 jobs in the past 10 years. Before the recession hit, I could agree with that but we all need to get into the mindset of what the past few years have done to our workforce. My advice to clients has been to chock up the last 3 years to candidates doing whatever it took to earn any sort of income and to look at the stability they demonstrated pre-2007. I would love to hear from hiring managers as to whether or not this makes sense to them as we all need to be realistic about the changes we have been forced to endure.

My Favorite Five Letter Word

F-O-C-U-S
~When I am recruiting for a client's job opening, I focus on their needs and focus on finding candidates who most closely meet the criteria.
~When I am helping someone upgrade their resume, I ask them to focus on what they wish to accomplish with it and then focus under creating a document that portrays the right picture.
~The candidates who most quickly re-enter the job force are those who focus on the process and never waiver from their mission until they are successful in securing a new employment opportunity.
~When the UCONN women's basketball team set a record tonight by winning their 89th consecutive game, their talented leader, Maya Moore, credited maintaining their focus for so many victories.

For the past 20+ years I have preached the need for focus. It is good to see that some things just never seem to change!

Mechanical Engineer with Leadership Skills Needed

A very good client of mine in North Jersey needs to find a Mechanical Engineer with about 10-12 years experience in the equipment manufacturing industry with at least 2 years of leadership background at the group or project level. This person should be able to look at existing designs and find cost effective ways to improve or modify processes. Experience with AutoCAD 14 v. 2002 or 2006 needed. The position will eventually evolve into a management position so the ability to communicate effectively with others is essential. Please contact me if you qualify or know someone who might be good for this opportunity.