Picking a President

Unless you have just emerged from under a rock without any internet or cable access, you know that we have big choices to make in 2012 which will shape our landscape for the next 4 years. It is our privilege and responsibility to select a President for our nation and I hope you will all exercise your right to vote.

Before doing so, I believe we are all obligated to do our due diligence to become as educated about the choices available, starting with primary elections, as possible. In the forefront this year will obviously be how each candidate plans to stimulate job growth to get our economy back in gear. Each one will undoubtedly promise to rectify everything that is currently going wrong but some will offer more detailed plans than others.

Whatever your political beliefs may be, I urge all of you (myself included) to look at past voting records, public interviews, professional backgrounds, etc. of each candidate and decide if he/she will be capable of producing the results you wish to see. Personally, I wish I could find someone who has a ton of very creative business building experience along with a large dose of humility and compassion. Remember, beauty is only skin deep and we need to figure out who is best suited to get the United States back on track.

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.

Actions of several consultants working for me, a few candidates, and even a few hiring managers, got me thinking about the word integrity over the past several weeks. To me, integrity means never deviating from being honest, reliable, dependable, hard working, and trustworthy. I have seen so many people deviate from those standards of late that I really starting questioning whether or not I understood the true meaning of integrity!

Numerous dictionary sites all have basically the same definition and here it is: adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.

Look at yourself in a mirror and decide if you fit the definition of integrity. If not, the time has come to fix this and fix it fast before others notice your flaws!

Interview Processes

Employers seem to have very unique ideas on how to make hires. From personal experiences and the comments from colleagues, I have a collection of stories that could fill volumes! For today, just a few will have to do.

Many years ago, I was placing entry level computer programmers with a client who asked to see about 5 candidates. After the interviews were done, the employer chose the one I felt was less likely to be hired. Why? The manager had a huge saltwater fish tank that he was struggling to maintain and this programmer used to manage a fish shop and would be able to assist him!

A colleague sent a candidate to an interview a few years back, urging the person to take an extra minute when selecting her interview apparel as she had heard before that this individual showed up dressed neatly but a touch to casual. After the interview, the candidate reported back that the hiring manager wore a Grateful Dead T-shirt, bluejeans and flip-flops!

Predicting the mood or tempo of interviews is not easy. My best advice is to be prepared for the unexpected at all times!! PS: Feel free to share your stories with me!

Wake Up Time!

All of a sudden, head count dollars seem to be making a guest appearance at some companies. Perhaps this is an encouraging sign that the slump is gradually fading away. Now that some employers are looking for new team members, it is time for candidates to come out of this involuntary hiatus period and start interviewing. Based on what I have seen recently, many folks seem unwilling to jump back into the market just yet and I am concerned. Should they sit back to long, they might NEVER recover. Now is the time to recharge your batteries, dry clean your interview clothing, clean up your resume', and plunge back into the very different job market with open minds, positive outlooks, enthusiasm, and open eyes and ears!

ETC.

• Attention candidates: Do not list a skill on your resume if you have never used it at work or at least had some formal training!
• Attention hiring managers: No matter how rough the economy is, you still will get what you pay for!
• Those with full time jobs need to be happy with what they have right now.
• Those who are collecting unemployment checks need to think twice before rejecting employment offers.
• Prospects for lower unemployment rates in August are still in doubt as far as I can tell.
• Prospects for recent grads hedge on how aggressive they are in the search process.

Etc.

• July is proving to be a mixed bag. While traditionally a slow time for placements, I do see slightly busier than normal activity.
• Pay rates are running about 25-35% lower than they were 2-3 years ago. Think twice before turning down an opportunity as the next one could be for less money!
• The federal government has a huge decision with millions of extensions for unemployment benefits ending this month and I am anxious to see how this is handled.
• Candidates appear willing to take jobs they are extremely overqualified for while employers seem fixated on hiring folks with 2-6 years experience. Simple fact, most of the unemployed population is comprised of those with under 2 years experience and those with 10+ years.
• For some reason, candidates are taking 2-3 days to answer phone calls about potential jobs. Is it frustration, complacency, or something else.

Tons of Candidates

Hiring managers love to quip that there are tons of candidates out there and they expect staffing firms to find a pile of perfectly matched resumes. Were that truly the case, I honestly doubt hiring managers would be asking us for assistance! There is a huge reason why good recruiters are keeping busy today. Employers want exact fits for their job openings and are unwilling to be the least bit flexible in many cases. The vast majority of unemployed folks have been that way for 18 to 36 months so they undoubtedly will not know all the latest software, methodologies, etc. but are capable of catching up with minimal ramp-up time. A tiny bit of patience will go a very long way toward plugging holes in corporate infrastructures while stimulating (there is that word again!) the economy by putting money into very grateful pockets!

Please note: I would love to hear the viewpoints of hiring managers about this topic and not everyone needs to agree with me. Debates are certainly entertaining!!!

Umbrella Needed!

Yesterday, a resume passed through the office (and to the shredder) that was one of the worst I have come across in the last 25 years! It started out by stating the candidate was a 'Rainmaker' who had 'increased by 27000000.' The front page never gave any indication of what the person actually is trained to do or when and where they did whatever it was they were talking about. I never made it to page two!

Truthfully, I doubt the candidate came up with this awful format on their own. I have seen similar (though not quite this dreadful) disaster in recent weeks and suspect someone is charging huge dollars to produce these resumes. Should you decide you need outside help, please read carefully the finished product before accepting ti and paying for it. Resumes in this style will negatively impact your job search and keep you from recharging your career.

A Legitimate Ranting Session

Today, I realized that I must have buried my head in the sand (interesting, as I do not live near the beach)and thought that when I popped back out the entire populous would be aware of the fact we are in an extremely huge recession. The joke was on me! I chatted with a candidate who has not secured employment in any field for almost a year and has no income coming in. Understandably, she is unhappy not to be able to find a job that matches the $45-50 an hour she used to earn. However, ............... she now wants no less than $75 hourly to make up for her lost income. No way, no how should she even dream of such a thing right now!! We all wish we were earning more than we are but it just will not happen until the economy gets its act together! Realistic goals are essential to get back onto the playing field.

Poor Decision

Last week, I searched for candidates and made several calls, a few of which actually were returned the same day! One individual was extremely upbeat and very interested in the assignment I described. Within 48 hours, the client asked me to schedule an interview with this person. Upon calling the candidate, I started jumping over hurdle after hurdle. First there was the course I was not told about, then a vacation, etc. After convincing the client to accommodate for this meeting, the candidate disappeared for over 4 days then made excuses as to why they needed to back out. Opportunity does not knock often and shutting the door is a huge error!

Minimum Wage or Bust?

Three people wrote me this week saying they are so desperate to work that they will accept minimum wage. One told me he would only accept this for exactly the same type of work he earned six figures for as recently as two years back and another said he would work for that amount as long as some of his skill sets were utilized.

Marketing a seasoned professional into anything other than an unrelated, part-time job at minimum wage will not work. While all employers are very aware of the messy world we live in, they are also very wary (and rightfully so) of trying to get something for almost nothing. Looking that desperate could easily brand a candidate as a disaster area and could ruin them professionally for the rest of their
work-eligible life.

I Am Not Your Buddy!

Never call a recruiter or hiring manager and start the conversation with, "hey Buddy, I saw your ad online for a Database Analyst (insert whatever job title actually fits) and wanted to find out how to apply for it Dude!" I guarantee that you will never get a chance at any job I might be recruiting for if that is your standard method of operation. The line I quoted above is not a dramatization, it is an actual call I received this past Thursday!

While not entirely fair, I may have been a bit more lenient if the caller was fresh out of trade school looking for their first job. Most likely, I would have taken a few moments to explain why this behavior was not a good choice. Unfortunately, this candidate apparently had about 15 years of I.T. experience and had to know better. To think this is the norm would be absurd but I must share that the quality of phone calls I receive are nowhere near what they were even two years ago.

Please think before you talk and definitely plan out your call in advance. Professionalism is not dead and is essential to a great job search!.

ETC.

A few loose thoughts while I take a lunch break:

• Message to employers: If you are hiring a contractor for 3 months or less, don't reject candidates who have jumped around too much!
• Message to candidates: Make sure you demonstrate some of the required skill sets on your resume before submitting for a job!
• Message to job counselors at the Dept. of Labor: Take a minute to actually evaluate your client before handing out job hunting advice!
• Message to career counselors at institutions of higher education: Aim your students/grads at realistic opportunities to avoid them becoming frustrated and complacent!
• Message to everyone (including myself): Strive for excellence each and every day!

The Over Qualified Dilemna

For months, employers have told me they do not want entry level candidates but they also do not want people with more than 15 years experience. of late, tyhe desired range has closed even more and they are looking for on average, 3-7 years experience. This is bugging me 24/7 since most of the unemployed are either those recently out of college or those who have worked anywhere from 15-30 years. The question I keep asking myself is why would a company not take advantage of such a seasoned work force at affordable prices and/or hungry recent grads?

The second part is easy. With all the cutbacks, trainers are now readily available to train the new kids on the block right now. The second part is tougher to swallow and I got some help from three trusted clients. One is the president of his business, another is a very seasoned HR Recruiter, and the third is the on site staffing manager for a search firm inside a huge company.

All three painted the same picture. Thanks to the massive downturn we have experienced, companies are becoming very creative in combining multiple tasks under one umbrella job. For example, a purchasing manager needs to also serve as an inventory analyst, a materials planner, production planner, buyer, procurement specialist, raw materials coordinator, etc. An I.T. project manager needs to be able to look at competitive analysis models, web architecture, software purchasing, product development, programming, hardware analysis, etc. An equipment designer must understanding pre-sales engineering, analysis of competition's product design, limitations of suppliers to deliver raw materials, production requirements, etc.

My experts all told me that folks in the industry more than 15 years tend to be reluctant to adapt to these situations and reject the need to cross from one platform to another. The challenge to those who need to return to the workforce is to study all the latest trends in their field of expertise and show up at interviews with a game plan of how they will break this mold!

Make Sure Your Shoes Fit!

No, I am not making a fashion statement with the title of this entry. The TV show What Not to Wear would fail if they tried to get me to conform to their guidelines! What I am talking about is not sending out your resume in response to a job posting if it does not fit. Countless times, I receive resumes for a specific job that make absolutely no sense. Why would some who has sold pharmaceutical products the past 20 year, for example, send their resume to a job requiring a machinist with 10 years of programming CNC machines? Sending resumes that do not fit are a waste of your time. The days of collecting resumes for future openings are long gone. Hiring managers and staffing firms are only concerned about what is on their desk at present. Please stopping wasting every one's time, including your own, by sending out resumes without looking to see if you are a viable candidate.

Resume Error

"a young 59 year old, happily married white male with 3 children"

This statement began a resume which I recently received and left me scratching my head. For many years, I have taught classes on job search skills and individually advised thousands of job seekers. Basic rules including never divulging things that could influence a decision maker before they even meet you!

Stating your age is one of the fastest ways to get eliminated from the candidate pool. Even though they should not, many hiring managers have preconceived age requirements. Many people are gun shy of married parents, fearing that family (as it should) will come before the job. On the other hand, some managers prefer family-oriented people and will eliminate singles from the group. Finally, there are those out there looking for people from a specific race or nationality (as illegal as that is) and you might just eliminate yourself.

As I have said before, a resume is your personal marketing brochure! Use it to demonstrate all the great skills and experience you have, not to eliminate yourself!

Honesty with Moderation

Withholding information from a resume is not something I recommend though some things are better discussed during an interview than printed on paper. A few days back, I received a very polished resume from someone with about 25 years of impressive experience at the executive level with some excellent attributes. I noticed that there was a 3 year gap with an asterisk. My first thought was he has semi-retired then changed his mind, or taken time off for health or family issues.

At the very bottom of the resume was an explanation, three years of incarceration. Upon researching briefly online, I discovered a rather disturbing history of white collar crime that apparently got blown out of proportion because of who some of the other associates were. Rather than becoming very concerned after seeing the footnote, doing some homework, and feeling compelled to not pursue any further, part of me thinks I would have reacted a bit different if I had spoken with candidate first and he had offered the information in his own words.

My past experience in Career Services for trade schools taught me that there are people with difficult pasts who have moved forward and deserve a chance to succeed. Perhaps this candidate fits into that category but I am now extremely reluctant to establish contact. My advice is never hide such information but it should come out either on a formal job application or during an initial discussion so the candidate has a chance to present the whole picture.