Your job search is a sales and marketing campaign.

To get hired, you must identify, qualify and contact prospects (decision makers who can hire you) and sell to them (convince them to offer you a job).

Because most folks looking for a job have only a limited exposure to sales and marketing, here are four techniques you can use to get hired faster ...

1) Treat Voicemails as Radio Spots

Here's an idea: Think of your voicemail messages as 30-second radio commercials. That means you should script and rehearse the voicemails you leave for employers. Don't adopt a fake baritone, but you should sound upbeat and professional.

While other job seekers leave dull, rambling messages, you can give employers one more reason to hire you, by leaving tantalizing voicemails that practically force them to call you back.

Example: "Hi, this is Steve Jones. I wanted to make sure you got the resume I mailed you on Monday for the position of accountant. I had something to add to the part where I saved $27,000 last year for a firm just like yours. If you'd like to know the missing piece, please call me at 702-555-1212. Thank you!"

2) Send Sales Letters, Not Cover Letters

It's been said (by me) that you can't bore employers into hiring you. So why send out the same dull-as-a-tax-form cover letters as other job seekers?

To sell an employer on the idea of hiring you, it helps to send them a ... sales letter.

To learn the basics, Google "writing sales letters" or start reading and analyzing the junk mail you get each day. Meanwhile, here's a crash course to get you started:

*Personalize your opening.

Example: "Dear Mr. Jackson." Never, ever write: "Dear Sir or Madam." Can't find the name of the hiring manager? Pick up the phone and call. Timid job seekers have skinny kids.

* Focus on the reader. All good sales letters are written about "you," the reader, and not, "I," the author. If you change all instances of "I" to "you" in your cover letter, you'll instantly make it more effective.

* Make specific claims, then prove them with facts. Look at your last letter. How many numbers, percentages, and dollar signs do you see? Add more.

* Ask for the sale.

Example: "Please call me today to learn how I can save you money as a customer service manager." Or, better: "I will call your office at 10 a.m. Wed. to answer any questions and tell you how I saved $15,000 in my last role as a customer service manager."

3) Sell to Past "Customers"

Ask most ordinary sales reps to get more revenue and they'll reply, "That's going to take time. I need to find new customers."

By contrast, a smart sales rep will reply, "I can start today by selling to past customers."

Similarly, most job seekers get so caught up in looking for new jobs at new employers that they neglect the co-workers and managers who already know and trust them.

Make a list of every co-worker and manager you have ever had, going back to high school. Cross off the ones you can't stand. Then, call or email the remaining people to let them know about your job search.

And don't let the fact that your old boss left the company stop you from calling. In fact, you should rejoice. You can not only call them at their new employer, you can also introduce yourself to their replacement at the old employer--turning one contact into two.

4) Get More Sales and Marketing Ideas for Free

Want more ideas to adapt and adopt for your job search? Visit Amazon.com and browse the best-selling sales and marketing books. Search by title or the phrases "sales books" and "marketing books." Key: Most new books have the "Look Inside" feature, which lets you read selected parts for free online. Spend an hour at this and you'll find at least three ways to get on an employer's radar.

Why not start now?

Kevin Donlin is Creator of TheSimpleJobSearch.com. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, Fox News, CBS Radio and others. His latest product, The Simple Job Search System, is available at http://www.collegerecruiter.com/guaranteed-resumes.php

Courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Originally posted on The Lakeshore Blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 28, 2009 at 1:53 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Gone are the days of valuing consistency over entrepreneurial spirit. Today's companies learn to manage the delicate balance by hiring employees who, regardless of their position, are infused with the ideals of entrepreneurship.

As recruiters, we have been accomplished stewards of our company's culture. It has been an easy task to quickly ascertain, through skillful interviewing, whether a candidate presents as a skill set and cultural chemistry "fit" for the organization. In the past (which may be as recent as 2008) desirable candidate attributes sounded like a laundry list of consistent behaviors that assured 1) the candidate's ability to succeed as a team player, and 2) that the candidate did not make wave while doing so.

Enter the economic crisis of 2009, and the criteria for hiring once viewed by recruiters as effortless have vastly changed. The pre-layoff staffing patterns of organizations have been drastically altered. In these de-layered organizational models, we find certain characteristics that mark a warning for those of us charged with casting the net for the company's future human capital. Organizations emerge as leaner, under more scrutiny, and more accountable for shareholder (and in some cases, government) value, all while charged with out-performing the competition if they are to survive. These mandates come at a time when management and front line employees are reeling from cutbacks and the change in the way business needs to be conducted going forward.

Consistency hiring outdated
To move beyond the cubicle culture so pervasive in today's large companies, it is important to realize that senior managements' past hiring practices may very well have led to the level of rampant employee disengagement we see today. By hiring to a profile of consistency, corporations ensured a compliant employee base, who in reality is detached from the broader business issues of the organization. The resultant loss of productivity is tragic, and has led to the downfall of far too many companies and jobs across the nation.

A hunkered down employee in a cubicle is not the face of corporate America any longer. Candidates must be hired to a profile that reflects the needs of the New Economy.

To be successful, corporations must recognize the need to balance consistency with the need for entrepreneurial spirit as a marker of the culture they are hiring into.

Hiring for the new entrepreneurialism
How to bring about the change? Recruiters are starting along the path by stopping in at the corner office. To bring about change, senior management must articulate the needs of the organization going forward, and set a behaviorally based mandate for performance that can be executed at every level of the organization. A frank discussion of employee behaviors needed for success, and the old school behaviors that will surely cause failure is critical to establish the KSA's and cultural fit standards for the recruiting professional to use in sourcing candidates.

Creating a hiring profile against these new entrepreneurial ways of doing business will require candidates with new skill sets. They must be able to:

Deal with uncertainty: Corporate employees have generally functioned well in structured environments. This New Economy will present uncertain situations, lack of defined path, and the need for level headed thinking, even when situations do not go as planned.

Comfortably handle elements of risk: We know that corporate employees have traded elements of personal freedom for the relative security of direct deposit and clear cut task oriented job description. Employees going forward will need to be far less risk-averse and see risk as opportunity vs. threat.

Be aware of the need for urgency: Gone is the era of "Wait three days to see if anyone notices, then act." Employees who are fully engaged are connected with the need to move and move quickly if they are to contribute to the success of the company. In return, employers will need to find new reward and recognition programs that ensure the continuation of these entrepreneurial initiatives.

Deal with less than ideal conditions: The days of glossy offices, over the top perks, status symbols that came with the title, are falling by the wayside. Surroundings will not be as important as the next round of funding, or the newest account, or a team who works seamlessly to achieve success.

Work out of title: Employees who can leap from one area to another, in response to the needs of the organization will be in demand and therefore, highly mobile. Cross training, involvement across company through information flow will be critical to manage this new opportunity to leapfrog across the company to achieve organizational and individual goals.

Visualize the future, and work towards it: Entrepreneurs can see the future, although intangible at the outset, and work to build an organization that can support the vision. Employees who are infused with that vision, and see the business through the eyes of company and its customers, will be successful.

Recruiters play a vital role in leading senior management to embrace the need for a seismic entrepreneurial shift in hiring strategy for New Economy jobs. Will it be easy to go beyond appearances and truly change the mindset of an organization? Like everything else, it will be a process. But it is one that will have to occur for American businesses to regain their foothold on growth and stability in the future.

Article by, Barbara Poole and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 28, 2009 at 9:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When you became a manager, there's a good chance that you didn't realize that providing employee training would become a major portion of your job. However, it's a fact that teaching is an essential function of every managerial job. When you're in charge of managing and motivating other workers - no matter how small or large your team may be - training is something that you're going to have to do on a regular basis.

Providing training to employees is a very specific skill, and it's one that many managers don't realize they need to have. Sharing information and teaching people how to perform tasks are two very different things. When you are providing training to team members, you have to focus on conveying information to them in a manner that is motivating and that will enable them to truly understand what you are saying so they will be able to transfer that knowledge to on-the-job performance.

3 Keys to Effective Employee Training

1. Recognize Your Training Responsibilities
Too many mangers think that employee training is "someone else's job". Even if your company has someone in charge of training, those who hold supervisory roles bear responsibility when it comes to employee training and development. If you want to lead a peak performing team, you must be prepared to coach and train your team members to excel.

Managers at every organizational level are responsible for making sure that the employees on their teams have the skills needed to perform the work required. Accomplishing this managerial duty involves providing effective training to team members about company polices and procedures and industry standards, as well as recognizing the need for skill-based training and making sure that it is available to employees who need it.

2. Engage in Ongoing Employee Skill Development
Managerial training responsibilities extend far beyond simply going over work procedures and sending employees to classes when they need to master a new skill. Effective workforce training is an ongoing process that requires supervisors to engage in ongoing skill development with their employees. Managers must engage in informal training needs assessment on an ongoing basis, paying attention to employees' strengths and weaknesses and identifying gaps that can be overcome through training opportunities.

Too often, supervisors feel that once information has been covered with employees, then training has occurred. However, the fact that an employee sits through an orientation or training session doesn't really mean that he or she has sufficiently mastered the knowledge or skills he or she needs. Supervisors must take proactive steps to allow employees to demonstrate mastery of training objectives, to offer feedback, coaching, and mentoring and to make additional skill development activities available as needed.

3. Convey "What's in It" for the Trainees
In order for employee training to be successful, trainees must know up front how any educational activity they are asked to participate in is relevant to them. When a training program is announced, be sure to specify what employees are likely to get from participating and reinforce that message with consistency throughout the training. Skilled trainers know that helping employees see "what is in it for them" is essential to success.

Avoid conveying the idea that employees must pay attention to the training because it's important to the company or the supervisor. Employees who participate in training because they have to do so aren't likely to retain or transfer what is covered. Those who see how mastering new skills can benefit them in their jobs are much more likely to be engaged in the learning process and actually apply what they learn on the job.

Employee Training is Part of Your Job
These basic skills can help supervisors begin to feel comfortable fulfilling the training role of their jobs, along with all of the other roles that managers must play on a daily basis. The next step will be to start developing the skills necessary to effectively develop and deliver employee training in all types of settings, ranging from one-on-one instruction to department or company wide meetings and classes.

Mary Gormandy White, M.A., SPHR is the Training Coordinator for Mobile Technical Institute & MTI Business Solutions, where she specializes in human resources, management, and marketing training, including teaching Train-the-Trainer seminars. She teaches open enrollment classes for MTI, provides on-site corporate training, and frequently speaks at conferences and association meetings. MTI also provides a variety of consulting services, including IT Training, certification testing, HR consulting, custom database development and website solutions.

Courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Originally posted on Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 24, 2009 at 9:47 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When times are good, it is easier for people to pursue work that they will love. This is simply because their basic needs are being met and hence they look to satisfy higher level needs. However, during bad times, when people are losing their jobs and there are fewer jobs available, people are less concerned with finding their ideal job.

This is why one important component of career discovery is being realistic. The process/outcome must be practical and take into account business reality and your personal constraints (financial, family, time, and so on). It is also a good idea to try to aim for a mix of jobs in terms of ease of attainment:

Reach - jobs which will not be very easy to get, based on your current education and experience. You might need to get additional training/education to attain these

Fit - jobs which are a good match, based on your education and experience. You will be very competitive for these roles.

Safe - jobs for which you are slightly overqualified. The hiring manager would find it hard not to hire you for the position

Some scenarios to consider:

a) If the ideal jobs you identify during career discovery are in areas where you already have relevant work experience, education, training, skills and so on; then the discovery process will help you showcase and market yourself very effectively during the job search

b) In case your ideal jobs require you to obtain new education/training/skills, then focus your efforts on keeping your current job, or finding jobs (fit/safe category) that match your existing experience. The output from a career discovery exercise, will help you conduct a better job search here also. Use some of your spare time to obtain necessary education/training/skills, so that when the market turns you are prepared to get your ideal job right away.

c) You might lie somewhere in between the above extremes i.e. your ideal jobs are a mix of (a) and (b). You could then use a mix of the two approaches, depending on your personal circumstances

Amit Puri is the Managing Consultant at Sandbox Advisors. He has over 10 years of business and HR related experience, with companies such as Bain & Co, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. Sandbox Advisors is based in Singapore and provides career management and HR consulting services in Asia.
Author Website: http://blog.sandboxadvisors.com

Courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Originally posted on Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 24, 2009 at 8:24 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Despite it being one of the most challenging hiring environments in the nation's history, 41% of workers who were laid off from full-time jobs in the last three months reported they found a new full-time, permanent position while another 8% found part-time work. This is according to a survey from CareerBuilder that included 807 workers who were laid off from full-time jobs within the last 12 months. The survey was conducted between February 20 and March 11, 2009.

"This is encouraging news for the 3.3 million workers who have lost their jobs in recent months," says Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. "It's going to take longer to find a job in today's market, but there are opportunities out there in key areas such as healthcare, government, education, sales and technology. It's important to devote five hours or more to your job search every day, check online listings, talk to recruiters, join social networking sites - use all the resources you have available to you."

Comparing Gender and Age
More men than women who were laid off in the last 12 months were able to find full-time employment - 59% of men compared to 49% of women. Comparing age brackets, workers ages 35 to 44 were the most likely to find full-time jobs after a layoff at 68%. Workers ages 18 to 24 were the least likely at 41% followed by 46% of workers age 55 and older.

Severance and Long-term Savings
The financial implications of job loss were significant for affected workers. Of those workers who were laid off in the last 12 months, only 32% received a severance package from their employers. Sixty-nine percent reported the severance sustained them for 2 months or less. One-in-four said it sustained them for less than one month. Forty-five percent of workers who were laid off in the last year had to tap into long-term savings as a result of losing their jobs.

Impact on Pay and Hours
Workers reported taking pay reductions and adjusting hours to keep a steady paycheck. Nearly half of workers (49%) who were laid off in the last 12 months and landed new positions took a job with less pay; 15% were able to negotiate higher compensation. One-in-five (20%) took a job with less hours while 12% took on more hours.

Relocating
Workers said they are expanding their job search beyond their own backyard. Thirteen percent of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and found jobs relocated to a new city or state. Of those who are still looking for employment, 39% reported they would consider relocating for a job opportunity.

Transferring Skills to Other Industries and Fields
Workers reported they are repackaging their resumes for new areas of employment. Thirty-eight percent of workers who were laid off in the last 12 months and landed new positions said they found work in a different field from where they were previously employed. Seventy percent of these workers said they really enjoy the new opportunity. Of those workers who are still job hunting, 44% are looking for work outside of their profession.

Starting a Business
A highly competitive job market is motivating some workers to be their own boss. One-in-four workers (25%) who have not found jobs are considering starting their own business.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 24, 2009 at 8:06 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Hi All,

When I present my seminars, and conduct media interviews, I always get complaints or questions about the extreme "sense of entitlement" that Millennial (Gen Y) employees possess. It's a very challenging issue for many companies and managers, and something I offer lots of advice on (but not in this blog today).

And to validate this reality, there is a new book out that details this "epidemic", written by Dr. Jean Twenge and Dr. W. Keith Campbell. And it's appropriately named: "The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement".

You can visit their website to learn more about this booming issue, but here is some top line info to chew on from their book website's Q & A section:

Q: What is narcissism?

We know that narcissism has increased over time among individuals based on several datasets. College students now endorse more narcissistic traits than college students did in the 1980s and 1990s; in one large sample the change seemed to be accelerating after 2002. An Internet sample of the general population also showed higher narcissism scores among younger people than older people. Perhaps most disturbing, a 2005 study using a large, randomly selected sample of Americans found that nearly 1 out of 10 people in their twenties had experienced NPD -- the more severe, clinical-level form of the trait. Only 1 out of 30 people over 64 had experienced NPD in their lifetime -- even though they had lived 40 more years than the people in their twenties and thus had that much more time to experience the disorder. This suggests a large increase in NPD over time.

This is a very serious issue that greatly affects all of us: family members, friends, employers...and Gen Y themselves. The backlash for their success could be huge, and the narcissism they possess could be at the root of it.

But, they weren't "born" like this. As I tell audiences of people over 40 years old (typically senior executives and managers), "You created them! They are your kids! But now that they are someone else's kid working for you, it seems different. Chances are YOUR 24 year old is driving their manager crazy, but they seem 'perfect' to you at home."

One of the co-authors, Jean, was on The Today Show this week, and you can click here to see her interview.

Pick up the book...it's fascinating and filled with amazing research that will make you sit back and realize all the positive feedback, that you CONSTANTLY gave your Millennial as a child, could now be a problem for her/him as they reach adulthood...and have to exist in the real world.

And before any of you Millennials think I'm bashing you, I'm not. I'm a major "Millennial advocate" and spend my time educating companies about you, as well as coach/mentor Millennial employees. But there is info in this book that can also help you! It's not a bashing book.

Bye for now!

Article by Lisa Orrell, Millennial & Generation Relations Expert and courtesy of Lisa's Generation Relations Blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 24, 2009 at 7:37 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The popularity of job fairs waxes and wanes with the economy, and in our current downturn, these gatherings are back again with a vengeance. From big cities to small towns, job fairs are being organized by national job boards, local chambers of commerce and all sorts of organizations in-between. And there's no doubt that bringing together employers that have available jobs to meet with eager job hunters is a great concept.

The catch from the employers' perspective is in making sure that candidates have the correct expectations before they head off to a local fair. As a participating recruiter, everything you can do to help prepare candidates for the experience will make the day that much more valuable for you and them.

When a laid off project manager was preparing to attend a recent job fair in a New Jersey suburb, for example, he focused on the same things he thought about when he first attended job fairs 10 years ago: the look of his suit, the quality of his resume, and the best way to avoid traffic while getting to the hotel ballroom. Things have changed, and he was in for a big surprise.

The fair was scheduled to run from 9am to 3pm, and the job seeker arrived around 10:30am. He was greeted by a line of fellow job hunters that, as far as he could tell, stretched from the ballroom down two hallways and into another empty ballroom. And that was just to register to attend.

By the time he registered and reached the ballroom full of employer booths, it was 12:10pm, and each booth had a long line of hopeful applicants. He tried to find the employers he wanted to target, but found it hard to navigate through the overcrowded room. He eventually saw one target employer and moved to the back of their line. Unlike the line to register, the line to see the employer moved quickly, but there was a reason. The recruiter at the front (in this case, a recent college graduate who had joined the company just a few months earlier) handed each candidate a sheet explaining their open positions. The sheet also asked each candidate to visit the company's web site for more information and to apply. When the manager attempted to ask questions about one of the available jobs, the recruiter said she didn't have time to discuss job opportunities with each attendee, and to please visit the website. The job hunter managed to chat a little longer, but it was clear the recruiter was overwhelmed by the applicant response.

Not all employers that day took this approach. A health-care company with a wider range of open positions had more recruiters attending and was willing to spend more time with each applicant. The job seeker asked about a project coordinator role the company was advertising, and he was directed to wait in another line to talk to a recruiter who was handling that position. Three other candidates stood ahead of him in line, and by the time he reached the recruiter, who was sitting at a table behind a small screen, three more candidates were behind him. It was obvious that the recruiter he met with was tired, having met with many other applicants by mid-afternoon. But the candidate got his questions asked and answered, and thought he made a good impression. And the recruiter identified an "A" applicant who was worth a follow up.

To be sure, not all candidates have a negative job fair experience. Fairs that are targeted to a specific industry, function or company tend to attract smaller, more focused employers. The same is true for fairs in smaller towns, and those targeting entry-level or seasonal employees. And even many larger fairs offer benefits to job seekers beyond trying to meet personally with recruiters, such as those that provide free seminars from experienced career counselors, as well as resume critiques and other free or low-cost services. And of course, if job seekers use their time at the fair to network with other job hunters who are seeking similar positions, they may tap into great sources of job information.

But if a job seeker's sole reason for attending a large fair is to seek quality time to discuss their application with interested recruiters, they likely will be disappointed. Here are a few tips that you should share with prospective new hires before they arrive at your job fair booth to help make the fair visit as productive as possible for them and you:

• Suggest that they arrive early and pre-register if possible. By beating the crowd, their odds grow of speaking with recruiters who are fresh and able to spend time with them. The chance also grows that they can meet personally with the three or four best fits for their talent early on and leave before spending their whole day in lines. This approach is a win-win for everyone.
• Advise that they must research company opportunities in advance. No sense in standing in line for a company that isn't hiring for their function or skill level. In advance of the fair, they should visit the Virtual Job Fair (if one exists) on the job fair organizer's website to see which employers are attending. If the VJF posts job openings from attending companies, they should apply to get a leg up on other job fair attendees. If not, then suggest that they visit your company website to review your posted opportunities, as well as spend time reviewing your latest annual report and other relevant materials online. With this information in hand, they can better target the most appropriate opportunity for them.
• Coach candidates to develop an "elevator pitch:" their 30- to 45-second statement that summarizes their background and career goals (the name comes from your ability to make the pitch between floors in an elevator). The pitch should be tailored to include their skills that are most relevant to your specific needs. Explain that it will you help them most effectively.
• After each meeting with a recruiter, suggest that they jot down notes summarizing your conversation. They should include any suggestions or next steps that the recruiter recommends, and then they can follow up if asked.

By making the job fair experience better for the many active job seekers in this economy, you increase your odds of leaving each fair with a longer list of "A" candidates.

Article by, Tony Lee and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 23, 2009 at 8:07 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Workloads and associated stress are on the increase in the workplace while employee morale, motivation, and endurance are on the decline, according to a survey of business leaders and work-life experts conducted by WFD Consulting. In fact, employee stress and workload have increased substantially in the last 12 months, with eight-out-of-10 respondents reporting that managers' and employees' workloads have increased, along with employee stress. At the same time, half of respondents report that employee motivation, energy, and endurance have all decreased.

The work-life and talent management consulting firm further reveals that the demand for immediate action and rapid turnarounds contributes to the escalating work pressure and that two-thirds of respondents report an increase in expectations concerning speed of execution. The expanding global workplace also contributes to increased pressure, with about half of respondents claiming that the demands of managing globally have increased.

Furthermore, 45% believe that workloads in their organizations are reasonable and only 32% say that their organizations have eliminated most low value, unnecessary work a key factor contributing to workload and overwork. Respondents identify "inadequate staffing to meet work demands" as the biggest factor driving excessive workload. Other factors include "conflicting priorities" and "poor communication and coordination among different functions." In addition, 44% report that their companies have taken action to address workload issues or eliminate low value work. The most common actions include:

• work prioritization to focus on a few critical needs;
• process improvement and reengineering projects to shorten cycle times and increase efficiency; and
• outsourcing of non-priority and low value work.

Organizations that recognize the impact of workload pressure are responding with resources to build employee resilience and help manage stress. Companies are encouraging the use of flexible work options and enabling teams to self-manage their workload. Many are more actively promoting their EAPs, health and wellness programs, and fitness centers. Another key action has been leadership communication to employees, especially on the financial state of the organization, and support to make use of available programs suggests the survey.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 23, 2009 at 8:02 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Article provided by JIST Publishing

Twenty-five years ago, psychologist Howard Gardner revised the way we think about intelligence. Rather than reducing it to a single score on an IQ test, he expanded it. Drawing on biology, sociology, history, and psychology, he proposed that individuals have multiple intelligences (eight of them, in fact), and that we all have strengths and weaknesses across the spectrum. In his book, Frames of Mind, Gardner argued that traditional ways of defining intelligence were limiting, and that rethinking the way that we view and classify intelligence (or intelligences) can help us to better understand our potential.

While Gardner's theories had an immediate impact in the classroom, the response in career counseling has been slower. However, important research has shown that an understanding of one's intelligences can be invaluable in career development, particularly when it comes to exploring and choosing a career. Researchers have found that testing for multiple intelligences increases a person's self-awareness and helps them make smarter career decisions.

Knowing which intelligences you are strong in is much the same as knowing what your skills and interests are. It can help you to identify work tasks that you would be good at and work environments you would be comfortable with. It can help you to discover your preferred learning styles. Most importantly, it allows you to play to your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses--in the working world and beyond. Knowing your best intelligences can help you to not only find a career that you would enjoy and excel in, but also to find ways to enhance your abilities and be more successful.

In short, multiple intelligence theory offers a framework for helping clients or students

• Learn more about the different ways that they are smart.
• Value the ways that people can put that intelligence to work in a job.
• Explore which intelligences are valued over others in certain industries.
• Make effective career decisions based on their preferred intelligence(s).
• Learn to capitalize and make full use of their preferred intelligence(s).
• Learn ways to develop underutilized or undiscovered intelligences they may possess but have not had a chance to use in the workplace.

After all, it's not simply about how smart a person is; it's about how they are smart.

Knowing which intelligences you are strong in is much the same as knowing what your skills and interests are. It can help you to identify work tasks that you would be good at and work environments you would be comfortable with. It can help you to discover your preferred learning styles. Most importantly, it allows you to play to your strengths and improve upon your weaknesses--in the working world and beyond. Knowing your best intelligences can help you to not only find a career that you would enjoy and excel in, but also to find ways to enhance your abilities and be more successful.

Article by, Dave Anderson and John Liptak, creators of JIST's recently released Work Smarts assessment and courtesy of JIST Publishing
If you are interested in helping your clients or students explore their intelligences and apply that knowledge to their careers, you can look over a sample of the new Work Smarts assessment, which not only helps individuals discover their most developed intelligences, but also helps them apply that knowledge directly to their careers.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 22, 2009 at 10:16 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

In today's ever changing business world, we are constantly striving to stay on top of industry trends and best practices to operate more efficiently. The area of human resources has not gone untouched by change, and we need to address changes specific to the recruitment process. A company is only as strong as the weakest link, so it is imperative that an organization place emphasis on finding the right candidate. Finding the ideal candidate starts with reviewing resumes. Whether you are working with a staffing agency or conducting your own search, it is important to keep the following tips in mind when reviewing resumes.

First, the process of reviewing resumes does not begin with a resume. More specifically, the process of reviewing resumes starts with a solid job description. One must thoroughly understand the scope of the position before he or she can begin searching for qualified candidates. It is sometimes helpful to create a list of the most important qualifications you seek in an ideal candidate. This is sometimes referred to as a "candidate profile" and should include selection criteria such as desired educational level, relevant experience, and required skill sets.

The job description and candidate profile are not only important for reviewing resumes, they are also essential in the ad writing process. You will need both accurate and detailed information to develop an effective ad that will attract the ideal candidate. In preparation for the resume review, one will want to spend an adequate amount of time writing the ad and posting on the appropriate websites. Spending time in preparation will enable you to save time in the process of reviewing resumes. More specifically, effective ads and placement will narrow down the selection process more accurately.

Once the preparation process is complete and your inbox starts to fill with resumes, you are ready to start reviewing resumes. In reviewing resumes, it is important to be able to devote a block of time so the qualifications and credentials of candidates can be compared to one another. In the initial review of resumes, it is important to note that as technology has advanced so too has the submission of resumes. Due to the change in submission of resumes from snail mail to email, individuals reviewing resumes have modified the traditional screening process. For example, no longer does the quality of stationary and appearance of envelope play a role in the review of resumes. Although there have been some changes to the traditional screening process, other techniques have gone unchanged. For example, proper spelling and grammar still weigh heavily in the review of resumes.

To start the actual review of resumes, you will want to skim each resume to obtain an overall impression of the candidate's resume. The resume should have an overall flawless presentation with easy to read formatting and organization, correct use of grammar, and proper spelling. If the candidate's resume passes the initial inspection, you will want to review it further to assess whether or not the candidate meets your top credentials outlined in your candidate profile. More specifically, you will want to look for relevant educational and work experiences. While reviewing relevant educational and work experiences, you will want to keep a focus on the most recent educational and work experiences. Although it is important to look at recent experiences, you will also want to consider the stability in work history when identifying potential candidates.

If a candidate fulfills your top credentials, you will want to review it more thoroughly concentrating on such things as the applicant's specific skill sets, achievements, and extracurricular activities. In this step of the resume review process, you are also looking for red flags (i.e. employment gaps, multiple shifts in career paths, and evidence of decreasing job responsibilities). Once you have reviewed all resumes in the search of red flags, you will want to identify the most qualified applicants. The most qualified candidates thus far should be contacted for an initial phone screen.

After the initial phone screens, you will be well on your way to successfully finding the right candidate. Just remember that finding the right candidate starts with reviewing resumes.

Article by Lakeshore Staffing - A company is only as strong as the weakest link, so it is imperative that an organization place emphasis on finding the right candidate.

Courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Originally posted on GadBall Blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 22, 2009 at 7:07 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

A client recently asked us to help them to create a strategy for Intelligent Layoffs. As part of the process we reviewed the organization's talent management and retention practices and were alarmed but not entirely surprised to hear comments like:

• Why go the extra mile now? People are just happy they have a job.
• We have no extra money to spend on a "contented cow" program.
• We are getting resumes of very qualified people every day and we aren't even advertising.

This organization is not unique. Many companies are feeling a huge temptation to do less for employees in the current environment because:

1. Everyone is under pressure to cut costs;
2. It is true - there is an abundance of qualified prospects who would be very grateful to have almost any job.

5 Business Reasons to Resist Temptation

Here are 5 solid business reasons to think long and hard about abandoning programs that build loyalty and position your organization as an Employer of Choice:

1. Demographics haven't changed. Even though the retirement picture has changed for some baby-boomers, many still have plans to retire or cut their hours significantly. (Baby Boomers are Changing Their Retirement Plans http://www.usnews.com/blogs/planning-to-retire/2009/3/12/baby-boomers-are-changing-their-retirement-plans.html)

2. Talented people are still finding work. In one of the worst downturns in the history of retail Nordstrom's is hiring (www.nordstrom.com). Additionally, in a very crappy engineering consulting environment with projects all over the world put on hold, TRC -- an engineering, consulting, and construction management firm -- has increased staffing by 50% YTD and utilization remains in the mid 90% (http://www.trcsolutions.com).

3. Committed is better than Compliant. Are people more productive when they are compliant or committed? The easiest response to this question is for you the reader to ask it of yourself. We have all had jobs in which we lacked enthusiasm and went through the motions because we "were told to do this" and ones which had us jumping out of bed saying, "Good Morning World!" Which did you prefer?

4. Times will get better. Times will get better and you do not want to create a reputation that will make you less competitive in the future. It seems as though those of us who run companies forget that information about most anything you do in the employee arena gets communicated throughout the world faster than the proverbial speeding bullet! Want to know how your most recent employee meeting was perceived? Go to the internet - you may see your photo.

5. Good Talent Draws Good Talent. This is something we do not have to study - our own experience tells us it is true. Actually, for many of you reading this article, you may have joined your current employer due to a recommendation from a friend or acquaintance in the industry.

Are You an Employer of Choice?

So, if we have persuaded you that being an Employer of Choice is a worthwhile pursuit regardless of the economic climate, the obvious question is ... so are you or aren't you?

We have found that there are 10 key questions to ask that will give you a pretty good idea.

1. Are people proactive - acting on problems quickly?
2. Are truth telling and risk taking encouraged and rewarded?
*Are communications straight-forward? Are they focused on problems.... Or solutions?
3. Do people do their work with energy and passion?
4. Are your leaders trusted and respected? (Or obeyed and feared?)
5. Do employees believe they are treated fairly - especially if you have gone through a layoff?
6. Are employees regularly rewarded and recognized for good performance? (Does not have to be financial rewards)
7. Are your employees planning on staying once the recession has lifted?
8. Are employees proud to work for your organization?
9. Do your employees recommend your company to their friends?
*Organizational communicating can be especially difficult during down times. No one likes to deliver bad news. However, if you do need to conduct a layoff or scale back or abandoned programs for employees, over-communicate the rationale for the changes.

Everyone understands that these are difficult times and is willing do what is necessary to survive. But they don't want to be taken advantage of - or worse, feel like they have been lied to. Plus, it is easier to get organization-wide buy-in for revising market strategies and reallocating resources when the drivers behind decisions are well understood.

How to Ask the Questions

Getting responses to the above can be quickly accomplished through a variety of methods:

1. An online survey.

2. Focus groups. These methods can be combined or conducted independently. It's best to utilize both.

3. MBWA&Q. No doubt you have heard of Managing By Wandering Around - MBWA. In this scenario, each manager asks a question from the above list to all employees she/he happens to see during the course of her MBWA. Results of the conversations can be shared at an executive team meeting.

Virtually every enterprise is looking for ways to maintain the current business, and maybe, provide some improvements. After all, every cloud has its silver lining. We suggest that the ability to attract and retain top talent will continue to be a vital component to achieving your goals and reinforcing your value proposition with your customers.

Article by, WSA Managing Partner, Paul Stimson and courtesy of Work Systems Affiliates

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 21, 2009 at 2:55 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

High functioning teams deliver superior performance and economies-of-scale, a perfect one-two punch for these crazy economic times. You built your High Performance Teams to do more with less. But are they still?

A number of readers have told us that their "teams" are just not making it. In many cases this is because the "team" label is slapped on any group of people that are brought together to work on a project or task with little regard to how teams actually form, storm, norm and perform. In other words - they never actually reached high performance.

Another issue is that this economy has caused a huge amount of transitioning, repositioning and refocusing which has caused teams to fall out of alignment and start to under-perform.

This article examines why and how to build and rebuild high performing teams.

The Power of Teams

Highly functioning teams are a preferred method of achieving superior performance because they:

• Are greater than the sum of their parts: Teams bring together complimentary skills, perspectives, and experiences that exceed those of any one individual
• Deliver breakthroughs and innovation: By jointly developing shared goals and approaches, teams establish communication processes and norms that support real-time problem-solving, creating breakthroughs, and exercising initiative
• Generate high energy and motivation: The process of developing a clear, shared performance challenge and shared values develops strong commitment, motivation, and unleashes an energy that is unmatched by any individual
• Exhibit above average agility: Teams are more flexible and responsive to changing events and demands and are able to adjust their approach with greater speed, accuracy, and efficiency
• Have more fun! This is not a frivolous aspect, but rather one which sustains team performance (if you are not sure about this, ask someone who works at Google!)
• Raise the performance bar: Due to their focus on performance, teams motivate, challenge, reward, and support individuals who are working to achieve superior results. This is especially important in a tight economy when clients are demanding superior project performance, innovation, and breakthrough results.

Real teams -- not just groups that someone simply calls "a team" - are THE most effective unit of performance for projects, tasks, innovation and competitive advantage.

Growing a Team - What's Important

The actual path each group takes to becoming a team is somewhat unique to the particular team and the variables associated with the work they are focused on. Yet, the success of all teams centers on two critical elements: Performance Challenge and Relationships.

Performance Challenge - Teams do not develop without a significant performance challenge (we are pretty sure these are not in short supply these days) that is meaningful to those involved.

Good personal chemistry or the desire to "become a team" can foster teamwork values and practices, but teamwork is not the same as being a team. And if you have ever been on a real team - through sports, your church, politics, a hobby, work - you know it when you feel it!.

Relationships - Despite our best hope and effort, a team that out-performs all others is difficult to create and personally demanding for the members. Additionally, a strong, cohesive team can be viewed as threatening to others within an organization who are not part of that team. In order to withstand the pressures and stresses, and deliver on the commitments team members make, we have found that a team is required to build an unusual degree of mutual trust, "straight talk" and personal commitment.

6 Steps to Build or Realign Teams - Team Chartering

The performance challenge and the relationships required to build a team are initiated through a six-step "chartering" process which establishes the guidelines that govern team and individual behavior - and sets the stage for success.

Chartering is a very disciplined and task-oriented process for creating team goals that are stronger than individual agendas and greatly increases the probability that the team will experience success AND high performance. It is also a great way to re-align teams that have had major changes in purpose or membership - a very common issue in these turbulent times.

Each of the six steps addresses a specific question relative to the work and formation of a team:

1. Why should we work together? (What is our "performance challenge?")

• Alignment on the definition of success
• Defined Guiding Principles (values)
• Outline of technical objectives

2. How will we know we are successful? (What must be accomplished for us to say we were successful? How will we know we are headed in the right direction?)

• Determination of Critical Success Factors
• Outline of measures and milestones

3. What are the limits of our authority? (What are we accountable for?)

• Defined scope of authority
• Clear boundary conditions

4. What are our roles? (What is expected of each individual on the team? What do we expect from one another? What will each person stand for?)

• Clear and Specific roles and expectations
• A Team Commitment Statement

5. How will we execute our work and function as a team? (How will we respond to barriers and conflict outside of the team? Inside the team?)

• Operating Guidelines/Codes of Conduct
• A decision-making strategy
• A risk mitigation and conflict resolution process
• Core work processes and practices

6. What will our relationships with one another be like? How will we develop trust? Commitment? (What level of trust is expected? How will we develop and maintain it?)

• A process for team assessment of progress - feedback and "straight talk"
• Trust
• An internal and external communication plan

4 Characteristics of High Performing Teams

Teams that create a Charter - and stick to it - dramatically improve their ability to accomplish desired results and achieve high performance. They typically display four distinctive characteristics associated with High Performance Teams:

1. Goal Directed "Relentless focus on performance."

• Clear about what superior project team performance looks like
• Knows where it is going
• Has a well-defined definition of success and desired end state

• Aligned on what it will do to achieve its results
• Detailed, endorsed plan to achieve stated goal(s)
• Explicit team and individual roles
• High level of commitment and trust

3. Action Orientation "Real teams do not develop until the people in them work hard to overcome barriers that stand in the way of their collective performance."

• Acts in a purposeful manner
• Knows what behaviors are required
• Committed to "straight talk"
• Has defined measures of performance

4. Flexible "Knows that if it is not getting what it wants it (the project team) has to do something different."

• Monitors performance against expectations
• Has a process for self-correction
• Adjusts behavior to achieve results "...faster, quicker than individuals stuck in organizational quagmire."
• Promotes "out-of-the-box" thinking which keeps possibility alive!

Article by, WSA President, Paul Plotczyk, and courtesy of Work Systems Affiliates

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 21, 2009 at 2:19 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

It's that time of the year where the big kids head out to their summer jobs. I clearly remember being the Mom Cat as it were when my first round of seasonal employees / driver guides headed to Alaska in the spring of 1999. We all loaded up their stuff into the Gray Line of Seattle motorcoach and shuttled them to SeaTac. As they were saying their goodbyes in their Gray Line of Alaska red coats, I felt like a mom sending her kids off to camp. I hoped that each one would find what they were looking for in Alaska and that nothing bad would happen to them.

The enthusiasm right now on our social network is bubbling over. The countdown timers are mentioned daily. "Two more days left!" "15 days left!" "No fair, I still have month to go." They cannot wait to get to their new jobs and their homes in the parks and other great places.

So, my encouragement to you today is simple. Help them have the best summer job ever! The rewards to them will be great, but the rewards to you for being an employer of choice are greater. So here's a quick checklist of ways to start off on the right foot.

Make a great first impression!

• Smile, smile, smile!


• Know their names and be expecting them just like guests at your resort/ranch, etc.


• Be sure that employee housing is clean and ready for use.


• Hang welcome signs.


• Provide maps so they know where they're going.

Build Your Team

• Have a BBQ so that your new employees get to know their co-workers.


• Provide mentors to those employees who are new to your operation.


• Team them up during orientation.


• Find out what the one thing they want to do is this summer and help them do it.

Help your employees succeed.

• Keep your HR office door open for questions and concerns.


• Help them learn their jobs quickly.


• Buddy check with your employees to see how things are going early on.


• Let them know when they're doing a great job!


• Feedback is important. Encourage it.


• It's normal for people to be nervous when they reach a new place. Help them to feel comfortable by answering their questions and taking care of their needs.

That's enough for now since I know that you have plenty of items on your to-do lists. Treat your new employees well and they'll be champions for your organization in no time. I hear the train whistle now....

Article by, Kari Quaas, PHR, Director of West Coast Operations and Manager of On-Line Communities for CoolWorks.com, a job website focusing on seasonal jobs in great places like national parks, resorts, camps and ranches. Her experience as a seasonal employee, recruiter, and former HR Manager helps her to relate to both employers and job seekers to whom she provides guidance and support.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 21, 2009 at 8:16 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Unemployment numbers are rising each month, but that doesn't mean for one minute that there is an abundance of Top Talent in the Job Market. In fact, the opposite is more accurate. It's important that hiring authorities realize it is difficult to attract top talent in the current Job Market.

It's true; you may be receiving more unsolicited resumes than ever before, but are they of the caliber you want to hire? In most cases, the answer is no. Now more than any other time in history, it is critical that you hire the best person for the positions you have open.

The same is true now as when the job market it tight. Often the most qualified candidates are currently working for someone else but would contemplate a change for the "right opportunity." They are NOT unemployed:

• They are NOT listed on any Job Board
• They are NOT circulating their resume
• They are NOT in an active job search

This hidden marketplace of talent is more apprehensive to consider a career move for several reasons including:

1. The real estate market is prohibiting some relocation.
2. Candidates are more nervous than ever about the stability of a new company.
3. Many candidates worry if they are the last hired, they will be the first cutback.
4. Candidates know the issues at their current employer. The issues that exist with a new employer are unknown.
5. Many employees have not quit and but stayed because they feel they should be grateful that they have a job in this economy.

When you are involved in attracting top talent, your reputation is on the back of every candidate you represent. Be aware of the apprehensions listed above so you are prepared to address them when talking to prospective employees.

It's important to realize you need to "sell" your opportunity and the benefits of working for your company. An interview is no longer a fact finding mission consisting of only questions and answers. You need to uncover the "hot buttons" of the top talent you interview and show these individuals how your company can offer them what doesn't exist at their current job.

Your goal should be to become a Magnet for Top Talent. Top Talent you know can help your company attain their goals!

Article by, Barbara Bruno and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 21, 2009 at 7:57 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall
confidence among U.S. accounting and finance workers, dipped 0.3 points to 42.3 in the first quarter of 2009, reaching a new historic low, according to a recent survey commissioned by The Mergis Group and conducted by Harris Interactive. The survey reveals that accounting and finance workers' optimism about job availability and confidence in their own ability to find a new job decreased in the first quarter of 2009. At the same time, fewer of these workers believe the economy is getting weaker compared to the fourth quarter of 2008.

Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:

• Sixty-three percent of accounting and finance workers believe the economy is getting weaker, a decrease of 13 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2008.
• More than eight in ten (82 percent) accounting and finance workers believe there are fewer jobs available, representing an eight percentage point increase from the previous quarter.
• Fewer accounting and finance workers are confident in their own ability to find a new job. Specifically, 40 percent are confident in their ability to find a new position, compared to 45 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.
• Thirty-two percent of accounting and finance workers believe it is likely they will look for a new job in the next 12 months, down two percentage points from the previous quarter.

"The first quarter of 2009 left the Accounting & Finance Employee Confidence Index virtually unchanged. While fewer accounting and finance workers indicated that they believe the economy is getting weaker, uncertainty in the job market still lingers," stated Brendan Courtney, president of The Mergis Group. "There continues to be a lack of corporate confidence in the economy, as the effects of TARP and other government stimulus programs are taking longer to gain momentum to fuel job creation. We are hopeful that the manifestation of these programs will give corporate America a much-needed confidence boost. Our anticipation is that these programs will command highly skilled finance, mortgage and legal professionals to navigate through new regulations and loan workouts. We think the demand will be so great, in fact, that we have developed a specialized team to help fill employers' critical hiring needs. Although we have only scratched the surface in terms of the size and scope of these efforts, if companies haven't developed an action plan, they are already behind."

The Mergis Group is a leading professional placement firm that specializes in recruiting for positions in finance and accounting, engineering and manufacturing, sales and marketing, legal and human resources. The firm provides recruiting services to Fortune 500 and small and mid-sized companies through its network of 36 offices nationally. The Mergis Group is a division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). For more information, please visit www.mergisgroup.com.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 21, 2009 at 7:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Social networks are here to stay. Right now Facebook says they have 110 million users worldwide. It can be a valuable insight into a person's life and character. On the other hand, it should be used within the context of legal hiring practices.

What are Social Networks?

Facebook and Myspace are examples of the phenomenon of people networking over the internet. Essentially people are given a personal web site where they interact, socialize and network within communities. Communities can organize socially, geographically, by workplace or any other number of ways people can interconnect. It is done by making a post to their web site in the form of pictures, words, videos etc.

How Can They Help?

The simple answer is to search for the person you are about to hire and see what it says! Actually it is not that simple. Users can make their profiles public or private. If a person makes their profile private you need to request to be added to their network. As a potential employer it is unlikely that would be appropriate so what you are left with is the public profiles.

An example of how it might work is as follows. You are interviewing youth counselors for a program to keep kids off the street. You log into Facebook and one of the applicants is talking about all the drugs and partying he/she has done on the weekends. This probably is not a good influence for kids. In other words you gain insight into the person and who he/she is away from the office.

Conversely, you find a candidate's profile and you see that they are working weekends volunteering to coach a youth soccer league and part of the big brother program, then you probably have a winner.

Final Thoughts

As with all information gathered online for free, take it for what it is. It can add or detract from a candidate's overall profile but should not be used as a litmus test.

A perfectly good candidate could have had one wild weekend in their life and unfortunately for them it is now in the public domain. Other candidates may not have anything published online but are constantly 'living life to the fullest' so to speak. So keep the information in context and make it part of your pre-employment screening but don't base a hiring decision solely on what you found on Facebook or MySpace.

After 20+ years as an engineer in the R&D world, Tom Tassinari found himself in the recruiting world. By adapting the problem solving and process discipline skills of engineering to the recruiting world, he now works with companies on locating and hiring top talent...with his own techie twist.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 20, 2009 at 3:09 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Don't Burn a Bridge

The candidate rejection letter is the final part of your recruitment effort. Out of courtesy and good business practice each candidate who made it to the interview process and was not selected should receive a rejection letter.

Why Send a Letter

Each candidate who made it to your interview process has spent some time and resources coming in and following your process. The deserve to be treated as a professional and get a letter explaining that the position was filled by another candidate. It is good practice and who knows, some day you may need to revisit or reopen the position and if there was candidate 1a and 1b (e.g. it was a close call) you may want to revisit candidate 1b.

What the Letter Should Say

As a recruiter, I have had to give a number of job seekers the bad news that they were not selected. I have found a brief to the point explanation is best.

Often times I do know the clients reasons for choosing one candidate over another but I can't say that. So what works best is a short, you were part of a great pool of candidates they had to choose from, it was a difficult decision. They were fortunate enough to find a candidate that fits their requirements quite well. They told me that if there are future openings that fit your background well they would definitely consider bringing you in for those openings.

This does 3 things, it lets the candidate know they were part of a close competition with a number of good candidates. It was not that they were poorly qualified it was that there was someone else that had a better match and that they would be considered for future openings.

Short. To the point and professional.

What it Should NOT Say!

Here's a hand full of things not to do or say!

• Never send the letters until your primary candidate has accepted and passed all pre-employment tests and said yes.
• Never explain in detail why you decided what you decided

Finally, never tell a candidate they were unqualified or unfit for the position.

After 20+ years as an engineer in the R&D world, Tom Tassinari found himself in the recruiting world. By adapting the problem solving and process discipline skills of engineering to the recruiting world, he now works with companies on locating and hiring top talent...with his own techie twist.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 20, 2009 at 3:06 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Finding the right job is tough no matter where you live, so it's a good idea to get as much information and advice as possible. Sites like Administrationjobsuk.com can help job seekers know how to negotiate salaries, workplace conflicts and career changes.

There are plenty of administrative jobs in London and other cities in the UK for those who are qualified. But just like here in the U.S., landing the right job takes careful planning and a lot of hard work, and Administrationjobsuk.com offers advice for how to manage the entire process, from resume to interview and beyond.

For job seekers who need to learn how to write better resumes (curriculum vitae) or improve their typing skills or keyboard skills, Administrationjobsuk.com has a link that will lead them to helpful advice or recommend a company that can give them the training that they need.

Not everyone is cut out for a job in administrative support, but for those who are, adding Administrationjobsuk.com to their list of favorites could prove to be a big help in the future.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 20, 2009 at 10:52 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

We all know the current job market is tough, regardless of what generation you're from. But for many Millennials, who are inexperienced when it comes to searching for a job, it can be an even tougher time. So this article provides all you newbie job seekers with seven tips that will give you an edge over your job-seeker competition.

1. Start a blog

Not "just" a blog - a blog that covers the news and information about specific companies, or industries, where you'd like to work. You can then contact the company(s) and let them know you have a blog that is "about them and their industry". This can attract their attention and give you an edge over just submitting a resume. Even micro-blogging on Twitter using this strategy is smart.

2. Make Yourself Known

Many newbie job seekers send their resume and then do nothing. Making 1-2 follow-up calls is not enough. Until someone tells you "the position is filled", keep calling, emailing, and inquiring. Sure, it may seem like you're annoying, but you are making yourself memorable, and that's key.

3. Know Your Target

Make sure you include the terminology used within that industry, and/or by that company, when submitting your info to them. This can range from the job titles they use to the industry/company jargon they use. The point here is to make your resume and cover letter "customized" to them, not generic to ANY industry and/or company.

4. Don't Rely on Your Computer

Yes, the Internet is a powerful networking tool. And, of course, network on social networks like FaceBook, Twitter and LinkedIn. But face-to-face contact can be more powerful. Attend local professional networking events in industries you're interested in. Interested in a Marketing career? Attend your local AMA chapter mixer. Each month, attend as many "live" networking events as possible. Not only will you make a lot of contacts but you'll become better at "selling yourself" which can help when you interview.

5. Make Business Cards

Don't arrive at networking events or job interviews without business cards. You can even make your title "Job Seeker in Finance" (or whatever you're looking for). And on the back print a few bullets about you: Education, Degree, strengths, etc. These can be like mini-resumes and they give you something interesting to hand to people (versus writing your contact info on a napkin at an event). Make your own cards and get them printed inexpensively through online services like LogoMaker.com.

6. Thank You Cards

Whenever your return home from an interview or networking event, or even from casual encounter with someone you met at a party where you discussed your employment, send a hand written thank you note to everyone you met. People tend to send thank yous via email, but a hand written note makes a big impression nowadays because very few people send them!

7. Be "Employed" Through Volunteering

If you're unemployed, use some of your free time to volunteer at a local non-profit. That reflects well on you when interviewing. You can say that you volunteer 15-20 hours per week for XYZ organization and your tasks include...employers want to know you're "doing something" other than looking for a job full time. It also shows them you're hard working and not just sitting around your home waiting for a job.

For more info about generations-related workforce trends, check-out Lisa's business blog.

Article by Lisa Orrell

Courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Originally posted on Lindsay Olson

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 20, 2009 at 8:15 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

First and foremost, companies need to understand that HR is an exercise in sales and marketing. At least the component of HR related to recruiting. It's very difficult to recruit top talent without tackling the problem from a sales and marketing perspective. Luckily, we can look towards sales and marketing experts for help, and we can understand how great companies market and sell their products and services and how that translates to recruitment.

The second key point is that recruitment marketing is more than just advertising on job boards. Advertising is only one component of marketing. There are many others.

Finally, we can look at numerous examples of big companies that do focus on recruitment marketing - experimenting with different initiatives, technology and strategies. Deloitte created a very popular Facebook page. Sodexho has a well-known corporate HR blog (http://sodexocareers.blogspot.com/). Intel has a vast library of employee videos and a content-rich career site (http://www.intel.com/jobs/index.htm).

Big companies are investing in their recruitment marketing initiatives.

So what about smaller organizations?

A lot of smaller organizations may think that recruitment marketing is not accessible to them. They're wrong. And to compete for top talent - to stand out from the crowd of competing companies - smaller organizations have to step up their efforts.

Marketing 101: Strategy, Research, Test

Great marketers will tell you that the only way to succeed is to take a holistic, strategic approach and try everything. You have to stay on top of trends, invest some time and test things out. Granted, this sounds like more work for already overwhelmed recruiters - but it is a great time to make that commitment.

Take a strategic approach. The economic situation is hitting HR hard. Budgets are being trimmed and hiring is slowing considerably. No one would say these are good times. But it also means that HR and recruiters can now look at what they've been doing, what's working and what's not working. Recruiters can work to take a much more strategic approach to recruitment vs. a "shotgun approach." And that's critical to developing a solid recruitment marketing plan.

Research and learn. Recruiters are overwhelmed by new technological solutions every day. Blogs. Twitter. Social networks. Things are evolving at the speed of light, and HR is just trying to hang on. Sadly, HR is often left to the wayside - while marketing departments rush to try out new things to get a sense of their value. Luckily, there are numerous great resources for recruiters to get a handle on new technology and ways of doing things. Just look at this list of HR blogs. There's a plethora of valuable information there. Or this list of recruiters on Twitter. Recruiters and HR teams need to get plugged in and learn what's going on.

Remember: Technology alone won't solve recruitment problems. It's how you use new technology that matters.

Experiment and test. The only way to know if something will work or not is to try it. Now is a great time for experimentation; HR vendors will be more flexible on pricing, and chances are when you look back at your recruitment advertising strategy, you'll realize it hasn't worked well enough. If you're not trying to just "fill seats with warm bodies" and hire for thousands of open jobs, take the time to try things out and figure out what works.

Article by, Ben Yoskovitz and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 17, 2009 at 10:16 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Why Do Interviewers Ask About My Weaknesses?

No interviewer expects "brutally honest answers like,'I'm below-average intelligence and difficult to work with,'" says a hiring expert quoted by the Washington Post.

So why do they ask? "The intent of this question is to throw you off course," says EmploymentDigest.net. Many positions require workers to think on our feet, and interviewers want to know if we can do that.

There's another, less confrontational reason, according to the Washington Post.

"...interviewers say that even skewed answers can help reveal whether applicants possess key qualities such as self-awareness, humility, sincerity, zest, and skill in managing shortcomings and mistakes."

Of course, not every hiring manager wants to talk about candidates' weaknesses. In November 2008, paylocity's Tim Stall wrote in Net Developer's Journal that,

"If the interview cannot determine your weaknesses from normal interview questions, are they really weaknesses? It is part of the recruiter's job to determine your weaknesses, and by directly asking you, they're essentially asking you to do their job for them."

But since there's no way of knowing beforehand whether our interviewer likes or loathes the question, it's on job-seekers to be ready with an answer.

Tough Interview Question Results in Conflicting Advice

Writing from Dublin, Ireland in 2006, Fortify Services founder Rowan Manahan sums up how it can feel to be confronted with one of the toughest interview questions: "What is your greatest weakness?":

"...it's no wonder people dread job interviews. There you are in your best interview suit, with your shiniest shoes on, doing your best to sound credible, professional and enthusiastic and all the interviewer wants to do is lift up stones and see what crawls out."
It's hard enough that the "What is your (greatest) weakness?" question definitely puts you on the spot. Worse is that at least two prominent sources have offered somewhat conflicting advice on how to answer an interviewer who has lifted up that stone to see "what crawls out." Continue reading ...

Article by, Dawn Wolfe and courtesy of George Lenard, the originator of George's Employment Blawg, has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of labor and employment law, including preventive law as well as litigation. His special interests include employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and noncompetition agreements. He is currently a managing partner with Harris, Dowell, Fisher & Harris, L.C., in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in the suburb of University City with his wife and family.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 17, 2009 at 9:21 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

What would the Noid do? We make it a policy while blogging to never directly call out a company for not conducting proper background checks. However, this story is on every news outlet, newspaper, blog, video service and Twitter on the internet. I have seen and heard this story at least 25 times in the past 24 hours. Our friends at Cheezhead did a great job explaining it!

After a shocking video that showed Domino's employees putting food up their noses and passing gas on salami surfaced on YouTube to an audience of millions, the pizza chain went into a damage control frenzy.

The perpetrators were captured and slapped with felonies. Their criminal history has been revealed much to the disgust of the American public, many of whom wonder how one of the accused, who had a rap sheet including sexual battery and possession of stolen property, was eligible to be hired for a job dealing with the public in the first place.

An exhausted and embarrassed Patrick Doyle, Domino's president, appeared in his own video today in which he assured the public that everything has now been handled appropriately. The statement borders on begging. Check it out for yourself.

If they do revamp their hiring policies, would you give them a second chance?

More

Article by, Jason Morris and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 17, 2009 at 8:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Okay, maybe a little dramatic, but it did catch your eye. Today we will continue the "Targeted Search" with Food Services. Technically speaking, Food Services can include top restaurant staff to those working in fast food. Although some might disagree, the coverage will be broad for the purposes of today's post. Rather than focusing on just one type of resource, there will be a mix.

• Dixie Search Associates - Dixie Search is an international recruiting firm that specializes in all segments of Food, Beverages and Hospitality recruitment. Their main page gives an overview of the firm and lists a number of Domestic and International "Hot Searches" (such as Food Services Manager - NY). The bottom of the main page provides contact information. Click "Current Openings" at the top of the page to go to the opportunities page. This page is sorted by main category (Food Manufacturing, Supermarket, etc.). The left-hand side of the page explains the process. There is a Candidate Registration form at the bottom of the main opportunities page.

• McDonald's - Number 106 on the Fortune 500 list, there are a number of food service related careers available at McDonald's. From Restaurant Manager to Crew Member to District Manager. The main career page has links to several success stories in the center of the page. Careers Search (search by job category), Restaurant Crew Opportunities (Crew, Management and Support Opportunities) and "Hamburger University" (McDonald's Management Training Center) links are available on the left hand side of the page.
• American Culinary Federation (ACF) - ACF is a professional organization dedicated to chefs and is an industry resource. Their career site provides registration (anonymous), Job Search, Personal Alerts and a Job Seeker account which will allows management of your resumes and job search alerts. "View Jobs" links to the job seeker page where you can search by keyword, location or Job Type.
• FoodandDrinkJobs.com - This is a dedicated search site for the food and beverage industry. The site has 664 registered employers (when I checked). Click on the "Candidate Home" tab to get started. Similar to the ACF site, you can post an anonymous resume, view jobs, create a job alert and create a free account to manage your resumes and job alerts. There were over 3,400 job opportunities when I checked the site, from Pizza Grill cook to Bakery Associate to Executive Chef. The search function allows for keyword search, location search or job type.

Good luck in your search.

Article by, Career Alley

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Originally posted on Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 17, 2009 at 7:42 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

With the media blitzing us about the economy and spending time adding to the low morale, I feel we should also spend time talking about the companies who are actually growing with the intent of taking market share.

I had lunch with a vice president of a leading supply chain software company last week, and we were discussing his staffing needs for 2009. His company is adding positions in certain vertical markets that could use some growth. They are also "top grading" talent that is underperforming. Top grading is a term used to replace people with better performing people. This is done to overtake the competition. Like most sales people, he understands that this economic situation will turn and they fully plan to overtake their competition.

We have seen many lesser known companies adding talent with the intention of overtaking their competition. CEO's openly admitting we are aiming to overtake the market. While others sit with glazed eyes and indecisive attitudes, other companies are taking your clients from you.

When sales are down, it's time to add to or replace your current sales force. We recently worked with a company that has one inside sales person and delayed hiring a sales person for no apparent reason. Ironically their number one competitor is hiring additional sales talent in the same city with the same objective.

If your product or service has a reasonable ROI, who would not invest immediately? Work out different pricing options or payment schedules but invest in your business now. Companies need to grow even a small amount. Otherwise your competition will be courting your current client base.

This Ronald Reagan quote is uniquely American and appropriate for our world right now.

"I do not believe in a fate that will fall on us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing. So, with all the creative energy at our command, let us begin an era of national renewal. Let us renew our determination, our courage, and our strength. And let us renew our faith and our hope. We have every right to dream heroic dreams. Those who say that we're in a time when there are no heroes, they just don't know where to look." -Ronald Reagan

Brett Stevens is founder and President of The SearchLogix Group. Brett has enjoyed remarkable success in the executive search business in the fields of Software Sales, Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Distribution, Warehousing, and Transportation. He has achieved the industry's highest level of professional certification: Certified Senior Account Manager (CSAM). He has received numerous regional, national, and international awards through meeting the needs of his clients. He continues to achieve record breaking performance and has been nationally recognized for those results with The SearchLogix Group. Brett is a member of The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, formerly The Council of Logistics Management (CLM), The Association for Operations Management, The Warehousing Education and Research Council, and The Institute of Industrial Engineers. He has been recognized in many trade and online magazines and is a notable guest speaker. Most recently, Brett was recognized internationally by both the American Stroke Association and the Prostate Cancer Foundation for his fundraising efforts. You can email Brett at brett.stevenspr@searchlogixgroup.com or telephone him at 770-517-2660 x20.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article originally posted on Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 17, 2009 at 7:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As layoffs become increasingly more difficult to avoid, it is important that companies learn how to implement these reductions smoothly and effectively, while still keeping employees engaged and productive. The new Corporate Restructuring Highlight Report from the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) examines these challenges as well as other strategies companies are using to make it through, whether it's redesigning the organization, building strategic partnerships or developing innovative sourcing strategies.

According to the report, 58% of respondent companies underwent a reduction in force in the first part of 2008, and almost 40% plan to implement one by April 2009. Additional i4cp research shows that corporate restructuring is a business consideration that will increase in importance in the coming years with nearly two-thirds of business professionals saying it will be an 'extremely important' or 'important' issue in the future. Process reengineering and managing strategic alliances will similarly grow in importance over the next decade. When companies do implement layoffs, "too often managers are ill-prepared for the dramatic decline in morale and productivity that follows," says David Wentworth, research analyst with i4cp and author of the report. And some companies may implement limited layoffs even if it's not a financial imperative.

"The current economic crisis provides companies, even those with healthy balance sheets, with a perfect 'burning platform' to make moves that in many cases should have been made earlier, such as letting poor performers go, restructuring to focus on core competencies, or acquiring another firm," says Jay Jamrog, i4cp's senior vice president of research.

Critical Components of Corporate Restructuring

• Layoffs need to be implemented in a dignified, efficient manner that also avoids legal difficulties;
• Most companies see layoffs as a last resort, and there are several strategies to cut costs and avoid dramatically reducing headcount;
• Outsourcing can be a useful tool for gaining efficiencies and reducing costs, while strategic alliances can help speed innovation;
• No one organizational design is right for every company, and it can be a challenge to find the structure that meets a business's needs.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 15, 2009 at 1:09 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Despite registering declines in December 2008 (56,000 jobs), January 2009 (48,000 jobs), and February (14,000 jobs), IT employment continues its descent in March shedding 31,300 jobs, according to the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses (NACCB), which tracks monthly IT employment. After peaking in November with over 4 million jobs, IT employment has shed approximately 150,000 jobs. Despite this drop, it was not until this past month that IT employment entered negative territory in a meaningful way on a year-over-year basis declining 1.79% since March 2008. "Given that employment has historically been a lagging indicator of an economic rebound, the continued decline in national IT employment is not surprising," observes Mark Roberts, CEO of NACCB. "While unemployment rates in many IT skill sets remain well below the national unemployment rate of 8.5%, there is very little to cheer about in March's numbers," adds Roberts. The IT employment index is published by the National Association of Computer Consultant Businesses (NACCB), the national trade association representing IT staffing and solutions firms.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 15, 2009 at 1:06 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

As graduation dates for the class of 2009 approach, employers and recruiters are receiving resumes by the thousands, in addition to the ones coming in from people who have recently been laid off. It's no wonder they rely so heavily on computer software to help them separate "the wheat from the chaff." Two experienced HR professionals graciously took the time to explain just how job seekers and college students in search of quality internships can improve the odds of their resumes being selected for personal review.

"Keyword rich resumes are mandatory," said Ken Winters, founder of Staffback, Inc., "in fact we strongly recommend the addition of a keyword section. To understand why a keyword rich resume is mandatory, a reader first needs to understand the shift that has caused this change...

"Human Resource professionals have been adapting to the process shift in which resume submission has converted from 100% paper to 100% e-mail over the past 15 years. Resumes are so easily submitted via e-mail that HR professionals are having a difficult time managing the overwhelming number, many of which are unqualified candidates submitting resumes for any job; and it's understandable why, since submitting resumes via e-mail is virtually free. HR professionals have turned to technology to counter the avalanche of resumes for review."

Here are Ken's suggestions for getting a resume through HR's resume screening software:

1. "Keywords: in a document separate from your resume, list everything you've done, every software program you've worked with, every company you've worked with, every phone system, every professional association, every vendor and every acronym. Save your keyword list as a separate file from your resume and maintain/update it like your resume from this point forward.
2. Keyword deviation: Go through your keyword list and add every deviation of the keywords you've captured. The Mac operating system "OS X" should also be listed as "OSX," "Home Depot" should also be listed as "HomeDepot." "Microsoft" is also "MS." If you can't see the deviations get a friend with your similar work history to help you.
3. Add a "Keywords" section to your resume and include your list created above. Exact terms already included in your resume do not need to be repeated in the keyword section. Etiquette is not established for this new resume section but I believe it is OK to add this new section right after Experience and before Education. I also believe it is OK to subordinate this section with font that is 2 points smaller than the other text in your resume, indented a bit, and perhaps placed in italics."

"Every resume we receive for a job posted by one of our clients is reviewed by software that compares the resume document to the job posting using a contextual algorithm," explained Keith Duarte, president of Data Frenzy, LLC. "The result is a highly accurate score (or Quality Index) of how relevant the resume document is to the job description."

Duarte went on to detail how job seekers can use their understanding of the screening process to enhance their resumes and improve their odds of getting noticed. "The default display of resumes is by the Quality Index, which means it is critically important that a job seeker understand how contextual software "reads" his/her resume. Contextual resume analysis by software is standard amongst employers and staffing firms.

"At a very basic level, the Quality Index is derived by analyzing every word in a document and the relationship of each to every other word in the document. From this, key terms are identified, and each key term is assigned a numeric value based on placement and occurrence in the document, as well as relationship to other key terms. The result is a highly accurate understanding of the specific subject matter of the resume document.

"Job seekers need to understand that simply listing numerous key terms in a document will not improve the Quality Index; each key term must have proximal and relative descriptive content, which creates context."

Is your head spinning, yet? Essentially what Duarte and Winters are trying to impress upon students and recent grads who are applying for internships or entry level jobs is that each resume has to contain specific words relating to the positions for which they are applying. Many of the keywords they will need can be found in the job descriptions posted by recruiters or hiring managers.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 15, 2009 at 10:15 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

ESR (Employment Screening Resources) has identified the following trends for 2009 in its second annual report on trends in the screening industry and safe hiring. The 2009 trends reflect increasing concerns over the over the use of Facebook and similar sites, lawsuits looming over inaccurate Background Screening reports, increasing government scrutiny of the screening industry and privacy and security issues.

In the current legal environment, businesses want to make sure they are not only exercising due diligence but are also ahead of the curve on legal issues. The quickest way to get sued is to not understand the legal environment and latest trends surrounding background checks and employment.

The federal and state governments will require more background screening in 2009, especially in sensitive jobs, and more businesses will make Pre-Employment Background Screening a requirement for the job. The increased use of Applicant Tracking Systems will lead to "one button" clicks for background checks.

1. Increased Governmental Mandates: The federal and state governments for 2009 are likely to require more background checks, especially in sensitive industries. In addition, right-to-work verification under the E-verify program will be a hot topic for 2009.
2. Privacy and Accuracy: Privacy advocates in 2009 will be focused on resolving instances of noncompliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act's requirements for accuracy and dispute investigations. A leading cause of inaccuracies comes from matching innocent job applicants to criminal records based upon the same, or a similar, name in a database, without re-verification of the record at the courthouse. A new organization called Concerned CRA's (www.concernedcras.com) has taken a stance against utilizing such databases without taking proper measures to ensure accuracy of criminal records.
3. Second Chance for Ex-Offenders: Unless as a society we want to build more prisons than schools or hospitals, something must be done to reduce recidivism and find employment for applicants with criminal records. The State of New York, for example, to deal with this issue directly, has passed new "second chance" laws that became effective this year. The laws place a greater emphasis on employers analyzing a past criminal record to determine whether there is a business justification to not hire a person, including providing job applicants with notice of these various new rights.
4. Consumer Protection Litigation: As the screening industry matures, and applicants and their lawyers become much more informed about their consumer rights, it is likely that there will be an increase in litigation in 2009. These lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, will be filed against screening firms, particularly when it comes to various notices required under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act and accuracy requirements for the Background Screening Report results.
5. Impact of the Recession: As a result of the recession and higher unemployment, it is likely that employers will need to scrutinize applications even more carefully, to be on the watch for fraudulent credentials, such as inflated or fictional employment or education history.
6. Data Security, Data Breaches, and Offshoring Data: Since identity theft continues to be a national and international problem, expect even more emphasis in 2009 on data security and protection. Closely related is the continuing issue of employers and screening firms sending confidential consumer data offshore for processing to places such as India for cost savings. Once data leaves the United States, it is beyond U.S. privacy protections. Concerned CRA's (www.concernedcras.com) has also taken a stance against offshoring such data without notification to consumers. The use of home-operator networks also presents an unnecessary risk to privacy as well. There is no justification for personal information to be spread across kitchen tables and dorm rooms across America.
7. Accreditation by the NAPBS: The non-profit trade organization for the Screening Industry, the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (www.napbs.com) has announced the introduction of an accreditation program. NAPBS has gone through an exhaustive process to develop "Best Practices" for the industry, and it is anticipated that firms will start going through the accreditation process this year.
8. Social Network Sites: The use of social networking sites as a pre-employment screening device will continue to be a hot topic in 2009, as more recruiters and HR professionals go online to satisfy their curiosity about candidates. The problem: contrary to popular belief, just because it is online does not mean that it's a good idea to utilize it without developing policies and procedures. Online material can be inaccurate, discriminatory, and under certain circumstances, its use can be an invasion of privacy. Stay tuned as more courts give their opinions on this issue.
9. Integration of Services: With the advent of "Web 2.0," it is likely that technology will play an even bigger role in the coming year. Seamless integrations with Applicant Tracking Systems allow paperless background screening systems at the click of a mouse.
10. International Background Checks: With mobility of workers across international borders, Due Diligence is no longer limited to just what an applicant has done in the United States and there will be stronger demand in 2009 for International Criminal, Education, and past Employment checks.

The full report is online at: http://www.esrcheck.com/2009-trends-backgroundscreening-industry.php.

Article by, Lester Rosen and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 14, 2009 at 10:06 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

So Many Resumes, So Little Time

In the late 1990's, I helped my boss screen candidates for a new position. It was my job to review the resumes and separate them into two piles: "Interview" and "Send Immediate, Polite Rejection Letter."

With only a few ads in the paper, we received roughly sixty resumes, about seven of which I placed in the "Interview" pile.

If I were performing the same task today, it's likely I would have three hundred or more resumes to review, thanks to the prevalence of online job boards and the high volume of job seekers.

According to a Forbes article about how to find a job online in this crowded market:

At the Internet job board Jobfox.com, recruiters are getting between 300 and 500 applications on average for each position they advertise. That's up five times in the last six months. It's a similar scene at TheLadders.com, where the recruiters say they now receive twice as many applications for each open position as this time last year.

How to Get Your Resume to the Top of the Stack

After reading the Forbes article, I decided to see what other advice is available to help job hunters stand out when using online job boards. Continue reading ...

Article by, Dawn Wolfe and courtesy of George Lenard, the originator of George's Employment Blawg, has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of labor and employment law, including preventive law as well as litigation. His special interests include employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and noncompetition agreements. He is currently a managing partner with Harris, Dowell, Fisher & Harris, L.C., in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in the suburb of University City with his wife and family.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 14, 2009 at 8:08 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

15 days and counting until the start of the 2009 NFL Draft. And do you know what team franchise personnel are up to? Checking Facebook and MySpace, of course! You could say that the "unofficial" draft has started as some teams are already in the process of weeding out players they feel will not benefit their organization - off the field.

An invasion of privacy? Not really. We all know that once something is posted to the Internet, it's really not private anymore. A little underhanded? In this case, I'd say yes. NFL personnel are creating bogus profiles in order to gain access to potential prospects' personal profiles. A good idea? (I think you know the answer to that one!)

What strikes me as funny is now that the NFL's method of vetting draftees is out, potential picks are going to scrub their profiles clean and be very wary of who they befriend. I give this method another two, three years tops before the NFL needs to find another "innovative" way to screen their prospects.

Social Networking a Potential Trap for Prospects

By Charles Robinson, Yahoo! Sports - April 7, 2009

The woman in the Facebook picture is attractive, with auburn hair and icy blue eyes. She is flanked by several other women, each armed with an inviting smile and curvy features. Along with the photo is a hopeful note from the female "fan" asking to be added to a player's personal networking profile.

The twist? These women don't actually exist, at least not in the way that some unsuspecting NFL prospects are led to believe. Indeed, they are a figment of one NFL team's imagination - a phony Facebook profile, used as a tool by one franchise in the pre-draft vetting process. A Trojan horse that, when used effectively, unlocks a door to a world of Internet pictures and information which most NFL teams are now consistently compiling to help polish their dossiers on draft picks.

"It works like magic," said a personnel source that was familiar with his team's tactic of using counterfeit profiles to link to Facebook and Myspace pages of potential draft picks. The source directed Yahoo! Sports to one of the team's "ghost profiles" - a term he coined because "once the draft is over, they disappear. It's like they were never there."

More

Article by, Natalie Beck and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 10, 2009 at 2:32 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Given all that is going on in the world today, most people probably are not losing sleep over the growing shortage of laboratory technologists.

Well, maybe it's time to start tossing and turning a little.

While clinical laboratory technologists - including medical technologists (MTs) and medical laboratory technicians (MLTs) - are among the least visible of medical professionals, they also are among the most important. MTs, MLTs and other lab personnel play a crucial role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. Their job is to examine and analyze body fluids and cells, looking for bacteria, parasites, and other microorganisms, matching blood for transfusions, and looking for abnormal cells in the blood, among other vital tasks.

Just as physicians often must wait for x-rays or other imaging tests before proceeding with treatment, they also must often wait for lab test results. Obtaining these results in a timely manner can be crucial to the patient's well being. When lab results are delayed or compromised due to a lack of laboratory personnel (or for any other reason) bad things can happen.

That is why it is disturbing that a survey published in the March, 2009 issue of LabMedicine notes that half of all laboratories nationwide struggle to hire laboratory personnel. Sixty-three percent of clinical laboratories surveyed reported increased competition for MTs and MLTs as an impediment to hiring new personnel, with low compensation another frequently mentioned obstacle. Another reason for the shortage is the relatively low profile of the laboratory technologist profession. A recent survey by a clinical laboratory workforce group showed that 75 percent of students working to become lab technologists had not even heard of the profession until after high school. It's hard to keep a profession well stocked when few people even know it exists.

While the shortage is serious today, the future looks even more ominous, as the Department of Health and Human Services reports that by 2012, 138,000 additional lab professionals will be needed but fewer than 50,000 will be trained.

The good news is that even in today's troubled economy, laboratory technology remains a growth field with plenty of jobs available. A sure sign of this is the emergence of temporary lab technologist recruiting. Just as personnel shortages led to the growth of the temporary ("traveling") nurse staffing market and the temporary ("locum tenens") physician staffing market, they also have led to the growth of temporary lab technologist staffing.

Med Travelers, a company affiliated with Merritt Hawkins & Associates, saw orders for temporary lab technologists increase by 33% over the last 12 months. While temporary lab techs are used to fill in for sick, vacationing or otherwise absent members of the permanent staff, the main reason they are used is to maintain services while permanent techs are being sought. In the absence of enough personnel to fill permanent slots, temporary professionals fill the gaps and maintain services.

Due to the increasingly technical nature of medical diagnosis, which in many cases relies on lab test results, hospitals and other medical facilities cannot afford work slowdowns in the lab. Quality of care is the paramount issue, but revenue also is at stake. Without lab results, the treatment process, which may include revenue producing procedures, is delayed or halted.

Like travel nurses, traveling laboratory technologists usually are employed by staffing firms such as Med Travelers and typically work on 13 week assignments. They are paid a per diem rate by the staffing agency, which also pays for travel to and from the assignment, for accommodations, and for malpractice insurance. Lab technologists are attracted to temporary work by the competitive incomes they can earn, by the travel, and by the novelty of working in a variety of different medical settings. Since laboratory work does not entail direct patient interaction, but does require intense concentration, some lab technologists are subject to job burn-out. Traveling can help address career malaise since traveling lab techs continually encounter new faces, new places and varying methodologies and procedures at each assignment. Traveling tends to be a particularly good option for those technologists who enjoy change and are flexible and adaptable to new situations.

Of course, from the patient's perspective, who does what in the lab usually is a not a primary concern. Patients simply want their tests back quickly and they want the results to be analyzed accurately. Increasingly, this essential service will be provided by laboratory technologists who are getting their act together and taking it on the road.

Article by, Kurt Mosley and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 10, 2009 at 1:39 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I have an issue and no doubt my readers/followers know I openly like to talk about them.

And if I do not get things out of my head at an early stage they rattle around my head, get louder and louder. Then I blow up. This time it is a bunch of small things that have set me off.

Today's issue is this:

Be very, very careful who you listen to.

I am so very frustrated with some of the Bull Shit advice I see some people giving out. Seems that in these "tough" economic times you can't walk (or Internet surf) without bumping into one.

Current B.S. advice:

Job Seekers

• I hear that at a recent job club event here in Minneapolis 2 local search firm "gurus" were critical of the use of LinkedIn. WHAT?!?!?! Wait, it gets better. Combined number of LinkedIn connections between the two "gurus"? 1. Yeah, ONE. I call B.S.
• Start a job seeker blog. No way, it's a waste of time. Start a personal blog that will be ongoing and that starts with your job search? Absolutely. Spend hours and hours setting one up, writing content, getting links, contacting other bloggers, promoting it on Twitter, Facebook and other places, wait for the SEO on your blog to work, it is a waste of time. Pick up the phone, send email, network your ass off. That's a good use of your time. Again, if you are going to write an ongoing blog than yes, blog about the job search, after you get your job how cool the company is, about the projects you are working on, things you are doing out side of work. If not, the advice is B.S.
• This one has me nearly speechless 'Don't Burn Bridges' Is Bad Career Advice for obvious reasons. But the comment that really got me is "3) You won't need a reference." Since when? I have worked on behalf of a lot of cool companies and they all require references. The small groups tend to be more adamant about it because a bad hire by a small company can do serious damages to the culture. Don't need a reference. B.S.

Recruiters

This article on ERE last week got me going Beyond the Hype: Making Social Networking Work which is really no different than the one written by his business partner last year titled Blogging Bob. What I do not understand is how someone who does not use Social Media, blogs, etc can say if they work or not. How do they know? Since they are here in Minnesota maybe they should look around as we have quite a few success stories. My guess is that they hope companies do not use these tools for they fear they will lose some business. B.S.
Friends, here is my point for calling these things out. Many people have an agenda. They are selling something, trying to protect their turf, or trying to be thought of or establish themselves as "experts" and/or "gurus".

My perspective is not to push Social Media or LinkedIn as the next best thing or the "Silver Bullet" but as an additional tool to what a job seeker or recruiter is doing. It can work for most people depending on the location, industry and skill set.

This is not to take the place of networking, job boards, email, phone calls, etc.

For those who have heard me do a presentation or webinar you always here me say you need multiple tools to get the job done. A roofer needs more than a hammer. When fishing, it makes sense to go where the fish are versus sitting where everyone else is doing the same thing and waiting for them to come by.

You may think my rant is B.S. That's fair. Leave a comment, send me an email or do a post of your own calling me out. But be careful, this is just the tip of the iceberg of my rant...

Article by Paul DeBettignies and courtesy of MN Headhunter -- where they "play with their cards face up."

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 9, 2009 at 10:32 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Starting salary offers to the college Class of 2009 have fallen slightly compared to offers received by the Class of 2008, according to new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

According to the Spring 2009 issue of NACE's Salary Survey report, the overall average offer to a 2009 bachelor's degree graduate stands at $48,515--down 2.2 percent from the average of $49,624 posted in Spring 2008.

"This report illustrates the effects the recession is having on the job market for new college graduates. The decrease in average offer is one sign that demand is down," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director.

There are other signs that the recession has hit the new college graduate job market.

"More disciplines are seeing their starting salary average fall compared to last year at this time. In our current report, 42 percent of the disciplines that experienced a change in their starting salary average saw that average decrease. In comparison, last year at this time, that number was just 14 percent," says Mackes.

The engineering disciplines fared best, as a group, posting a 2.3 percent increase in their overall average offer, which now stands at $58,438. By specific engineering discipline, chemical engineering graduates posted the largest increase among the engineering fields. Their average offer rose 2.8 percent to $65,403.

Computer engineering graduates posted a 1.8 percent increase, pushing their average salary offer to $61,017. Experiencing similar increases were civil engineering grads (up 1.7 percent for an average of $51,793) and mechanical engineering graduates (up 1.6 percent for an average of $58,749).

Computer science majors didn't fare as well, losing 3.6 percent off their average, bringing their current starting salary offer to $57,693. One reason for the tumble: There were fewer offers for software design and development positions reported in Spring 2009 than in Spring 2008, and the average offer to computer science grads for these positions fell 11 percent from $65,379 in Spring 2008 to $58,837 currently.

The business disciplines appear to be holding their own; as a group, their average offer rose 1 percent to $46,973, and some of the individual disciplines saw modest increases in their average salary offers. For example, the average salary offer to those earning degrees in accounting rose 2 percent to $48,377, while finance graduates saw their average offer rise 2.3 percent to $49,754. Business administration/management graduates fared well in comparison, posting a 3.6 percent increase for an average offer of $45,778.

Data are limited at this time, as liberal arts graduates tend to get job offers later in the year, but show that activity for liberal arts graduates as a group remains relatively flat. In Winter 2009, liberal arts graduates saw their average offer fall 1 percent compared to Winter 2008. In this report, their average offer rose 1 percent over Spring 2008 to $36,807.

NACE monitors the job market for new college graduates throughout the year and will release its next salary report for the college Class of 2009 in July.

Since 1956, theNational Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been the leading source of information about the employment of college graduates. NACE maintains a virtual press room for the media at www.naceweb.org/press/.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 9, 2009 at 6:39 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Thanks to Chris Russell of JobBoarders for organizing a really entertaining discussion yesterday on a variety of topics relating to the job board industry. Also participating were Joel Cheesman, Eric Shannon, and Joe Stubblebine.

During the conversation, I went off on a slight rant (not quite meds-worthy in my mind, but that might be up for debate) against TheLadders and the scam they are running that rips off unsuspecting job seekers and tarnishes the entire industry. TheLadders is doing nothing more than scraping jobs from other job boards, aggregating as many jobs as they can get in their database (flawed as that may be given all the legacy issues such as scam jobs, old,old,old jobs, work-at-home scams, and identity theft phishing jobs, etc. that jobs from sites like Monster and Careerbuilder and Hotjobs bring to the database), applying a shoddy filter against the listings to try to identify only $100,000 and up salaries, and then selling job seekers access to the resulting listings. It's as bad as any scam I've seen or written about in the industry, equal in many ways to the criminal behavior of the Employment Guide and the postal ads they run in their thinning publications every week. Like others (here and here), I'd put them all in the same bucket and add serial spammer Hound.com as well.

The question from yesterday's job boarders podcast that spurred the discussion was whether or not job sites should consider trying to generate new revenue streams from job seekers. We've never done this at either JobDig or LinkUp for a variety of reasons, but most fundamentally because that's not our business. We're in the advertising business, and we offer employers unique and valuable advertising vehicles to reach quality candidates for their open positions. I'm not sure what you'd call the business model of charging a subscription fee for recycled listings from other job boards, but it's not a business I'd want to be in.

Article by, Toby Dayton and courtesy of Diggings, a blog about recruitment advertising, media, publishing, HR, work, & technology, among other things.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 9, 2009 at 6:21 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Managers and Support Staff Not in Sync on Top Rewards, Survey Shows

Many managers underestimate the power of a pat on the back, new research suggests. While supervisors surveyed rated job promotions and cash as the two most valued forms of recognition to administrative professionals, support staff favored a simple thank-you and having their accomplishments passed on to senior management.

The study was developed by OfficeTeam and the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) and includes responses from 549 administrative professionals in the United States and Canada and 300 managers in the United States. The full survey results are reported in Recognize Results: Drive Success Through Employee Recognition, a research guide released in advance of Administrative Professionals Week (APW), April 19-25. The complimentary guide can be ordered at www.officeteam.com/RecognizeResults.

The forms of recognition valued most by administrative professionals, as ranked by managers and support staff*:

Managers

1. Promotion
2. Cash
3. Paid time off
4. Boss shares achievement with senior management
5. In-person thank-you

Administrative Professionals

1. In-person thank-you (tied for first)
2. Boss shares achievement with senior management (tied for first)
3. Promotion
4. Membership to a professional association
5. Registration for a conference or seminar

*Only the top responses are shown. Charts containing a full list of rated rewards and other key findings can be viewed at www.officeteam.com/RecognizeResults.

The research also revealed how instrumental recognition is in attracting and retaining professionals, even in a soft economy. Two out of three (66 percent) administrative employees polled said they would likely leave their jobs if they did not feel appreciated by their manager. And seven out of 10 (70 percent) support professionals said the company's recognition program would factor into their decision to accept a job with a potential employer.

"While financial rewards should not be overlooked, the research shows there are other ways to effectively recognize someone's commitment and dedication," said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Administrative professionals are working harder than ever, but their accomplishments usually occur behind the scenes. Therefore, praise from supervisors or colleagues that is specific, immediate and genuine can go a long way toward keeping these employees motivated and loyal."

Managers also should recognize the value administrative personnel place on professional development. "When support staff receive association memberships or registration to a seminar or conference, both the employee and company benefit," said Barbara Horton, IAAP's 2008-09 international president, who holds the Certified Administrative Professional designation. "The small investment in education pays big rewards when administrative staff share new skills with colleagues and increase efficiencies at their organizations."

Hosking noted that with Administrative Professionals Week around the corner, it's an opportune time for managers to sit down with their office support staff and discuss which rewards they find most meaningful. "Many people view Administrative Professionals Week as a time to show appreciation to their assistant with lunch or flowers, but it may be more meaningful to discuss his or her career path and growth potential," he said.

OfficeTeam provides businesses with the highly skilled administrative professionals they need to maximize productivity, achieve cost efficiency and support full-time staff. The staffing firm has more than 325 locations worldwide and offers online job search services.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 8, 2009 at 1:58 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Strange as it may seem, when the economy gets bad, enrollment in colleges and universities goes up. Many people believe that more education will lead to more money in their paychecks. Sometimes they're right. In her article, Bachelor's vs Master's: How Does Your Salary Stack Up? Rachel Zupek discusses the possible benefits of getting more education.

In some career fields, like engineering and teaching, a master's degree is almost always a must. In other fields like accounting, sociology or journalism, having a master's degree is not an absolute necessity, though having one will give a candidate leverage during salary negotiations. Either way, having a master's degree makes an entry level job candidate more attractive to employers.

Not everyone who remains in or returns to college to get a master's degree is guaranteed to get a higher salary. It depends on the job and, in this economy especially, the employer's budget. The example Zupek used in her article was that a master's degree in physics wouldn't do a cabby much good, but someone working in aeronautics or aviation could probably parlay her physics degree into a higher entry level salary than her competition.

As Zupek concluded in her article, the extra education certainly won't hurt, even if it doesn't help candidates command the higher starting salaries they desire. Many employers lack the necessary budget to pay the best candidates what they deserve.

With a little patience, the entry level job that pays okay today could become the entry level job that pays great once the economy improves. Right now, it's a blessing for a candidate just to get a job in his chosen career field. Those who are fortunate enough to get plumb salaries in the process, should count themselves lucky.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 8, 2009 at 7:28 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Isaac Newton was born. And thus began the life of one of two of the most important scientists in history, the other being Albert Einstein.

But I'm not interested in their science right now. More so in their government service, or lack of it.

Allow me to explain:

In 1696, Newton became England's Warden Of The Royal Mint. He answered his government's request to apply the luminary scientist's brand to the vexing problems then plaguing the British currency.

Einstein, who died the year Bill Gates was born, was asked in his senior years to. become the second President of the nascent state of Israel. The request was based on a desire to apply Albert's unparalled brand to the Jewish state still struggling for stature and credibility in the world. Einstein declined on the grounds that he had "neither the natural ability nor the experience to deal with human beings."

Both men made wise decisions. Newton proved to be exceptional as Master Of The Mint; Einstein would likely have failed as the strong and decisive leader Israel needed. He might well have been an uber case of rising to his level of incompetence. And then again, leadership had little to do with the request for Einstein to sit in the President's office.

There are a number of profound issues inextricably linked in these circumstances. We see the exceptional continuum that is embedded in the progress of the human race when giants live, change the world, die and are then succeeded by the giants who come after them. Galileo goes into the ground and Newton crawls out of the womb. The connectivity is magical, mysterious, divine. It reveals how little we know about the grand scheme of things. It reveals how miraculous life is.

We also see the decision-making progress of gifted and driven people as they consider and accept or reject the opportunity to grow into new roles that are outside of their core strengths and, in Einstein's case, their comfort zone. Newton moved fearlessly into the unknown; Einstein chose not to rise to the challenge. His refusal to do so was a step backwards for a larger than life icon. Even as a figurehead, his place atop the Israeli government would have been a majestic presence at a pivotal period of time.

On the most superficial level, but the central factor in the Newton/Einstein role reversal scenario, their choice as Master and President was based not on the men's exceptional skills or their brilliance-those attributes shone when they sat alone, divining the mysteries of the universe.

It was about branding: Newton's brand applied stature to the British monetary system; Einstein would have propelled Israel's climb up the rankings of the world's great nations.

Every day in business we talk about branding, focusing so often on colors, fonts and taglines. Branding is exceptionally important, carrying with it measureable equity. And yet it is often reduced to an exercise in aesthetics when it should be about trust, power, faith. As we grapple with the issues today, the development of great and enduring brands, we should view Newton and Einstein as the gold standard.

You won't read that in their bios.

Article by, Mark Stevens, the bestselling author of "Your Marketing Sucks," "Your Management Sucks" and"God Is A Salesman." Stevens is CEO of MSCO, a global marketing firm, who has advised many clients over the years such as Estee Lauder, Virgin Atlantic, Guardian Insurance, MONY, Giorgio Armani, Starwood, Intrawest, etc. Stevens delivers more than 40 speeches annually and is a regularly featured media commentator, lending his insights and opinions on Fox Business Network, to the Associated Press, on CNN International, BBC Radio and Bloomberg TV.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 7, 2009 at 2:35 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The idea of personal branding is far from new but there continue to to new resources and information shared about how personal branding might be relevant to different communities.

Talking this week with a client who is a Gen Y, they were sharing their concern about how some of their colleagues were really finding it difficult to find employment in the current economy.

Where do you turn to for advice if you are a gen Y - some one that talks your language?

Dan Schawbel is one Gen Y young manager who has spent the last couple of years writing and learning about personal branding and he has been extremely active in building an enviable network of people who know and trust his work. He has published a magazine, produces online video, has a personal blog and often guest blogs - did I mention that this has been accomplished when he has a full time job. Oh to have his energy!

And now he has published a book - formally released today called 'Me 2.0' which covers:

- An 4-step process for discovering, creating, communicating, and maintaining your personal brand

- Insight into how blogs, podcasting, and social networks can position individuals to find careers based on their passion and experience

- Tips on using social media tools for job search and expressing your personal brand online.

- Strategies for creating an online and offline presence to help you manage your career.

What I think is especially exciting is that while the book will be in books stores, the publishers at Kaplan have also agreed to make a copy available online - yes you can read the FULL book online. How is that for disruptive thinking - truly brilliant and innovative of the publishers.

I found it when preparing for the Podcast Sisters Podcast we recorded at the weekend as I was taking a look at my own Scribd.com account which I have used for hosting presentations, and there on the home page was Dan's book.

So if you want to read it, here it is - and if you like it or perhaps know a Gen Y person who would benefit from it, why not buy them a copy?

Congratulations Dan and Kaplan publishing!

Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 7, 2009 at 1:35 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

employeescreenIQ finds that 56% the applicants that we screen have some type inaccuracy on their resumes. Such inaccuracies include stretching dates of employment, overstating past salary, false claims of academic credentials, etc.

Today, CareerBuilder published a great article called, "Honesty is the Best Policy in Resumes and Interviews". In it, they say that employers automatically dismiss applicants 57% of the time when a lie is revealed. I would have thought that rate would be higher. Here is some of the advice they have for job applicants:

When it comes to deception in your job search, there are certain areas that are more common to embellish than others. Here are areas job seekers fib about and why, plus ways you can get around being deceitful:

Dates of employment

Why job seekers lie: People think it's necessary to cover up or omit potentially negative employment situations like gaps between jobs or short-term employment, Mininni says.

How to spin it: Address discrepancies about dates of employment in your cover letter. Be honest about what you did during the breaks between employments and identify any relevant transferable skills you learned during that time.

"If you've only spent one month at a job, it should still be included in your employment history," Mininni says. More employers are conducting background checks and/or confirming dates of employment, so take a paragraph in your cover letter to say that you're looking for a job where you can really thrive and grow professionally -- you just haven't found it yet.

Education

Why job seekers lie: There are many lies job seekers tell about education: alleging that they attended college when they didn't; declaring a degree at a school they never went to; or claiming to have a degree at all when they really never finished college.

How to spin it: "Companies are looking for the value you bring to the organization and often have 'or equivalent' statements in their job requirements," Mininni says. "If you have the equivalent amount of experience in lieu of a degree, you will want to highlight that experience."

If you went to college but didn't finish, don't focus on the lack of a degree. Instead, outline other education you acquired through professional certifications or company-sponsored education, she suggests.

Experience, accomplishments and job titles

Why job seekers lie: People often inflate previous experience, undertakings and job titles when they apply for jobs where they aren't qualified, Mininni says. "It's interesting how many people don't know their actual titles," she says. "If you don't know, don't guess. Ask your manager."

How to spin it: "If you don't have the required experience, focus on your natural talents. Are you known as the idea generator, the communicator or the process improver? This will be important to highlight and provide examples of how you have demonstrated those natural talents and how it aided the company," Mininni says.

Salaries

Why job seekers lie: Candidates inflate their salaries in an effort increase their starting offers, Mininni says. Unfortunately, upon checking, the employer discovers the exaggeration.

How to spin it: Keep in mind the responsibilities of the position, the scope and the job market. If you've stayed at your company for 25 years and haven't received market increases, you may be behind the market. Researching what the current market pays is critical in knowing your leverage points when it comes time to talk salary.

Criminal history

Why job seekers lie: Some people lie through omission because the extent of their criminal record is a misdemeanor assault charge from high school. Others lie about more serious offenses. Perhaps they had a drug problem and got their nursing license taken away, or they were jailed for embezzlement.

How to spin it: Own up to the situation or use that experience to reinvent yourself, Mininni says. Look for jobs that don't tie in to your criminal background -- for example, if you had drug issues, don't try to work in medicine, and if you embezzled, don't work with money. Learn to use your skills in different ways and sell that to the employer.

More

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 7, 2009 at 11:24 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As we welcome in the month of April and continued hope of seeing an upturn in the economy, the unemployment rate remained on the rise, climbing from 8.1% to 8.5%. And like a broken record, job losses continued to be large and widespread across the major industry sectors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor (BLS). Indeed, over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by about 5.3 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 3.4 percentage points.

Since the recession began in December 2007, about 5.1 million jobs have been lost, with almost two-thirds (3.3 million) of the decrease occurring in the last 5 months. As reported by BLS, March saw employment decline in most major industry sectors, with sustained losses occurring in professional and business services, manufacturing, and construction. Conversely, health care continued to trend upwards over the month registering a gain of 14,000; however, monthly job growth in the first quarter averaged 17,000 as compared with 30,000 per month in 2008.

Additional report findings reveal that employment in professional and business services fell by 133,000 in March, with declines throughout most of the sector. More than half of the loss occurred in temporary help services, which cut 72,000 jobs in March and 767,000 since December 2007. Furthermore, employment in financial activities continued to decline in March (-43,000). The number of jobs in this industry has dropped by 495,000 since an employment peak in December 2006, with half of this loss occurring in the past 7 months.

In addition, employment in leisure and hospitality continued to trend down over the month shedding 40,000 jobs, with most of the decrease in the accommodation industry (-23,000). The change in total nonfarm employment for January was revised from -655,000 to -741,000 while the change for February remained -651,000, according to BLS. Monthly revisions are a result of additional sample reports and the monthly recalculation of seasonal factors.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 6, 2009 at 1:53 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

A just completed joint survey of more than 450 corporate recruiters by recruitment software company Standout Jobs and PBP Media reveals that almost half of the companies polled (43%) are pulling their spending from Internet job boards and re-directing those resources to better showcase their brand to potential employment candidates. According to the survey, the shift away from job boards is a response to current market conditions, which have made more high-value candidates available to companies looking to capitalize on the market's turnaround with strategic hires.

While the current market is difficult, optimism still dictates many of the respondents' near term hiring plans, with more than 30% of those polled planning to increase hiring during the second and third quarter of 2009. Adding the fourth quarter brings that number to 41%. Referrals are still the most popular avenue for sourcing jobs (108 responses), but the companies polled indicated their web site or career page was the next most valuable vehicle for finding candidates (85 responses). Job boards, while useful for generating a higher volume of resumes, were criticized for not delivering qualified candidates (121 responses), which are seen as the key for surviving the tough current economic climate and building future organizational strength.

"We decided to create this poll to get a sense of how bad or good the market for hiring really was at the organizational level, rather than continuing to rely on media reports which have been overwhelmingly negative," said Benjamin Yoskovitz, Standout Jobs CEO and founder. "With the help of our poll partner, PBP Media, we asked 450 internal company recruiters a number of questions having to do with their hiring practices and plans for the immediate future. The results showed cautious optimism, with many expecting to start hiring again in the third quarter. We also learned their standards and processes have changed, and now strategic hiring is the name of the game."

Companies are putting more emphasis on engaging quality talent in an effort to show they're a 'great place to work' for the right candidates. Creating a better fit between employer and employee is seen as a key to hiring success, and employment branding attracts the right type of candidates through more open, regular and interactive communication with applicants. This trend was evident in the poll question "Which recruiting trends do you think could improve your recruiting efforts?" 239 respondents said "social networks," while 187 respondents indicated candidate relationship management was high on their list of priorities. Next in line was search engine optimization (143) followed by "other" (53), blogs (38), online video (36) and Twitter (15). Companies are clearly interested in re-marketing to job seekers, treating people well and delivering a strong candidate experience.

Even though the companies polled indicated they were increasing their dependence on their sites and social tools to engage candidates, the majority of them had no specific strategies for recruiting Generation X and Y applicants, which have grown up with the web and are more likely than their older colleagues to use it for job hunting, socializing and networking. The question "Are you developing specific strategies to recruit younger (Gen X, Y) job seekers" was answered: No: 190, Eventually: 132, Yes: 85, Unlikely: 43.

Overall, the poll shows companies recognize the need to interact and communicate with candidates where they congregate online. They understand the need to be more open and give people a "sneak peak" inside the organization to ensure the right type of people applicants are presenting themselves. While this does promote the brand, it also "meets candidates halfway" and provides a great experience throughout the recruitment process.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 6, 2009 at 11:50 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

The deepening economic downturn is causing corporate recruiting departments to search for ways to lower costs while increasing recruiting productivity - and some recruiting departments have turned to outsourcing. Outsourcing can take many forms including retaining a US-based recruitment process outsourcing firm, sending job orders to staffing agencies, or hiring US-based contract sourcers and/or recruiters.

A less expensive solution being implemented by progressive US companies is partnering with an offshore recruiting firm. Most offshore recruiting firms have recruiting operations in India. The cost of partnering with an offshore recruiting firm can be as little as one-fifth the cost of working with a staffing agency. Offshore recruiting firms allow corporate recruiters to offload time consuming but important tasks such as candidate sourcing and screening. With the additional time corporate recruiters can work on and close more open positions, focus on complex tasks requiring the greatest skills, provide a more positive experience for candidates, and delight hiring managers by presenting higher quality candidates.

However, to achieve success with an offshore recruiting firm the corporate recruiting department must first select a high quality offshore recruiting partner (See Hank Levine's Recruiting Trends article on this topic) and then implement best practices for managing its offshore team.

You cannot outsource your problems

Offshore recruiting is not a magic tonic. A dysfunctional recruiting department will not suddenly have success by outsourcing - whether the recruiting functions are outsourced to a US-based or an offshore firm.

Like with any partnership, management should pay close attention to make sure the relationship with the offshore firm gets off to a good start. Undoubtedly, success requires that the offshore firm be run professionally and consistently conducts high quality work. However, management should be aware that if things go wrong, the problem could also be due to internal problems not associated with the offshore team. It is human nature to avoid blame, especially when it is easier to blame an overseas partner.

Managing an offshore recruiting team for success

The keys to success with an offshore recruiting firm are the same for achieving success with most US-based outsourced recruiting partners.

1. High Quality Job Orders If the corporate recruiting department sends all its "near-impossible-to-fill" positions to the offshore team, it is unrealistic to expect the offshore team to submit the same number or quality of candidates as the corporate recruiters who are working on highly "placeable" positions. The corporate recruiters should work as partners with the offshore recruiting team. The offshore team should receive urgent-to-fill job orders with a complete position description including the behavioral characteristics (as defined by the hiring manager) of the ideal candidate.
2. Communications and Motivation Working remotely, especially when you are half way around the world in India, can be lonely. Furthermore, cultural differences between the US and India can lead to misunderstandings. Therefore, the best way to achieve a high performance end-to-end recruiting process is to treat the offshore team members like you would treat recruiting assistants who are company employees.

When the offshore team does good work the corporate recruiters should express sincere appreciation. Most Indian offshore recruiters are very dedicated, committed, and care deeply about how they are viewed by their American clients. As a result, a little bit of praise goes an exceptionally long way in motivating offshore recruiting teams to work extra hard.

The corporate recruiters should provide prompt and detailed feedback on candidates submitted by the offshore team so that the offshore team can learn and improve. Frequent communication is especially critical during the initial phases of the relationship until the styles of corporate recruiters and preferences of hiring managers are understood by the offshore team.

Before starting work develop a detailed end-to-end recruiting process and decide what tasks will be performed by the offshore team. Both parties should diligently follow the agreed upon work process. If the offshore team makes a mistake, give them an opportunity to improve just like you would with an assistant working for you in your company.

Effective Working Relationships with Hiring Managers

One of the tenets of Lou Adler's Performance-based Hiring is that the level of success achieved by corporate recruiters is directly related to how well they understand the needs of - and are able to work as partners with - hiring managers. Because offshore recruiting teams work as assistants to corporate recruiters, success requires corporate recruiters who can work effectively with hiring managers. The corporate recruiters should create job orders based on a performance profile and secure detailed feedback regarding what the hiring manager liked and did not like about submitted candidates. Getting the offshore team involved in discussions with hiring managers will help close communications and improve results.

Ability to Close Candidates on the Opportunities

Another critical element of the corporate recruiters' job is to build strong relationships with candidates. Even if the candidate is not hired, the impression left by the recruiter can enhance or detract from the company's brand. Corporate recruiters should promptly get in touch with the candidates submitted by the offshore team, address concerns that cannot be resolved by the offshore recruiters, keep the candidates interested in the positions, and inform the candidates about what to expect at each stage of the hiring process. Because working with candidates can be very time consuming, the offshore recruiter and the corporate recruiters should work as a team to address candidates' needs.

The ideal corporate recruiter for working with an offshore team

An effective partnership with an offshore recruiting firm can dramatically lower recruiting costs and increase recruiting productivity. However, achieving these results is not automatic. In most cases the best results will be achieved by pairing the offshore team with senior corporate recruiters.

Offshore recruiters work as assistants. Senior recruiters will know how to select the proper job orders to send to the offshore team, communicate with and motivate the team, work effectively with hiring managers, and close candidates on the opportunities. Senior recruiters will appreciate and be able to take the greatest advantage of the time that is freed up through working with the offshore team.

Conversely, junior recruiters often perform many of the same tasks as offshore recruiters and an offshore relationship could possibly be seen as threatening. Few junior recruiters will have developed the recruiting skills and relationships to make the most of an offshore partnership.

Article by, Sojwala Joshi and Aswathy Pillai and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 6, 2009 at 10:41 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

This guest post is by Katharine Hansen, PhD, author of the newly-released book, Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling to Get Jobs and Propel Your Career

What's the most effective way to respond to the most frequently asked job-interview question of all, the "tell me about yourself" question?
Consider telling a story.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Many career experts advise candidates to respond to behavioral-interview questions with stories. This very popular type of interview question is based on the premise that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. A typical behavioral question is "Tell me about a time when you [used a certain skill or dealt with a specific problem]."

"Your examples are best told through a story format," writes Carole Martin in Boost Your Interview IQ "The more interesting and relevant the story is, the more the interviewer will want to hear further examples."

Non-Behavioral Interview Questions Like "Tell Me About Yourself"

Many experts and job-seekers, though, don't realize that the same storytelling approach works well for interview questions that are not behavior-based -- questions like "Tell me about yourself."

A perfectly valid choice, as many experts advise, is to respond to "tell me about yourself" with an answer specifically tailored to the requirements of the targeted job. But another excellent choice is to draw your interviewer in and create a connection with him or her by responding in a story format. Continue reading ...

Article courtesy of George Lenard, the originator of George's Employment Blawg, has over twenty years of experience in all aspects of labor and employment law, including preventive law as well as litigation. His special interests include employment discrimination, sexual harassment, and noncompetition agreements. He is currently a managing partner with Harris, Dowell, Fisher & Harris, L.C., in St. Louis, Missouri, and lives in the suburb of University City with his wife and family.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 6, 2009 at 10:30 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

Fourteen percent of U.S. teens 15-17 years-old report the need to contribute financially to the family budget, one-third of all teens report less job availability, 53% of teens surveyed say they're choosing activities that cost less money, and more than 50% say they talk about the economy with their friends, according to a new poll by Junior Achievement and The Allstate Foundation. "The results of this poll demonstrate a strong need for increased financial literacy, teens are indicating feelings of uncertainty and anxiety about the economy and its effect on their lives," says Jack E. Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA. Additional survey findings suggest that 33% of teens claim there are fewer jobs available and that 18% of 15 -17 year olds believe they have lost a job due the economy. Junior Achievement and The Allstate Foundation have created a financial literacy program for middle grades students, JA Economics for Success™, which teaches young people money management skills--such as budgeting and understanding the cost of credit--using hands-on, age-appropriate lessons.

The program impacts 268,000 students around the world annually.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 3, 2009 at 2:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

ES Careers reports on their website that the current unemployment rate could actually be halved if people knew where to look for jobs online. The report suggests that a large segment of career seekers in the job market are not Internet savvy: statistics show that Google was not around when a majority of the unemployed graduated from high school or college. While most people may have Internet access, studies suggest that many do not know where to look when it comes to finding and securing a new job or career. The recent Renaissance of the iPhone, in addition to the fact that newspapers have become less relevant to a PDA-equipped society, is also an eye opener.

Recent surveys suggest that what the country may be experiencing is a lack of information flow in the middle of an information age. "What we are seeing is a clear disconnect from what people need to survive and what they are able to do about it, absent of any knowledge of how to use the Internet effectively," says ES Careers CEO Tim Martin. Simply put the reduction in the GNP of the United States (U.S.) only accounts for a fraction of the rising unemployment rate. In a recent interview on 60 Minutes, President Obama appeared jaded while seemingly addressing the issue in a more linear approach. "I don't think we anticipated how steep the decline would be, particularly in unemployment," the President noted. "If you look at just how many hundreds of thousands, millions of jobs have been shed over the course of the last three months.

That slope is a lot steeper than anything we've seen before." History knows that the U.S. can recover from a depression. But how long will that process take? Historical studies have shown that the country's ability to recover from a recession quickly lies in the education through media, and using the web for those who are not in the know. "We have many e-mails from prospective employers who have posted available careers on our website who feel there are just too many jobs available," notes Tim Martin. "This information proves this disconnect is tangible as we transform from the passing of the hand-held periodical and pavement-pounding mindsets into a clearer understanding of the PDA paradigm shift."

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 3, 2009 at 2:45 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Dear recruiter,

i am looking for a job and would like for you to help me. I have done very well at my previous jobs and think i could b a good fit. You prolly deal with people like me all the time and know what I need to do to get a job.

Call me when you get this email.

TA,

Bob

I know times are tough and many are in the job search process, but those of you that believe in "Survival of the Fittest" will find this story encouraging. The email above is an actual email we received this week (we get at least a couple of these each week). Can you believe they come from college educated individuals?

While I am not an English and grammar expert, I at least try. Based on a huge sample group, it seems like I may be in the minority. What happened to following the rules? You know the ones.... capitalize the beginning of sentences, use commas, don't overuse abbreviations in business communications etc., etc., etc.?

The shift to digital communications shouldn't signal the end of writing in real English. Not old England English (tis not the time) but in English (It is not the time). I understand that texting requires abbreviations and I understand that emoticons (?) can sometimes help add tone or context to a brief message. I also understand that just because I like and enjoy something, doesn't mean that everyone else will like it. Do job seekers think that all of the hiring managers will be "into" texting, abbreviations and the new lingo? Will they even know what a tweet is? They say Warren Buffet didn't have a computer until Bill gates bought him one and then he only used it for Chess.

I always think of an old saying that one of my managers told me early in my career, "I expect you to use the same skill set internally as you do externally". Translation... If you are a sales person that was hired to utilize your expert communication skills to sell a product, use that same skill internally among your peers to advance your ideas and goals.

What does that have to do with writing and grammar in written communications?

Everything.

How skilled at your craft do you think recruiters think you are when you don't distinguish between fun time texting and business communication? Answer: not very.

A manager interviews two candidates that he rates as equal.

One sends an appropriate follow up email; and one sends this:

Hi Bob,

Thanks for meeting.

I'm really interested in the job.

I have a few ? 4U, but I'll save them for next time we MIRL.

IG2R,

Kelly

Who do think left a better impression?

Article by, Peggy McKee, The Medical Sales Recruiter

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article originally posted on The Daily Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 3, 2009 at 10:01 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you were a fly on the wall in my office, you'd have overheard this in a recent conversation with a candidate:

Candidate says:

I'm curious -- I heard more companies were using the TeleNav tracking system in the Blackberrys that the reps carry. Are you hearing this, too? My company DOES track us using TeleNav and also through our mileage reporting systems they have in place. I know a few of the reps before me got fired because they were visiting the mall quite often which amazes me considering they were told their Blackberry's have TeleNav.

I say: What?

TeleNav is a GPS navigator utilized on your cell phone and/or Blackberry. For a medical sales person out in the field, it's an enormously valuable tool in finding your way to hospitals, laboratories, doctor's offices, and all the many places you go in healthcare sales, laboratory sales, pharmaceutical sales, clinical diagnostics sales, hospital equipment sales, medical device sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, biotechnology sales, or DNA products sales.

However, if you go to the mall for the afternoon, it could tell on you.

Do you have any stories like this?

Article by Peggy McKee

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article originally posted on Recruiting Tools for Hiring Managers

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 2, 2009 at 9:45 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

My quick question and thought for the day is how are you handling all of your extra applicants? I keep reading about and seeing on the news how the dismal state of our economy has created many more applicants per job than in recent history. Normally this is an ideal situation for an employer. It's nice to be wanted. However, are you contacting all of these applicants? Are you at least acknowledging their efforts?

From the job seeker side, I hear that there is a long delay from the time an application is submitted to when they hear back from the employer. Now this isn't across the board and I want to praise employers who contact everyone and quickly, for that matter. That's great! But for the ones that don't get to their job candidates right away, what ends up happening, is that by the time they hear from what may have been their employer of choice, they have already made a commitment to another company. The savvy and respectful job seekers will stick with their commitment, which is the right thing to do for them, and certainly a great thing for the employer counting on their arrival. But perhaps, had you have contacted them sooner, they may be working for you this summer. So, did you miss out on a great candidate because it took too long to get back to them?

I don't want this to be a scolding post. I totally understand being busy and inundated with job applicants, and not feeling like you have the time to contact them all. I get it. But, if I was the applicant and I spent the time applying, and I had been out of work for an extended period of time, I would want to hear something, anything. I would even take a system generated "Hi" to at least know my application was successfully submitted. But nothing, no acknowledgment, that's tough to bear.

National unemployment reached 8.1% in February and I'm sure the March number will be even less savory. People are struggling. HR / Recruiting professionals are trying to help. Check out Job Angels if you haven't already done so. Now is the time to be kind to one's neighbor and lend a hand where you can. I'm not saying hire everyone. I realize that this economy is also very much touching the travel and tourism industry and the number of employees needed is down, but something human resource managers and hiring managers can do is treat their applicants with respect. And to me, respect means at least doing the applicant the honor of thanking them for applying.

Someday, I don't honestly know when, this market will recover and when it does, it will be harder to find candidates again. We've all been there before. We've desperately sought a good candidate to fill our open job. How you treat the plethora of applicants you have now, will most certainly affect how many of them will return to you when the market gets tight once again. Treat them well, and they'll come back. Treat them poorly, and they'll not only not come back, they'll tell all of their friends to not apply either.

Get it? Got it? Good.

Article by, Kari Quaas, PHR, Director of West Coast Operations and Manager of On-Line Communities for CoolWorks.com, a job website focusing on seasonal jobs in great places like national parks, resorts, camps and ranches. Her experience as a seasonal employee, recruiter, and former HR Manager helps her to relate to both employers and job seekers to whom she provides guidance and support.

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 2, 2009 at 7:36 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Emerging Role of the Recruiter in Today's Economy

The extreme job loss over recent months has placed an extraordinary burden on the corporate recruiting function. When the lifeblood of a company is trust and confidence in hiring qualified candidates, current metrics spell trouble for those in the recruiting business.

We are at a point when laid off employees are no longer likely to return to the industries from which they came. So, not only are we experiencing job loss, but industry implosion as well. Although the news is grim, there is potential for growth opportunities in the "engine" industries of the new economy. Healthcare, green energy, and high-tech manufacturing are a few of the places where growth is predicted. However, applicants coming out of diminished industries will likely fall short in the competencies required to transcend the past and on-board to a new industry in a successful way. The spread between job applicant and qualified candidate will increase dramatically. Overcoming the deficits will require a new type of partnership between recruiters, hiring managers, and applicants themselves.

Is this the "normal" responsibility of a recruiter? Not in the world of "like-to-like" resume scanning and the desire to have candidates come "factory equipped" for a job opening. Easy placement days will be but a memory in 2009, despite the influx of new candidates. These are extraordinary times, and recruiters must step in to help ease the effects of Post Traumatic Stress experienced by displaced workers. A new role has emerged for recruiters in the form of job counseling - as part of screening, sourcing, interview prep and candidate grooming - and it is a vital one, indeed.

What can recruiters do to prepare candidates for successful migration to new industries?

Help applicants translate: think beyond what was.
As work and home-life lines have become increasingly blurred, more of us identify who we are by what our occupation is. When occupations disappear, so does a part of that person's identity. A major issue facing laid-off workers is being immersed in their sense of loss (past focus) as compared to what can be (future success.) Recruiters, in their role as screeners and groomers for hiring manager interviews, can help applicants identify where the synergy lies in their experience and the demands of your job opportunity. An A-player in one industry may need assistance in recognizing where growth opportunities lie, and what it will take to get there.

Help applicants translate their skill sets to new industries.
Talk with applicants about their former responsibilities, achievements, and their current passions. For example, a person with a background in high-end retail, which is experiencing a decline right now, may have superb customer service skills. Health care jobs will be on the increase. Hospitals and other health-related facilities are openly competing for patient dollars, and patient satisfaction scores are a vital marker in an industry that is fighting depersonalized service, increased patient load, and more bureaucracy than ever before. This former retail employee who walks into your healthcare company could be extremely valuable. "Trading up" nowadays can mean crossing over to other industries to hire A-players. The challenge lies in getting an applicant to see the parallels, and what he or she needs to do to sell those commonalities to hiring managers, and even you.

In situations where skills are needed beyond what an applicant presents with, recruiters should have a ready list of ways to acquire the KSA's (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) to get the job done. Vocational and technical programs, certificate programs, state and federal re-training initiatives, and mentoring are all ways to rapidly acquire new skills. A ready resource list can be a lifeline to help an applicant know where to turn.

Help applicants become qualified candidates.
When a candidate presents a resume that looks like "a walking job description," it is evidence that they are suspended in the past, while job availabilities are based on potential for future performance. Former employees are often hard pressed to make the kind of statements that equate their performance to the success of the overall business of their former employers. A savvy recruiter, who is expert in the art of marketing candidates, can help individuals craft the kind of statements that will help differentiate them from the rest of the pack. With so many workers competing for fewer jobs, it is marketing that will propel candidates to win prized slots in top tier companies.

Recruiters are often misunderstood. In reality, the objectives of the recruiter and the candidate are closely aligned: to fill a position. In this unprecedented time in our history, recruiters can go one step further on behalf of their internal clients and their candidates by helping both to hit the ground running as the economy goes forward.

Article by, Barbara Poole and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 2, 2009 at 7:24 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As the economy begins to see a turn around, companies will need to refocus on rehiring talent. And to ensure hiring costs are not in the millions, businesses are looking to find ways to leverage their existing base of past employees immediately. For less than 1% of what is being paid now to reduce a workforce, an alumni social network for former employees can be up and running in a short time period, laying the foundation for future hiring needs, says a recent survey commissioned by SelectMinds. In fact, one-time colleagues with deep knowledge of an organization are being viewed as a valuable talent source for future hiring opportunities.

"Alumni networks are an affordable and proven strategy for maintaining relationships crucial to longevity and growth," says Anne Berkowitch, CEO, SelectMinds. "While the news of further workforce reductions is concerning, businesses must view former workers as assets, remembering these connections pave the way to extremely cost effective re-recruiting, new business and partnership opportunities."

Alumni social networks provide a powerful platform for maintaining a pool of viable candidates. Staying connected with former talent today empowers companies to cultivate tomorrow's rehires and enables alumni to keep abreast of what is happening in the marketplace. One large accounting firm states it saved $1.6 million in headhunter fees in one year due to 31 recruits it found through its alumni network. With 37% of the survey participants confirming they are considering implementing this technology, it is clear that Human Resource professionals see the value in corporate social networking.

Additionally, 64% of the respondents agree that it can be used to assist departments across the enterprise through reduction of costs associated with recruiting, increasing new business opportunities and enhancing brand recognition. "Organizations that are not only focused on managing the current workforce situation, but are also dedicated to finding solutions that will support future talent searches for when the tides change, understand the need to deploy an alumni network now," notes Berkowitch.

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 2, 2009 at 7:19 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Would you say that your customers are satisfied with the products and services provided by your organization? Do you think that having satisfied customers indicates that your organization is one that provides exceptional customer service? If so, think about what the word satisfaction really means. When your customers are satisfied, it simply means that you have met their service and performance expectations. It's like earning a "C" on your report card. Your performance is average - not worse than expected, but not better either.

If you want to be recognized as an outstanding provider of customer service, you have to consistently exceed the expectations of your customers. This is how your organization can build customer loyalty, which is much more important than customer satisfaction. Satisfied customers aren't angry or upset with you, but they still may choose to do business with your competitors. Loyal customers, on the other hand, are those who choose to keep coming back to you, and choose not to purchase from your competitors. Customer loyalty is based on the relationship between your organization and its customers.

Organizations that are recognized as exceptional providers of customer service are the ones that have incorporated customer-focused behaviors into their daily operations. You can do this at your organization.

Customer-focused behavior requires:

1. Make the Customer #1

• Positive initial contact
• Establish rapport
• Don't keep customers waiting
• Don't rush customers
• Thank customers
• Encourage customer to return
• Make customers feel special

2. Appropriate Attitude

• Respect the customer
• Keep communication positive
• Professionalism

3. Determine Customer Needs

• Ask questions until you understand the customer's request
• Use positively phrased, direct questions
• Use active listening to convey respect and verify understanding
• Ask how you can better serve the customer's needs

4. Build Relationships

• Be fair
• Keep your word
• Provide peace of mind
• Seek service opportunities
• Know your products and services
• Admit errors and lack of knowledge

5. Effective Problem Resolution

• Empathize with the customer
• Apologize
• Take Ownership
• Respond to problems in a timely manner
• Formulate/negotiate a win-win solution
• Don't take problems/complaints personally
• Recognize problems as a learning opportunity

Remember that perception is reality with customer service. If your customers don't see your organization as one that engages in customer-focused behavior, then you are not providing exceptional customer service. Remember that every time anyone who represents your organization comes in contact with a customer or prospective customer, your reputation is on the line. Treating your customers as valued individuals is often more important than price. You can cultivate loyal customers by focusing on the qualitative factors of service that mean a lot to your customers.

Article by, Mary Gormandy White, M.A., SPHR of Mobile Technical Institue. Mary is currently the Training Coordinator for Mobile Technical Institute & MTI Business Solutions, where she specializes in human resources, management, and marketing training.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates seeking entry-level jobs and other career opportunities.

Article originally posted on HRM Practices and Notes

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 1, 2009 at 10:18 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Forty-six percent of small businesses are identifiable as "economic optimists" and see market conditions as least as good as in 2008, according to a recent survey by TriNet of more than 400 white-collar small businesses. Among "economic pessimists," 34% view the economy as worse and 18% viewed it as much worse than 2008, finds the TriNet Recession Practices Survey, a poll of small businesses in the technology, financial and professional services fields.

When it comes to hiring and talent acquisition practices for white-collar small businesses, the survey found that hiring plans are still on the table, but are being scaled back overall, with more than half of respondents saying they will hire fewer employees in 2009. Just as consumer confidence influences the performance of the market, employer confidence influences their business's response to it. Specifically, 28% of economic optimists are planning to hire more employees in 2009 than the previous year and only 4% of economic pessimists are planning to hire more in 2009.

About one-third of respondents made staff reductions between October 2008 and February 2009, and 25% plan a reduction in force by June 2009. In addition, severance payments varied depending on market perspective with economic pessimists offering more liberal severance policies. Nearly two-fifths (39%) of economic pessimists offered severance for all involuntary terminations, whereas only 22% of economic optimists did likewise. Regardless of their outlook as defined by the survey, most respondents offer "COBRA-only," and fewer than 10% offer outplacement services.

White-collar small businesses are implementing a broad range of capital cost-control measures already, the survey finds. For instance, salary, incentive compensation, and benefit funding changes are under consideration or in place in most of the respondents' companies. Further, many white collar companies that have avoided employee out-of-pocket practices, such as reduced work-week, reduced or mandatory paid tim-off, and across-the-board salary reductions are now seriously considering them.

"Small businesses need to be agile and continue to evolve their human capital management practices in order to better align with market conditions," says Jack Midgley, vice president of products for TriNet. "Fast growing companies are realizing in hard economic times they need to be smart about their employer practices in order to remain competitive and survive this recession."

Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 1, 2009 at 6:50 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When you are screening or interviewing a candidate for a position with your company, one of the first things you notice is their promotion track record. Are you left wondering, "Why not him/her?" Why wasn't this candidate promoted to manage or lead a broader realm of responsibilities? While their resume and accomplishments are impressive, with glowing recommendations, why is the list of promotions scant?

If this scenario presents itself as a red flag in an otherwise very good fit candidate, you might consider investigating it further.

10 Point Litmus Test: Be candid when investigating these points and take some time to explore the candidate's response.

1. Can the candidate demonstrate performance under pressure?
2. Can she/he complete an initiative which clearly demonstrates his/her core strengths and capabilities?
3. Does the candidate demonstrate supporting colleagues by taking a genuine interest in their key initiatives, and by helping them to achieve quantifiable results?
4. Are her/his communications skills; written and oral, proficient or more advanced?
5. Can the candidate demonstrate the ability to confront others or issues with respect, and problem solve with decisiveness?
6. Does the candidate demonstrate a high degree of influence to reinforce the ability of proactively engaging others and getting things done?
7. Can the candidate demonstrate that he/she has supported my superiors by taking on difficult projects and offering value-based council?
8. Can the candidate succinctly defined his/her long-term goals and objectives and does she have a road map of how her current and future activities will help her obtain her goals?
9. Can the candidate demonstrate his ability to complete prioritized assignments for others before completing his own? In other words, has he put other people's projects ahead of his own?
10. Does the candidate have an established strong personal brand of presence and upmost competence?

Nour Call to Action

If you answered no to any of these questions, you may have discovered your candidate's roadblock to promotion. As a recruiter, you now have solid information on which to make a decision. Sharp "A-Players" realize sooner or later you either move up or move out. With good information on which to base your decision, you can prioritize the candidate's responses to match your company's needs.

Steps to Getting Candidates off the Menu and Invited to the Table

• Have the candidate take an independent assessment by administering a behavioral or emotional survey such as Myers-Briggs, DiSC, Hogan, Birkman, or HBDI.
• Ask your candidates to profile a leader or executive after which he wishes to model himself. Candidates should be able to identify their current strengths as well as the gaps in their current abilities, and where they would like to be in the future.
• Institute a Mentor Program as Part of Your Company's On-boarding Process. Suggest the successful candidate engage three mentors: One within your organization, one within your industry, and one completely outside of both - all with unique and candid insights on your new employee's core strengths and weaknesses.

Article by, David Nour and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on April 1, 2009 at 6:45 AM | Leave a Comment (0)