Staffing Firm Offers Checklist to Help Businesses Lay Groundwork for Economic Rebound

The economy may be showing glimmers of hope for a recovery, but are businesses positioned to capitalize on the opportunities ahead? Robert Half Management Resources, the world's premier provider of senior-level accounting and finance professionals on a project and interim basis, offers advice for making the most of personnel resources to manage future business growth.

"The economy will eventually bounce back, and businesses must be adequately prepared or risk losing ground to competitors," said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources.

McDonald advises that instead of waiting for an official end to the recession, companies start now to analyze every aspect of their business and determine how prepared they are to respond to improving business conditions. This is particularly true for firms that made staff cutbacks. Robert Half Management Resources offers the following checklist for determining if your business is recovery-ready:

1. Keep reassessing budgets. Financial staff must be prepared to continually modify budgets to reflect progress or setbacks. Those companies that fully leverage the expertise of financial, budget, treasury or cost analysts will be better positioned to capitalize on improving conditions.

2. Evaluate your bench strength. Some firms are realizing they have cut staff too deeply in response to the economic downturn. This can be an ideal time for a "talent upgrade" as many highly skilled financial professionals are in the job market. Companies that are reluctant to add employees can still prepare for the future by engaging temporary or project professionals to fill potential skills gaps.

3. Revisit compliance requirements. Companies should be prepared to evaluate financial reporting competencies, information technology controls, risk assessment procedures and documentation. Businesses that encourage cross-departmental cooperation and collaboration with outside advisors are in a better position to effectively address corporate governance issues that may impact their businesses. Smaller public companies should assess their ability to comply with the auditor attestation requirement of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

4. Anticipate next-generation financial reporting. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has mandated that public companies report their financials using Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), an interactive data format, by 2011. In addition, while the timetable for convergence between International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) is uncertain, proactive firms are already offering education and training to help staff better understand these initiatives and plan for eventual implementation.

5. Invest in your people. Organizations that scaled back on training and development in recent months should consider reinstituting these initiatives. Firms that invest in staff training better prepare their teams for new business opportunities. Professional development also boosts employee job satisfaction.

6. Upgrade IT systems. Outdated financial systems can impair a business' ability to compete, but conversions take time and resources. Companies that are planning systems upgrades should ensure they have the budget and staffing resources to manage the implementation.

7. Prepare for new products and services. For companies that are considering new product or service launches, this is the time to ensure that the new offering can be introduced quickly when the economy rebounds. Cost accountants, financial analysts and others who can ensure business projections are sound can positively impact the success of the initiative.

8. 'Re-recruit' your best people. Don't be surprised if top performers are approached with other offers once the economy turns around. A best defense is a good offense: Managers should meet with their best people now to discuss their careers and remind them how much their contributions are valued.

Robert Half Management Resources has more than 145 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.roberthalfmr.com.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 29, 2009 at 2:56 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Another company is in the news because a former employee allegedly found it easier to take clients' money instead of investing it as promised.

Firm pays $2M for bad hire

Man accused of rape, embezzlement

http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1174955

This employee allegedly had over $400,000 in debts before he was hired, a fact easily identified within seconds after running a credit report, which costs about the same as lunch at Applebee's.

And a more comprehensive background check, one that includes education and employment verifications, a criminal records search, a motor vehicle report plus a credit check? Roughly a single day's pay. If the new hire is a financial advisor handling millions of dollars of client assets, a background check probably costs the same as one hour of their salary.

We have seen more stories about embezzlement these days. My colleague blogged on another example just last week. It's saddening but not surprising to see companies get burned because they do not background checks. And while there is FAR more awareness of the need to conduct employment screening compared to 10 years ago, many organizations still have a ways to go in terms of reducing their risk and evaluating potential damage.

Consider this company. It's not only the out of pocket cost to investors this financial services firm has to contend with. There's the hidden expense as well. Current and potential investors who may leave track marks sprinting in the other direction. When all is said and done, this will cost far more than $2 million dollars. It's too bad so much money could have been saved by spending so little in advance.

Article by, Kevin Bachman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 28, 2009 at 2:52 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I just came across this release from Carnegie Mellon University entitled "When Is It Safe to Hire Someone With A Criminal Record". The study suggests that a person has been fully rehabilitated after a period of 5 years without any additional criminal records. By no means do I endorse this study. They might be right and they might be wrong. One thought though: just because a person hasn't been charged or convicted of a crime in five years doesn't mean that that they have not engaged in criminal activity. It simply means that if they did, they haven't yet been caught. What do you think?

The new study, which appears in the current issue of Criminology, estimates that after five years of staying clean an individual with a criminal record is of no greater risk of committing another crime than other individuals of the same age. The research comes at a time when President Barack Obama's crime agenda includes breaking down employment barriers for people who have a prior criminal record, but who have stayed clean since their earlier offense.

More

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 28, 2009 at 2:48 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Sources are reporting that President Obama has selected federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic in the Court's history.

Given the Democratic majority, Sotomayor is expected to be confirmed. She is described as having a bit of a "bipartisan pedigree." She was originally appointed as a judge by President George H.W. Bush and then appointed to the appeals court by President Clinton.

What does this mean for employers? Some business advocates were critical of Sotomayor's ruling last year in a discrimination case brought by white firefighters against the city of New Haven, Connecticut. Sotomayor ruled in favor of the city, allowing it to throw out the results of a promotion test because not enough minority employees scored high enough to be considered. Interestingly, that case is now pending before the Court.

In another notable decision, Sotomayor ruled in favor of players over owners in the baseball strike that resulted in the cancellation of the World Series in 1995.

Most experts don't see a big change coming. Sotomayor is replacing retired Justice David Souter, who typically sided with the more left-leaning side of the Court.

Sotomayor's nomination is the first by a Democratic President in 15 years. More could be coming soon. Justice John Paul Stevens is 89 years old and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- the only other female on the Court -- is being treated for pancreatic cancer.

For more, click here.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 28, 2009 at 9:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

"Leadership behaviors and actions are the key to building a strong employer brand. No amount of investment will optimize the benefits of a strong employer brand unless leaders themselves can deliver the employer brand promise and cascade it throughout the organization," says Employer Brand Institute Chairman and CEO Brett Minchington. The research underscores how important it was for an employer brand to reflect the actual employment experience lived by employees.

Companies rely on a range of metrics to measure the success of their employer branding projects, with 42% tracking retention rates. Some 35% of survey respondents track quality of hire, 30% record the number of applicants, and 29% measure the cost per hire.

Developing a unique and authentic employer brand was the single most challenging step in the branding process, the survey indicates. This ranked as the most difficult aspect of employer branding projects, even ahead of obtaining funding and engaging senior leaders. Employer branding is receiving a higher resource allocation, with 46% of companies planning to increase the amount invested in employer branding initiatives in 2009.

While employer branding is now high on the leadership agenda many organizations lack the capability to leverage their employer brand due to the absence of a clearly defined strategy, survey findings show. It finds that only 16% of companies have developed a clear strategy for their employer brand. Interestingly, respondents also say that having a clearly defined strategy is the key to achieving their employer brand strategy.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 28, 2009 at 8:11 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Recruitment marketing doesn't have to be complicated. And it doesn't have to be expensive. Smaller companies can very easily put together more valuable recruitment marketing initiatives. Here are five components of recruitment marketing to consider:

1. Advertising: Everyone is familiar with job advertising - posting on job boards. There are thousands of job boards in the United States alone, which can make it hard to decide where to post your job. Most recruiters continue to rely on the big job boards, but the general consensus is that this is not enough.

Remember: Advertising is a part of marketing, but only one part. And how you advertise, and where you advertise matter. Boring, bland job descriptions won't work as well. And put your ad in the wrong place and you won't get good results. There are platforms out there, such as JobTarget that can help with greater distribution of your job posting.

2. Employer Branding: Your employer brand encompasses how your organization is perceived externally and internally. In the context of recruitment marketing, focus on the external perception and appearance. Your employer brand matters. That's first and foremost. Big job boards have been so successful at helping recruiters get tons of applications that it's pushed employer branding to the wayside. But it's now more important than ever.

A strong employer brand will improve the conversion ratio of qualified job seekers into applicants (and ultimately into hires). It does that by providing job seekers with enough useful information about your company for them to ask themselves, "Is this the right fit?"

And that's a critical question, because if it's not the right fit, the result will be high turnover, and we all know how costly that can be. Your employer brand needs to be well-represented on your career site, collateral material, within job descriptions and anywhere that the company markets itself whether for recruitment or otherwise. Young job seekers care about things such as your company's eco-friendliness, work/life balance, etc. - things that are represented through your employer brand.

Remember: Your employer brand must be authentic. Don't try and make it a glossy, picture perfect scene. Make it real. Honest. Involve your employees, make it entertaining, and focus on the audience. If you're targeting a younger generation of job seeker, then how does your employer brand speak to that audience? If you're targeting a specific job category - say salespeople - what is it about your company that makes it stand out?

3. Search Engine Optimization: Marketers are great at using everything at their disposal to reach the right audience. Recruiters need to act the same way. Search engines (primarily Google) have grown in popularity for job seekers. Millions of searches are performed monthly on search engines by job seekers. The job boards know it - and they fight for ranking so that job seekers click through to them.

But what about you? Can a company's career site and jobs show up on search engines and attract traffic?

Yes. Absolutely. Search engine traffic and search engine optimization are a necessary part of any recruitment marketing strategy. One of the challenges is that most applicant tracking systems are not designed to work well with search engines; so the jobs you're posting onto your career site are most likely not getting picked up and ranked well. If that's the case, companies need to look at alternative strategies, such as creating recruitment landing pages that are marketing and search engine driven.

Remember: Search engine optimization isn't the solution to any major recruitment problems, but it is one very valuable recruitment marketing tactic you can use in a larger strategy.

4. Communication: Marketing isn't just about broadcasting your message out. That's advertising, and to some extent search engine optimization (to improve the broadcasting of your message.) But broadcasting alone won't solve your recruitment needs. It will help you bring in more candidates, but if you can't convert the right ones into applicants, does it matter? Increasing the pipeline can be important, but it's not the end of the solution.

Job seekers want more from companies -- more information (think: employer branding) and more interaction. We know that one of the biggest pain points for job seekers is applying for a job and never hearing anything back. Too few recruiters are looking at ongoing, active communication and relationship building as fundamental to hiring top talent.

Recruitment marketing cannot succeed without an increased amount of communication and engagement. That means having a career site that allows people to submit questions, chat, or interact in some way. It means staying on top of status updates to applicants, so they know where they stand. It means blogging and using other social media tools to create a network of people that you're actively in dialogue with, not to actively recruit or push a job posting down their throats, but to truly connect with over time.

Remember: Communication and engagement will improve any broadcast or outbound recruitment marketing techniques that you take on, by increasing the value of those efforts.

5. Re-Marketing: Sales and marketing people know that very few people buy the first time they interact with your company. It's rare that someone receives an email offer, goes to the website and buys right away. It's rare that someone buys the first time you call them on the phone. It takes multiple interactions before a purchasing decision is made.

Why is it any different in recruiting?

It's not. And this is an area where many recruiters are ill equipped to support job seekers and candidates. For example - let's say you post a job ad on a job board. Typically you're asking the job seeker to apply immediately (i.e. make a purchasing decision) or click through to your career site. Those that apply directly are most likely not the best candidates; especially if your job description isn't representing the job and company well. And if they click through to a career site that's dull, uninformative and non-interactive, they're likely to leave and never come back.

Those are lost opportunities.

Re-marketing for recruitment means that you need ways to hook job seekers. Your career site needs RSS and email subscription options, so a visitor can sign up for updates. If you're using recruitment landing pages, think about asking for basic contact information instead of an application, so they can express interest without applying on-the-spot.

Remember: Re-marketing is essential to building relationships with job seekers. And that's essential to attracting and keeping the right ones in the loop for when the right opportunity comes along.

Recruitment marketing isn't complicated. Leveraging principles from marketing and sales, we can easily break down the ideas and look for quick, simple solutions. And it's important to remember that recruitment marketing is a long-term strategy. It's not about hiring someone instantly; it's about building up a reputation in the marketplace, promoting an employer brand and connecting with a growing talent network. Your recruitment marketing initiatives should evolve over time - you test different ideas, track the value and keep re-jigging. It may take some work (less than you might realize!), but it doesn't have to expensive; and therefore any size company can develop successful recruitment marketing strategies.

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 May 28, 2009 at 8:02 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Diversity in university business schools - and ultimately the U.S. workforce - could be another casualty of a deep and lingering economic downturn, says economist Larry DeBrock, incoming dean of the University of Illinois College of Business. As tuition rises to offset economy-driven revenue declines, business schools will face a stiffer challenge to maintain enrollment among lower-income students, DeBrock says.

"The mission of a great public university is to provide a depth of student diversity, whether based on socioeconomic or ethnic criteria," he said. "Businesses prize diversity, too, and want workforces that reflect America and its varied walks of life."

But DeBrock says enrollment among lower-income students will likely dip as universities boost tuition to make up for declining support in recession-drained state budgets. Universities also will find it tougher to help students bridge the cost gap, as the sour economy stretches campus finances and scales back dollars available for financial aid, says DeBrock. Census data show that minorities would the hardest hit by rising college costs, with 26% of blacks and 22% of Hispanics living in poverty, compared with 11% of whites.

But all students could feel the pinch because businesses crave diversity, job recruiting could shift toward campuses that best maintain ethnic and socioeconomic balance. Meanwhile, DeBrock says the recession also will spark other changes in business studies across the country. Including:

• Business schools will re-emphasize ethics training in the wake of failed investment strategies and other alleged missteps cited as causes of the economic meltdown.
• Curriculum will change to reflect lessons learned from the recession, such as failure of sub-prime mortgages, as well as new government regulations that will follow to stave off future downturns.
• Business schools will see an economy-driven surge in applications to MBA programs; applications are up about 20% at the University of Illinois, and do typically rise during economic downturns.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 28, 2009 at 7:57 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Taking a look at Tesco job vacancies is a good start for your job hunt. With a wide range of job positions across the country you are sure to find a vacancy and career that meets your needs.

Feeling nervous before an interview is only natural but there are ways to reduce those nerves by preparing for what lies ahead.With any interview it is important to show a genuine interest in the position you have applied for and your chances of being recruited will greatly increase if you show a keen interest in the job and company you hope to work for.

Surf the company's website and learn all you can about the organization, starting with its history, the products and services it offer. Even if you are pretty sure at the job interview you are not going to be quizzed on how the company came to be formed, it will give you insight into how the company operates and their philosophy.

Many companies have a strong team-working ethics, they prefer to have employees working together to achieve a common goal rather than working alone which can lead to communication difficulties. If this is the impression you get from your pre-interview research and from the information given in the job specification, it is important that you prepare yourself with information about your team accomplishments. Whilst it shows good self-motivation when you have made sole accomplishments, a company may be more interested in what you can do whilst working as part of a team if that is how they have better productivity.

By showing you know a little about the products and services offered by the organisation, you are also showing that you have done some research prior to the interview, this in turn shows you have dedicated some of your own time into really trying to work for the organisation.

You can come up with your own list to ask the interviewer about the position you are applying for, and this is usually regarded as a positive trait. Being interested will score you additional points towards getting hired for the job!You may find that all of your questions have been answered during the interview process, don't worry and don't feel that you still need to ask the questions and get the interviewers to repeat themselves. Just let them know that you had some questions but they have all been answered whilst you have been talking.

Finally, think about the questions the interviewer may ask you. They will want to know what experience you have and how you would handle certain situations. They may ask you to refer to previous situations you have been in and want you to draw on information from real life scenarios. It is good to have an idea of what scenarios you can refer to before the interview despite not knowing exactly what information the interviewer may wish to gather from your answer. Example scenarios would be positions of responsibility, meeting deadlines, managing a project, etc. Answering in a confident, knowledgeable will give the interviewer confidence in you. Try not to be evasive or miss out key areas of information as this will hinder the interviewer when deciding if you are right for the job.

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 27, 2009 at 2:02 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Nearly two-thirds of the college Class of 2009 are concerned about finding a job, but nearly as many are confident they will be employed within three months of graduating, according to a new study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

NACE's 2009 Student Survey shows that 63.6 percent of responding seniors are worried about their job prospects, and more than 61 percent see the economy as an impediment to their getting a job.

At the same time, however, "52 percent told us they are confident they will be employed within three months of their graduation," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "The results suggest that students understand the economy is a factor, but do not believe it will stop them from finding a job."

Despite that optimism, more than 40 percent of responding seniors appear to recognize that their first job out of school may not be as lucrative as they had hoped. "They expect to need financial help from their parents," says Mackes.

NACE's study shows that only 19.7 percent of those who have applied for jobs actually have one.

"A significant issue is that although most responding students say they have started looking for jobs, the majority--59 percent--had not actually applied for one as of the end of April," says Mackes.

Since 1956, the National 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 May 27, 2009 at 1:58 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The city's education section has decided to create a new commission that will basically handle the counseling tasks for students and youngsters. There are huge number of colleges, institutions and universities across the country. But there is no such place that guides and counsels the student in terms of the choice of career path to be taken.

Choosing the right career path is very important. It is even more essential than coaching of various vocational courses. Choosing a right career path means following ones interests and dreams. It is really very important to choose a right career path lest you engage yourself in the field that is not at all of your interest. Once you are in the right field, you always wanted to be in, it increases your interest for the subjects and also it boosts up your efficiency to perform well. To attain this task, government has first included the counselors of not so trendy career options. About engineering and medical field everybody is conscious. But for streams like electronics, architecture and construction students need to be counseled well.

There are many students with pioneering thinking and creative minds, who need to be guided so as to be at the right place and proper career field. Melrose Park Electricians, for example, would be guiding the students to take electronics as the career path if they think that electronics is the field they want to go for. Not only this, Melrose Park Roofers, would prove to be a great counselors as they will not only help students to clarify them the career and progress in the field of roofing, but will also help them identify and explore the innovative part of their minds. In the end, I would like to wind up with a remark to the Melrose Park Plumbers, who will not be new in this field. Earlier they were delivering seminars and trainings to others, and now they will be guiding students about the scope of being in the field of Plumber.

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 27, 2009 at 1:22 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

What affect will building the casino have on Sullivan County and the State of New York?
The casinos impact on the local economy is expected to be staggering. It will create an estimated 3,500 full-time jobs at the casino, and 2,800 jobs will be created in the county, spurred by the casino. In addition, thousands jobs will be created at companies that supply the casino. Visitors and employees will spend an estimated $337 million a year.A - The Property Profile Overview is a summary of construction activity, job filings, PRA/ARA (plumbing applications), boilers, violations, and complaints for a particular address.

Who is at risk?
Since the early 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust. Health hazards from asbestos dust have been recognized in workers exposed in shipbuilding trades, chemical manufacturing, asbestos mining and milling, manufacturing of asbestos textiles and other asbestos products, insulation work in the construction and building trades, brake repair, and a variety of other trades. Demolition workers, drywall removers, and firefighters also may be exposed to asbestos dust.Since the early 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust.

When should I use a natural hydraulic lime or non-hydraulic lime?
Natural hydraulic limes set even when wet and come in a range of strengths. They are useful for building with stone or brick where the earlier set may speed up construction. You can also add a pozzolan such as metastar to a lime putty mortar. We suggest that for external bedding and pointing late in the year natural hydraulic lime should be used. It is capable of a faster initial set in cold weather.Habitat for Humanity accepts any volunteer with a willing heart and working hands. There are opportunities for both individuals and groups. Construction experience is helpful, but not necessary. Volunteers must be at least 14 years old to be on a site during building activities, and can help with non-construction jobs like cleanup and errands.

Why is the Australian Government funding the establishment of the Australian Technical Colleges?
The Australian Government is funding the establishment of 28 Australian Technical Colleges to promote pride and excellence in the teaching and acquisition of relevant trade skills at the secondary school level. Today, we have skill needs across a variety of industries including automotive, building and construction, electro technology, commercial cookery, and manufacturing.No, however if the burning operations are greater than 300 feet from the woods or flammable grass/vegetation which would allow the fire to spread to the woods the 4 p.m.

What did the Chinese do when they finished working on the Transcontinental Railroad?
quot;With the completion of the Central Pacific, many Chinese workers moved to other railroad construction jobs, including some for the Central Pacific. Others returned with their savings to their families in Canton. Others still sent to China for wives and settled in various western communities as laundrymen and restaurateurs.

How do SIPs save so much labor?
Cutting and fabricating, based on your construction drawings, are done for you in a SIP manufacturing plant. That reduces site labor and time building materials are exposed to the weather on the job site. SIPs are also made in large sizes up to 8 ft by 24 ft so assembly on-site is faster, framing crews are more productive, and the project is "dried-in" sooner. That means other subcontractors can get a head start on the jobs they need to do.The Australian Government is funding the establishment of 28 Australian Technical Colleges to promote pride and excellence in the teaching and acquisition of relevant trade skills at the secondary school level.

Click here for more information... building construction jobs

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 27, 2009 at 10:20 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I recently took stock of some background screening lessons we have learned since the economy went south. Here's an excerpt from an article just published on employeescreen University.

So we've all nearly made it through the first half of 2009, inarguably one of the worst financial periods in our lifetimes. And while we hope that the worst is finally behind us, we are all still fearful of what is to come. One of the most positive trends I am starting to see is that many of us are now focusing on the future. We are building up our individual departments and organizations to be leaner, smarter and stronger so that we can emerge from this whole thing in a position to thrive. We don't seem to be as paralyzed by the fear described above and instead are using this fear to motivate us to push through. GreenlightJobs president and CEO Lisa Kaye recently wrote an insightful blog post on how we can and should use the fear and uncertainty we feel for motivation to fuel us.

The purpose of this essay is to examine how the state of our economy has affected the use and implementation of employment background checks. We will also discuss how it has driven some interesting trends and what it means for the future.

We'll start with the obvious. Today, there are more people competing for fewer jobs. While hiring managers have the proverbial "pick of the litter", they are being flooded with resumes. Further, the pressure to hire the right person the first time has never been greater as organizations no longer have the luxury of time or money that they once had to allow someone to develop. Those who are hired are expected to produce more work with fewer resources. This confluence of events means that employment screening and background checks are now more important than ever to organizations.

The list of trends includes:

1. Background Checks Aren't Being Sacrificed
2. Troubling Statistics Concerning Adverse Information
3. Hiring Standards Are Tightening
4. The Need for Speed
5. Shifting Reliance on Credit Reports
6. Workplace Violence is on the Rise

To read the full articles and see a full description of each trend, please click here.

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 26, 2009 at 3:47 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Anyone who has tried to create their CV individually will tell you that it is not very straightforward. There are certain points that must be taken into consideration and certain specifications to conform to. The whole task may result in some sort of insecurity, so this means that a resume maker must be the solution. There are plenty of resume making software to use. Knowing exactly which ideas to take from a free resume maker is the key, as there will be very few.

As you get ready to use these tools, you must note that some of the products downloaded directly from the Internet are not of a good quality. Using such will obviously result in poor CVs that have little chance of success. In some instances, you may be better off using the services of a professional or another recommended program.

With a resume builder, everything is simplified. You are required to input information that is required to fill certain blank space. Before you get started using the software, it is a good idea if you have all of your information ready. This means writing everything you need such as employment information, school, etc.

You should start with your personal information. It is here that you input your name, your address, and your telephone number. These should all be easy to read so that the prospective employer can contact you.

The free resume maker will then move on to where you can indicate skills and talents. This is the section where you need to stick to relevant information so you can impress the reader. This is where you tell the employer how you will benefit their company. Make sure you tell about your job experience and accomplishments throughout your various jobs. These will undoubtedly indicate to the prospective employer that you are talented enough to merit a job. All of the information should be easy to understand.

It is now time to move on to the personal objectives. This is where you indicate any job-related hands-on skills and experiences that you have. The goal here is to make your case as to why you are great for the position. Do not hesitate to include actual illustrations. For example, you can mention a fundraiser that you did and how well you did with it.

After completing this portion, the next one will often be the work history segment. After completing this section, the next one is work history. It is in this section that you indicate your present and past employers and how long you were there. Don't forget to include contact details.

This segment is followed by the educational background portion. It is here that you mention all the colleges and schools that you have attended, not forgetting their contact details. After this, you will have a portion where you will detail any volunteer work, military experience, community activities, special memberships, licenses and certificates obtained, any training that is job-related, and all honors and awards accorded. All of these are very important to the job, so don't forget them.

The free resume maker is very valuable when you need to create a great CV.

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 26, 2009 at 3:15 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

While you may already have a resume, this does not mean you really know how to create a resume. Most people have a resume simply because it was a requirement for their current position. This is because most employers require a resume as part of the application process. This can create a problem if they apply for a job later and find they are outclassed by other candidates who really made the effort to make their resumes stand out. We have included a general process for creating a great resume. Knowing how to create a resume is the key.

Before you start writing your resume, it is important to consider your past work experience very carefully. Use this time to not only think about the specific tasks you performed during these jobs but the skills you needed to complete these tasks and the skills you learned during the process. This exercise will put you on a solid path to creating a great resume.

You should also be cognizant of the skills needed for the position you are seeking. You can determine this by reading the job advertisement carefully and noting which skills are most important to the potential employers.

Potential employers want to be able to weed out the poorest candidates quickly so they include a lists of skills the candidate needs. They may also include a list of skills which may not be required but that are preferred. Armed with this information, your resume should be tailored to highlight the skills you have which will be useful in this position.

Once you know what information you want to include in your resume, it is time to start thinking about the formatting. You may choose to format your resume in countless different ways. However, regardless of the style you select, you should make sure readability is carefully considered. This usually happens when the format of the resume is too busy. One way to keep the design clean is to utilize page breaks between sections on the resume. The sections to be included may vary based on your industry. Objective, education and experience are a few of the sections which are most commonly included on a resume.

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 26, 2009 at 3:10 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Do not be fooled into thinking that a dental assistant is a mere helper. Without his or her help the office would come to a stand still and would cease to function. They may run the front counter one day. The next they may be answering the phones. They may be helping clean teeth when patients come in for routine checkups. They could be helping the dentist with surgery. It is all in a days work for the dental assistant.

A dental assistant can have several job duties. He or she is often the office manager, a book keeper, a receptionist, assistant to the dentist, does lab work and takes x-rays. The other job duties can vary according to what kind of dentistry services the office offers their patients. As you can see the dental assistant has a lot of responsibilities.

The certified assistants training usually takes about a year to complete but many assistants find their best training occurs on the job. If they are fresh out of a dental assistant school, then this on the job training is absolutely vital, as book experience only goes so far.

Healthcare assistants are in great demand. Even though a dental assistant salary isn't comparable to that of a dentist, finding a position as a certified dental assistant is almost assured. If you gain the necessary skills, then finding a dental assistant job should be quite easy, no matter where you are. You will have the added benefit of knowing that you are helping people take care of their teeth and to have a healthier and better smile. Nothing says better health than a pretty, white smile and healthy gums.

You may be able to find a dental assistant class at your local vocational school. Another avenue to take would be to ask your dentist for his or her recommendation. Who knows, you may be in luck and they could be hiring or may be willing to train someone who has no experience.

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 26, 2009 at 1:51 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

It is always a good idea to put your best foot forward when sending a resume to a future employer. You should keep this in mind when you start making a resume.

This is critical because the future employer is more apt to seriously consider you for the available position if your resume is exceptional but they may discard your resume if it is poorly written. We will explain some of the elements you should keep in mind when making a resume. Knowing exactly what you want points you want to get across when making a resume is the key.

The first thing to consider when making a resume is the qualification for the job for which you are applying. This is very important because the potential employer is looking for employees with a particular skill set. Your resume should clearly showcase any of the required skills you possess. This does not mean trying to make yourself appear more qualified than you are. By contrast though, your resume should be written to really showcase these skills. You should also think about how easy it is for prospective employers to read your resume.

It is no longer recommended to limit your resume to just one page. However, avoid making your resume unnecessarily length. Prospective employees with a long work history may create a resume that is 2-3 pages in length. In addition to length, you should also consider the formatting of your resume. Resumes can be formatted in numerous styles. However, the one common denominator in acceptable formats is they are easy on the eye. This typically occurs when the resume is too complex in design.

Lastly take measures to ensure your resume will help you to stand out from the competition. Including a piece of positive feedback from a previous employer can really accomplish this goal. Most people include a line telling potential employers that references are available on request. Most employers know you can provide references but may be intrigued if they see a sample of what these references will say.

Article courtesy of Carl Chapman - Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 25, 2009 at 1:29 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

A Philidelphia law firm is feeling the burn after discovering a former employee is responsible for forging checks totaling more than $100,000 from the estates of the firm's deceased clients. Assuming that the legal recruiter who recommended the employee for employment had conducted a criminal background check, the firm hired her. Little did they know that she was awaiting sentencing in New York for stealing $285,000 from her previous employer - also a law firm.

A partner in the law firm states in this news story that the recruiter obviously didn't do their job since a criminal background check was not conducted on the employee. Well, unless the law firm made that a requirement in their contract with the recruiter, they never should have assumed the vetting process was taking place. I believe it is unfair of the firm to throw the recruiter to the wolves over this one when they themselves didn't conduct their due diligence and make sure the recruiter was conducting the background check.

It is incredibly important that businesses work with their recruiters and staffing agencies to iron out an employment screening process and determine which types of background check results are acceptable and which are not . Making assumptions about such an important process can be a costly mistake.

Parelegal charged in 100G theft

By Stephanie Farr, Philadelphia Daily News - May 19, 2009

Kathy Foer-Morse didn't fit in at High Swartz law firm in Norristown.

She showed up late, left early and couldn't be located during some workdays, according to her employer.

After her termination, partners at the firm said that they discovered $100,937 couldn't be located, either.

During a subsequent investigation, detectives learned that the former estate paralegal was awaiting sentencing in New York for stealing $285,000 from the last law firm where she worked, and that she had used the money she allegedly stole from High Swartz to pay restitution in the New York case, said Kevin Steele, Montgomery County first assistant district attorney.

"She clearly didn't learn her lesson," he said.

Moreover, rather than take from High Swartz's accounts, Foer-Morse wrote checks to herself from deceased people's estates and forged the executor's signature, said Paul Bartle, managing partner of High Swartz.

More

Article by, Natalie Beck and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 22, 2009 at 2:10 PM | Leave a Comment (1)

Few leaders - historic or modern-day - have shown as much true leadership as Ernest Shackleton did in 1914, leading his crew through hazardous, life-threatening conditions for a period of two years in the Antarctic. What made Shackleton an employee engagement trailblazer? What can we learn from him today?

21st Century Employee Engagement in the 1900s?

Think back to England, circa 1914. Can you imagine leaders from this era being advocates of employee engagement? Let's take it a step further - is it possible in the 1914 world of cutting-edge polar exploration -- known for autocratic leadership-- to have within its ranks an Antarctic explorer who practiced a style of leadership that in today's world is considered enlightened?

After extensive research of the famed Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, it is apparent that Shackleton was truly our first engaged leader. Although a coercive leadership style was common in the England of 1914, Shackleton's humane leadership style was both unique and effective as he led 27 men to accomplish the extraordinary.

The Stakes Don't Get Any Higher

In 1914, Shackleton set sail on his ship - the Endurance - with 27 carefully selected shipmates. The goal was to be the first crew to cross the Antarctic continent by foot. Shortly after reaching the Antarctic the Endurance was trapped by ice. Shackleton and his crew drifted aimlessly across the treacherous Weddell Sea for 10 months before the Endurance was crushed by the ice and sank.

Now ship-less (aside from three small life boats) Shackleton and his men floated on ice for months. Shackleton's extraordinary leadership skills managed to keep his men focused, engaged, and most importantly, inspired to follow his vision.

He knew when to change course and communicate the changed vision ("My new goal is to keep you alive"), when to 'walk the talk' (he lead by example - assigning himself onerous tasks), when to demonstrate succession planning (rotating the men to different assignments - unheard of in 1914), and how to hire people to fit the culture. Shackleton's Antarctic exploration is considered one of the greatest survival stories of all times. I believe it is one of the greatest 'hiring' stories of all time.

Against All Odds

With the days getting longer and the ice melting, Shackleton knew he had no choice but to sail for land in the lifeboats. They landed on Elephant Island -- an inhospitable place far from any shipping routes. They were not safe yet.

Shackleton split the group and set sail again with a smaller team of men in a dangerous open-boat journey destined for the Island of South Georgia, a distant whaling station. This leg of the journey involved crossing 800 miles of the world's most forbidding seas in a small open boat. Amazingly, Shackleton made it, found help on the Island of South Georgia and returned to resuce the rest of his men.

After an amazing two years away, Shackleton enjoyed a hero's welcome on his return to England in 1916, with all 28 men alive.

4 Keys to Extraordinary Leadership and Employee Engagement

There is no doubt that Shackleton was an exceptional leader. The good news is that the qualities he exhibited are ones we are all capable of emulating. These are the most critical to successfully lead and engage employees:

1. Agile & Adaptive Leadership

Like the golfer who knows which club to swing and when, Shackleton knew how to engage his men by adopting different leadership styles depending on the situation:

• When the men needed direction, his leadership style became more authoritarian;
• When the more junior men were homesick, Shackleton would switch to a more altruistic leadership style;
• When there was work to be done under tight deadlines, Shackleton would personally exemplify a pacesetting style; and
• During times of emergencies, when quick action was necessary, Shackleton's style became necessarily coercive.

2. Compassionate Leadership

Research on engagement shows that the true capture of discretionary effort is most likely to occur when staff believes their leader cares about their wellbeing. Only then are people willing to go the extra mile.

Historians have noted from reading diaries and logs that there were countless examples of Shackleton putting the wellbeing of his men before his own. A simple gesture of exchanging his dry mittens for someone else's wet mittens is one small illustration.

3. Pragmatic Leadership - Tactical Leadership

Engagement experts talk about the importance of 'line of sight' in fostering employee engagement - creating a link between the vision and one's job. Shackleton would often reinforce this link, acknowledge that all the jobs were equally important - and linking all the jobs with the ultimate goal of survival.

4. Inspirational Leadership

It is often said that engaged leaders inspire others to follow. Shackleton was an optimist. He inspired hope and 'followship' throughout a death-defying adventure in the world's most extreme and inhospitable climate. There was very little, if any, margin for error.

Conclusion

You may never be faced with the life-and-death challenge that Shackleton had to overcome. But imagine what you could accomplish if you were able to bring that level of leadership to your organization.

Article by, Bob Kelleher and courtesy of Work Systems Affiliates

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 22, 2009 at 1:43 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

President Obama may be getting more pressure to add a woman to the Supreme Court following a ruling by the justices today.

In a case CNN called a "setback for female workers," the Court ruled that employers may give less credit for leave that occurred prior to the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) than for other types of leave when calculating pension benefits.

The PDA, passed in 1978, requires employers to treat pregnancy leave the same as any temporary disability. At issue in the case was what to do about pre-1978 pregnancy leave. Four AT&T employees claimed they were treated unfairly when the company failed to apply the PDA retroactively to leave time that arose prior to 1978.

In the 7-2 vote, the majority refused to apply the PDA retroactively to pre-1978 leave, finding that AT&T complied with the law in effect at that time.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- the only woman on the court -- disagreed. In her dissent, she stated that AT&T committed a "current violation" of Title VII "when, post-PDA, it did not totally discontinue reliance upon a pension calculation premised on the notion that pregnancy-based classifications display no gender bias."

In a recent interview, Ginsburg called for the appointment of more women to the Court and described her view that the gender imbalance has had a negative impact on deliberations among the justices.

Click here for CNN"s take, which correctly noted that the ruling applies to a "relatively small class of women." Click here to read the Court's full opinion.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 19, 2009 at 7:47 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

With more workers vying for summer jobs this year, those looking for seasonal employment are preparing for a challenging job market. Nearly a quarter (23%) of employers plan to hire seasonal workers for the summer, in line with last year's findings, but the competition for those jobs will be stiffer than in years past due to high unemployment and a tough economy. This is according to CareerBuilder's Annual Summer Job Forecast, conducted from February 20 to March 11, 2009, among more than 2,500 employers. Those that land summer jobs may have a chance to parlay their roles into year-round positions. More than half (56%) of companies report that they would consider summer recruits for permanent placement within their organizations. When it comes to summer paychecks, nearly eight-in-ten (77%) hiring managers will offer the same pay to seasonal workers this year as they did last year, while only 9% will offer more. An additional 9% will offer less and 5% say they were unsure. Forty-two percent of companies plan to pay summer workers $10 or more per hour; 30% anticipate paying between $8 and $10 per hour. Comparing industries, hospitality and retail have plans to bring the most summer workers on board, at 38% and 34% respectively.

Across all industries, the most popular summer positions being offered include:

Office support - 26%
Customer service - 18%
Research - 12%
Landscape/maintenance - 11%
Restaurant/food service - 11%
Sales - 10%
Construction/painting - 8%

Source: CareerBuilder

When asked about the most unusual or memorable summer jobs they've ever held, workers shared the following responses:

• Bungee-jumping tower assistant
• Commercial bee herder
• Scouted garage sales for items to resell on eBay
• Murder Mystery dinner actor
• Cleaned gum off of school desks
• Gun fighter at a theme park
• Popsicle maker
• Picked up road kill
• Painted silo tops hanging from a crane
• Waterslide repairman

Source: CareerBuilder

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 19, 2009 at 7:34 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As noted in a previous article I wrote on Recruiting Trends on the use of social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace for employment, recruiters and employees should exercise some caution before they simply assume that everything on the web is fair game. There are substantial issues yet to be resolved, such as the impact of information that may be discriminatory to use, privacy interests, protection of legal off-duty conduct, and authenticity and identity. This is an evolving area of law that is still waiting for lawsuits to wind their ways through courts resulting in published judicial opinions. A federal court opinion that appears to be the first published decision that deals with the issue of utilizing a social networking page to deny a consumer an opportunity was rendered by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on December 3, 2008. Although this decision involved issues surrounding the awarding of a degree and does not deal with private employers, the case may contain important lessons for employers and recruiters.

In that case, a would be teacher named Stacy Snyder sued administrators from Millersville University alleger that her freedom of speech was violated because material on her MySpace page was viewed, with the eventual result that Snyder was not able to complete a student teaching requirement and therefore did not receive an educational degree needed for a teaching certificate in Pennsylvania.

Snyder was engaged in a required student teaching program. She was assigned a high school teacher to supervise her. Even before the MySpace page became an issue, the supervisor had already been critical of Snyder's abilities, and noted an ignorance of basic grammar, punctuation, spelling and usage, as well as inadequate classroom management, poor understanding of the subjects she attempted to teach, and her inappropriate manner with students.

The final straw was apparently the discovery by another teacher of Snyder's MySpace page, where according to Snyder's own testimony, she had on a pirate's hat, was holding a plastic cup containing a mixed drink that said, "drunken pirate," and had a "stupid expression" on her face while giving the peace sign. In addition, her page contained text that suggested her supervisor was the reason Snyder would not be applying for a job at that high school.

As a result, the superintendent of the high school suspended Snyder from the student teaching program and therefore she was not entitled to obtain a degree in education, and was instead awarded an English degree.

In ruling against Snyder, the federal court noted the school had no legal authority to award her a degree in education where she did not complete the required student teaching program. However, the Court went on to address the freedom of speech issue, ruling that as a teacher, Snyder only had first amendment rights as it related to public issues and not personal matters.

It is also important to note that prior to posing for her "Drunken Pirate" picture:

• Snyder was told during the orientation not to direct any students or teachers to a personal web page.
• Snyder admitted that she recalled being told not to post any information about her supervising teacher on her web page.
• A universality office had warned students that, in the past, a student was dismissed from the student teaching program for placing information about his supervisor on his personal web page.
• Her supervising teacher specifically warned her not to discuss her personal web page with her students.

Despite these warnings Snyder went ahead and told students about her web page and sought to communicate about personal matters with her students through her MySpace page. Her post also made what appeared to be a negative reference to her teaching supervisor. All of these three things were done despite very specific and repeated warnings and admonishment not to use [her social networking page] in the way she did.

Because the case largely focused on issues having to do with degree granting requirements for teachers in Pennsylvania, as well as issues involving free speech rights of teachers and students in public institutions, the actual holding of the case is limited when it comes to private employers. In addition, since it was a federal district court case, and is not binding on other courts.

Broader implications

However, the case presents very interesting lessons in how a court may view claims by job applicants that their personal web pages were used unfairly. What stands out in this case is how clear the University was in telling students NOT to post information about their supervising teachers on a personal web page and to not direct students to a personal site. Despite these clear warnings from the university, she went ahead and did the very things she was repeatedly told not to do.

The bottom-line for employers: Where social networking sites are used for pre-employment in the selection process, employers may gain significant protection by making it abundantly clear on their web site, job posting, application or other places that a person's public online identity may be viewed. By giving clear and conspicuous notice, an applicant would have a more difficult time claiming that they had a reasonable expectation of privacy on their social networking site. Advance notice by an employer, or even consent, does not mean necessarily that employers can resort to exceptional means to penetrate a social networking site, such as the use of pre-texting or fake web identities, nor is advanced notice a defense to discrimination.

Applicants can still, of course, maintain their own pages, and may well want to vent about a co-worker or supervisor. However, an applicant may choose to either be more circumspect, or to make sure that their privacy settings are such that an employer could not view such pages by causal web browsing. However, job applicants should also understand that once they are in the job market, a little discretion can go a long ways.

For existing employees, an employer is well advised to ensure that they have clear written policies concerning personal online use, such as social networking sites, blogs, personal web pages, business connection sites, chatrooms and other sites.

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 May 19, 2009 at 7:25 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Employment law lessons are everywhere.

Previously on the Blawg, we've discussed valuable legal training you can glean from such unexpected sources as The Office, Dilbert, March Madness, Mr. Rogers, Simon & Garfunkel and - occasionally - even lawyers.

Today, we offer up some deep employment law thoughts inspired by the season finales of two of the nation's most-loved TV shows: LOST and American Idol.

LOST

If you've never seen the show, here's the basic set-up: a plane crashes on a remote island and a small pack of survivors tries to get rescued before they all kill each other. Basically, it's Gilligan's Island with lots of guns.

The show revolves around the intense interpersonal conflict that results when people work together to tackle seemingly impossible problems under seemingly insurmountable odds. Sounds a bit like the modern American workplace, doesn't it?

With that in mind, here are my Top 3 Lost Employment Law Lessons from the past season:

• You're truly LOST without a team. The very best way to avoid needless disputes that can bring down an entire enterprise is to foster an environment that puts the team above the individual. The mantra "live together or die alone" is repeated by someone on the show every 27 seconds or so. That's great advice.
• Be careful whom you follow. Don't make alliances with bad people -- you could end up in a bad place. Headlines from the past year featured several prominent HR execs getting hauled into court or even jail after they went along with various questionable schemes. There's an old saying: "Bad company corrupts good character." Don't let that happen to you.
• Adversity = opportunity. LOST's characters are in near-constant peril. The good ones see each challenge as an opportunity: they rise to the occasion and grow as leaders and as human beings. That's a great lesson for today's trying times. Don't sit around whining about the economy or other things beyond your control. Seize each day and make the most of it.

AMERICAN IDOL

The setting: three all-powerful judges help America decide who gets a career in music and who doesn't. Sort of the ultimate talent-evaluation exercise.

Frankly, as a native of Milwaukee, I'm still clinically depressed over the fact that fellow Milwaukeean Danny Gokey (who attended my kids' school) got voted off. That said, here are my Top 3 American Idol Employment Law Lessons:

• Pursue honesty (even if it gets you booed). Simon is the only judge who actually seems to tell the truth, which usually isn't very popular with the crowd. However, in my humble opinion, honesty is always the best assessment policy. Needlessly sugarcoating talent assessments or performance evaluations only leads to trouble in the end.
• Don't intentionally inflict emotional distress. On the other hand, you might want to consider being just a tad less harsh than Simon. Managers who routinely fill their performance evaluations with words like "hideous," "pathetic," "terrible" and "awful" are just begging for emotional distress claims.
• Humility and creativity are key. This year's finalists offer a stark contrast. It's down to super-humble Kris and ultra-creative Adam. The business book classic Good to Great found that humility at the top is the absolute #1 key to a "great" enterprise. Other studies confirm that fostering creativity in an organization is the key to innovation and staying ahead of the competition. You need both to win in today's world of work.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 18, 2009 at 1:31 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

In today's struggling economy many corporations are cutting training budgets. A heightened trend is being observed in which companies are utilizing automated skill diagnostics and employee assessments to continue employee development efforts during difficult economic times, according to research conducted by SkillMeasure LLC.

"These diagnostics measure specific skill sets, and spell out clearly what employees need to do to improve their performance," says Harry Dunklin, Managing Partner of SkillMeasure.

Employees use the assessment results to create a self-paced development plan that takes advantage of available educational resources and materials, often at no additional costs. Follow-on internal coaching cements learning and fosters ongoing progress. It's an effective, yet inexpensive employee development and performance appraisal strategy that quickly pays for itself, and generates significant performance improvement claims the firm.

"More and more client companies are coming on board. They get the diagnostics model. They're taking advantage of technology to engage a larger segment of their workforce, and they're already seeing the positive impact on their training ROI," says Dunklin.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 18, 2009 at 9:48 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

There's been a ridiculous amount of coverage lately in the recruiting industry about Twitter's impact on the space. I am a fan of Twitter and have found it to be an advantageous tool to leverage for specific applications in our business. I also think that it is an interesting and potentially valuable tool for job seekers and employers. But the attention being paid to Twitter in the recruiting business is way overblown and far outweighs its true value in the process of finding a job or an employee.

Before anyone freaks out and dismisses this post with a "you don't get it" or "you're an idiot," I would argue quite vehemently that I do and I'm not. Twitter is a really cool tool in the social media space, and it has definite value for job seekers and employers. There are lots of jobs being distributed into and through Twitter, and job seekers should be spending some time exploring what's out there via Twitter. Employers and job boards too should be leveraging Twitter as a means to distribute their jobs to a wider, possibly different, audience as well as perhaps more convenient channel (at least for some). But Twitter is no different that any other channel (print, web, radio, TV, mobile, RSS, newsletters, podcasts, etc.) that employers and job seekers should be exploring to improve their chances of successfully accomplishing their respective goals. But diversification across multiple channels is critical, and the notion that Twitter alone is sufficient to achieve success is patently absurd. Even more ludicrous are the recruitment advertising businesses springing up that are based entirely around Twitter.

As just a small test of Twitter, I searched for Creative Director on Twitterjobsearch.com. There were 6,000+ search results.

I scrolled down a bit and clicked on advertischicago's job for a creative director/Art, and was taken to AdvertisChicago's Twitter page.

After clicking on the same job again, I was taken to Indeed.com's page, where I discovered that the job was no longer available on Oddskills.com, the original source of the job listing.

So after 3 clicks, I found that a job that was tweeted about only 2 hours ago was no longer available and that the listing itself had traveled through 4 places. This was the first job I clicked on, and the experience was just as useless as any job search on Indeed, SimplyHired, Monster, CareerBuilder, or any other jobs site that has old, outdated, and duplicative job listings, and/or fake/fraudulent/scam jobs. It took me just one try to find exactly the type of experience that I assumed I would find sooner or later, and that is why I am confident that I do 'get it' and that I'm not an idiot when I dismiss the wave of job-related businesses that are basing their entire service model around Twitter.

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 May 18, 2009 at 7:45 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Most of those who are in transition today are looking for a new job the same way they did the last time they were in the job market. And that's a terrible mistake. In fact, it's almost certain to lead to career cardiac arrest or what most of us call unemployment.

Why is that? Because today's (and tomorrow's) workplace is profoundly different from any that has ever existed in the United States. Just as the Great Depression changed the behavior of a whole generation of Americans, this Great Recession is changing the behavior of this generation of employers.

What we're now seeing in corporate America is not a reduction in force; it's a reduction in structure. There are fewer jobs, and those positions that have disappeared will never come back. But that's not all. Even as they are downsizing their organization charts, America's employers are also upgrading their staff. They're trading out "C" level performers for "A" level talent.

Those two facts of work change everything. They mean that the days of the "come as you are" job market are over. You can no longer find a job the old fashioned way. And you never will be able to again.

We're all familiar with the traditional approach to job search. It was a simple 4-step process:

• Step 1. You wrote up your resume.
• Step 2. You sent your resume out to a bunch of employers.
• Step 3. You did a little networking around the edges.
• Step 4. You landed a new job that was usually equal to and often better than the one you had before.

For 60 years or more, those four steps were the way Americans managed their careers and secured their hold on the American Dream. And they are now as obsolete as buggy whips and carbon paper.

The come as you are job market has morphed into the "only the best need apply" job market. Companies will no longer hire qualified people for their openings. This Great Recession has convinced them that they cannot survive and prosper in a global marketplace with that kind of employment strategy. Instead, if they want to be around to enjoy the recovery, they're going to have to hire the best qualified talent there is.

What's that mean for you and me? We have to change the four steps in our job search methodology. Here's what we have to do now:

Step 1. Resuscitate your career. If you're out of work, your career is sick. As with a physical illness, that doesn't necessarily mean you've done anything wrong. It does, however, require that you get yourself well. You must upgrade your skill set, expand and enrich your network of professional contacts, add powerful new ancillary capabilities and do all of the other things that establishes a fit career. And you must do that before you start looking for a job.

Step 2. You must focus only on jobs where you are best qualified and then tailor your resume for each of those specific openings. They days of shotgun applications and generic resumes are also over.

Step 3. You must practice networking as the word indicates you should. It's netWORK, not net-get-around-to-it-whenever-it's-convenient. And you must network online as well as off.

Step 4. You must pick an employment opportunity that provides two forms of compensation. The near term paycheck you need to meet your financial obligations and the ongoing flexibility, time and support you need to invest in the continuous improvement of your career. Why do you need both? Because in the 21st Century world of work, you'll likely be repeating these four new steps in the next three-to-five years.

Thanks for reading.

Article by Peter Weddle

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 May 15, 2009 at 1:51 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Career fairs can be a good way for those looking for a job, to meet a number of prospective employers at one place. Singapore has been having such events pretty regularly recently and those looking for a job should certainly take advantage of this.

While at the fair you will have a chance to briefly introduce and market yourself to employers. Many people just land up and the fair, with the intention to look around and just wander over to companies that look interesting. However, by being well prepared and following some guidelines, you can gain an advantage over other job-seekers and get one step closer to a second interview.

Do some groundwork

Obtain a list of companies attending the fair and do some research on the ones you are interested in. Cover basic things like - products offered, geographic coverage, key clients, recent/expected performance, management team, company culture/vision/mission and so on. By doing this you can ask intelligent/meaningful questions to company representatives, about matters which are not publicly available

Carry supporting material

Make sure you have enough copies of your resume, reference letters, samples of your work and any assessments you have taken

Dress appropriately

Know the attire of the profession you are interested in an dress accordingly. In general, aim for conservative business attire

Have your speech ready

Prepare and practice your one minute sales pitch, which highlights your main strengths and why you can be a valuable asset to the company

Follow-up

Make sure you send a thank you note to employers you met with, within one day of the fair. Mention how you enjoyed meeting them, re-state your main qualifications/experience and why you would like to work for the company and finally, express your keen interest for a second interview.

Some other tips

You want to make the most of your time spent at the fair. Some simple things can go a long way in this regard

• Decide on the order of interviewing. Some experts suggest meeting with your top choices first thing in the morning, interviewing with your other choices in the middle of the day, and returning to your top choices at the end of the day to thank them again for their time. Remember to stay a bit flexible though, as your top choices may be the top choices of many, creating long lines that you may wish to avoid


• Don't interview or spend time with companies you are not interested in


• If waiting in line to meet a company, grab a copy of the material they have at their stand, so you can read it before your turn comes


• Do a little bit of networking with others at the fair, such as executive search firms and other job-seekers. You never know where a job-lead might come from

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.

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 May 15, 2009 at 1:45 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

An evolving workplace trend - the move to location-independent workplaces - is revealed in a new report on workplace trends by Citrix Online, a division of Citrix Systems, Inc., provider of virtualization, networking and software as a service technology. The report, Worldwide Workplace: The Web Commuting Imperative, explores how this trend is projected to change the ways in which people live and work, and how it will lead to online access and collaboration technologies enabling full performance without the constraints of location.

The findings illustrate the paradox between what businesses and workers perceive to be important to success and the realities of the workplace. The report compares and contrasts attitudes of workers and owners of small businesses in the United States, the UK and Australia.

Key findings

• Even though a majority of workers (nearly 75%) want the option to work remotely, most workers don't have the option.
• Flexible hours are deemed most essential to having a successful business in the future, and rated higher by a significant margin than health insurance benefits.
• Small business owners are more than four times as likely as others to be able to work remotely "all the time."
• However, more than 25% still believe job duties demand that employees be in the office.
• While many bosses still don't like the idea of employees working offsite, approximately one third of bosses in the U.S. are receptive to having employees participate virtually by phoning in to meetings.
• Freedom from rigid office hours - by having more control over schedules - is what employers and employees like most about Web commuting, even more than saving time and money on transportation.
• Female entrepreneurs are 50% more likely to allow Web commuting from home compared to their male counterparts―perhaps themselves recognizing the need for work/life equilibrium.

Business advantages aside, a location independent working environment can take some getting used to, the report finds. "When we launched our company, working full-time from home or elsewhere wasn't an option," says pollster and political commentator Kellyanne Conway, whose firm conducted the three-country survey. "Even today, we benefit from having an actual office with staffers and an infrastructure. However, I essentially work full-time from home and spend a lot of time on the road--I'm with my family, I'm there for my clients, and I'm fully productive."

"Every company, particularly in the small and mid-sized business space (SMB), is looking for ways to do more with less, and Web Commuting offers a huge advantage," says Gene Marks, noted small business consultant and author, and member of the Worldwide Workplace Council. "I know this from experience--at my own company, we shut down our office and now everybody works from home, or wherever they happen to be. We spend more time with family, and we're much more productive. On a personal note, I've never had to send an 'out-of-office' message." Marks employs a range of Web commuting technologies in his operation and helps other companies implement the right tools and policies.

"From our experience developing online technologies that enable Web commuting, we understand the huge impact this practice is having on every aspect of work and life," says Brett Caine, general manager of Citrix Online. "It gives individuals the ability to be equally productive whether they're in the office or a continent away, just as it gives companies the ability to change the economics of their business, by slashing infrastructure costs and hiring the best talent regardless of where they live."

The Web Commuting Imperative suggests that while individuals and companies alike are embracing the practice in ever-greater numbers, this evolving workplace model will escalate as newer Web commuting technologies become more integrated into the business mainstream, and employees count on them more. To assist these companies, the report suggests best practices for companies to follow as they increasingly adopt a Web commuting business model.

"Worldwide Workplace: The Web Commuting Imperative" is available at www.workshifting.com.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 15, 2009 at 7:57 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

One of the critical challenges for organizations today is building a deeper reservoir of successors at every level, according to Bersin & Associates report, Enterprise Learning, Recruiting and Talent. In today's market, companies who are still hiring are "hiring up," meaning they are trading up for talent that might otherwise have been unattainable. When attempting to attract, identify, and retain this outstanding talent, organizations must remain highly focused on the knowledge, skills, abilities, and "fit" of candidates (i.e., hire and retain capable, committed, and aligned talent).

More than any other measurable asset--including actual performance metrics--the initial measurement (i.e., as a result of recruitment and selection tools) and on-going diagnosis (i.e., assessments and engagement surveys) of candidate and incumbent capability, commitment and alignment are the strongest "leading indicators" an organization has at its disposal for predicting operating results.

Because so many organizations extract leadership talent from within the ranks of their individual contributor population, the focus on specific leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities tends to get lost. Over time, organizational fit is demonstrated; it's easily observed. And in many centers this information alone leads to high performing individual contributors getting promoted to supervisory positions, often with little or no real evaluation of their capacity to lead others. The advancement rationale seems to be that individuals who are skilled and have excelled in one area will also be skilled and likely to excel in other areas. But of course this isn't a reliable assumption. A better basis, a much better basis, for making advancement decisions lies in the deliberate measurement and alignment of knowledge, skills, and abilities required for leadership positions. Growing talent from within constitutes an excellent best practice, but failing to match candidates' knowledge, skills, and abilities with the job requirements - particularly in the leadership domain - is certain to have devastating effects in the near and long term.

Great organizations are passionate and diligent ─ through measurement ─ about identifying the profiles (i.e., knowledge, skills, work preferences, personality, etc.) of successful contributors ─ at all levels and positions. Once those profiles are identified, they become targets against which recruiting resources are deployed.

Within great organizations, it is typical for HR to create and implement sophisticated tools and processes that enable internal client groups to do a better job executing talent acquisition. The use of technology to help companies source and screen talent is becoming more prevalent. Candidates can now visit an organization's web-site, be directed to their career portal, and click on a link to watch video of the CEO delivering a dynamic and compelling recruiting message that both educates and inspires. After experiencing such a powerful introduction to the organization, the candidate has the option to select from a menu of available positions for which to apply. Candidates can then be presented with a brief "realistic job preview," after which they can self-select themselves out of the process prior to entering any identifying personal data. If they decide to continue, they enter some brief identification data and are then presented with a series of questions designed to determine if they are minimally qualified for the position. If they are deemed minimally qualified, they advance to a "work preferences" section where they respond to specific elements of the position (some of which may not be appealing, such as "You will be required to travel 60% of the time. Are you still interested in this position? Click 'Yes' or 'No.'" A candidate who (A) has entered their identification information, (B) has not been "knocked-out" for failing to meet the minimum qualifications, and (C) has not "self-selected" out because they are not interested in the position, then advances to a series of questions designed to capture their education and work experience. At this point, responses are scored "behind the scenes" as part of a scoring algorithm. The last section of this kind of technology-based sourcing and screening system may also include small simulations of parts of the job that assess a candidate's job-related skills. As an example, this kind of simulation could be as simple as a short "mock-up" of a frustrated customer call where the candidate must use his or her judgment to select an effective response. These responses are also scored within the scoring algorithm, resulting in powerful overall "readiness" data that can be used to differentiate one candidate from another.

From an organization's standpoint, the deployment of a technology-based system that accomplishes the steps described above results in a number of organizational benefits most centers work hard to achieve, such as reduced turnover, low costs-per-hire, short times-to-fill, and an overall higher quality of hire (i.e., the best "leading indicator").

There are a number of diagnostic tools, the AlignMark Talent Leadership Index (ATLI) being one that enables an organization's HR department and its internal client groups to assess the relative health of their talent leadership beliefs and practices. The individual elements comprising each foundational area accurately predict capability, commitment, and alignment as well as ultimate metrics such as revenue and margins.

Leaders who create a winning environment in which employees believe in and execute each element, in turn, significantly increase operational success than leaders who do not create such an environment. Therefore, with respect to talent acquisition, the "leading indicator" elements include:

• Application process should be straightforward, easy, and convenient for applicants to use
• Application process should make a good "first impression" and should be perceived by applicants as fair and appropriate
• Prior to interviewing, candidates are pre-screened to ensure they are minimally qualified for the position
• Prior to interviewing and/or more in-depth assessments, candidates are ranked on preferred experience and skill information
• Candidates who pass the pre-screen are able to schedule themselves for next steps
• Candidates are provided immediate feedback as part of the screening process

Article by John Mattone and Cabot L. Jaffee and courtesy of Kenndy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 14, 2009 at 1:11 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Hi All!

Two strikeout leaders in baseball are Reggie Jackson and Babe Ruth. Neither player is remembered as a strikeout leader. Still, people hear stories of great success coming only after great struggle, and this is not enough to encourage them to go after their dreams. The potential downside of failure often greatly outweighs the potential upside from success.

Here are some tips to focus on the upside, especially in an anxious market that may reinforce your habit of playing it safe:

Confront the downside. What are the specific consequences of failure to meet this goal? How much money will you lose? How much time will you have invested? How much notoriety will this bring? Really visualize for yourself the worst possible downside, and make specific plans on how to mitigate the consequences.

Confront the upside. What are the tangible effects of success at this goal? Express it in pictures that you hang on your wall. Write it down in a journal that you read regularly. Tell friends what it means to you. Keep your upside in your sight, your mind, and your words, and it will seem more reachable. Replace one fear with another. At some point, we need to just take our shot. You may never get over your fear of failure, but you could replace it with a greater fear of never knowing.

Think about what it would mean for you to never know what happened if you tried. The prospect of living with a what-if is not very appealing. Focus on the regret, remorse, disappointment, shame, sadness, etc. of not even trying, and you may find these feelings worse than any downside from failure.

Reggie Jackson wouldn't be a Hall of Famer, baseball icon, and candy bar, without also being a strikeout leader. Putting himself in the game meant downside, but also great upside. If you never take your shot, nothing will change. Is the life you have now exactly the way that you want it to be? If not, take aim. As Wayne Gretzky, hockey sports icon, noted "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take."

Guest post, Focus on the Upside, by Caroline Ceniza-Levine, co-founder of SixFigureStart, a career coaching firm that specializes in working with Gen Y young professionals. Formerly in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed campus recruiting for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney ABC, and others.

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 Lisa's Generation Relations Blog

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 14, 2009 at 10:00 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Everywhere I go, I see them. In the manufacturing plants, the retail stores, the HQ buildings and the boardrooms. People at all levels of the business hierarchy seeking one thing: Not profit. Not quallity. Not breakthroughs.

Just power. Raw power. Power for the sake of power. Power to have dominance over others. Power for stature. Power to have the vote to say "No" or "That won't work" or to consider themselves free to do nothing of importance at all. To reject change. To endorse failure. To be advocates for it.

We can see this in the spotlight of the auto industry where CEOs were content to watch a once-great industry crumble in disgrace because they had the power to do so. When outsiders or underlings (i.e., those with less power) presented powerful new ideas, developed innovative thinking that would drive true progress, they were brushed aside. Not because their ideas were meritless, but because they did not come with the "authority" of others who had more power.

When a whistle blower in the SEC's Boston outpost smelled out the Madoff scandal and stuck it in the faces of the bigger fish in the New York central command, he was dismissed repeatedly because he lacked the power of those who used that power to cover their ears and bury their heads in the sand.

Power is majestic and absolutely essential. The power to commit budgets to the development of life saving drugs, to mass armies against tyrants, to bestow personal fortunes in the battle against hunger, to marshall corporate resources in the quest to develop high-risk breakthrough products, to take chances on promising but unproven talent. To invest in people and ideas and the possibility of miracles.

But this same dazzling potion is also highly toxic and dangerous when it is used to accomplish little more than to build on itself, to place an exponent over its title, to build a mote around the holder of the power and to assure that it is left in grand and arrogant isolation.

Contrary to popular myth, entities bestow power on individuals rather easily. It comes from tenure, priviledge or a single successful initiative. And once that power is granted, it is rarely challenged and even less rarely withdrawn. In part because the holder of the power wields the sword they hold to protect their position and to perpetuate the status quo that is so often their firewall. Their safety net.

Who holds power in your organization? Who did you or others grant it to in error? What damaging impact does it have every day that you allow it to continue on the basis of entitlement as opposed to meritocracy?

Facing up to this issue is the primary difference between vibrant companies, alive to all of the market's potential, and those that move inevitably to bureacracy and ultimate demise.

These are the companies, large and small, run throughout the ranks by kings whose only goal is to become emperors.

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 May 14, 2009 at 7:26 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Two weeks ago while I was in California for the Inbound Marketing Summit I received an "urgent" call from my son who is seven. He just had to ask me if we could go shopping when I got home to buy the new Nintendo DSi. I was confused. Santa brought him his beloved Nintendo DS last year - why would he be asking me for a new Nintendo DS? Being seven he wasn't understanding why I didn't understand his question because of course EVERYONE knows that Nintendo released the DSi version of his handheld video game "thing." Right? Apparently the new Nintendo has added bells and whistles that every seven year old must have. He was not happy with me when I told him no. He reminded me that he had saved his hard earned allowance money and, per our house rules, once he earned $100 he could spend 50% of that $100 while the other 50% went into his college savings account. I then reminded him how long it took him to save his money and that he has a Nintendo DS that worked just fine. I also reminded him that with his soccer and swim practices & homework he rarely had time to use the one he has. He argued it would "be convenient for our trips to see Grandma" (who lives in Ohio). I ended the conversation by putting it on Santa, "Maybe Santa will bring it to you."

I know, I took the easy way out. My husband and I try to teach our children that we do not live in a disposable society and they are not entitled to everything they want. Obviously the lessons we are teaching are not getting through. Or are we setting bad examples? Possibly.

Born in 2001, my son is a part of the Generation Z or the Now Generation. As in I want it NOW. Since the generation is still very young there is little information available online about this group. According to Wikipedia, the children of this generation are active consumers, with a high degree of influence over their parents' purchasing decisions. In other words my son's urgent need for the new DSi is all my fault because I allow a seven year old to influence my buying decisions and feeding this "need it now" behavior.

Lately, I've been feeling the generation gap. I find myself saying things like, "When I was your age we didn't have..." to my son. To which he stares at me in disbelief and follows up with a question like, "Did you have TV when you were my age?" I am 39 and have probably 25-30 years ahead of me in the workforce, which means I will likely be working with this new generation one day. Luckily I have plenty of time to understand the generation through first hand experience, which brings me to the point of this blog post.

How do we best handle the current generation gaps in the workforce?

A study conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership discovered that many of the assumptions made about each generation were exaggerated creating the so called "generation gap," and leading to misunderstandings and miscommunication between the generations. To successfully integrate these generations into the workplace, companies like Sodexo are creating a corporate culture that actively promotes diversity and respect for its multigenerational work force. Last week Sodexo introduced a 7th Employee Network Group , Intergenerational Network Group (i-Gen). Our Network Groups are organized around a common dimension of diversity and are created by employees who want to raise awareness in Sodexo of their identity groups. The mission of i-Gen is to leverage multi-Generational differences and commonalities for personal and professional growth in order to attract and retain talent that enhances Sodexo's strength of diversity and inclusion in the marketplace. The group launched May 1 and in just one week the membership jumped to 157 members -- reinforcing the need and desire to communicate effectively across all generations in our workplace.

It should be no surprise to learn Sodexo i-Gen has a Facebook group. The group, which is only open to Sodexo employees, will allow the i-Gen members to share information through social networking. For those who might say only the younger generations are on Facebook. I say you haven't been doing your homework. In fact, Facebook has been growing fastest with people over 45 in the US. Sodexo Careers sees this daily with the conversations we are having with our Facebook Page members from all generations. Sodexo i-Gen also has a Twitter account that is public and anyone can follow them there.

So... what generation do you fall into?

Courtesy of Sodexo Careers Blog Making every day a better day.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 14, 2009 at 7:12 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

An HR metrics study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp) reveals that higher-performing companies are more apt to measure talent-related metrics than lower performers. Common talent-related metrics include movement within the organization, quality of hires, quality of promotions and the cost of training/development.

Engagement of the workforce is one key component with 93% of higher performers measuring employee engagement, as compared to 79% of lower performers. And in this economy, engaging the workforce is paramount. And while 93% of higher performers utilize employee engagement surveys, as compared to 78% of lower performers, 90% of high performers report the use of satisfaction surveys for such measures, as compared to 68% of lower performers.

The study, commissioned by i4cp, also finds several other significant traits for high-performing organizations: 71% of higher performer's measure compliance or completion of diversity plans versus 52% in lower-performing companies, and 61% of higher performers, as compared to 39% of lower performers, consider employee referral rates. Conversely, the study shows that 78% of lower-performing organizations measure total labor cost to cost revenue percentage versus 55% of high-performing organizations. Furthermore, 44% of lower performers measure the employee-to-productivity-output ratio over 25% of higher-performing companies. "What was most striking or interesting is that lower performers were more likely to measure 'cost' metrics than high-performing organizations," says Mary Ann Downey, i4cp's Talent Pillar director. "While at first glance this may seem counterintuitive, it most likely reflects the attitude that low-performing organizations see their employees as a mere expense and not a source of competitive advantage." When tracking attrition, HR is more likely to want to know how many workers leave than who is heading out the door.

Overall, 81% of polled companies use turnover and voluntary termination rates in their measurement of attrition, and 74% measure length of service. On the flip side, just 40% measure termination by variables such as job grade, costs or demographics, and just 38% measure the termination rates of both high-potential employees and termination rates by "pivotal job." Study findings also show, however, that higher-performing companies are more likely to analyze who is leaving. In companies with more than 10,000 employees, 72% measure grade, costs and demographics, while 59% track the loss of high-potentials and 55% track by pivotal job.

When it comes to employees moving within the organization, most companies are not adept at tracking those movements. Overall, 34% measure worker movement from job level, classification or rank, while 29% measure by types of move and 23% track movement by demographic variables.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 13, 2009 at 1:58 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

In our most recent Question of the Week, we asked you to identify your #1 employment law headache. Your top answer? Medical leave.

We're here to help. Last week, we updated you here on all the recent FMLA changes. Now, here's a handy summary of recent changes to the ADA via the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA):

What is the ADAAA?

The ADAAA overturned several U.S. Supreme Court decisions that the bill's sponsors felt too narrowly interpreted the ADA. The Act was the result of a bipartisan effort that included various prominent business groups, including the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

What Did the ADAAA Change?

Here are the highlights:

• Mitigating measures. One of the biggest changes was the rejection of Supreme Court cases requiring "mitigating measures" to be taken into account in determining whether an individual has a disability. Under the ADAAA, technology, equipment, devices and other similar aids would no longer be part of the equation. Notable exceptions: glasses and contact lenses could still be considered.
• Remission. A condition that is in remission or episodic qualifies as a disability if it would substantially limit a major life activity when active.
• "Substantially Limits" Loosened. The ADAAA loosened the definition of "substantially limits" by rejecting a Supreme Court ruling that the phrase should be considered a "demanding standard" and EEOC guidance that it should be defined as "significantly restricted."
• "Major Life Activities" Expanded. The ADAAA provides specific examples of "major life activities," including "major bodily functions" such as "immune system, normal cell growth, digestive, bowel, bladder, neurological, brain, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, and reproductive functions."
• "Regarded As" Narrowed. The ADAAA excludes from "regarded as" claims minor/transitory conditions lasting six months or less.

Yikes. I'm Confused. Whom Should I Call?

When it comes to ADA issues (especially accommodations), your first call should always, always, always be to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN is a FREE service that helps employers address disability-related issues proactively and reasonably. Click here to visit JAN's official site.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 12, 2009 at 1:15 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Last year at this time I was telling a Minnesota IT Consultant friend of mine, "You have to start networking again. This market is starting to change, starting to slow and you need to be ahead of the curve."

My friend is very talented and well connected but lazy when it comes to staying in touch with people. He always has been, but he's also always had been able to get a new gig within 2 weeks of the previous one ending. With the market being good, he would treat the 2 weeks as a vacation or a chance to do other things.

We knew his contract was coming to a close at the end of November, after a 16 month run.

He kept saying, "Dude, I do not have the time or energy. I do not have time to attend industry events and my LinkedIn profile looks fine."

He was right about his LinkedIn profile. It was and is still fine. But the issue with the logic is the difference between saying you are on LinkedIn and using LinkedIn; two very different things.

Even with the market slowing down he would have been able to get his next gig. He is that good. But then the slow down became a stall.

And then he started marketing himself AFTER his gig ended and slots were filled. Projects were planned and staffed. He found himself on the outside looking in.

One of our friends said, "I thought you would be at XYZ until after the 1st of the year; why did you not say anything? You know we would have taken you on."

So what did he lose? A lot.

15 weeks x 40 hours = 600 hours

600 hours x $80 an hour = $48,000

Here is the moral to the story: You need to manage your career the way you manage maintenance on your car, doctor check ups and your next family vacation.

Do not have time to manage your career?

You cannot afford not to.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 12, 2009 at 12:03 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The explosion of diploma mills is beginning to have an adverse effect on legitimate online degrees. Many online degrees do lack the standards of a traditional degree however some are still considered very good. Due to the many unregulated online courses many employers are not allowing those with 'online' degrees to apply. It is important when conducting a background check to verify the type of degree obtained by your applicants!

US: No job if you only have an online degree

American universities are rejecting job applications from academics with online degrees - even if the institutions offer those degrees themselves. Good enough for luring in student tuition, it seems, but not good enough for hiring as faculty.

For several years, the number of vacancy descriptions that state "no online degrees" has been increasing. The first "no online degree" declarations were posted for international academic positions and this was to be expected because many other countries had serious problems with diploma mills - those fake institutions that offer degrees for money.

It was possible to identify the diploma mills because, in spite of brochures with campus scenes, they operated out of a storefronts or mailboxes. You filled out a few forms and paid your money for a bachelor's degree; pay more money and you got a masters or a PhD.

Today, with previously legitimate universities offering online courses and degrees, it is becoming difficult to separate the diploma mills from the bona fide programmes. That is why the value of the online degree is being questioned by more and more employers.

Some online degree courses consist of little more than asking the student to read a book and take a test. But we need architects who can build solid buildings and surgical nurses who can do nursing, which is why some employers are placing restrictions on the amount of online work that can be applied toward nursing degrees.

The inability of some online graduates to perform has led to the "no online degrees" job advertisements. The watering down of the value of American degrees has become obvious in recent approvals of online masters degrees for what had previously been undergraduate teaching coursework in Kansas.

More

Article by, Jason Morris and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 12, 2009 at 11:10 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

US News and World Reports recently released its list of best careers for the year 2009. Great news! Physical and Occupational Therapy both ranked in the top 30 careers. So you may be asking what exactly makes a great career? Well the criteria used to rank the top 30 jobs included median pay, job satisfaction, training difficulty, prestige, job market outlook, and education requirements. Want to know how each career ranked? Click here for a report card showing the grades in each category.

In addition to writing the article, US News and World Reports also selected a few of the careers to profile on video. The video is a great piece by Occupational Therapist Christine Harmon explaining what an OT does. While Christine works in pediatrics she talks at length about what a pediatric OT does she also mentions OT's in nursing homes and what is involved in their job as well.

Article courtesy of RehabCare Student blog. RehabCare provides college recruiting for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants and Speech Language Pathologists.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 11, 2009 at 9:18 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

Job boards, recruiters, company websites, friends, family . . . who's hiring? Well, if you do your homework and are persistent, there are plenty of companies hiring. You should be using all of your resources (basically, everything listed in my first sentence) and balancing your search every day. Today's post is about leveraging your resources across as many types of resources as possible.

Tinytechjobs.com - This job search board is focused on jobs in technology, not just any technology, tiny technology. So what is tiny technology? "Jobs using tiny technology, including careers in MEMS, nanotechnology, microtechnology, biotechnology, and information technology". The top center of the main page lists current job openings. The left hand side of the page allows registration, search jobs, view all jobs plus more. There are tabs at the top of the page which provide additional links (like internships, blogs and resources). Clicking on "View all jobs" returned 63 job opportunities.

Recruitingintelligence.com - The beginning sentence for this job search board is "Our mission is to provide our corporate clients with access to alumni of the most prestigious colleges and universities". So that would leave me out, but maybe not you. In any event, it won't stop you from searching their jobs. The main page is very simple, your only choice is to click on "current job listings". This link takes you their "real" main page where it lists some of their job openings and has traditional tabs at the top (Browse jobs, post resume, etc.).

DHR International - DHR is global executive recruiter. Top of the page has links to practices, consultants, solutions and more. This firm covers a broad range of job functions and industries, from technology to venture capital. Clicking on any of the job functions takes you to a page which summarizes that practice and a list of consultants whom you can contact. You can also click on the "Contact us" and select "Prospective Candidates". You then have several choices/options for submitting your resume.

Barnes & Noble - The bookseller's career site gives a little background on the company. You can look for jobs in their stores or in their corporate offices. Towards the bottom of the page you can click on one of these two. Clicking on Stores returned 165 job opportunities.

WSJ - Who's Hiring - Let's not forget the Wall Street Journal's Who's Hiring site. There are 12 companies highlighted who are currently hiring (not sure how often they update their site). Clicking on any company logo will return a brief summary of the company. Clicking on "search for jobs with this employer" takes you to the WSJ's career search site and returns jobs for the company selected.

Good luck in your search.

Article by, Career Alley

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 May 11, 2009 at 8:59 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

"Companies recognize that if the Employee Free Choice Act passes it will have an impact on their business, but few are being proactive and strategically preparing for the increased labor costs," says Richard Fine, a senior consultant at Hay Group who recently published a survey of companies on the Employee Free Choice Act. "Instead, we're seeing companies take a wait-and-see approach. It's as if they see the rain coming, but aren't getting out their umbrella."

Corporate Pro-action: EFCA

While the majority of respondents are not projecting labor costs, most (64%) are already taking some actions regarding EFCA.

• 64% of those taking action are planning, considering adding, or increasing supervisor management and training programs
• 47% are planning or considering improvements to unit climate and engagement

"Ultimately, whether or not an organization becomes unionized comes down to management," added Fine. "The most effective way to avoid organized labor is to create and sustain a strong employee value proposition, embodied by trust, open communication and employee engagement. Employers should be taking the time now to ensure their employees are engaged to avoid a dramatic increase in labor costs later."

Other key survey findings from Hay Group's Employee Free Choice Act Survey

• More than 80% of respondents said executives at their organization are concerned about EFCA.
• Approximately 90% of respondents indicated the amount of HR time and resources spent on union avoidance would increase if EFCA passes.
• Of those, half thought HR time and resources spent on union avoidance would increase by 10-24%.
• Nearly 35% of respondents expect EFCA to increase employee pay at their organization.
• Approximately 16% of respondents indicated that they have projected the costs associated with a union joining their organization. The majority of those respondents believe total labor costs will increase by more than 10%, and many believe it will increase by more than 25%.
• More than 70% of respondents rated their current work climate with hourly employees as positive or very positive.
• However, only 35% of respondents administer employee opinion surveys to address union avoidance and vulnerability.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 8, 2009 at 2:51 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Hi All!

I adore Ryan Healy. He's a bright young guy and a Millennial Blogger who I follow. And when I say "Millennial Blogger" I mean he's a member of the Millennial (Gen Y) Generation who blogs about Millennial topics...not some older person (like me) who writes about them!

He's the co-founder of the Brazen Careerist; a service that matches companies with young job candidates, and he runs the blog, Employee Evolution, a career blog for Millennial professionals.

On Employee Evolution he posts all kinds of great insights pertaining to everything "Millennial". Recently he wrote a post entitled: Why Isn't Mainstream Gen Y Buying Into the New Web?

Here's an excerpt from it:

Generation Y practically invented social media. Friendster was the original, but when Facebook came on the college scene in 2004, everything changed. College students took their offline friends and aggregated them in one place online. Guys browsed through their college networks to find cute girls they had seen at the library, and everyone posted photos from last night's drunken party or Saturday afternoon's football game.

The traditional social media early adopters are 18 -24 and Twitter is the new social media darling. Why isn't Gen Y biting?

I can't cut & paste his entire post here (that wouldn't be nice), so CLICK HERE to read the whole thing. It's filled with great stats and insights. Plus, he received 15+ comments from people who also shared good feedback and ideas about his perspectives on this.

And, big thanks to Ryan for providing some great content for my NEW BOOK that will be out this fall. I can't tell you the title or what it's about right now...it's top secret

Bye for now.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 8, 2009 at 2:43 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Job interviews can be tricky for the job seeker and the interviewer. A person who interviews well may not be the best worker, while a bad interviewee could end up as a top performer. Discerning between the two can be a difficult challenge.

WIIFM - If you find yourself deflecting questions about salary and benefits long before you've even made an offer, turn and run. The "What's In It For Me" factor is alarming in an interview, but disastrous in a team-oriented work environment. While you want someone assertive enough to stick up for their own interests, timing is everything. If the interviewer hasn't broached the subject already, the pay and benefits discussion should come up when an offer is made, whether in the first or follow-up interviews.

Enough about you - Conversation domination is another red flag - i.e., endless talking about one's own accomplishments, experiences, goals, etc. It makes a person come across as oblivious and possibly even arrogant. Instead, look for succinct answers with follow-up questions indicating interest in other topics. A top-performing team requires people who are willing to stop talking about themselves long enough to listen to others' ideas.

Neggie Nellie - Are you dealing with an optimist or a pessimist? This comes across in how people talk about themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, how they carry themselves, and how they discuss past career experiences and future goals. Individual optimism, confidence and a can-do attitude provides a tremendous boost to the team.

Too much information - An oversharer of personal information can be a real drag. A qualified professional will understand that the job interview is not the place for personal stories about family, health, etc. This indicates a preoccupation with something other than work which can impede commitment to the job with an ultimate negative impact on the company's financial bottom line.

Cell phone mania - Even on the vibrate setting, cell phones can be noisy and distracting. Once the person has joined the team, constantly being plugged in may be a desirable trait. In the interview, however, electronic communication should be shut down completely. It indicates respect and that nothing is more important than the interview at that moment.

Finally, the last sign it may be time to move on to the next job seeker: silly questions about the company. A qualified, hard-working professional who really wants the job will take time to research the company. They won't ask questions about the job description or company history and objectives if that information is readily available on the company web site. Basic research is a simple step that indicates the job seeker really wants that job. Essentially, these common sense steps boil down to three main things: courtesy, self-motivation, and respect for your time.

Article by, Hayli and courtesy of RiseSmart.com - RiseSmart: Search Smarter. Rise Faster.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 8, 2009 at 2:39 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

We are huge fans of Lisa Kaye and her company greenlightjobs. Not only is Lisa an entrepenuer and saavy business owner, she is a seasoned HR executive with experience leading some of the most recognized brands in the entertainment industry. We also happen to think that she's a great writer.

Lisa was kind enough to write a Guest Article for employeescreen University entitled, "Don't Lie About How Good You Are . . ." , where she lends sage advice to executives looking for jobs who are concerned about being "over-qualified". While many know the hazards or embellishing or lying on a resume, Lisa suggests that efforts to "dumb down" a resume can be equally harmful.

Here's an excerpt from her article:

There is so much competition in the market place at the moment, with many former senior level executives vying for jobs far beneath their skills and qualifications it's become a virtual (no pun intended even though we are an online recruitment company), feeding frenzy!

So how do you warn senior level execs who are being out-placed and replaced on a daily basis of the potential hazards of the job market mine field currently inhabiting our world?

Well, the first thing you tell them is not to lie about their qualifications and skills or "dummy down" their resumes in hopes of getting a look-see from some eager and hopeful recruiter looking to make a placement. This market is tough, nothing new there. In fact, most job markets even when there are an abundance of jobs available, offer its own unique challenges from which we must navigate. When jobs are a plenty, the executive is courted like a debutante at a cotillion ball. Recruiters, employers, hiring managers alike pull out all the stops and throw in more perks to entice, seduce and eventually overcome their prey-The Candidate. When jobs are scare however, there is no room for pleasantries and it's a game of survival of the fittest. The once coveted executive must now become savvy, slick and all so focused on how and when they will be enticed, seduced and ultimately overtaken by a job offer!

So what's the best approach to take in re-entering the job market, vying for not so senior jobs, when your resume reads like a "Who's Who" in Executive Leadership and you were once listed on the "Top 50 Most Influential People to Watch?"

Read More

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 8, 2009 at 2:34 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Executives Believe One-Quarter of Meetings Are Unnecessary, Survey Shows

Professionals should think twice before scheduling that next meeting, a survey suggests. Managers interviewed said 28 percent of these gatherings are a waste of time. Moreover, almost half of respondents (45 percent) felt employees would be more productive if their company banned meetings one day a week.

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam and conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies.

Executives were asked, "What percentage of meetings do you feel are unnecessary?" The average response was 28 percent.

Executives also were asked, "How much more or less productive do you believe your employees would be if your company banned meetings one day a week?" Their responses:

Much more productive = 13%

Somewhat more productive = 32%

No change = 46%

Somewhat less productive = 4%

Much less productive = 3%

Don't know/no answer = 2%

TOTAL = 100%

"Businesses are operating with lean teams, which implies more people are stretched for time," said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Sometimes meetings outlive their original purpose, so professionals should carefully consider whether one is warranted or if there's a more efficient way to share the information."

Hosking added, "The adage, 'Be brief, be brilliant, be gone,' rings particularly true in the workplace right now. Meeting organizers and participants both play a role in keeping these gatherings in check."

OfficeTeam offers five signs that a meeting could be a "time waster":

1. Everything but the kitchen sink is being covered. It's wise to have an agenda, but one that is lengthy or unfocused could indicate that not all of the information will be relevant to every attendee. When the agenda becomes too long, organizers should consider whether it would be better to hold smaller, more focused gatherings.

2. It'll take more than an hour. You often lose people after 60 minutes, so think carefully about scheduling a meeting that will take more than an hour of someone's time. If there's no way to condense, consider snacks, interactive elements or multiple speakers to keep people engaged.

3. The attendee list goes on and on. When a participant list is extensive, it may signal an overly ambitious meeting, or one where people are being invited as a courtesy, rather than because they need to attend. If you're organizing the meeting, be sure to list people as "optional" if their presence isn't required.

4. There's a large PowerPoint deck involved. Visuals can be useful for reinforcing information, but it's possible much of that information could be shared prior to the meeting. The gathering then could be used to field questions or highlight the most important data.

5. It's a habit. Routine meetings can become, well, routine. Think about whether regular gatherings are necessary or could be held less frequently.

"Meeting participants who notice these signs should confirm with the host that their attendance is required and, if so, offer ideas for keeping the meeting efficient," said Hosking.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 7, 2009 at 1:44 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

When you do more than you are paid to do, you'll eventually be paid more for what you do. -Zig Ziglar

Ever heard that? That's a great piece of advice...once you get past the "how can I find time to do MORE??" panic--it's not nearly as hard as it sounds, although it does require some work. What happens when you do more than you're paid to do?

• Managers notice you. Once you step outside of your job description (in a helpful, team-player way, not in a take-over-other-peoples'- jobs way), you single yourself out as a "go-to" person. Someone who's interested in helping others. An employee who wants the company to do well. (...which ties in to another Zig quote: "You can have anything you want in life just as long as you help enough people to get what they want in life." Zig has a ton of quotes, which are all good.)
• You learn. If you branch out and do more than what's listed in your job description, eventually you'll know how to do other jobs. You'll gain experience, knowledge, and a bigger network that includes all the people you're meeting as you venture outside of your original circle.
• Those who work hard and become experts in their fields find success. They get noticed, promoted, and become recognized and sought-after by other companies and recruiters. That's an excellent place to be.

Want to get ahead in medical sales, laboratory sales, clinical diagnostics sales, biotechnology sales, medical device sales, hospital equipment sales, imaging sales, pathology sales, or any healthcare sales? This is how to do it.

Article by Peggy McKee, Medical Sales Recruiter

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 Boston Technical Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 7, 2009 at 12:29 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The EEOC has issued brand-new pandemic guidance. Click here for Employment Discrimination and the 2009 H1N1 Flu Virus and here for ADA-Compliant Employer Preparedness For the H1N1 Flu Virus.

Here are the highlights:

Employment Discrimination

The first document reminds employers that Title VII "prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of national origin, for example, discrimination against Mexicans."

It also reminds employers of ADA medical exam/inquiry requirements. For specific guidance related to employees, click here. For guidance related to applicants, click here.

ADA-Compliant Preparedness

The second document gives additional guidance on preparing for a pandemic without violating the ADA.

It includes a survey to help employers ask employees "about factors, including chronic medical conditions, that may cause them to miss work in the event of a pandemic." It also includes various FAQs:

Question: May employers require entering employees to have post-offer medical tests to determine flu virus exposure?

Answer: Yes, in limited post-offer, pre-start circumstances if all entering employees in the same job category are required to take such an exam.

Question: During a pandemic, may employers require employees to adopt infection control practices?

Answer: Yes, including hand washing, coughing/sneezing etiquette and tissue usage/disposal.

Question: May employers require employees to wear personal protective equipment (e.g., face masks, gloves and gowns) to reduce virus transmission?

Answer: Yes, so long as employees with disabilities are reasonably accommodated (e.g., providing non-latex gloves).

Question: May employers require employees to telework as an infection control strategy?

Answer: Yes, so long as it's done in a consistent and non-discriminatory fashion.

Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 7, 2009 at 10:49 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

This will be one of the shortest blog posts I have had and mostly so I can vent and get this topic out of my head.

I learned this lesson in the last recession, regardless of the economy always return a phone call.

Job seekers are (rightly so) complaining that recruiters and HR folks are not getting back to them.

Recruiters are (rightly so) complaining that they are getting too many calls and cannot handle the volume.

It's the way these things go but rewind to 18 months ago when the above was reversed.

Job Seekers were getting phone calls from recruiters and feeling annoyed and intruded upon.

Recruiters were upset their calls were not being returned. "How rude..." some Recruiters were saying.

Folks, remember these times and remember how frustrating it can be.

You get what you give.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 5, 2009 at 3:00 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I learned staffing the hard way. After a week of training, I was set in front of a computer with a stack of paper resumes and told to call through, entering information and looking for cablers at $8 an hour so we could charge $13-$15. My first two months was spent calling people who just graduated with an MCSE and convincing them that a job cabling, while not glamorous, was a good start for the industry.

At the time, my background in cold-calling was very helpful. I was used to making 125 calls a day, so 60 was a welcome relief, and I was offering people a job, not selling them a product over the phone. As we entered names into the computer, the job got easier. We had Personic's EZAccess, which functioned more like an Access database, and less like an ATS, but it was fast, easy, and I was able to track my progress easier than my old way of pencil and a notepad.

Over the years, I used a variety of systems at different employers - none matched the ease of Personic, and my personal call volume dropped each time I changed calls as I got further from pure calling. At my final job, the system was so bad, I went back to the pencil and paper, using Outlook to track numbers each day - giving me the numbers I needed to add a hire a week from January 21, 2005, to October 15th 2005, when I left on a honeymoon cruise.

In the last half of that year, a new directive came down to add all of our activity to the new applicant tracking system. The system was slow, had about 10 clicks for every action, and the only way I could get it done was to stay 2 hours after work and enter that data. That experience didn't make me want to quit, but it did get me to thinking about better uses of my time, which three months later would culminate in me leaving to start my own company.

I bring this up because a similar story was told to me a couple of weeks ago, from a top producer at a different kind of firm. Their new CRM was difficult to use, and while it didn't make the person want to quit, it did put a seed into their mind that a company that needed you to do busywork might not be the best place for your talents.

I wonder how many times this happens. Executives purchase a piece of software, and institute training based on what they want entered, and not based on what their top producers need to make more money. Is your CRM/ATS/DataEntry system built for you, or is it built for efficiency? Today, I use Sendouts and SugarCRM, but really I use my iPhone, Outlook, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. I look at my paper trail, and wonder if I could ever adapt to another internal system, but then I look at my productivity, and it's the highest it's ever been.

Something to think about.

Article by Jim Durbin and courtesy of StlRecruiting.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 5, 2009 at 2:39 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Staffing agencies have been aligning employers with talented job seekers for years. These agencies are always there to help ease the stress of job hunting whether you are a current student, a recent graduate, or between jobs. In addition, temp work offers many advantages over permanent/direct-hire work. The flexibility, variety, and independence of temporary work makes it a great choice for the job-seeker and seasoned professional.

The flexibility of temp work is an obvious benefit to those candidates or employees seeking an environment with little accountability, stress, and commitment. Short term and varied assignments help workers to meet their financial needs without worrying about long term job concerns or plans. Temp assignments can last anywhere from one day to several months allowing job seekers to find the right amount of work that best suits their work/life needs.

Temp work is not limited to short assignments, however, and can lead to deeper and more involved positions within the hiring organization. This variety of assignments means employees can "take a peek" inside a company to see if they would like to pursue a permanent position there in the future. The job seeker has little to worry about regarding benefits, as most agencies provide quality, comparable health coverage to their temporary employees.

Developing an excellent employee profile, with multiple agencies, can almost guarantee a steady paycheck if that is what the job seeker looks for. Temporary employees often think of themselves as "independent contractors" in control of their own destiny. Staffing Managers and Recruiters are rewarded by helping you find a job. So knowing that you have someone looking out for new opportunities for you, on a full-time basis, can help ease the stress of job hunting.

Staffing agencies provide temporary work, temporary-to-hire work (where the employee works for a pre-determined amount of time, with the possibility of being hired permanently by the client company), or direct hire opportunities (where the employee is immediately hired permanently by the client company). Registering with an agency can be an excellent resource for people looking for work, no matter what their desired situation.

Article by, Lakeshore Staffing

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 May 5, 2009 at 2:02 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

In Dan and Chip Heath's December column for Fast Company they espouse the benefit of speaking in plain English and not trying to do something too clever a la the slogan variety. I wholeheartedly agree; this advice relates to the jobseeker as well.

Many candidates worry that their resume isn't catchy, that their interview doesn't include the buzzwords, that their pitch isn't memorable. However the best candidates are clear and concise, not catchy. Buzzwords often come across as superficial. The most memorable pitches are authentic and easy to understand.

Jobseekers should say what they mean in plain English. Recruiters don't have a lot of time to decode double entendres and jargon. Recruiters also have heard a lot, so what strikes you as witty and original may be stale and cliche. Kill the slogan is a good idea not just for marketers but for jobseekers too.

Caroline Ceniza-Levine is co-founder of SixFigureStart , a career coaching firm that specializes in working with Gen Y young professionals. Formerly in corporate HR and retained search, Caroline most recently headed campus recruiting for Time Inc and has also recruited for Accenture, Citibank, Disney ABC, and others.

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 Boston Technical Recruiter

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 5, 2009 at 1:54 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

In the 17 years I have been in the real estate business, the art of retaining and training real estate professionals has changed dramatically. The old concept of "recruiting" is dead, since recruiting implies a forcefulness or entrapment that doesn't appeal to today's workforce. Today, we must attract talent to our companies--and that attraction must remain in order to retain our existing agents. This is the new generation of talent attraction.

Our goal as an industry is to attract new, fresh talent. In order to attract talent from generations Y and X, we must offer a value proposition that is meaningful to these demographics. Many brokers and managers in the Boomer demographic find this challenging, which is only compounded by the current market conditions.

At Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate, we are challenging our brokers and managers to think about attracting talent in a different way. We do this through not only the power of our language but by leveraging our exclusive "Talent Attraction Platform." This ten-point system includes tools and guidance to help attract, bond, commit and develop career inquiries and the skills of the managers and brokers responsible for attracting new talent.

Real estate career searchers, whether they are new to the industry or already licensed and considering an office change, are looking for interaction and engagement online before they make live contact. Most "career" sections on real estate websites offer static information on a career in real estate and why a particular company is the "best place" to work. There is no way to trigger a thirst to want to know more for the career searcher. Often, there is not even an inquiry-capture opportunity for the candidate on these sites, besides a dated "fill in the form" for more information.

Conversely, on www.bhgrealestate.com/careers, there are three distinct career inquiry capture tools--the Real Estate Simulator, an introductory business plan and "Ask a Career Expert" for more information. Franchisors typically take a passive role in helping their franchisees grow through talent attraction. We, however, are taking a very direct role in helping our franchisees grow by actively generating and sending them career inquiries.

Successfully attracting and retaining real estate professionals involves a constant reinforcement of messages, benefits and the company value proposition. But that is not enough. Today's real estate professional wants to know that the broker has a skill set for success that they can learn from. This demonstrates how the features and benefits are put into action and this creates the value that attracts and retains agents. When the agents feel the brokers and managers do not have a skill set that can help them reach their goals, they leave. Finding and retaining the best in the business is a skill set of its own, and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has the culture and systems in place for a win-win situation.

Building a team and company culture does not happen in a weekly sales meeting anymore--that is business as usual. In today's world, brokers and managers have to adopt strategies, such as social media, blogging and video conferencing, as tools to build and maintain the company's culture. You cannot sell culture; you experience it. Brokers and managers must interact frequently and use various methods.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 5, 2009 at 1:34 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

OK, so that comment may seem a bit odd to make but for some reason this logic has not been found by many of my colleagues.

Many in my industry say that Social Media is ineffective, a time waster, a distraction and that more people can be found by the phone.

To that I say BS.

I have always had more of a farming or relationship based model of recruiting so Social Media is easy for me to grasp. Participate, share information, make friends, introduce friends, talk about news, etc is easy for me. That and I think in an industry where we work with people as intensely as we do this makes sense.

But some say "prove to me it works" or "how many placements have you made from Social Media". I love that last question particularly in this economy.

The question should be "As best you can figure out, how much of your revenue comes from Social Media and related activities" I can answer that easily, around 35%.

It is hard to know exactly where a referral comes from or how it originated three steps ago, if someone saw a post from an RSS feed about a speaking engagement or if some friend on Twitter said give Paul a call. I do ask but it can be really hard to trace besides, I know it works and I would rather work on this new thing than analyze how it happened.

I find it really odd, hilarious to be blunt, that recruiters say Social Media does not work. Really?

Maybe not for you but what is the issue here, the way you use it or Social Media as a possible tool?

If you are struggling with the Social Media concept and think that I am full of crap (or other recruiters who have been trying to share their experiences) get involved with folks who do Social Media (PR/Marketing folks too when appropriate) for a living.

Get involved with a group like I have the Social Media Breakfast Minneapolis St. Paul. I get in a room of recruiters and feel like a professor but when in a room like we were in last week at the breakfast I feel like I am starting my senior year in college. Take what you hear and translate it to Recruiter and HR speak.

Follow Social Media, PR, Marketing folks to see what they do, links they suggest, find projects they work on.

Or as some have suggested stay away until you know it works. That's good for me, less competition.

Last item, I find it ironic when a Recruiter says that using Social Media is a waste off time through a Social Media tool.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 5, 2009 at 12:56 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

In contrast to yesterday's mixed signals on a state by state basis, there was no mistaking the message from LinkUp's April jobs report on an industry by industry basis: it was all grim. Not a single industry showed an increase in new job listings in April, and the average decline in new job listings for all industries was 26%.

LinkUp, one of the leading job search engines in the country, indexes job listings found on only on company web sites (16,874 company sites in April). Unlike other job search engines such as Indeed or Simplyhired, LinkUp does not aggregate jobs from other job boards but rather aggregates and publishes only jobs pulled directly from company web sites themselves. As a result, job listings found on LinkUp are always current, often unadvertised, and never fake.

In terms of the worst performing industrie, Consulting & Freelance, Advertising & PR, and Government showed the biggest percentage declines, while Health & medical, Sales, and Technology showed the largest decrease in new job listings.

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 May 5, 2009 at 12:44 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The number of U.S. organizations decreasing overall staffing levels has nearly doubled in the past four months, according to management consulting firm Hay Group's latest Reward in a Downturn Survey. When Hay Group conducted a similar study in November 2008, only 19% of U.S. respondents reported planning layoffs. However, only four months later, that number has jumped to 34% for U.S. respondents. Organizations are also turning to wage freezes and modest salary increase budgets to reduce labor costs. According to Hay Group's survey, 37% of U.S. organizations have instituted a wage freeze for their employees - and more than half of U.S. respondents report their executives will receive no salary increase this year. A total of 2,000 organizations from 88 countries across six continents participated in Hay Group's latest survey.

"Organizations have been swift and decisive in their actions to reduce labor costs during these trying economic times," said Tom McMullen, U.S. Reward Practice Leader for Hay Group. "When we conducted a similar study a year ago, only 16% of U.S. respondents expected their business results to be significantly worse than targeted levels. Today, that number has jumped to 40% for U.S. respondents, and we're seeing organizations substantially tightening their belts as a result."

The impact of the downturn is indeed a global issue - significantly affecting high-growth economies in Asia, Eastern Europe and South America, as well as the more developed economies in North America and Europe within the past four months. Unlike Hay Group's November survey, the percentage of organizations expecting business results to be worse than targeted or budgeted levels is now largely consistent around the globe.

Other key findings from Hay Group's Global Employee Pay and Staffing Survey:

Retirement program reductions: One fifth of organizations with either defined benefit or defined contribution retirement programs are reporting that they are considering changes to the value of these programs. Of organizations making changes to their defined contribution plans, the vast majority (78%) of U.S. respondents report they are considering decreasing the benefit levels of these plans.

Long-term variable pay value significantly drops: Many organizations have stated that the value of their long-term incentive programs have dropped substantially - by a median of 40% in the U.S. and 30% globally. Approximately 32% of U.S. respondents indicate they are considering or making changes to their long-term incentive programs. Of those organizations, approximately half report they will be granting lower values of options, shares and units per employee in 2009.

HR programs hitting the chopping block: Training and development programs are being decreased or eliminated by 22% of U.S. respondents. Companies are also cutting overtime wages (21%) and the use of contract laborers (32%).

Employees worry about job security the most: Not surprisingly, respondents report their employees' primary concern is around job security, with 92% of U.S. organizations saying this is a top concern for employees. Management, however, listed the ability to retain top talent and employees with critical skills (91% of U.S. employers), and the ability to maintain an engaged and motivated workforce (90% of U.S. employers) as top concerns.

Renewed focus on severance programs: Nearly 40% of surveyed companies either made or considered changes to their severance programs in the last year, according to another Hay Group study conducted in February 2009. Of these companies, 39% considered making their programs more generous rather than less.

"Organizations in crisis mode often rush to cut costs through overly simplistic one-size-fits-all reductions in headcounts and salary budgets," says McMullen. "In these extraordinary times of economic uncertainty, organizations should take care to make contractions strategically and surgically to ensure that the talent base is still onboard and engaged when the economy turns around."

Click here for more survey information.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 5, 2009 at 8:55 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As a mentor of mine often says, "If you're not tooting your own horn there is no music!" Those whose livelihoods depend on externally focused relationships such as corporate recruiters all understand the power of reference selling. In any economy there is an enormous level of comfort in a candidate's journey when they get unsolicited recommendations from other satisfied candidates - it's simply called "credibility by association."

In today's economy, in which organizations are slashing their HR and recruiting functions, the ability to differentiate yourself is imperative.

When I work with professional service providers, such as recruiters, I often ask about their current or perspective outreach efforts. Recently, a recruiter complained that although she had extensive industry experience and subject matter expertise, she was seldom tapped into for higher-level engagements. So naturally, I asked her "what are you doing to package, market, sale, and proactively reference her value add, within the company?"

When she gave me a blank stare, I offered what I consider five best practices to reference selling and a way to effectively "toot your own horn."

1. The Five Best Practices of How to Most Effectively Reference Sell Within Your Organization:
2. Document your STAR success: What was the Scenario you found yourself in that was challenging, what Tactics did you apply, what Actions did you take, and what Results did you create? Keep it poignant and capture this information from the "buyer's" perspective, meaning that of the hiring manager.
3. Make it visually appealing: Although the content is critical, turn raw text into an elegantly designed and visually appealing one-sheet presentation that connects your actions with your audience.
4. Target your distribution: Email the electronic version and physically mail professionally printed hard-copies to your most valuable relationships within your organization as well as to those external to the organization who may help you reference sell yourself.
5. Mass appeal: After you discretely target, send your document out to a broader base for more widespread visibility. Be sure to use discretion with this dissemination, take caution with ensuring you have appropriate permissions. Everyone likes to hear success stories; send it to industry publications, and place in the organizational blog, speak at the local university, present a paper of your findings at a conference. Simply put, repurpose this success into multiple visibility avenues.
6. Specificity drives credibility: To the extent possible share how you accomplished the desired results, provide uncommon wisdom, and follow on access to resources. Give them web sites that support your findings or your contact information for them to learn more. Ideally, include a supporting quote from a hiring manager which specifically addresses their experience and recognized results or outcomes from your efforts.

Nour Bonus Tip: Very few people will read reference letters; almost everyone will read reference snippets - short one or two sentences which extract the essence or the highlights of the reference letter. "Sam made the impossible possible."

When done well, internal reference selling will create a stronger personal brand and also appropriately deserved recognition for meritocracy. Most importantly, it will give others the ammunition to engage and invite you to other similar opportunities to deliver exceptional experiences and results for others.

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 May 5, 2009 at 8:50 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

I think everyone in the world probably knows what TMI is, but for those not fluent in the short message acronyms, TMI is "Too Much Information." Essentially, it is about certain individuals' propensity to share too much information about themselves or any topic under the sun. Typically, when one hears too much information the reaction is to cringe and/or experience general malaise at why so much was shared. TMI happens too much.

Why is this on my brain today? Well, often and particularly now that the summer working season is about to begin, the number of times that members of our social network bring up drug testing and smoking weed increases. For the record, I'm no fool, I know that lots of people in the seasonal world imbibe, BUT, my work experience is in HR and safety management and I've got a low level, if not zero level, of tolerance for idiots those who violate health, safety and DOT policies. I've administered drug and alcohol testing programs for the DOT (bus drivers) and I've heard every excuse in the book for why someone failed a drug test. "I swear, I wasn't smoking. I was at a party and everyone else was smoking. Not me." "Dude, I use hemp oil in my cooking." Well, I have not heard all of them, but enough to know that generally people will lie about their use because they just are mad that they got caught. I've also been involved in performance / discipline events with employees who simply made bad choices. There are good reasons the rules exist and certainly if I am in a role to enforce them, then that's what I do.

The social network is a whole other ball of wax. I'm not their employer. I'm not their manager. I can't discipline them or nor do I care to. I'm just a simple network administrator who tries to keep relative peace when things get heated. I am frankly amazed at how much people will share and how they are so cavalier and public about something that not only violates most employers' policies, but is against the law. But whatever. It just means more jobs for me in the future, right?

Now as HR professionals, we know that unless something affects one's performance on the job, it should not matter or be considered when weighing someone's potential employment or continued employment. The fact that individuals post this stuff on the Internet really has nothing to do with how they will do their jobs. Nothing.

So what can you do about it?

• Have strongly worded policies about drug and alcohol use on the job.
• Enforce those policies.
• Do not take hearsay into consideration, but do your own investigation to get to the truth of the matter.
• You can Google your employees. In fact, a lawyer told me it was perfectly fine to do so at a SHRA conference, BUT, if you do that for ONE person, be prepared to do so for ALL of your employees and prospective employees, AND, don't take things into consideration that may violate the EEO. Read more about what the lawyer said here.
• Lastly, know that they're headed your way and be prepared to handle the inevitable policy violations.

Hopefully, this post did not make you cringe, but this is what I am seeing right now on our social network. Mind you, the offenders are few and far between, but they are out there, and they are headed to a summer job near you.

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 May 4, 2009 at 9:00 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Despite being proclaimed as hard-to-outsource, green technology jobs are being created faster in India than America, according to the 2009 Green Outsourcing Report, an annual industry study by research organization, Brown-Wilson Group. US businesses focused on recession survival strategies have offshored more than 22,000 new green tech jobs as a direct result of seeking stabilized energy and labor costs through outsourcing their technology. "The Indian market is creating clean tech jobs offshore because private entrepreneurs, strategic corporate leaders and venture capitalists are eager to profit from winning investments, " says Scott Wilson, Partner of Brown-Wilson Group and co-author, The Black Book of Outsourcing (Wiley Publishers), "and India's green-ready solutions are increasingly demanded and profitable." India's green job growth is being created by market savvy offshore outsourcers, also reeling from the global recession. Outsourcers are capturing business development opportunities ahead of the pending upturn, by implementing clean, efficient technology solutions that reduce the costs of compliance with incoming regulations. India's new green jobs include higher dollar engineers, strategic business management and support technicians charged with designing innovative environmental-friendly solutions, as opposed to the lower wage installation and construction jobs associated with the American green stimulus.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 4, 2009 at 8:48 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

U.S. employers' efforts to battle the recession through cost-cutting actions such as layoffs, hiring freezes and salary freezes may have peaked, according to an update to an ongoing series of surveys by Watson Wyatt, a global consulting firm. In fact,

• most companies are planning no further hiring freezes (67%),


• organizational restructuring changes (65%)


• or even layoffs (53%),

• Mandatory shutdowns (24%),


• a reduced workweek (22%) and


• mandatory furloughs (17%)

The survey further finds that 26% of employers plan to increase cost-cutting initiatives over the next 12 months, a sharp decline from the 51% planning more cost-cutting measures in February. "Companies have started to move into the next stage of their cost-cutting actions, but are also looking ahead to an eventual recovery," says Laura Sejen, global director of strategic rewards consulting at Watson Wyatt. "There is a recognition that employers will need to be poised for a turnaround, and that continuing some cost-cutting measures such as reductions in force can put them at a disadvantage once the economy improves."

The survey further finds that planned merit pay increases are expected to remain at 2% in 2009, but will increase to 3% in 2010. Short-term incentive (STI) funding plans have not changed drastically in the last two months either: in February, companies planned to fund their STI plans at 71%, as compared with 69% now. Only 17% of organizations took cost-cutting measures to protect bonus pool funding. The number of companies that report having reduced their 401(k) match has increased by 10 percentage points, from 12% in February to 22% in April. There has also been a jump in the number of hardship withdrawals from 401(k) plans with 44% of respondents in April noticing an increase in withdrawals, as compared with 35% in February.

"Companies remain under great pressure to reduce costs as the recession continues, and no one knows for sure how long it will last," says Laurie Bienstock, U.S. strategic rewards leader at Watson Wyatt. "While companies are planning for eventual economic recovery, many still face having to make difficult decisions that could affect workforce productivity, future growth and ultimately their bottom line."

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 4, 2009 at 8:39 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Hi All!

Millennials (aka Gen Y) are not just kids and people in their early 20's anymore. Time flies by, and the eldest members of the Millennial Generation are now (approx) 29 years old. This means they are starting to (rapidly) enter management and leadership roles at work. And with the massive US labor shortage of 35 million skilled and educated workers (hitting now and over the next 2 decades), and the fact that Gen X is a much smaller generation, companies are likely to find themselves promoting Millennials into leadership roles a bit sooner/faster than they expected.

As Boomer retire, Generation Jones and Gen X move up the ladder to fill their spots. And the Boomers are so huge, and retiring in such massive amounts (more so as the economy recovers), that companies will experience a shortage of good people to fill entry-level management and mid-management leadership roles.

I've written about all this before, so you can dig around my blog to find more details, with stats from research studies, surveys, etc.

Anyway, because of all this, I have partnered with Camille Smith, an Executive Leadership Coach for 25-years, and President of Work In Progress Coaching, on a cool project. She's a hoot, talented, fabulous, and knows her stuff.

We have joined forces to create (and co-facilitate) a unique program called: "Transitioning to Leadership Program: How to Effectively Move Your Gen Y Employees Into Leadership Roles". In this program, we work with senior executives and front line managers on how to better understand and support Millennials moving up the ranks at work, and we also work with the Millennials who are entering these new roles.

I don't want to go into all the details here, but suffice to say we just started promoting our program YESTERDAY and we have already been asked to send more details to one of the biggest high tech companies in Silicon Valley (and world), and we were also contacted by a major University in the Bay Area. Clearly, what we're offering is making sense to people.

Even in this down economy, smart companies know:

1. Things will get better and retaining good employees will be tough when it does. So start cultivating their loyalty now.

2. Millennials are open to training and coaching (more so than older generations), and grooming them to become good leaders now improves your chances of retaining them in the long run...and it benefits your company by having strong leaders in place, versus many (typical) mangers who really aren't that great.

Yep, we all know many managers are mediocre. And, bad managers cost you money! They cause low employee morale, high turnover, decreased productivity, etc.

Our goal with this program is to improve the managers you have now (who manage/supervise Millennials) and groom the Millennials moving up the ladder to be your next generation of highly effective leaders.

Bye for now.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 4, 2009 at 7:40 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you were not fired due to misconduct or other wrong-doing, the first thing to keep in mind is that many employers will not mention that you have been fired in your termination letter. The separation is viewed and projected as a 'mutual agreement to part ways.' Employers realise that they are putting you through tough times and don't want to make it any harder than it is. They also want to protect their reputation in the market and do not want former employees spreading a bad word, if it can be avoided.

Do make sure you speak with your former employer, to ensure that everyone concerned is clear about what reason for separation will be on record. In such cases, you should not have a problem explaining why you left the company to potential employers - you just decided to part ways.

In the event that you cannot avoid your former employer mentioning that you were fired, here are some suggestions to keep in mind:

Be honest. While you can easily avoid the drama and details, it is important to be honest about why you left your employer. A simple - "They were cutting costs and had to let go of employees" will do.

Avoid mentioning that your were fired in your application
It is not important or relevant to mention it as this stage. Save it for the interviews.

Obtain references from managers, co-workers and others you interacted/worked with
Even if you mention that you were fired due to cost cutting, the first thing that your potential employer will thing is - "Was he/she part of the retrenchment due to low performance?" To overcome this, it is useful to get recommendation letters from people you worked with at your former employer(s).

Article by, 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.

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 HRM Business Practices and Notes

Posted by Candice Arnold on May 1, 2009 at 4:42 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

20 years experience

Seasoned, mature rep ready for a new challenge.

Do these resume summary lines sound familiar?

You can't turn on the television or radio without hearing how many people are unemployed or how difficult the job market is today. What you don't hear too often is that some of the most vocal unsuccessful job seekers shouldn't be very surprised that they aren't being successful.

What? How could I possibly say that?

Don't I have any empathy?

Let's not even talk about the many interview horror stories you hear (flip flops at interviews, tardiness, texting while interviewing, general unpreparedness, etc.). Even if a job seeker manages to avoid major interview mistakes like that, the job search can still be a minefield. I say that based on actual empirical data-facts. I know facts aren't too popular these days when debating points of view...it's easier to talk about the emotional side of the equation and ignore the facts, or "givens."

What are the givens in this equation?

• The job market is very competitive.
• The employers have more candidates to look at, so the process takes longer as they look for their ideal candidate.
• Experience isn't always seen as a plus-with experience comes higher salaries and expectations. And, there can be the perception among employers that you can't teach "experienced dogs new tricks."
• Thousands of Pharma jobs have evaporated. Many are looking to move into other areas of medical sales.
• You have hundreds (maybe thousands) of highly educated financial people with no clinical/research industry experience who are pursuing new careers because of the meltdown in their world.
• Does that mean your career is over if you have more than 10 years experience?

If you haven't dealt with "The White Stuff", maybe so. If you deal with it, you will be in a better position than your peers.

So you say, "What's the White Stuff?"

The white stuff is the white light and the white elephant.

First the white light:

As a manager, I was often in the position of deciding who would stay and who would go (or be "decoupled" as I heard for the first time last week) as we right-sized, refocused or adjusted to new management. I took the responsibility very seriously because I knew the actions I was taking as part of the management team would affect people's lives. The way I was able to justify what I was doing was to tell myself that everyone has to be responsible for their actions and most likely; this person's poor performance made them expendable. That theory worked great for me until I was "decoupled" (fired) with no notice, no performance plan, no clue. I can't say I wasn't cognizant of my circumstances. I knew about the Japanese model- executives down-sizing, taking less to make room for the "up and comers" that represent the future of the organization. So, I tried not to get performance review increases, took on more responsibility, anything that I thought would help me provide more value to organization.

The point being, I knew about the White Light.

A neighbor of mine recently lost his job after working for his firm for more than 10 years. As I was trying to console him he made a statement that made the "White Light" topic strike home. He said, "I really shouldn't be surprised, they have been trying to get rid of me for a few years".

(It took every bit of self control I could muster to not scream, "Are you kidding me?? You knew your job was at risk and you haven't even looked for another?")

This guy obviously hadn't really seen the White Light. He thought he knew all about it, but, not so much. If he had seen the White Light while he was employed, it might have made him think about things differently, as in:

• I am 56 years experienced.
• I am in an executive position and lived ex-US for years.
• My total comp is over $200,000.
• I only have a 2 year degree.
• I am in the cyclical construction industry.
• If I lose this job, I might have a hard time replacing it. If I don't replace my current job, my lifestyle will be really negatively affected.
• I should always be looking to add more value to the organization, because I can be replaced cheaper with someone who can still contribute 10 or 20 years to the organization. Be cognizant of the Japanese model.
• The White Light is job mortality.

If you have seen the White Light, you know that no one is safe. Any job can be eliminated at any time. Not just "the little people" get affected. You serve at the whim of your master. Do what you can to make your master like and need you. Any new challenge, bad assignment or bummer deal at your current job will be less of a bummer than being unemployed. Not even in the same league....trust me.

So what about the White Elephant?

The white elephant is that thing in the room or on the phone, which is there, present. You can try to pretend it isn't, but it is. The White Elephant could be:

• A 2-year gap in your employment.
• Much more experience than the job requires.
• Unrelated experience.
• Getting fired.
• Job instability as a result of mergers, buyouts, etc.
• A poor reference.
• Having a DUI on your driving record.
• Missing last year's sales goal.

The list goes on an on....

Have an answer. Address the "White Stuff" up front or you will not make it to the next step.

Article by, Peggy McKee, the Medical Sales Recruiter

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 May 1, 2009 at 4:18 PM | Leave a Comment (0)