Survey Reveals Many CFOs Unsure How IFRS Will Impact Their Organizations

Although it is likely the United States will adopt International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in the coming years, more than half (55 percent) of U.S. financial executives interviewed recently said they are unsure how their companies might be affected by this transition.

The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and was conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 chief financial officers (CFOs) from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.

The movement toward IFRS, an international accounting framework, has resulted from increasing globalization and the related need for a single set of worldwide standards. While no final timeline has been set, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed a roadmap that would have initially allowed some companies to begin using IFRS by the end of 2009.

CFOs were asked, "If the United States adopts international financial reporting standards, how familiar are you with how your company will be impacted?" Their responses:

"Despite lingering uncertainty surrounding the implementation of IFRS, many in the financial community expect the United States to eventually adopt these international accounting rules," said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources. "More than 100 countries are already using IFRS, and proponents believe international standards will bring greater consistency and comparability to corporate financial reporting. Companies that begin preparing now will have an advantage in making a timely and successful transition."

A new report by Robert Half Management Resources, International Financial Reporting Standards for the United States: Making the Talent Transition, suggests the following actions companies can take now to ensure they are adequately prepared for the new reporting requirements and avoid playing catch up later on:

• Develop an action plan. Diagnose what might have to change. Companies that might be affected by a transition to IFRS should consider, initially at a high level, but later at a more granular level, the potential need for changes to policies, processes and technology.
• Initiate training. A major transition obstacle in the beginning is likely to be a dearth of IFRS knowledge among U.S. financial professionals. Now is a good time for businesses to gain an understanding of the impact of conversion in terms of education and training, and create internal programs that can help them identify and train IFRS specialists.
• Seek internal expertise. Although training is essential, support from professionals who already have firsthand IFRS experience can be highly beneficial. Companies with international operations may be able to access the expertise of employees who work in countries already using IFRS.
• Assess staffing needs. Companies should evaluate the adequacy of existing resources. Does the organization have the right people to manage the transition? Some projects will be of limited duration, so a combination of full-time and project resources may be needed.
• Stay current on industry developments. In addition to paying close attention to SEC guidance, businesses also will benefit from learning how other companies are making the transition.

Robert Half Management Resources has more than 145 locations worldwide and offers online job search services at www.roberthalfmr.com. Please visit http://www.roberthalfmr.com/IFRSUS for a copy of International Financial Reporting Standards for the United States: Making the Talent Transition.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 31, 2009 at 8:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Although it's true that tough times, such as the ones we're having now, can destroy a team's morale, it can also happen in good times if the team members don't feel that what they're doing has meaning or significance, according to John Baldoni in his article How to Make People Passionate About Their Work.

Baldoni gives the following advice to help employers inspire their employees. When people feel passionate about their jobs, Baldoni says, they tend work better.

1. Focus on the positive. Employers who have positive attitudes and mingle with their employees tend to have more productive teams.

2. Address the negative. Employers who are passionate about their companies and who communicate regularly with their employees can quickly recognize when things work well and when they don't and move quickly to make necessary corrections.

3. Set high expectations. Challenging employees to meet high standards doesn't mean overworking them. When the workload is too much, ease up, Baldoni says, but always maintain a standard of excellence.

Successful organizations, Baldoni says, "are the collective values and aspirations of dedicated men and women who have made a choice to work there." Employers who are passionate about their companies can inspire employees to become passionate about their jobs, which could lead to their doing their jobs better.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 29, 2009 at 9:34 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

In the words of Stanford economist Paul Romer, "a recession is a terrible thing to waste."

By any standard, the past year has proven itself to be challenging, both personally and professionally. But it's important to remember that out of challenge comes opportunity. In fact, just recently, a bank vice president in Washington, D.C., who specializes in small business banking solutions, commented that the number of customers who left or lost jobs and are now "finding their passion" through entrepreneurship and small business is significantly on the rise.

Whether you already are a business owner or leader, or whether the spirit of entrepreneurship is calling to you, there is no time like the present to take a strategic look at your company's business goals and, specifically, your employment and hiring needs. As the marketplace begins picking up steam again, as it surely will, you will want to give your hiring strategy a "tune up" to avoid potential pitfalls and position your company for maximum success to build your bench strength before your competitors do.

1. Above all, don't assume that your key employees are staying put just because of the current state of the economy. One Friday afternoon a key employee may walk into your office, unexpectedly, and hand you a resignation letter.

Think this could never happen to you? Guess again. If you could see my e-mail box, filled on a daily basis with e-mails from employees and executives proactively seeking new job opportunities, you would probably be surprised. You may not think your employees are looking for a new job, but chances are good that they are--whether they are afraid their current job may be eliminated or are concerned about the economic health of the company; whether they are growing weary of carrying the burden of additional work in the wake of layoffs; or whether they are simply high performers seeking new professional challenges.

Do prepare proactively now, before that Friday afternoon resignation becomes a painful reality.

2. Do start by reviewing your current staffing model and evaluating your employees' job descriptions. Are the job descriptions current? Do the descriptions reflect what each individual was hired to do? Take this opportunity to ask whether the right people are in the right positions and doing the right activities to move the company forward.

3. Do build a pipeline for good talent, even if your company is intentionally not actively hiring right now. Look at the market, and your business objectives, with a fresh set of eyes. Your business may no longer be able to make do doing things the "old way." This may be the time to break the mold, think creatively and start innovating in your industry! Consider carefully the skills, education and qualities you need in your workforce. Think about the people you know who are top-of-mind in these areas of expertise. Stay close to them, communicate with them, keep your eye on them. Then, when you are ready to hire again, you will already have built a rapport with potential job candidates, giving them in return a favorable impression of you and your company.

4. Do consider your company's process for hiring employees. Who from your company is involved? How many people should be responsible for evaluating candidates, and what criteria will be used to evaluate candidates? Do you have a slate of quality interview questions that can draw out the skills, experience and value of your candidates? How long can your company go before a particular position must be filled? Conversely, how quickly are you prepared to act to ensure that a top candidate isn't snatched up elsewhere? Considering these questions now can help you prevent a misstep in your process, which could ultimately derail your entire effort. If the process is too convoluted or takes too long to make decisions, you may lose your top candidate to frustration--or, quite possibly, to a more assertive competitor.

5. Don't just stop once your candidate has accepted your job offer. Do have a plan for effectively managing the "fragile time" between a candidate's acceptance of employment and his or her actual start date. Top talent wants to be treated with dignity and respect--and they want to be excited about joining your company. What protocols do you have in place to help new hires feel welcomed, valued and integrated, even before their first day on the job? The time between a candidate's acceptance and arrival is a particularly vulnerable time. If she doesn't feel welcomed and excited, she may seek a better offer elsewhere or accept a counteroffer from her current employer. Don't let good talent slip away because of an oversight like this!

Taking the time now to consider some of these important questions and to develop a hiring strategy for your company will save you time--and frustration--later on, so that you can spend valuable resources proactively growing your business, rather than reactively scrambling to respond to emergencies.

Guest post by Marni Hockenberg, Principal of Hockenberg Search, LLC, is an experienced recruiter and business consultant focused on delivering results to small and medium-size companies. If your business would benefit from a free one-hour "Hiring Tune-Up" evaluation, contact Marni at
(952) 593-4023 or marni@hockenbergsearch.com, or visit her online at www.hockenbergsearch.com.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 28, 2009 at 12:10 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Ask anyone who recently attended a wedding and what is one of the first things they mention? The food. A long awaited vacation to a European destination can be defined by the delicacies of your visit. And an evening out to dinner and a movie can be spoiled by a bad meal.

I was experiencing just that as I kicked myself for ordering chicken parmesan in an Irish pub.

My husband sat there giggling at me as he enjoyed his Shepard's Pie. "The menu said it was a chef special," I sheepishly said as I pushed the soggy spaghetti around my plate. You see, for me, a working mom of a two year old, a meal minus the sippy cup being dropped or the chicken nugget being snagged by the family dog is truly a time to savor. I don't have to worry about ketchup in my hair or mandarin oranges thrown to see if they'll stick to the wall. A dinner out, even if it is in a busy and loud pub, is my once a week oasis.

And now my limp noodles and tasteless marinara sauce were blowing a huge sandstorm into my lagoon of serenity.

Food seems to be everywhere you look these days; in advertising and as product placements in movies and ballparks. We even have a whole cable network dedicated to the art of food. It seems that at any time of day, you can tune in to someone "on the road" or someone else "in the kitchen." Holidays seem to center around food as well. My sister, Liz, is somewhat fanatical about our Christmas Eve dinner. Every year, not sure why, but my mom has made Chicken Cordon Bleu (chicken with ham and swiss). One year, my mom declared that she was going to make prime rib and it sent Liz into a tailspin. "You can't do that," she exclaimed. "We ALWAYS have chicken cordon bleu!" So, my mother prepared both and last year, when I hosted my first Christmas Eve dinner, I dared not to change the menu.

Food, outside of its obvious nutritional purpose, provides comfort and familiarity. So when I recruit for culinary positions in our hospitals division, I always explain to my candidates the impact that food can make to our clients. Good food and attention to nutritional needs, such as a low salt or low sugar diet, are imperative to restoring the health of a patient. Efficiency in our cafeterias will allow the doctors and nurses who are eating there to have a quick meal and get back to their most important task - tending to patients. And last, but not least, excellent service, a smile, a hello, even a congratulations to a new mother, will uplift a patient, providing them with an invaluable medicine for the soul. I know this first hand because I once was a patient at a Sodexo account and the courtesy the food service staff provided made my stay in the hospital seem a little more tolerable . A company is only as good as the product or service it provides and in hospitals, remembering that our patients are at the heart of everything we do makes us the successful company we are.

As I said in the beginning, food is powerful and our employees in food operations throughout the country have the ability to make every day a better day because of it . I will always remember that as a patient, I was valued and appreciated.

And on my next evening out, I will remember to leave the chicken parmesan to an Italian restaurant.

Guest post by Michele Posehn and courtesy of Sodexo Careers Blog Making every day a better day.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 28, 2009 at 7:38 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Earlier today, before my breakfast of Excedrin and Coffee (keeps me slender), I remembered a brief convo I had with @animal about Personal Branding. I said most of it is common sense - everything else is "smoke and mirrors". While it may be common sense to me, I'm sure there are plenty of people who either a.) don't know that you can use the Internet to market yourself or b.) could care less (the satisfied with stat-quo crowd).

Not to discredit my original assessment, I still feel that there are FOUR basics that everyone can use to increase exposure to their "Personal Brand". This is not only vital for job seekers, but also for existing employees who are trying to network within their field or perhaps attract new business to their organization.

Facebook

We will get to LinkedIn later, settle down. Facebook is more interactive [than LI] and gives you more of a canvas to really let your personality show. While I already have 700 people from college and high school on Facebook, I am now using it to build relationships with people I have tweeted with on Twitter. I guess that is the tip here - expand your network; Facebook can be used for more than looking at pictures of your ex.

Make sure you change your Facebook URL if you haven't done so already! Mine is facebook.com/adamelliotfields. This makes it easy to send to people after you have had a good conversation with them.

Common sense: Make your Facebook profile PG-13. Don't be a square, but don't make your interests something like this: "beers, blunts, blondes lol". Remember- you want people to be attracted to your personality first; this opens the door to further conversations about your skills that pay the bills.

LinkedIn

Put down your pens and paper, there isn't really a whole lot to say about LinkedIn. Let's go over the obvious: create a profile and add people! Recruiters are using LinkedIn just as much as the other job boards, wink wink.

My first tip here is to join groups based on your interests and then network with people through that group. Simple as that. Also, for the love of God, put your damn email address in your profile. If you are concerned with spam, create an email address like adam.fields.linkedin@gmail.com, just make sure you check it! I went a step beyond and posted my Twitter name, so you would have to be a complete idiot to not be able to get a hold of me. Facebook = personality, LinkedIn = skills.

Blog

You don't need to buy a domain and a web designer (although having @smalps as my BFFL really helps). Try blogspot, wordpress, or tumblr. I personally like TwitBlogs.com because it is SO user friendly and seamlessly integrates with my Twitter profile.

Write about anything that is on your mind. Seriously, just be cool and let your personality come through. If you write about an article that is industry-specific, you can definitely get some attention to the professional side of your personal brand that way.

Just have fun with it though, don't worry too much about the design and SEO at first. If you are a boring person, have a few drinks and then blog. Your blog could even be about getting buzzed and blogging (this could be big...)! Make your blog URL the default URL in your Twitter profile, and make sure you integrate it with your Facebook and LinkedIn pages (they have apps for that).

Twitter

Duh. Create a Twitter profile, add people, post links to cool articles, videos, songs, whatever. ReTweet people you want to get to know better.

Look at Twitter as a party (not a frat party, but like an upscale-apartment party where everyone is wearing designer jeans and drinking wine). Don't be a soulless sales-person and hand your biz card out to everyone and move on. Instead, spend time to get to know a few people. Use TweetDeck and create a group called "Friends" (or Homies, Peeps, Brothas From Otha Mothas, etc.). This is your "Buddy List"; use it to keep track of the people you interact with on the regular. Twitter is going to be the medium you use to attract people to your Facebook, LinkedIn, and Blog pages.

Well, that's it. This approach has allowed me to build relationships with some pretty cool people! I just got into Twitter in the spring, and went from not getting it, to being a self proclaimed master. In a few months, you can increase your network and create a name for yourself in cyberspace.

Article by Adam Fields; he is starting up his own blog. If you aren't connected to him yet - make sure you do so - he is one of our young recruiters to watch - likes working out and early 90's hip hop ;o Here's his links: Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Article courtesy of HRTechnologyBlog.com, the always unfiltered, frequently random, often interesting, sometimes goofy, occasionally genius, and never apologetic, random thoughts of my brain today on HR Technology, Recruitment and Social Media topics.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 28, 2009 at 6:57 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Happiness Project recently posted an article, Nine Tips for Giving Memorable Praise--and Why To Bother, in which it listed nine ways for managers and supervisors to praise their employees. With layoffs, furloughs and other cost cutting losses causing employees to worry about the fate of their jobs, praise is probably something that's sorely needed in most workplaces these days.

Nine Ways to Praise

1. Be specific
2. Find a way to praise sincerely.
3. Never offer praise and ask for a favor in same conversation.
4. Don't over-praise.
5. Look for something less obvious to praise.
6. Don't hesitate to praise people who get a lot of praise already.
7. Praise people behind their backs.
8. Beware when a person asks for your honest opinion. (According to the article, this is an indication that what the person really wants is praise.)
9. Don't damn with faint praise.

"By acting in a way that shows appreciation, discernment, and thoughtfulness, we make ourselves feel more appreciative, discerning, and thoughtful. And that boosts happiness," The Happiness Project says.

Receiving regular doses of praise is bound to boost the morale of employees who are feeling overworked or insecure because their companies have had to cut back either on staff or perks in order to weather the recession. It may also alleviate some of the worry that many have about the potential for them to lose their jobs, too.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 27, 2009 at 3:32 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

When a disaster hits, you need a business continuity plan. A key component in that is staffing when your business gets hit. Right now, the world is faced with an H1N1 pandemic. The World Health Organization says it is unstoppable. Every year there is Hurricane season in a number of parts of the world. Earthquakes and terrorism are constant fears that most people put in the back of their heads. Survival of your small business is at stake if any one of these hit. Act now.

What is a Continuity Plan?

Simply put, it is a plan for what happens and how you will manage your business if and when a disaster hits. It examines your key functions and how you will operate in case of a disaster. Some sample questions might include:

• Who is in charge if something happens in an emergency?
• Who are key business contacts, finance, banking, payroll...?
• Who are key contacts for suppliers and vendors?

Addressing these issues ahead of time may enable your business to survive a disaster.

There is business continuity planning software available online or you can develop your own plan with online resources such as articles on H1N1 disaster planning.

Staffing Key Job Functions

The ability to complete core job functions during a crisis or disaster is key to staying in business. What would you do if one of your key employees had to care for a loved one during a pandemic outbreak of the H1N1 flu? What if the employees of your company get quarantined? How would you continue to function?

One option is to find short term staff to continue operations. This means finding a staffing service that can service you in times of emergency. This staffing service should themselves have a business continuity plan that spells out how they will stay in business and supply companies replacements for key personnel, while not exposing them to the flu.

Your BizCont Plan

First order of business it go get your continuity plan in order. When you define your key functions, find a staffing service that can supply you the talent you need on a short term basis. Then make sure your suppliers and vendors have their plans or find backups in case they can not service you. Do this and you will increase your likelihood of survival.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 24, 2009 at 2:02 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Which new college graduates are faring best when it comes to salary in the current economy? According to a new report from the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), engineers are pulling down the highest starting salaries.

NACE's Summer 2009 Salary Survey report shows that engineering disciplines account for four of the five disciplines getting the highest starting salary offers. (See Figure 1.)

"Many of the engineering disciplines benefit from an imbalance in the supply/demand ratio," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "Even in a tight job market, there are simply more opportunities requiring an engineering degree than graduates available to fill those positions. That drives salaries up."

In fact, out of the more than 1,524,000 bachelor's degrees awarded in 2007, just 450 were in petroleum engineering and only 4,492 were in chemical engineering.*

Source: Summer 2009 Salary Survey, National Association of Colleges and Employers. Data are for bachelor's degree level candidates and are reported for disciplines in which 30 or more offers have been received.
* Digest of Education Statistics 2008. National Center for Education Statistics. Most current data available.

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 July 23, 2009 at 9:31 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

If you're anything like me, you typically mass delete the dozen or so spam emails in your inbox every morning without looking too closely at them. I do, however, briefly calculate how many of those emails are from diploma mills as that is a topic we frequently write about. I would say I receive no less than five "buy your degree" emails per day. One in particular caught my eye this morning which caused that old Sesame Street song to get stuck in my head:

Let's see if you can pinpoint what seems out of place in this email:

Subject: Diplomas for everybody.

GET YOUR DIPLOMA TODAY!If you are looking for a fast and effective way to get a diploma,(non accredited) this is the best way out for you. Provide us with degree you are interested in. Call us right now on: For US: XXX.XXX.XXXX Outside US: +1.XXX.XXX.XXXX"Just leave your NAME & PHONE NO. (with Country Code)" in the voicemail. Our staff will get back to you in next few days!

If you guessed the term "non-accredited", then you are spot on!

The fact that the company offering me the opportunity to "earn" this diploma is blatantly stating their organization is non-accredited is surprising to me. Some diploma mills have gone as far as creating fake accrediting agencies to make their product look legitimate to their buyer as well as anyone looking to verify it. Maybe this company thought it wasn't worth the trouble...

For those positions that require a certain level of education, it is important for employers to distinguish whether the person they are looking to hire has a degree from an accredited school or evaluate if the non-accredited institution taught the skills needed for the job. It is important to point out that the terms "non-accredited" and "diploma mill" may not be synonymous 100% of the time as there may be schools that lack accreditation but still provide a sufficient standard of quality education. But certainly more often than not, when you see the term "non-accredited", it will mean diploma mill (as is the case here).

For more information and coverage regarding diploma mills, click here.

And because I can't resist...

Sesame Street: Cookie Monster\'s Sorting Song

Article by, Natalie Beck and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 23, 2009 at 9:27 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The entry-level job market keeps getting tougher, primarily because there are more candidates who meet the qualifications for the entry-level jobs employers are posting, but employers can't allow themselves to be discouraged by the volume of applicants. There are ways to reduce the number of unqualified applicants that slip through the cracks with those who are qualified.

But attracting top talent is not only about finding someone who will be able to do the job and integrate well with the company culture, it's also about providing a work environment and compensation that are conducive to longevity.

There are two ways that employers can increase their odds of capturing the attention of the best candidates:

1. Understand and appreciate what employees value most. Recent studies have shown that, contrary to the popular belief among employers, salary is not at the top of the list of candidates' considerations when fielding job offers. Benefits like on-site day care, a good healthcare plan, tuition reimbursement and flex time are some of the benefits that rank higher than salary.

Job satisfaction also seems to be far more important to people than the size of their paychecks, so if a company markets itself and its proffered position in a way that convinces candidates that they will be happy with work they'll be doing, with the company culture and benefits as well, it is likely to attract more of the kind of candidates it desires.

2. Understand and appreciate what makes candidates withdraw from the hiring process "mid-stream."

Another survey, conducted by Integrity Search, Inc. in 1998, documented similar problems to the ones employers are having now and the resulting report offered the following advice.

• "treat candidates like prospects instead of applicants
• know what you're looking for and communicate expectations clearly.
• make sure all interviewers are fully briefed on the position, expectations and salary range.
• establish a strategy at the start, with clear-cut time frames and procedures, and ensure that everyone follows it.
• don't let the process go on too long.
• keep candidates informed about the status of the process."

Employers who decide to post their job openings on job boards should consider first how to stand out from their competitors by writing interesting, relevant, comprehensive job descriptions that include compelling company profiles. Knowing what kind of candidates they want, in terms of skill and cultural fit will help them tighten the criteria candidates have to meet in order to qualify, thereby eliminating the kind of candidates they don't want at the outset.

Marketing their companies and job opportunities through targeted email and text message blasts with job boards like CollegeRecruiter.com can facilitate the task of attracting the largest number of highly qualified candidates.

"With 700 data fields, employers can really drill down to reach very specific candidates if sending an email blast or text message blast with us," said CollegeRecruiter.com National Account Executive, Caddy Rowland. "They can drill down by majors, diversity, school, GPA, etc. whatever they need to get the qualified candidates they desire."

The quest to find the best candidates is two-fold for employers. Not only must they take the time to know what is best for their companies, they must also know what's going to best serve the candidates they most want to attract. Once they have determined what's best for all concerned, they must "chum the job market waters" with the most delectable morsels to lure their desired candidates in to consider their job opportunities.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 23, 2009 at 8:16 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Survey Reveals Tactics Job Seekers Have Used to Get Prospective Employers' Attention

In a competitive job market, every candidate wants to get noticed -- and some will go to great lengths. In a recent survey, OfficeTeam asked executives to recount the most unusual thing they have seen or heard an applicant do to stand out from the crowd.

Following are some of their responses:

- "I remember a job candidate bringing in milk and cookies."
- "Singing. It's something you don't forget."
- "I have seen magnets on people's cars directing others to websites for their resumes."
- "I remember someone had his resume delivered in a pizza box."
- "Someone stood outside our building from 9 to 5 every day for a month until he was hired. It worked."
- "A job applicant spritzed her resume with perfume."
- "Someone wrote a press release announcing she had been hired and used it as her cover letter."

The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, and conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 250 randomly selected senior executives at the 1,000 largest companies in the United States and the largest corporations in Canada.

"It's understandable for candidates who aren't having luck with traditional job search methods to try more creative ways to get noticed," said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Although these tactics might grab an employer's attention, they also carry an element of risk."

The following approaches, for example, may be seen as a "sign" of initiative by some employers while others might view them as a mark of desperation:

- "A person who was job hunting advertised his skills on a sandwich board."
- "Job applicants have been known to stand outside of major corporations with signs."
- "I've seen job candidates pay for billboards to get an employer's attention."

Sometimes the package or format can leave more of an impression than the actual resume content:

- "I received a resume rolled up inside a toy semi truck."
- "Someone sent us a baby shoe with a resume wrapped around it. He said he wanted to 'get his foot in the door.' He did not get the job, but it got my attention, and I read his resume twice."
- "A woman dropped off a balloon with her resume."
- "Once we received a resume rolled in a bottle."
- "We received a resume made into a paper airplane."
- "Someone applying for a job in women's fashion designed her resume in a feminine shape."
- "I received a laminated resume."
- "Someone came in with a 10-page binder detailing his work history."
- "A job seeker came in with an oversized schematic that he rolled out on the table and used to 'pitch' himself to me."

"While unconventional methods can be hit or miss, one surefire way to stand out is by going the extra mile to showcase your skill set, professionalism and enthusiasm for the position," said Hosking.

For example, survey respondents cited the following "standout" tactics:

- "People who take the time to research the company, do their homework and follow up on their ideas."
- "Receiving handwritten thank-you notes as opposed to e-mail."
- "People are dressing up more than they did in the past."
- "Someone came to the office without an appointment to see me personally and drop off his resume. Nobody has ever done that in the past."
- "Using a good reference -- I swear by references, so that's very important."
- "The job seeker turned the table and wanted to know all about me. The tactic worked."

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 22, 2009 at 11:48 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

"You want to play house you got to have a job. You want to play nice house, very sweet house, you got to have a job you don't like." (John Givings - Revolutionary Road)

I agree, on the surface it is not the most likely of movies that one could relate to Recruiting but I loved the movie Revolutionary Road - I found it to be an insightful and intriguing look at the human psyche. I saw it last night for the first time and will likely watch it again tonight. If you happen to be someone who knows me well, you know that I crave learning more about people and what makes them tick - why they make decisions they do, what drives them to become what they become and what role society plays in this. (I amjust finishing a great book called The Impluse Factor about human decision making & will do a post about it next week!) If you haven't seen it - Revolutionary Road follows a young couple through the ups and downs of marriage and has a focus on the impact that his job has on their lives (and inability to follow their true passions).

For most people, our lives have become so entangled with the who we are and what we do that we don't take the time to seek out our passions and real goals in life. We do what we have to in order to live the life we want - only to not really live our life at all. So much talk is made today of building a personal brand - but the reality is our personal brand is still closely linked with what we do.

Recruiters have a role in this - like it or not, it is part of our job to find out if the passion is there for someone before we offer them a position. I often wonder if for some recruiter's the metrics matter more than the people, the brand more than the promise and the close more than the impact. We need to take some time to think each day about the impact we have on each and every candidate we do and don't talk to. What the messages are that we are sending to them and challenge you to accept the messages you are getting back. Some of my best professional growth came at the suggestions and words of candidates.

As you go out and face the onslaught of candidates today, tomorrow, this week, this month, this year...try to think of the true life impact you could be having on each and every one of them. A job isn't just a job - it is a way of life for so many. Try to hear the passion and the voice behind the words on the phone, try to make a fit - not a placement - try to really manage talent.

Article courtesy of HRTechnologyBlog.com, the always unfiltered, frequently random, often interesting, sometimes goofy, occasionally genius, and never apologetic, random thoughts of my brain today on HR Technology, Recruitment and Social Media topics.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 22, 2009 at 11:01 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

July 24 is the new "update your labor law posters" date. As of Friday, July 24, the federal minimum wage will increase to $7.25. I suspect that this increase will affect many of the seasonal employers who use CoolWorks.com so be sure that you know the laws and update your employees' pay accordingly.

Federal Minimum Wage - United States Department of Labor

State Minimum Wage - United States Department of Labor

Another hot topic in Washington is health care reform. Having worked in benefits and having seen first hand how expensive group coverage can be, I personally hope that those in Washington will find a way to help all of the uninsured and under-insured in this country. And, also for the sake of small businesses like CoolWorks.com, who generally are the first to return after a recession, make health care more affordable for them and their employees. We're all in this together. I would love to see a concerted effort by all Americans to take an honest look at their own health situation, and make their voices heard.

I'll get off my soap box now.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 22, 2009 at 10:54 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Cell phones have essentially morphed into pocket computers that today's college students and recent graduates are using to surf the Internet, read and send emails, read and send text messages, and, oh yes, make a phone call or two as well. Because the cell phone has become such a ubiquitous tool overall, it is crucial for recruiters and employers to capitalize on their viral marketing potential by sending internship and entry level job candidates relevant, original email or SMS blasts with pointed calls to action.

But it's not enough for candidates to forward email or text messages alone. No, recruiters want them to go one step further by sharing the information through popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter. According to an article on Baekdal.com, "Viral marketing usually has 500-1,000 times greater impact than regular [promotions]." It's easy to see why it's so important for recruiters and hiring managers to send messages that capture their target audiences' attention. The Baekdal.com article went on to list "seven tricks" that will make any viral marketing campaign successful:

"1. Make people feel something.
2. Do something unexpected.
3. Do not try to make advertisements.
4. Make sequels.
5. Allow sharing, downloading and embedding. (This is probably the most important 'trick.')
6. Connect with comments.
7. Never restrict access!"

"CollegeRecruiter.com has been a leader in mobile marketing since its infancy four years ago and we continue to lead the industry as seen by our mobile web site, CollegeRecruiter.mobi, being the only mobile version of a major job board that allows candidates to not only search and read job postings, but actually apply to those postings on their mobile devices," says CollegeRecruiter.com CEO and president, Steven Rothberg, in his article Tips for Mobile Marketing Recruitment Campaigns . "Very few job boards have mobile sites and the others which do all require the candidates to find postings of interest and then send links to those postings to their email inboxes. So candidates can search and read the job postings on those other mobile job boards, but to apply to the jobs they must get off of their mobiles and turn on their computers. Maybe it is just me, but doesn't that defeat the purpose of having a mobile job board?"

Sending recruitment email or text message blasts to candidates through CollegeRecruiter.com will only increase the likelihood that they will be forwarded, especially if recruiters and employers remember to include a call to action like, "Know someone who would be perfect for this opportunity? Pass this on! Share it on Facebook or Tweet about it!"

Gen Y internship and entry level job candidates are using their cell phones as more than just phones, so it's of paramount importance that recruiters and employers who want to reach as many of these candidates as possible learn how to market them in such a way that they will be compelled to share email and text message blasts with friends, classmates, colleagues, even family members who they think might be interested.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 22, 2009 at 8:37 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Here's my fourth post live from the Advanced Human Resource Executive Program at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Want to be a great HR person? Here are the top 10 things you should do right now, according to some of the world's top HR execs:

1. Stay close to customers and key stakeholders
2. Understand the business, industry and key competitors
3. Challenge the status quo and drive change
4. Design and apply the right metrics
5. Drive, create and sustain culture
6. Provide HR tools and systems for effective people management
7. Focus on the company's wealth creators and key strategic positions
8. Be accountable for overall workforce development
9. Develop the company's strategic capabilities
10. Reward the right behaviors

Those same HR execs were then asked to score themselves on how well they do each of the above. The bad news? The average score was an "F" (46/100). The good news? There's lots of room for improvement.

The general consensus was that HR has an inside/outside problem -- too much internal navel-gazing and not enough focus on external customer, competitor, business issues.

Don't let that happen to you. Rate your company on a 1-10 scale in each of the above categories and then take action to shift the focus to a more strategic, customer-focused orientation. If HR practices are truly aligned with what the customer needs, you'll have happier customers, happier employees and lots more money.

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 July 21, 2009 at 9:16 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When was the last time you checked and updated your job search materials (resume, cover letters, references, thank you letters, network contact list, etc.)? Resumes are always a work in progress and should be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. First, you may have versions of your resume depending on the type of job opportunities and second, you need to post fresh resumes (even if only one word has changed). Today's post will focus on job search materials resources.

Seven Steps to a Successful Job Search - This resource, prepared and offered by the Borough of Manhattan Communitiy College's Career Center, is an excellent seven step process for ensuring you have all of the tools and are fully prepared for your job search. While some aspects of this may be more beneficial to students or recent grads, there are many points which can be useful to everyone, especially if you are thinking about changing your career. Don't forget your own college career center, many have both on-site and website support.

Resume writing, cover letters and other job search materials - This article, from Zoomjobs.com, provides useful information for your job hunt. While the information on this site was written as a "why use us" for this website, all of the information is useful in a general sense. You can move from screen to screen by using the "Next" links at the top left and bottom of the screens. The topics cover the "right job" vs. just an okay job, career fields, "plan of attack", interviewing, networking and so much more.
Rebounding After a Layoff - This information, provided by quintcareers.com, is timely for many of us. The information on this link provides a tutorial for getting back on track after losing your job. Topics such as finalizing your job search materials (resume, cover letter, elevator speech, and networking), a resume critique and so much more. Additional links are provided on the left hand side of the screen, as well as related tabs at the top of the page. You should explore this entire website as part of your job search process.
Job Search Materials - This link leads to a PowerPoint presentation (not a website). The presentation has been provided by the University of Maryland's Career Service Center (this link is a website). This is an excellent presentation and provides 34 pages of material on cover letters, resumes, thank you letters and other letters. The presentation provides detailed very useful steps for all of your material and is certainly worth a read. You should also visit their career center (the link above).
Common Job Search Mistakes and How to Avoid Them - This excellent article is provided via Adobe.com's education website. The article is fairly short, but provides some useful information for your job search. There are additional links on the right hand side of the page which you may find interesting (although not specifically job search related). Lastly, there is a link at the bottom of the page for the Creative Group's website which specializes in Marketing and Advertising (which makes sense if you are a power user of Adobe's products) career/job search.

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, and posted on MN Headhunter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 21, 2009 at 9:01 AM | Leave a Comment (2)

Whether your workforce is in one building in one location or scattered across several locations you can use social media as the glue that holds them together. Team players don't like to let team members down meaning you can facilitate a cohesive workforce determined to reach goals and life the bottom line.

Yammer

Yammer is like Twitter which answers the question, "What are you doing"? But instead of sending that information out across cyberspace, Yammer sends that message out across your workforce replacing the traditional office grapevine. Now your colleague in Chicago can know what their colleagues are doing in Paris, and in real-time.
http://www.yammer.com

Intranet

Using an internet is like using the bulletin board over the water cooler. It can even facilitate the conversations that used to take place around the water cooler. Especially those conversations that would be impossible to have if one team members is hanging out around the cooler in San Francisco and another in Boston. Create a company blog on an intranet system and encourage employees to talk about themselves: weekend activities, favorite charities, movies, TV shows, theater, sports. The list can go on and on. The point is to feel connected to your team mates, even if it is just in spirit. You may be surprised by the ensuing conversation, shared tips and experiences.

Teampseak

Monthly meetings may be hard to have face-to-face when people are in different geographical locations. Fortunately there is software that can facilitate small and large group conversations using the Internet. Once such tool is Teamspeak. Put it on your server and let the conversation begin!
http://www.teamspeak.com

Ning

Don't want to invest in an Intranet? There are a variety of platforms out there that you can customize to build your companies own social network for employees. Nin provides chat, blogging, forums, photo and video sharing and the ability to create groups. You can use whatever URL you want to most importantly only open up your social network to your colleagues. http://www.ning.com

Whether you work on different floors, in different offices or have a virtual workforce, social media lets you keep everyone connected.

Adrianne George is a social media specialists who launched JobsinStockholm.com in November 2006. She helps clients reach niche markets.
Author Website: AGCommunications Group

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, and posted on Boston Technical Recruiter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 21, 2009 at 8:22 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Administrative & Clerical Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. administrative and clerical workers, jumped 6.9 points in the second quarter of 2009, according to a recent survey commissioned by Todays Office Professionals, a division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals increased overall confidence among administrative and clerical workers, with more workers indicating that they believe the economy is getting stronger.

Results from the Administrative and Clerical Employment Report:

• Forty-four percent of administrative and clerical workers believe the economy is getting weaker, decreasing 24 percentage points from the first quarter of 2009.
• Seventy-three percent of administrative and clerical workers believe there are fewer jobs available, compared to 85 percent in the previous quarter.
• In the second quarter of 2009, thirty percent of administrative and clerical workers reported that they are not confident in their ability to find a new job, reflecting a seven percentage point decrease from the first quarter of 2009.
• Thirty-five percent of administrative and clerical workers surveyed indicate it is likely they will job search in the next 12 months, an increase of five percentage points from the previous quarter.

"We are pleased to see an increase in our latest Administrative and Clerical Employee Confidence Index," said Brendan Courtney, president of Todays Office Professionals. "It is likely our Index will show fluctuation over the months to come as the economy works its way through this turmoil. However, this is certainly a positive sign. It is of great significance that more than a third of administrative and clerical workers indicated that they are likely to look for a job within the next 12 months. This should serve as a forewarning to employers who may have placed retention efforts on the back-burner during this downturn. Companies that fall into this category will face challenges in retaining top talent once the economy turns around."

Full Report

Todays Office Professionals is a premier provider of flexible, temp-to-hire and direct-hire professionals to a diverse portfolio of clients. Founded in 1982, Todays delivers high-quality talent and increased value through its network of 38 offices located across the U.S. Specialties include: administrative and clerical, call center, customer service, legal and financial staffing. Todays Office Professionals is a division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). For more information, please visit www.todays.com.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 21, 2009 at 6:50 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index, a measure of overall confidence among U.S. accounting and finance workers, jumped 5.7 points to 48.0 in the second quarter of 2009, according to a recent survey commissioned by The Mergis Group, the professional placement division of Spherion Corporation (NYSE:SFN). The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals that accounting and finance workers' overall optimism rebounded in the second quarter of 2009. The upward trend in confidence was driven by fewer workers believing that the economy is getting weaker. Despite this uptick in macroeconomic confidence, fewer employed workers reported confidence in the future of their current employer.

Results from the Accounting & Finance Employment Report:

• Thirty-six percent of accounting and finance workers believe the economy is getting weaker, a decrease of 27 percentage points from the first quarter of 2009.


• Sixty-nine percent of accounting and finance workers believe there are fewer jobs available, representing a 13 percentage point decrease from the previous quarter.


• Fewer accounting and finance workers are confident in the future of their current employer. Specifically, 61 percent are confident in the future of their current employer, compared to 71 percent in the first quarter of 2009.


• Thirty-seven percent of accounting and finance workers are likely to look for a new job in the next 12 months, up five percentage points from the previous quarter.

"It is encouraging to see that fewer accounting and finance workers feel that the economy is getting weaker," stated Brendan Courtney, president of The Mergis Group. "Although this is certainly welcoming news, given the volatility we have seen in our Accounting and Finance Employee Confidence Index and the job market over the past few quarters, it is still too early to positively determine if this uptick in confidence will persist. The general economist consensus is that the road to recovery will be long and slow moving. With continued lack of corporate confidence in the economy, as well as the delayed economic impact of TARP and other government stimulus programs, we believe that ongoing fluctuation in our Index is highly probable in the months to come. It is promising to see that accounting and finance workers are expressing higher levels of confidence and are indicating that they believe the economy is getting stronger, which are both positive signs."

Full Report

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 21, 2009 at 6:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

When all of the pundits were opining on Gov. Mark Sanford's erratic behavior, one wise observer nailed the source of it: "He is madly in love with someone new. That is always a form of temporary insanity."

The first rush of new love is so wildly intoxicating that it blurs one's judgement and prompts the kind of giddy optimism that makes it feel as if everything is possible. A sitting governor can vanish, lie about his whereabouts, fly off to make passionate love to an Argentinean mystery woman, and no one will know a thing about it.

Temporary insanity.

In the strange brew that life is, we can fear and pursue something simultaneously. Do you want to be insane? Of course not? But wait. Do you want the joy of a sensation that is so powerful and exhilarating that it liberates you, momentarily, from the laws of physics? So that the impossible becomes absolutely within the realm of your control?

Of course you do. This brand of temporary insanity that springs from new love, is so deliciously intoxicating that it has driven a King of England to abdicate his throne and prompted millions who barely know each other to tie the knot at Vegas drive-in chapels.

The fact is, the same "insanity" that we fear, we embrace when it is the kind that leads people who believed such days were behind them to carve their initials together into the barks of trees, encasing their love within the treasure box of a crudely drawn but passionately etched heart.

Harvard Business School doesn't teach a single course on love. Nor on the temporary insanity it can create. A shortcoming of immense proportions.

At a time in my life when I might have gone to Harvard, I went to a far superior university known as Paris. In my brief time living there, I fell in love a dozen times. Each one was forever. In every single case, I was magnificently, temporarily insane.

Many years later, as I built my marketing firm and began to fuse the experiences of my life into a business methodology, I reflected on how important it is to have customers and prospects make the transition from like to love. If they simply like your products or services, you will fail. The goal, must be to lavish what you do with so much attention and innovation, that they fall in love. That they become temporarily insane. And believe that they cannot or will not live without the offerings you are making to them.

People didn't care that Walt Disney was a high school dropout. They fell for the films and the Magic Kingdom head over heels. Women don't slip on a pair of Manolo Blahnik shoes and feel like they made a good purchase.

They are sure they just had the best sex of their lives. They are temporarily insane. They will spend $750 and thank Mr. Blahnik for the privilege of letting them do so.

Great business is the art and science of romance connected in some wonderfully mysterious way to commerce. Every day you go to work you must have one overriding goal: to get your customers to go insane. Over and over again.

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 July 16, 2009 at 11:30 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

If there's one thing that human beings need and will continue to need for eternity, it's food. So you would think restaurants are a surefire business and spell an instant recipe for success. But that is not often the case as most restaurant owners find to their dismay. Some of them fold faster than a poker player with a bad hand while others struggle to break even. Only handfuls succeed in keeping their heads above water and retaining their loyal clientele, and they achieve this by following the formula for success which involves the following principles:

Positioning is important: When you decide to start a restaurant, you need to decide on a locality that is conducive to attracting customers, both regular and new ones who generate continuous revenue. You also need to position it according to the clientele that you expect to attract, regarding price and the kind of food you expect to serve.

Cleanliness is next to godliness: No one wants to eat food that is contaminated, so if your cleanliness policies are not very high on your priority list, you can close shop and pull down your shutters for good. Ensure that the highest standards of cleanliness are followed so that your customers are provided with a hygienic dining experience.

Keeping up with trends is important: You may have traditional roots that go back many years; but if you do not keep up with the times and changing tastes, you're going to be left behind. You may pride yourself on your authenticity, but because recent health trends dictate that people change the way they eat, you must bring in new policies that include healthy changes to the way you prepare and serve food.

Loyal customers must be valued: There are some customers who are regular and who are loyal to you, no matter how often you shift base or change staff. Value them more than new customers who may be richer and more influential, because they are the foundation that holds your restaurant together.

Trying to please everyone is a recipe for disaster: When you try to satisfy different tastes and cater to the needs of a wide variety of customers, you are headed on the road to disaster. You're only going to try to please everyone and end up not pleasing anyone in the process.

This guest article was written by Kat Sanders, who regularly writes on the topic of ekg tech . Kat welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: katsanders25@gmail.com.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 16, 2009 at 11:03 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Six Pittsburgh city workers may be out of the job after city officials discovered they did not reveal previous criminal convictions on their applications for employment. Some of the omitted cases include felony convictions for drug possession, aggravated assault and terroristic threats. One worker has a criminal conviction for acquiring or obtaining possession of a controlled substance - 110 counts to be exact.

These are pretty serious cases - I can understand why an applicant would want to keep this information under wraps. But doing so is not recommended for the obvious reason that you run the risk of losing your job if your deception is uncovered. And the only thing worse than being terminated for lying about a criminal conviction on your application for employment is discovering that if you had been truthful, the employer would still have been willing to give you a chance...

Pittsburgh prepares to fire 6 workers for unreported convictions

By Adam Brandolph, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - July 14, 2009

City officials Monday suspended and prepared to terminate six Pittsburgh Public Works employees in the wake of controversy over unreported criminal convictions.

City Operations Director Art Victor said the employees were suspended because they didn't report their convictions on job applications, not due to the charges themselves.

"It's clearly stated that any falsification could result in termination," he said.

The city does not have a blanket policy on hiring employees with criminal records. A pending lawsuit against the city, filed by former Public Works employee Paul Grguras, alleges the city unfairly targeted him when he was fired for not revealing a felony conviction.

The six employees suspended yesterday were:

• Mallory A. Craig, 39, who was hired in July 2006, pleaded guilty in November 1991 to terroristic threats. Craig's salary is $38,865.
• Mario J. Cutruzzula, 48, hired in February 2007, pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining food stamps or other assistance. Cutruzzula's salary is $38,495.
• Carl A. Huntley, 48, a laborer hired in August 2004, pleaded guilty in January 2003 to retail theft. In August of the same year, Huntley pleaded guilty to drug possession with intent to manufacture or deliver. His salary is $38,495.
• Joseph A. McCoullum, 26, hired in 2005, pleaded guilty in June 2003 to possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, according to court records. His salary is $38,037.
• Richard M. Shiloh, 52, hired in March 2007, pleaded guilty in January 1996 to 110 counts of acquiring or obtaining possession of a controlled substance. Shiloh's salary is $40,285.
• Quint R. Weaver, 41, a tree pruner hired in September 2001, pleaded guilty to aggravated assault in June 2000. His salary is $39,374.

"There is a mistake," Shiloh said last night. "I know there is. I plan on fighting it."

Weaver refused to comment and the other workers couldn't be reached for comment.

"At the time these guys were hired, the city didn't have any policy on doing background checks on anyone," Victor said. "It was only since 2008 that every perspective new hire has had a background check done."

The suspended employees have until the end of the day Friday to explain, in writing, why they should not be suspended. The city will look at their letters before making a final decision, Victor said.

Article by, Natalie Beck and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 15, 2009 at 9:06 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The following press release, though concerned with older workers, discusses an issue that could have a direct impact on CollegeRecruiter.com's target audience of college students and recent graduates. ca

Retirement age rising as concerns over finances grow according to Golden Gateway Financial survey; half of all seniors' net worth has decreased by 10 to 30 percent.

The current economic crisis is having a lasting impact on many older Americans, forcing them to make difficult financial decision because they have so little time and resources available to them to recover from losses in the housing and financial markets.

A new survey from Golden Gateway Financial shows that these losses are causing many seniors to consider retiring at a later age than originally planned. The survey asked Americans aged 62-and-older how the economic crisis was affecting their retirement plans. Not surprisingly, the number of respondents planning to retire after age 70 because of the economic crisis increased substantially from those planning to retire at that age before the crisis.

"Even though some economists are beginning to grow optimistic, older Americans continue to feel real pain and must make hard tradeoffs and decisions," said Eric Bachman, founder and CEO of Golden Gateway Financial. "This is the worst possible time for the 40 percent of seniors now considering delaying retirement to be searching for jobs. It's unfortunate that the hopes and dreams of these retirees are being put on hold."

Overall, the survey found that many seniors understand exactly how the economy is affecting their retirement finances and plans. It also illustrates the concern that many seniors have about the prospects for their continued ability to sustain retirement. Additional observations include:

- Before the economic crisis, 67 percent of respondents planned to retire before age 70
- Now, the number of seniors planning to retire by age 70 dropped to 40 percent
- Before the economic crisis, 30 percent of those surveyed planned to retire after age 70
- Now, almost 50 percent of seniors plan to retire after age 70
- More than 40 percent of seniors polled said the current economy has had some kind of negative affect on their ability to retire
- More than 50 percent of respondents said they are concerned that their overall net worth may no longer be enough to sustain their retirement
- 86 percent of seniors said they had a reasonable understanding of their net worth, and 50 percent said that net worth had declined by between 10 and 30 percent

The independent online survey, conducted with United Sample, Inc. (www.unitedsample.com) in partnership with Golden Gateway Financial, polled a nationwide representative sample of more than 500 senior citizens aged 62 or older. A complete list of questions and percentage answers are available at the Golden Gateway Financial website or by contacting the company.

To learn more about Golden Gateway Financial or to access the company's entire suite of retirement resources and tools, including its award-winning reverse mortgage calculator, please visit http://www.goldengateway.com.

Golden Gateway Financial (www.goldengateway.com), located in Oakland, California, is a comprehensive resource for senior citizens, baby boomers and soon-to-be retirees to assess their financial health at retirement. Through a unique set of online tools and clear and unbiased communication, the company helps individuals address "The Great American Retirement Dilemma." The tools enable users to better assess the security of their nest egg and to make intelligent choices to fully enjoy what should be the best years of their lives. The company also operates the industry's premiere reverse mortgage and life settlement services with proprietary calculators and products for each, and a team of trained counselors to help seniors better understand the products and evaluate whether they are right for them.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 14, 2009 at 10:53 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

After (at least) four long years, Graduation is finally here. If you have a job lined up, congratulations. If not, your are not alone. You are graduating into the worst recession since the Great Depression, but don't let that get you depressed. There are thousands of jobs out there, it's just a matter of finding the one that's right for you. Many companies have pages dedicated to students and recent graduates and many search sites are either dedicated to college grads or have keyword searches to help in your search. Here are some leads.

Hewlett-Packard - This page is a link to HP's Student's and Graduates page. The page starts with some pointers followed by a drop down where you can select your country. Using the US link as an example, the next page loads with links to the left hand side for Jobs at HP, Programs for Students & Grads, Recruitment process and more. The center of the page has a link to a student search tool. Click on the link for the search tool. There were 57 student/new grad jobs when I checked the site.
eFinancialCareers - Graduates and Internships - This links to eFinancialCareers page for graduates and internships. There were 101 jobs for graduates when I checked the site. The job sector search (on the left hand side of the page) is set to graduate trainee, you can try this with other search engines as well. Select region for your country.
Campuscareercenter.com - This site focuses on on students and entry level jobs. The top of the page has tabs for Post Resume and Students. Clicking on Students, the center of the page lists featured employers followed by resources (resumes, interview tips, etc.). The left hand side of the page has additional links to job search and resources. You can view the featured employers job openings by clicking directly. You must register to do a search across all employers.
Entrylevel.computerjobs.com - This job site is focused on Tech jobs. The top of the page has a simple filter where you can type in a keyword and select your state. You can post your resume on this site as well. Click on any opportunity after conducting a search to apply directly for the job.
Thousands of Entry Level Jobs - Sounds like a lot (and it is). Using jobster.com, this link uses the key words "entry-level" and returned over 45,000 entry level job listings across the country. Fine tuning for a city (say, NY), returned over 2,800 jobs. The same holds true if you enter the key word "graduate" (over 3,000 hits for NYC). Try this with any of the major job search engines.

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, and posted on Lakeshore Staffing.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 13, 2009 at 9:04 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Mostly you read about what I think, but occasionally you tell me what you think (website ideas, etc.). So today's post is a listing of websites that you've suggested (in one form or other). I'll provide my usual brief reviews and then I'll let you be the judge of these sites.

CEC Search, LLC - This site focuses on restaurant jobs and (I believe) the firm is an executive recruiter. Main page has links at the top - Restaurant Jobs, Post Resumes, News, etc. with similar links listed down the left hand side of the page. Clicking on Restaurant Jobs allows you to search in this category. Left hand side of this page has a search engine while the right hand side has detail on the highlighted job. You can submit your resume (very comprehensive resume submission page) to be considered for all jobs covered by this company

Unlimited Job Postings - Here's a name you can love if you're looking for a job. This site has job listings down the left hand side. With a very long list of additional resources listed down the center of the page. Clicking on any of the jobs will bring up a very comprehensive job description. Clicking on any of the additional resources links leads to those sites.
TwitterJobSearch - Yes, job search by Twitter. Another simple interface website, the main page has a search bar for "what do you want to do". You can also click Browse from the top of the page which links to a page which shows jobs by function. Click on any of the functions to get a longer list of actual job titles. Clicking a specific job function returns a long list of jobs.
GetFinancialManagementJobs.com - I've not heard of this site. The main page has a Job Seekers - Search Jobs click through or you can register/login directly below this. There is a box to put your email address to get specific jobs emailed to you or you can register on the site. Below this is a listing of the latest jobs posted followed by a simple search box. At the bottom of the page are jobs by state. On the right hand side is a click box for "Critical Need Financial Management Jobs"
QuietAgent.com - This site's tag line is "Your 'agent' that's always on - always looking out for you". According to their marketing material, the site evaluates available jobs against your profile on a daily basis and returns those jobs that fit your profile. The first thing you do is to create an anonymous job seeker account with basic information that most of these sites ask for but not your name address or phone number until you accept a "job invitation". You can block your current employer if you are employed.

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, and posted on Boston Tech Recruiter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 13, 2009 at 8:53 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Employers have rights but age discrimination can get you into trouble if you are not careful. In the US, it is generally not legal to discriminate based on age. The lone exception is that it is OK to ask if a person is over the legal age to work, 18.
There are other cases like in states where you must be 21 to serve alcohol. In all these cases, you can only ask if there person meets the criteria of being able to prove that they meet the requirement. In other words you can't ask them their age.

Age Related Criteria

While age discrimination is illegal, there are sometimes reasons why a business would want to hire someone within a specific age range. One reason for example might be the cost of someone who has too much experience. You assume that a person who is older would have too much experience and would want too much money.

The way that you can legally discriminate is not based on age it is based on qualifications for the job. For example you can say that a person must have 10 to 20 years experience. That will eliminate a good number of people who are too expensive.

Change Your Focus

Say you don't want young people because the lack of experience will be a drag on the team. Focus on the experience. Make sure a candidate has at least 10 years experience.

In other words, don't focus on age. Repeat, don't focus on age. Focus instead on the desired qualifications of a person. In both examples above, the concern was too much money and too little experience. It was not necessarily age but age closely correlated to the problem.

As an employer you can not discriminate based on age. You can discriminate based on qualifications.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 13, 2009 at 7:51 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Our good friend Jon Hyman at the Ohio Law blog wrote the following post concerning the risk employers face by using LinkedIn. I bet this is one issue many didn't consider before posting a glowing recommendation. I wonder if employers will develop policies that preclude employees for using this functionality in the future as it can be interpreted as a de facto employment reference interview.

Is LinkedIn a Risk for Employers?

One of the more interesting features of LinkedIn is the ability to recommend your connections. In fact, LinkedIn will prod you to recommend others to further complete your profile. For example, my LinkedIn profile is 90% complete, and it tells me I can get to 95% if I recommend another person. Most successful professionals share two personality traits that will cause them to strive for that 100% goal - overachieving and type-A personalities.

In today's National Law Journal, however, Tresa Baldas makes an excellent point about the legal risks posed by LinkedIn recommendations. Let's say, for example, a manager provides one of his subordinates a glowing LinkedIn recommendation. If that employee is later fired, the odds are pretty high that the employee will try to use that recommendation as evidence of pretext in a later discrimination suit.

Social media provides a gold mine of information to use in employment lawsuits. Employees' Facebook pages, YouTube videos, and blogs are all fertile ground for discovering useful information to use against an employee. If employers are going to swim in these waters, they need to be equally mindful that what they write about an employee can also be used against the employer. When drafting a social media policy, consider these risks and decide whether an outright ban on LinkedIn recommendations is best for your organization.

Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 13, 2009 at 7:20 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It appears that HR 3149 was introduced yesterday and Referred to Committee. HR 3149 is a bill set to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to prohibit the use of consumer credit checks against prospective and current employees for the purposes of making adverse employment decisions. EmployeeScreenIQ and EmployeeScreen University have written about this topic many times in the past. As an industry, pre-employment credit reports are only suggested to be used when necessary and only for the responsibilities of that particular position. In fact, the EEOC and FCRA already have provisions that the adverse information can only be used if it fits within the scope of the job. Most background screening programs only impliment this type of check as part of a much broader search.

Section three of the bill provides some exceptions but does not take into account most of them. We suggest you spend some time reading this bill and write your congressperson to oppose it. We agree the intent of this bill is to get more people to work. However, as with most legislation, there are some unintended consequences. There must be provisions for positions that could be negatively effected by a person with a poor credit history. This 111th Congress has a horrible track record already for not even reading bills before voting. Reach out and make a difference, make them read it, make them amend it!

Article by, Jason Morris and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 13, 2009 at 7:13 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

In this economy, it is easy for employers to make the mistake of thinking that they don't need to spend money recruiting talent when they are already getting tons of applications without even asking. On the surface, this may seem like a great way to save money. But are you really? What exactly are you getting? And how much is it costing you behind the scenes? With so many people out of work, many are desperately trying to find a job and they are applying to positions even if they don't have the best qualifications for them.

This can hurt you in several ways. First of all, do you want your hiring managers spending all that time sifting through tons of resumes from unqualified or sort-of qualified candidates? And, if you hire someone who is not the most qualified, what about the cost of training him only to let him go when he doesn't work out? And, now you have to hire again!

During this economy it is imperative that you reach the candidates you need to reach: the candidates most qualified to fill your positions. How can you do that? By targeting these candidates before they even hear about your jobs! With our database of over 10 million college students, recent grads and alumni we can drill down into over 700 data fields. You can narrow down your search by

• major,


• year in school,


• GPA,


• geographic area or school,


• diversity, or


• experience.

Aren't those the people you want your hiring managers to be interviewing? Wisely spent money up front, before the interview process even begins, saves you time, overall cost, and a big headache for both you and the people you may otherwise hire and later need to let go. Once you drill down, sending a Targeted Email and/or Mobile Marketing (Text messaging and Keywords) blast to those pre-qualified candidates will get them applying and get you hiring the people you want.

And what if you already have lots of qualified candidates? Does it make sense to cut your recruiting out then? Absolutely not. Let me refer to a blog written last December by our president, Steven Rothberg, titled Don't Change Your Strategy When Faced With a Tactical Problem:

"There are a lot of employers out there today who are faced with a difficult predicament: they're receiving enough qualified applicants for their current openings or they're not hiring or they're laying off staff. In that kind of environment, who would advise them to continue to spend money on recruitment advertising? Well, I would.

"So if you're faced with the tactical problem of enough qualified applicants, lack of hiring, or layoffs then re-allocate your recruitment advertising budget. Don't spend it on products such as job postings or resume searching as those are primarily designed to generate applications. Instead, spend your budget by building your brand for tomorrow. Use Targeted Email and/or Mobile Marketing (Text messaging and Keywords) blasts to reach those candidates who you will want to recruit a month from now, a year from now, or even several years from now and use Featured Employer Tile and Other Banner Ads to keep your name in front of your future candidates."

You can see that even though it sometimes feels like a good idea to "save" money by not recruiting, it ends up being the worst thing you can do for your company. Why not put us to work helping you plan a strategy that will keep your company in the forefront both now and in the future?

Article by Caddy Rowland, National Account Executive To discuss these or any other issues with Caddy, call her at 800-835-4989 x707 or email her at Caddy@CollegeRecruiter.com

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 8, 2009 at 5:32 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

What a genius idea!

Wanted: Fake Employees

For many professionals, there's a stigma around doing odd jobs like mowing the lawn or cleaning houses: What if someone saw me? I would be mortified!

As the layoffs keep piling up -- another 467,000 jobs were lost in June -- it may be a while before a lot of people get back to full-time work.

Enter filmmaker Jeremy Redleaf, who has done the impossible of making odd jobs seem cool with job-listing site Odd JobNation.com, which launched in February. Their motto is: "Turn that Pink Slip Into a Golden Ticket."

"We're sort of celebrating this moment in time for anyone who's been laid off or looking for extra money," Redleaf says. "But we're making it cooler -- we're getting rid of the stigma."

The site collects its own listings from word-of-mouth but it also mines Craig's List in various cities for listings.

The site has opportunities for everyone, from actors to investment bankers. In fact, Redleaf started the site after helping five i-banker friends get jobs after they were laid off.

Sure, it has your typical odd jobs, but also some listings you might not expect:

Arm Candy for a Celebrity. A celebrity once posted a listing looking for an attractive young lady to be his arm candy for Fashion Week. Pay: $50 for the afternoon.

Fake Employee. An ad agency laid off a bunch of its employees, but wanted to keep up appearances when a big client came to the office. So, they posted a listing for "fake employees" to just sit at the desks and look busy. Pay: $15 an hour.

All-Star Foosball Player. Have a Migayi-like command of the Foosball table? Well today's your lucky day because one Chelsea office is sick of their cocky foosball champion and is looking for someone to take him down. Pay: $40 and beer.

Michael Jackson Impersonator. If you recently lost your job, you're bad and you know it, this job is for you. A woman in California is looking for a Michael Jackson impersonator for her wedding in Lake Tahoe on August 1. If you're not free that day, don't worry: I'm sure there will be more moonwalking opps to come!

Mermaid for a Birthday Party. Perhaps fulfilling a long-harbored "Splash!" fantasy, one poster is looking for a couple of women to pose as mermaids and swim around the pool at a birthday party in July. The pay is $150 for three hours, and they will provide the costume if necessary, but there is one teensy caveat: You have to do it topless.

Actor in a Zombie Movie. A zombie movie starts filming in a couple months in South Florida and they're looking for everything from actors to special-effects make-up artists and set designers. You won't get paid -- except for getting a copy of the movie -- but how cool would it be if, at your next interview, when they asked you about that gap in your resume, you said nonchalantly, "Oh, I was acting in a zombie movie."

The site isn't just about job listings, though. It also has the pilot of a show RedLeaf is developing, called "Odd Jobs," with two more episodes coming next week, as well as a "Recession Channel," where you can submit your own recession-inspired videos or watch other people's videos like the R&B rap "Laid Off" by C.H.A.Z.Z.

Redleaf says they're going add features on unemployed people who are inspiring and add message boards to allow people to vent, network -- whatever they need.

"We're sort of a one-stop-shop for all things unemployment," Redleaf says.

At the moment, the site only has one sponsor, ResumeDeli.com, but he's currently in talks with other sponsors.

How he pays for it all is through a sister site called, ResumeShirts.com, where, for $19.99, they'll print your resume on your T-shirt! The front says, "Resume Attached," and the resume is on the back. Or, they'll do your cover letter, with "Dear Sir or Madam" on the front and your cover letter on the back.

Those shirts have been so successful, Redleaf says they're going to expand the online store to include other sites that sell T-shirts, bags, mugs, etc.

He's also got plans for a "Worst Resume Contest" in the works, where the winner wins a full resume makeover. Kind of like "What Not to Wear" for your resume. Like a "What Not to Write."

This is all great but what happens if the recession ends?

"If my business starts to go down -- that's actually a good sign!" Redleaf quips. "But there are always going to be people who need jobs, who want odd jobs," he says. "For those people, we'll always be there."

Article by, Cindy Perman of CNBC and courtesy of Natalie Beck and EmployeescreenIQ

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 8, 2009 at 1:22 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

I don't really remember when Internet job searching overtook the old fashioned print classified ad, but it wasn't all that long ago that most of us can remember the commerical "I found my job through the New York Times". But print classifieds are very much alive (although not a major force anymore) and their web-based "sister" versions are very much in use. So if you need to try something new, try some of these web-based classified ads.

New York Times - The NY Times, which still has a print version of it's classified jobs listings (the Sunday version is fairly large), has a web-based classified section as well. Working with Monster.com, the site is very well organized. There are tabs at the top: Find a Job, Post Your Resume (you can register here too), Job Seeker Login and Career Advice. The left hand side of the page is for Job Seekers, with a simple search followed by top job categories, top job locations and a number of related articles below that. The center of the page has a Post Your Resume get started section followed by a salary comparison section. Career Calendar, another really good resource, is on the right hand side of the page and lists upcoming events (you can check into the future as well). But wait, there's more! Below the calendar is a short listing of "Who's Hiring" and then featured jobs. When I tried their generic search it returned more than 5,000 jobs. This site is definitely worth spending time on, I would rate it 5 stars out of 5.

Los Angeles Times - Flipping to the Left Coast, the LA Times also maintains a web-based classified jobs section. In this case, the LA Times is partnered with CareerBuilder. While not as robust or filled with features as the NY Times version, this site too is worth a look. You can register and post your resume here too. There is a simple search function top center of the page, with a number of links going down the left hand side of the page (Find a Job, Search Jobs, Create Job Alerts, etc.). Career related stories are listed down the middle of the page with Jobs by Category to the right. Worth a look, I would rank it 3 out of 5 stars.
Chicago Tribune - Continuing the review of print on web classifieds we move back to the center of the country. The Chicago Tribune's web-based classified site is also in partnership with CareerBuilder. This page combines current news (most of which is not career related) with job search. There is a search box center left on the page with links to resume writing services, Upload your Resume, Job Alerts and a link for hourly job seekers. Below this there are a few different search options: By Company/Industry, By Category and career advise. Far right is "Who's Hiring in Chicago" and a Chicago Career Fair link half way down the right hand side. Also worth a look, I would rate this site 3 out of 5 stars.
Craigslist - Not known in print, but certainly one of the better known web-based classified ads providers, Craigslist is another great source for job search (see the next bullet for an article on this). Less is more with CraigslList, so you won't see all of the content that you see on the other sites. Find your city or state and then click on any of the categories under jobs (or see below).
Craigslist - How to Find Jobs on Craigslist - This article, from about.com, provides a very brief view on how best to leverage Craigslist for job search.

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, and posted on MN Headhunter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 7, 2009 at 6:28 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Interviewers ask certain questions for a reason. Some good...and some not so good. Like it or not, the same questions are asked just about every day during each and every interview in every company around the country. So if you understand the information an interviewer is trying to obtain from you, answering them will be all the easier.

Many, but not all, human resources personnel and hiring managers are experienced interviewers, so they typically know the "right" and "wrong" answers to questions. They also know what your answers say about YOU, both personally and professionally.

For example, if an interviewer asks you to discuss your strengths and weaknesses, do you know what he or she is looking for in your answer?

While experts disagree on the usefulness of these types of questions, you need to be prepared to respond appropriately. You alone know your true strengths and weaknesses, but the manner in which you answer will determine your fate. The following table shows some of the most commonly asked questions and their "secret" meanings.

QUESTIONS -- AND WHAT INTERVIEWERS WANT TO KNOW

What was your class standing?

>>How smart are you?

Which supervisors have you found it easiest or most difficult to work with, and why?

>>Are you adaptable?

Tell me about your extra-curricular activities. Give me an example of a time when you had to do more than what was required in your job. Did you work on any special projects?

>>Do you have initiative?

What hobbies do you have?

>>Are you creative?

Do you ever find that you need to make exceptions to certain rules or policies? Give me an example of when you had to do this, and why.

>>Do you have integrity?

What classes did you start and later drop? What are some of the tougher problems you faced in previous jobs? At what point did you ask for assistance? To whom did you go?

>>Can you persevere in hard times?

In school or in a previous job, how did you convince other people to accept your ideas?

>>How persuasive are you?

Do you consider yourself successful? What makes you think you can sell successfully? How do you feel when you get rejected?

>>Are you self-confident?

Can you give me a recent example of a time when you had to get your point across to different people? What approach did you take? Can you give me an example of a time when you had to convince your manager or co-worker about a new idea?

>>How well can you communicate?

Describe a typical day on your job.

>>Level and complexity of work assignments.

Explain how you fit into your department. To whom did you report?

>>Extent of responsibility.

What other departments did you work with in your previous job? Tell me about those relationships.

>>Organizational cooperation.

How hard or easy is it for you to handle multiple priorities simultaneously? Tell me how you accomplish this.

>>How organized are you?

Once you've reviewed these questions and meanings, do a bit of soul searching to decide how you will answer these questions during your interview---AND how your answers will be conveyed on your RESUME. Chances are, at least one or two of your responses may change. Changing your answers, or at least understanding what an interviewer expecting to hear in your answers, will dramatically increase your successes and opportunities in the job market.

Article by Lorraine Russo

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, and posted on MN Headhunter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 7, 2009 at 11:27 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

As with most things in life, job search is a "two way street". The concept of networking lives by this and Executive Recruiters and Headhunters do as well. This works in different ways. In some cases, the recruiter may be looking for a candidate with credentials that are different than yours (and you may know someone) or you know the recruiter because you used them to hire people in your last role. Whatever the case, leverage recruiters the same way you would leverage your friends and business acquaintances to enhance your job search.

A Team Recruiting - This firm specializes in recruiting for Accounting and Finance professionals in the New York Metro area and other major US Metro markets. They do the full range from Temporary, Temp to Hire, Part Time, Full Time, etc. They list 4 job categories from which you can click (CFO, Controller, Bookkeeper and Accounting Clerk). Clicking on these brings up a forms page where you can fill in your personal details, register and upload a resume.
A-List Associates - Their tag line is "Your #1 Source for Top Executive Assistants and Administrative Support". There are tabs at the top for "About Us", "Services", "Positions" and more. Click on Positions to link to the Open Positions page. You can see the job description, salary, location and can apply directly for the job. You can also click on "Contact Us" where you can submit your resume through their web form, call them, fax your resume or send via Snail Mail.
Anson McCade - Anson McCade is an IT and Finance recruitment firm, based in London, UK. Their main site has information on the firm, Interviews tips, Resources and Contacts (all on the left hand side of the screen). Candidate information is on the right hand side and includes All vacancies, vacancies by functiona and a search all function. There were 269 job opportunities when I checked the site. You can register your resume or contact them directly via email or telephone.
Horton International - This firm is a global executive search firm with several offices in the North East US as well as offices in Asia Pacific and Europe. Their main page has tabs at the top for their international non-US offices, Submit your resume, FAQs and Contact information. You can contact them via email or phone and also have the ability to submit your resume using their online web form. I did not see a link for current job opportunities.
Jay Gaines & Company - This firm has a broad range of functional areas it covers: General management, Information technology, Finance Capital markets, Risk, Investment management, Operations and more. Click on select past engagements to see the types of positions covered by this firm. Click Contact Us to forward your resume via email or call.

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, and posted on Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 7, 2009 at 11:18 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Times are tough and a lot of people have lost their jobs, yet a lot more are still gainfully employed and feeling the stress of their companies' reduced workforces. Many articles focus on how to find and hire stellar employees, but what about retaining the top performers who are already there? A recent query that was sent out to our panel of experts asked just that. Here's how they responded:

Internship expert and career counselor, Penny Loretto believes employers should, "Develop a sense of employee loyalty by meeting employee needs and listening to their concerns; effectively communicate company plans, goals, & aspirations; show appreciation for employee efforts; continue to offer opportunities for professional development & growth; offer employees additional perks and incentives if finances are tight; whenever possible, involve employees in problem-solving and decision-making of the company; maintain a positive work environment where employees enjoy going to work."

"My employment experience as a recruiter and department director has given me the opportunity to see this issue from both sides of the fence" said Marc Scoleri, director of operations for CareerAdvisorOnline. "I have tried to lure people away from their jobs as a recruiter and attempted to keep my employees content in their position within my department. The three areas I consider important when retaining or recruiting are:

1. Compensation
2. Benefits
3. Flexibility

Compensation can include salary, bonuses or any other monetary awards received by an employee. The more you pay and the higher the bonus, the better the chance you have of retaining high-performing employees. Often times, employees are wooed by the temptation of more money.

Benefits can be a deal maker or deal breaker. For example, an employee with young children may need better healthcare and dental than a single twenty-five year old. Or even better, an onsite daycare facility will attract working parents. A company that provides high-quality healthcare and dental, discounts for gym memberships, childcare options and unique convenience offerings will be valued by employees. Other benefits many people yearn for is additional vacation and personal time or temporary leave. All work and no play makes for a dull existence. Personally, I believe everyone should get at least four weeks vacation. American companies need to take a lesson from European businesses when it comes to rewarding vacation time. Many companies slow down the month of August in Europe and employees benefit by utilizing the time off to travel or spend with their families. If an American employer wants to keep a top performer consider upping their vacation time from two weeks to four weeks vacation and see how your top employee reacts. Or offer half-day Fridays during the summer so employees can enjoy the longer summer days. Finally for the knowledge thirsty employee, paying for advanced education or training to improve skills could benefit all parties and entice people who can't afford an advanced degree to stay at there company a couple more years while they complete their degree.

Flexibility with schedules and offering tele-commuting options could help keep top performers in their roles longer. Employees who know they can depend on their employer to be flexible when life issues arise are more likely to value their employer. For example, allow employees to go to the doctor during the workday or give them the flexibility to come in later or leave earlier on day to accomplish tasks that require appointment setting. Cramming these life errands into the weekend can be a bummer. Having a flexible employer can pay big dividends with employee satisfaction."

"I know I enjoy my four weeks vacation and appreciate my MBA that was paid for by my employer of seven years," Scoleri added.

George Lenard, owner and editor of George's Employment Blawg, shared his unique insight on this subject. "One thing I've been aware of is that these days, retention includes not only trying to prevent employees from leaving voluntarily, but also trying not to be too quick to respond to current business challenges with permanent layoffs. Of course, with the depth of the downturn, most companies have been doing some downsizing, but there are significant costs and legal risks that can be associated with permanent layoffs, including the risk of laying off employees the company will wish it had kept when business conditions improve."

"These costs and risks may substantially offset the benefit of cost savings from workforce reductions. This is why many companies are considering a variety of alternatives to permanent layoffs, such as furloughs and reduced workweeks," concluded Lenard.

Sharon DeLay of Boldly Go Career and Resource Management is aware of the benefits companies can see from offering reduced workweeks in lieu of permanent layoffs. But that's not all that savvy employers are doing to hold on to their workforces.

"Here are a few things smart employers are doing," said DeLay.

• They are communicating better with their talent. Engaged employees mean that the employees are part of the discussion within the organization. When employees become part of the discussion, they take ownership, and when employees take ownership, they're less likely to walk away from what they feel invested in. For example, if the company is considering a change in benefits, engage the employees to discuss options. Make them own it. Another practice that is growing is that companies are starting to share financials so employees have a better understanding of their contribution to a financially healthy company, as well as the rationale behind the decisions being made.


• Employers are sitting down with the talent and trying to understand what motivates them. If people are compensated fairly, then there are many other things that make them motivated within their jobs. Employers are understanding whether that is cross-training, more leadership development, flexible scheduling, etc. We can't simply guess every individual's "trigger points" because every person is different. For example, if I'm being paid fairly, then what I would really want is a 4-day workweek (4, 10-hour days). As a matter of fact, a friend of mine just accepted an Executive VP level position and that was the "seal the deal" benefit for him - a 4, 10-hour day workweek).


• They are creating recognition plans that reward individual contributions as well as team contributions. Employees work in different ways within their jobs and when an employee is not recognized for work completed in one capacity and all rewards are based on the opposite work style, this neglects a significant segment of your employees and talent. For example, a lot of companies view their top salespeople as their top talent. By the nature of their job, these people work independently for the most part. Having a team-based rewards system excludes this talent. Again, if people are being paid fairly, then many other things are important to them, and recognition is usually toward the top.

For the most part, the experts seem to be in agreement that employers should make employees feel valued with more than just a plumb salary. Keeping employees informed and included in changes seems to be the most important thing employers can do to ensure that their best and brightest don't go out and start looking for jobs elsewhere.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 7, 2009 at 10:43 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Although military [personnel, who are] leaving the service, possess a multitude of specialized skills and experience, they often find the transition to civilian employment a daunting task. According to RecruitMilitary - a company owned and operated by veterans to help military members find civilian jobs - the veteran unemployment rate is even higher and hovered at approximately 11.9 percent in May of this year. Because veterans share unique job search challenges and a complex professional vocabulary, they are in need of tools that can help them move to the right civilian occupation while making it easier for recruiters to better understand their work history and related accomplishments.

US Army Lieutenant Colonel Deborah Richardson is currently assigned at the Pentagon and preparing to retire from the Army after more than 25 years of service. Classified a "Program Analyst" by Army standards, LTC Richardson is searching for a senior level accounting or financial officer position, but faces the same challenge as most military veterans - how to articulate her military expertise in a way that recruiters of all types can comprehend. Without the proper tool to translate veterans' unique skills, Corporate America often has to "reverse engineer" an applicant's military occupation specialty (MOS) - a code that is used to identify and describe specific jobs within the armed services.

LTC Richardson created her own online resume footprint, using VisualCV, and is confident she has "bridged the gap" between the military and civilian employers.

"Leadership and data analysis are functions anyone can understand, but it is more difficult to articulate the complexities of military pay and appropriation law, which can be filled with jargon quite unique to the military," said LTC Richardson. "I think VisualCV helps veterans really communicate their skills better, because it enables you to embed multiple pictures and products that enhance your accomplishments and show much more depth than a paper resume."

With VisualCV, veterans can take control of their career management by enabling them to deliver "first interview" content to hiring managers and recruiters right from the start. This allows them to demonstrate their expertise and accomplishments wherever they have a digital footprint including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, a personal or professional blog, e-mail signature line, etc.

"Military personnel who are preparing to enter the civilian job market already face a number of hurdles, and we are thrilled that VisualCV can help them to make that transition easier," said Jeffrey T. Hunter, CEO of VisualCV. "Our easy to use solution allows veterans and active military like LTC Richardson to utilize various forms of multimedia to easily translate their specialized work history into information that civilian recruiters can understand."

Press release courtesy of VisualCV, Inc. has reinvented the resume to make it more relevant for job searching, networking, business development and career progression within today's Web 2.0 environment. VisualCV, Inc. provides technology and support for the VisualCV, the VisualCV.com community and "Powered by VisualCV" private-label platform. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, the company has received investments from one of the world's leading executive search firms, Heidrick & Struggles (NASDAQ: HSII), and Valhalla Partners. For more information or to create a VisualCV, please visit www.visualcv.com.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 7, 2009 at 9:26 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

It's always important for employers to hire the best people they can possibly find for the jobs they're offering. The hiring process is expensive and time consuming, and during a recession, companies cannot afford to replace poorly chosen employees. More importantly, employers must also do everything they can to retain the top employees they already have.

In his article, Retaining Talent During a Recession, Aaron Green addresses the importance of taking care of the best employees when economic times are hard. Morale drops when people see their colleagues and friends getting laid off, when companies implement hiring freezes and discontinue giving bonuses in order to cut costs. Employees who no longer feel good about the companies where they work are susceptible to recruiters who come armed with the promise of bonuses, bigger salaries and other perks that are especially enticing in an economic downturn. Keeping their best employees happy is the most efficient way employers can get them to stay put even when recruiters come along and try to woo them away.

Michael Hayes of Momentum Specialized Staffing offered these three tips:

- "keep people in the loop. Let everyone know how the biz is doing and what they can do to help.

- can't give raises? Give days off or small gift cards to better performers

- have a person come in and give chair massages. Its about 60 bucks an hour and employees love it. I do this."

The consensus, among the experts I recently queried, is that showing employees that they're appreciated and keeping them well informed about the changes the company is going through are the primary ways to ensure that they will not want to cut and run the moment someone comes along with a better offer or the moment the economy starts recovering.

"Employees want to feel like their employers care about them, offered counseling psychologist, Dr. Debi Yohn. "Does the employer care about their career paths? Does the employer care about them as individuals? Employees want a sense of 'fairness'. It is important for employees to feel like they are treated equally and fairly. This is where it is important to follow policy and procedures. Employees are always making note of others who get something they have been denied. They can very quickly become discontented. The work environment is important to employees. Is the work space pleasant? Clean? Organized? Is there a sense of belonging? A sense of being on a team? Are their voices heard? Are the correct people being rewarded? Often, there is an employee who is a worker bee and makes superiors look good. Is this recognized?"

"All the above are issues that employers need to be aware of," Yohn cautioned. "Often they cannot give their employees the top salaries but they can give them clear career paths (good mentoring); fairness in supervision; a positive, pleasant work environment; and proper recognition. If the employees look forward to coming to work and know there is a good future for them in a company that cares about them, they will think twice before 'jumping ship.'"

Here are a few ways employers can keep top talent," said career coach, Derrick Hayes:

"1. Pay them market value. Use the concept that sports teams use to keep players from going to other teams.
2. Offer more in the beginning with a non-compete clause at the end.
3. Be open and honest with the direction of the company.
4. Develop an employee entrepreneurship program where the comapny invests in ideas that employees create."

"Retaining talent is critically important," said career coach, Dwain Celistan. "It is also a fantastic way to attract new talent. One of the best ways to retain talent is through the environment that is created. Most employees depart a company for reasons other than money. It is usually the bosses and the climates that they create. Thus, working on creating and reinforcing the right environment would be a great place to begin. From a process standpoint, this could begin through surveys of employees. More important than the survey are the actions taken by the organization based on the feedback. Listening to and acting upon employee input are fantastic first steps any organization can take, regardless of size or industry."

Finally, Red Recruiter, Michael Long had this to say, "If a company wants to keep its employees, it needs to make sure that the managers are inspiring their employees. Sounds cliche, but I find it extremely easy to recruit people who don't like their direct leadership."

It seems everyone agrees that job satisfaction far outweighs money when it comes to an employee's decision to stay with or leave his current employer.

According to Sharon Daniels in her article, Retaining Top Employees is Critical in a Recession, talent retention isn't just an American issue, but a global one. Like our experts, Daniels advocates providing a pleasant work environment, giving employees ample recognition, and a healthy work/life balance. She further advises providing career development options when monetary compensation isn't possible because this will help employees to perform better and go further in their careers.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 6, 2009 at 10:15 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

You can find great job-hunting ideas by reading publications that have nothing ostensible to do with job hunting.

Example: a new book by seminal marketer, Jay Abraham, called "The Sticking Point Solution."

What, you may ask, does a book for entrepreneurs and marketing/sales professionals have to do with your job search?

Nothing. And a whole lot.

You'll find nothing in it if you're satisfied with ordinary job-search tactics. There are no mentions of networking, dressing for success, or answers to the top 10 interview questions, for example.

But Abraham's new book (or any good marketing publication) can help you a lot if you extract just one new idea to use in your search for work.

Because, ultimately, every job search is really a marketing campaign.

To that end, here are two marketing ideas of Abraham's that can get you hired faster ....

1) Get all you can out of all you're doing

If you're like most job seekers, you're rushing from job-search tactic to another. And it's understandable, given human nature, which makes us eager to rush after the "new" and "improved" rather than slog it out and get the most from existing efforts.

As Abraham writes: "Optimization and innovation are both crucial to your success, but the order is important." He goes on to describe that, in marketing (as in your job search), you should make current activities perform as effectively as possible before seeking out new, untried options.

OK. Time for some hard questions:

Question 1: Before giving up on and moving on to Employer B after applying and not hearing back from Employer A, have you verified that Employer A actually got your resume? Especially if you emailed or submitted it via their web site?

Question 2: Have you tried blogging to attract recruiters and employers ... for about two weeks -- then given up and tried Twitter and/or Facebook?

Question 3: Have you tried "networking" by calling 10 people and asking if they knew anyone who was hiring ... then given up and decided that networking didn't work?

If you answered yes to one or more questions, you're "innovating" at the expense of optimizing. And it's prolonging your job search.

Action Step: Get the most out of your current job-search tactics before trying something new.

Start by analyzing your efforts -- if you're not getting results, why not? Benchmark yourself against people who have succeeded. What did they do differently? How can you emulate them?

2) Prescribe solutions to employers, like a doctor

Another marketing tactic that can help your job search is consultative selling. Abraham defines it as "helping prospects get what they want, facilitating the cure."

Which is exactly what you're trying to do as a job seeker -- help prospects (potential employers) get what they want, which is, ultimately, higher revenues, lower costs, or both.

Imagine how powerful your cover letters and job interviews would be if you first researched employers to find where they "hurt" and how hiring you would provide a "cure"?

Example: What if you learned that your target employer, ABC Corp., was suffering from sluggish sales? What if, in visiting one of their stores, you noticed all the shopping hand-baskets stacked near the front door? What if your research found that hand-baskets displayed within the first 10 feet of a retail entrance tend to be ignored by shoppers, and that scattering them throughout the store can increase sales?

And what if you wrote a cover letter to ABC Corp., that alluded to (but didn't give away all of) your field research? Do you think this "prescription" might help you stand out among ordinary job seekers?

By the way, the foregoing data on merchandising is from the book, "Why We Buy," by Paco Underhill. It took me five minutes to find it online.

Action Step: What can you learn about an employer's problems and possible solutions? How could you deliver solutions as a "prescription" to make hiring managers view you as a trusted advisor -- the same way you'd view a favorite physician -- instead of a job-seeking supplicant?

Now, go out and make your own luck.

Kevin Donlin is co-author of Guerrilla Resumes. Since 1996, he has provided job-search help to more than 20,000 people. Author of 3 books, Kevin has been interviewed by The New York Times, USA Today, Fox News, CBS Radio 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, and posted on MN Headhunter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 6, 2009 at 10:01 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

The employee selection process is quite simple when one candidate stands out above the rest. What if this is not the case?

The best insurance against this is a documented impartial process for finding the right candidate. While it could be that using employee selection tools or testing but these are often geared to very large companies. Good employee selection starts with the main elements of the job description and the success factors. With the job parameters, responsibilities and skills/knowledge and abilities laid out, the interview assessment becomes much more straight forward. The next step is to define which elements are most important and rank or weight them accordingly. 3-4 from each section is sensible and do this before interviewing the candidates.

For example, if a person is in charge of sales for 3 product lines, has to manage a team of sales people and develop new vertical markets, which of these is the highest priority in the position. Whichever part is weighted more heavily. If it is 2X important than assign weights accordingly.

Selection Methods

Using these elements, there are a number of ways to proceed. You can simply grade each element for each candidate or you can rank candidates on each element.

If your interview includes using a panel method, have each person grade/rank the candidates separately. Be sure that each panelist keeps notes from every interview in the employee selection process so as not to confuse the strengths and weaknesses of candidates.

If you chose to use a pre-employment assessment such as a personality test you can fold that into the overall judging of employees. There are a number of other pre-employment screening tests that are available. Choose the ones that make sense for your company.

The final results can be a tabulated score of each candidate's grade or ranking. Of course there are intangibles that can enter the equation in any method chosen. A final meeting of the minds to discuss the numbers and the intangibles is often the final step in the employee selection process. With the graded/ranked criteria, often minor differences in 2 top candidates can be distinguished.

Round Robin/3 Point Interview

As an side, when I worked for the Government, they did something in looking back that I think worked well. We met individually with 3 separate people who took 3 different aspects of the job and interviewed the candidate from that perspective.

Each interviewer in the employee selection process questioned us, the candidates, on different aspects of the job. For instance, one interviewer asked technical questions, one focused on what I wanted to do in my career and one was focused on work environment. This method is sometimes called round robin interviewing or serial interviews

In my own hiring employees, I have found that combining this 3 prong interview method with a ranking/grading system results in a great selection.

The Decision

Ultimately, a decision has to be made. This decision falls to the hiring authority. Should you find that all the data does not agree with a gut feeling, remember that too often our gut instinct is telling us we like one person more than another but the data is telling us a different story.

My experience has been that it is it is better to spend the time and resources to reassess the candidates a second time and possibly uncover a reason for the gut feel, than go with the gut without regard to the data. If necessary bring back the finalists for a second round of interviews... but the decision is yours!

One side not, be sure to notify candidates not selected with some form of rejection letter . This is not a pleasant task but it is a courtesy.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 6, 2009 at 8:18 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Hi All,

Here's some news many of you Millennial college students, with loans, may find as a relief.

I came across this today on Time.com:

"New College-Loan Plan: Pay Back By What You Earn", by Gilbert Cruz.

I certainly don't want to get into a copyright issue with Time, so I'll just share a few highlights from the article and you can go their website to read all the details.

- The average college student graduates with $23,000 of student loan debt

- New income-based repayment plan (IBR) could greatly adjust how loans are paid back

- The article stated: Championed by Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, this is to prevent payments on federal student loans from exceeding 15% of a borrower's disposable income above 150% of the poverty level. Borrowers who earn below that threshold (which in most states is about $16,000 for a single person with no dependents) wouldn't have to make any monthly payments at all.

NOTE: You can find a link to a special calculator in the article to determine if you qualify.

The article also explains adjustments being made to Pell Grant policies, and a few other strategies to make it easier on students to pay back their loans.

All these steps are an effort by the Obama Administration to A.) Move towards making college more affordable for everyone, and B.) Try to decrease the number of defaults on existing student loans.

So, if you're a college student, recent grad, or parent of either, you should check out this article.

Bye for now.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 6, 2009 at 7:51 AM | Leave a Comment (1)

A recent CareerBuilder survey of over 1,800 unemployed Americans found that an astonishing 89% of the respondents are ignoring the health of their careers. They seem blissfully unconcerned that today's job market is the worst in almost a century and is likely to stay that way for years to come.

What are they doing?

• 22 percent are spending more time with family and friends
• 15 percent are fixing up their homes
• 14 percent are exercising more
• 11 percent are finally taking time to relax
• 8 percent are volunteering
• 7 percent are going back to school
• 6 percent are becoming more involved in their church community
• 4 percent are starting their own business
• 4 percent are taking up new hobbies
• 3 percent are traveling.

Most of these activities are clearly enjoyable. Who can complain about finally having a little time to relax, for example? For your career, however, these pursuits are enjoyable just like cream cheese and beefsteak. They're great going down, but then wreck havoc on your occupational health. In fact, there's a very real chance they will lead to career cardiac arrest or what most of us call terminal unemployment.

What's the alternative?

Until someone invents a statin for careers, the only way to prevent endangering clogs in your workplace advancement is to practice healthy career habits. That's the premise behind "career fitness." It's not some abstract concept for career self-management. It's a concrete set of activities--a regimen of daily, weekly and monthly "exercises"--that will improve the strength, endurance and reach of your career.

Here's a summary of the Career Fitness regimen:

I. Pump Up Your Cardiovascular System. The heart of your career is your occupational expertise. Re-imagine yourself as a work-in-progress so that you are always adding depth and tone to your knowledge and skill set.

II. Strengthen Your Circulatory System. The wider and deeper your network of contacts, the more visible you and your capabilities will be in the workplace. Make nurturing professional relationships a part of your business day.

III. Develop All of Your Muscle Groups. The greater your versatility in contributing your expertise at work, the broader the array of situations and assignments in which you can be employed. Develop ancillary skills that will give you more ways to apply your core expertise in the workplace.

IV. Increase Your Flexibility & Range of Motion. Moving from industry-to-industry, from one daily schedule to another or even from one location to another is never easy, but your willingness to adapt will help to keep your career moving forward.

V. Work With Winners. Working with successful organizations and coworkers enables you to grow on-the-job, develop useful connections that will last a career and establish yourself as a winner in the world of work.

VI. Stretch Your Soul. A healthy career not only serves you, it serves others, as well. A personal commitment to doing some of your best work as good works for your community, your country and/or your planet is the most invigorating form of work/life balance.

VII. Pace Yourself. A fulfilling and rewarding career depends upon your getting the rest and replenishment you need in order to do your best work every day you're on-the-job. Discipline yourself and your boss to set aside time to recharge your passion and capacity for work.

We all know two things about our physical well-being: we are personally responsible for our health, and we must work at staying healthy every single day. The same is true with our career. We are personally responsible for the health of our career, and we must work at it every single day ... and especially when we are in transition.

Peter Weddle is the author or editor of over two dozen books, including the just released Work Strong: Your Personal Career Fitness System. You can read about how, when, where and how often to practice these healthy career exercises in his book Work Strong: Your Personal Career Fitness System. For information about the book and to order it, please click over to the bookstore at Weddles.com or visit Amazon.com.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 3, 2009 at 5:39 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

One jobseeker asked: If flexibility, versatility and cross-training are all the rage these days, why do recruiters seem to hold so firmly to the belief that a candidate must "fit the profile" exactly?

The above question is valid, and it demonstrates why boilerplate qualities with no substance or tangible metrics attached are meaningless. In the above example, flexibility, versatility and cross-training are the boilerplate qualities. Many job descriptions ask for these. Therefore, these are not going to be the deciding factors; they're a given. Instead you need to find what makes that job unique, how that will be measured and appeal specifically to that. When you do that, you fit the profile, and that's what employers and recruiters want.

How does the position contribute to the bottom line? Focus on that responsibility and give specific examples of when you did just that. If these examples are in a different industry or functional context, explain explicitly how you would handle this in the industry/ function for which you are interviewing.

What are the management and reporting requirements of the position? If you need to manage direct reports, give examples of when you managed direct reports. If you need to report into different areas, give examples of when you worked cross-functionally.

What is the success culture of this company? Do your homework to identify what personality traits are specifically valued for this company. Then showcase how you have these traits, not the traits that every company says they want (work ethic, team spirit, flexibility, versatility, blah, blah, blah).

Many jobseekers position themselves so generically that they seem to be saying, "I fit any job." You want to demonstrate that you fit a specific job. Specificity is the key to a successful job search.

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, and posted on MN Headhunter.

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 3, 2009 at 2:56 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

Training Doesn't Work

Supposedly, training is an excellent way to build skills and competencies as well as infuse new ideas or ways of thinking into a group. Yet productivity is down, people are complaining or filing grievances, absenteeism is up, errors are becoming all too common and the wrong people are leaving. (Yes, even in this economic climate, the best and brightest of our workforce are finding new jobs.)

The Problem

Most training fails to resolve the problem it is designated to address because it is based on the belief that if people are educated about a problem - i.e. spoken to enough! - the issue will go away. So, we pile people into a room somewhere, give them coffee and pastries - that is if there is any budget left this year! - and hire a trainer who shows an array of multi-colored PowerPoint slides and talks to them for a number of hours on a given skill-building topic.

We keep our fingers crossed that the coffee doesn't run out so the audience can stay awake through the presentation. When it is over we put a tick in the box for "problem solved" and move on to the next challenge.

Stop Wasting Your Money

If this is a description of your Training & Development effort, stop wasting your precious budget dollars. This type of training is just as effective at solving a problem as giving someone a book or pamphlet to read.

We pretend that changing the behavior that is identified as the problem or the cause of it, is about the "knowing." That is, if someone knows enough - has enough information - the problem will be solved. If that were the case then health related issues such as obesity would vanish. Because most of us know that being overweight has many negative effects on our overall health. However, as a population, we continue to have lots of obesity.

Top 2 Reasons Training Fails

There are two fundamental reasons training is often a bust. First, training aimed at solving a problem is usually directed toward the outcome of the problem, the SYMPTOM - weight in the case of obesity - not the underlying systemic factors that are coming together (too much food, too little exercise) to produce the obesity - the problem.

Second, if training is focused on imparting information (i.e. primarily talking), it will always fall short of producing the long-term behavioral change required to achieve the desired results. Training fails when we do not have a way for participants to test, practice and transfer what they have heard in the classroom to their roles on the job.

Show and Tell - How to Make Training Work

Training that works follows a 4-step learning model: Participate - Study - Review - Apply. The learning model appeals to the way adults learn: understanding, doing and getting feedback on results - and doing again! We call this the Applied Action Learning model.

We have found that the best way to enhance skill transfer is to incorporate Action Learning components into training. The goal of Action Learning is to create opportunities for participants to apply what they are learning in a context that mirrors their real work environment. Skill transfer is effectively made through the use of Action Implementation Assignments that typically occur after a training session.

Having an intact work group do real work under the banner of training fosters a foundation of teamwork. It helps to reinforce the attitudes and behaviors required to facilitate teamwork and communication.

This unique approach ensures that the issues participants need to address to achieve specific outcomes- such as solving a vexing organizational problem - receive attention in the training as a live case study.

Showing participants how to apply new learning to real work situations is the basis of Action Learning.

Real work examples personalize learning for each participant and increase the skills transfer to their work environment - which is especially important in an enterprise-wide change initiative or any problem-solving effort.

6 Key Benefits of an Action Learning Training Model:

1. Leverages participant learning in situations that are near and dear to them
2. Builds a sense of shared experience and language around the tools and methodology
3. Develops an understanding of the forces impacting the organization that create the need for change and teamwork
4. Provides a safe environment for experimentation and failure
5. Ensures that learning is being applied and tested in solving team problems as it is being acquired -- the preferred method for adult learners
6. Develops relationships that improve communication, commitment and productivity.

Conclusion

Industry research and our own experience have shown how critical it is to design and deliver training using the Action Learning model.

In addition to being the right thing for adult learners, it also makes the most sense in a time of tight budgets. Who better to work on the issues that will help your organization get through this crappy economy and achieve sustainable success than your people?

So, get the coffee and start the training....

Article by Paul Plotczyk, and courtesy of Work Systems Affiliates

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 2, 2009 at 2:49 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 yesterday that white firefighters in New Haven, Connecticut were the victims of discrimination when they were denied promotions because of their race. Ricci v. DeStefano, No. 07-1428 (June 29, 2009).

The Court's decision reversed a controversial court of appeals decision endorsed by Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. The ruling could change the way employers approach discrimination and could make it more difficult for plaintiffs to prevail without evidence of intentional discrimination.

The Ruling

The Court found that New Haven unlawfully threw out a promotion test when the city found that only two Hispanics and no African-Americans who passed were eligible for promotion. The city admitted that it did so out of fear of a "disparate impact" lawsuit from minority employees.

Twenty white firefighters sued, claiming that the decision was discriminatory. The Court agreed.

In the Court's majority opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy emphasized the clear aim of Title VII: "No individual should face workplace discrimination based on race." He added: "Fear of litigation alone cannot justify an employer's reliance on race to the detriment of individuals who passed the examinations and qualified for promotions." The Court concluded that ruling otherwise would "encourage race-based action at the slightest hint of disparate impact."

Justice Kennedy stated that an employer needs a "strong basis in evidence" to believe it will face liability in a disparate impact suit. The Court found that the city lacked such evidence because the facts showed that:

• the test was "job-related and consistent with business necessity";
• the city "turned a blind eye to evidence that supported the test's validity";
• the city failed to request validation of the test, even though it was available under the contract with the test's provider; and
• the city failed to consider possible modifications to the test or other alternatives, such as assigning different weights to oral and written portions.

Dissent and Concurrence

In her dissent, Justice Ginsburg predicted that the ruling "will not have staying power." She said that "Firefighting is a profession in which the legacy of racial discrimination casts an especially long shadow" and asserted that the written portion of the test wasn't likely to predict which firefighters were more deserving of promotion.

In his concurring opinion, Justice Scalia seemed to predict that the ruling could be the beginning of the end for disparate impact cases, stating: "the war between disparate impact and equal protection will be waged sooner rather than later."

What Does This Mean for Employers?

Confusion, most likely. The Court didn't exactly give employers a bright-line standard. The old test was a "good-faith basis" for throwing out a test. The new one is a "strong basis of evidence." The most likely result? More litigation and more so-called "reverse discrimination" claims.

The Court's ruling will make it tougher for employers to change a selection process once it's in place. As such, employers have even more incentive to make the process -- and any tests in particular -- as valid, job-related and fair as possible up front.

Some employers will scrap tests altogether. Others will turn to outside experts to validate and/or conduct assessments to reduce potential liability.

What Does This Mean for Sotomayor?

With Sotomayor's confirmation hearings now less than two weeks away, conservative opponents are likely to point to the Supreme Court's reversal as additional evidence of politics-based judicial activism on her part. Sotomayor's backers will likely continue to assert that her position on the suit illustrates her judifical restraint and refusal to ignore precedent.

Stay tuned for more.

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 July 2, 2009 at 1:32 PM | Leave a Comment (0)

How do you effectively communicate the message that your organization is current to the college students and recent grads you are hoping to recruit? The answer is simple: Offer them the option to text their interest in your opportunities to a cell phone text messaging short code! Is there anything today's students and recent grads do more than text? The answer, quite simply, is no. So, why not talk their language?

What exactly is a keyword and a short code? Do you remember how American Idol asked viewers to text the word VOTE to a four digit number? The word VOTE was their keyword and the four digit number was their short code.

Employers can use keyword advertising in pretty much the same way. You can provide a short keyword (very often only a couple of letters, like your company's initials) for them to text to a short code. A short keyword makes it less likely they will spell something wrong when texting their interest. For example, if your organization's name is Zigmore Pharmaceutical Testing, have them text " ZPT " as that will be a whole lot easier than having them text "Zigmore" or "Pharmaceutical" to your short code. Don't have your own short code? No problem. That's where we come in as we can and do work with you so that you can use our short code in your ad campaigns, whether they're TV, radio, newspaper, billboards, on-line, or any other kind of advertising.

Why do you even want to get involved with a keyword response? Because it shows your candidates, especially Gen Y / Millennial candidates, that your organization is current and empathetic to what is the newest technology in recruiting today. That is the kind of company the best candidates want to work for!

What happens when they text the keyword to the short code? When people respond to your ad by texting your keyword to our short code number, we'll automatically send a text message of up to 145 characters to them. That text message can include a phone number, a link to your web site, or other information you would like them to have. We can also forward you a list of cell phone numbers that have responded with the keywordfor follow up. This can also build up a future database for your organization.

Keywords can be part of a SMS (text message campaign), asking them to respond to the SMS message by texting the keyword. They can also be the response method (or one of the response methods) for an email, banner ad, job posting, newspaper, television, radio, billboard, or any other type of ad campaign. Quite simply, keywords can and should be part of every piece of recruitment advertising you do. They should be including in the above mentioned SMS and email campaigns, on recruitment brochures, websites, business cards, everywhere that you would list a phone number, email address or website for responding to a job offer. It is just one more way for candidates to respond...and it is quickly becoming the preferred way for Gen Y to express their interest in the job opportunities offered by leading organizations!

For additional information, please call Caddy Rowland (800) 835-4989 x707 or email us

Article by Caddy Rowland, CollegeRecruiter.com National Account Executive

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 2, 2009 at 7:48 AM | Leave a Comment (0)

Hi All!

What a busy week! I had no time to blog! And what a weird week! Pop culture sure had a does of sadness with the passing of Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson. I grew up with all 3 of them so now I can relate to how my older cousins and family members felt when John Lennon and Elvis died. Geez...my best to all their other fans and their families!

Okay...on a lighter note...back to some business news I wanted to share. The Leadership Coaching section of my website is now live! Woohoo! Aside from my seminars, keynotes, and workshops around Generation Relations, I also offer one-on-one Leadership Coaching for Gen Y and Gen X employees.

I've received professional coach training through the International Coach Academy (accredited by the International Coach Federation). Only 50% of coaches are certified so I felt pursuing certification and professional training was smart (on a lot of levels).

My goal as a Leadership Coach is to get Gen Y and Gen X employees where they want to go faster, and to guide them to become the best leaders they can be in the workforce. We have younger employees in their 20's now managing older employees (with no real leadership training), and Gen X employees feeling "stuck in the middle" in the workforce and struggling to reach the next level of their careers.

If you don't know the answer to this question, you should visit my website to see how I can benefit you: What's the difference between a management mindset and a leadership mindset? There's millions of mediocre new and mid-level managers who have no idea...and their careers will suffer, or are suffering, because of it.

But "What is coaching?" Click here to find out.

I offer private, one-on-one coaching for employees who hire me on their own, and companies also hire me to coach specific Gen Y and Gen X employees. And, regardless of how I am hired, all sessions are confidential.

So, this all very exciting! I have active clients and inquiries are flooding in. Go to my website to learn more, read some testimonials, and consider contacting me to be your Leadership Coach!

Bye for now.

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

Posted by Candice Arnold on July 1, 2009 at 4:52 PM | Leave a Comment (0)