Finding the Right Candidate
Job search cartoons courtesy of Teena Rose and Resume to Referral
Job search cartoons courtesy of Teena Rose and Resume to Referral
For many Millennials, the current state of the U.S. economy has made finding an entry level job tough, and establishing their careers is even tougher. But they feel inspired when they hear or read about the successes of their peers. Millennial expert Lisa Orrell, who is also a regular contributor to the CollegeRecruiter.com Ask the Experts blog, has devised a way to help Millennials get the insipiration they need.
"I've spent the past three years researching Millennials, writing about them, conducting seminars about them for corporations ... so I know first hand the power of this young generation and the impact they are making, and will continue to make," said Orrell in a recent press release.
Orrell's monthly podcast, "Millennials in Motion," debuted in October with a candid interview with Ryan Healy, the co-founder of Brazen Careerist. Orrell will showcase a different successful Millennial each month, in an effort to inspire and motivate members of her Gen Y audience who may be feeling discouraged by unsuccessful job searches or disengaged with unfulfilling jobs. She will focus on interviewing Millennials involved such pursuits as in philanthropy, entrepreneurship, business, entertainment, sports, music, politics, and entertainment, and she will also interview young people who have
overcome substantial personal obstacles to achieve their goals. In addition to her new podcast series, Orrell also has a new book, scheduled for release later this month, Millennials Into Leadership.
Sometimes the only thing a young college student or recent graduate needs inspire him to keep pursuing his dreams is to hear how his peers have made their own dreams come true.
Starting a new job can be nerve-racking, especially when it comes to adapting to a new work environment. It's as important for new hires to be able to mesh well with their coworkers as it is for them to be able to quickly learn how to do their new jobs. So what's the best way for a new employee to endear himself to his coworkers? Should he strive to be likable or nice?
"I would say that the phrase 'being likable' implies that you are easy to get along with and that you respect other people, whereas, 'being nice' denotes a lack of sincerity," said Holly Stokes, author of "Train Your Brain, Get Results."
HR outsourcing is another option for hiring and recruiting employees. For businesses that are small and growing, having a full HR department does not make sense. So why not consider paying someone else to do it!
As this topic is rather broad, for the purposes of this web site, we will limit the discussion to recruiting and hiring employees or staffing up a business.
Can You Really Effectively Outsource Human Resources?
The short answer is yes but it depends on the size of your company. HR outsourcing is an effective option for small to medium small but growing companies.
It can come in different forms. For instance maybe you only need some part time consulting. You can outsource specific task, such as developing a recruiting plan or helping with the review of resumes. Whatever your need it can be customized to your budget and the size of your company.
You may have seen the news story. A teen was recently found in New York City with no memory of her name or personal history. Her amnesia was profound. Happily, however, the story ends well, as a CNN viewer recognized the girl's photo and identified her as a missing person from Oregon. She's now on her way to being reunited with her family.
But think about what it would be like to be in her situation. Not knowing who you are. Unable to remember anything that's important about you or to you. It would be a horrible even desperate condition. Without our self-identify, we are ... well, that's the point--without our self-identity, we aren't.
New college graduates who had taken part in internships fared far better in the job market than their counterparts who didn't gain that experience, according to a new report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
Overall, results of NACE's 2009 Student Survey found that just 19.7 percent of the Class of 2009 who had applied for jobs had one by the end of April. In contrast, 23 percent of graduates with an internship under their belt had a job in hand at that time. For those who didn't do an internship, the job market was especially unwelcoming: Just 14 percent of those who hadn't been interns landed jobs as of April.
Continue reading "Interns Fare Better in Poor Job Market " »
Survey: Two-Thirds of CFOs Don't Expect to Boost Sustainability Efforts in Next
12 Months; Others See More Urgency
Despite the nation's attention on eco-friendly programs and policies, a new survey suggests most businesses are not planning to step up their efforts in this area -- at least not in the next year. When asked whether they expect their companies' emphasis on green initiatives to increase, decrease or remain the same in the next 12 months, 68 percent of chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said they anticipate no changes. More than a quarter (28 percent), however, said they expect an increased focus on the issue.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.
Survey: Executives Spend an Average of Six Minutes Reading Each Resume
It's usually flattering when someone hangs on your every word. For job seekers, this kind of scrutiny takes on a whole new meaning. According to a new survey by OfficeTeam, executives spend more than six minutes, on average, screening each resume received. Considering these documents are usually only one or two pages in length, this suggests many are being examined with a fine-toothed comb.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam and conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies.
Executives were asked, "Approximately how much time, in minutes, do you spend screening each resume when reviewing job applicants for an advertised position?"
The average response was 6.4 minutes.
Candidates are expected to write comprehensive, compelling resumes and cover letters to gain the attention of top employers and land the best entry level jobs. So, it stands to reason that employers would be expected to write equally comprehensive, compelling job descriptions to attract the best candidates.
Scot Herrick has advice that will help employers write better job descriptions in his article, 4 Job Description Ingredients Candidates Would Love. He first warns employers not to use template-based job descriptions but to tailor their job descriptions to attract the kind of candidates they want to hire.
Continue reading "Better Job Descriptions Attract Better Candidates" »
Hey All!
The job market may be tough, but there are some hot companies that are hiring in this economy...and according to Fortune's new 40 Under 40 list, these companies are owned or run by members of Generation X or Millennial (aka Generation Y) CEO's...yes, people under 40.
And are they all tech startups funded with new VC money? Uh, no. Oh, and did I mention quite a few of the CEO's only list a high school diploma as their highest education level completed...or a Bachelor's degree?
CNNMoney.com published this article last week, so check it out. Quite a few of these businesses are currently hiring for 20 or more positions: sales, marketing, social media, project managers, product managers, engineers, human resources, accounting, and customer service.
Continue reading "Several Hot Companies Hiring Run By Generation X or Millennial CEO's" »
Hey All!
The job market may be tough, but there are some hot companies that are hiring in this economy...and according to Fortune's new 40 Under 40 list, these companies are owned or run by members of Generation X or Millennial (aka Generation Y) CEO's...yes, people under 40.
And are they all tech startups funded with new VC money? Uh, no. Oh, and did I mention quite a few of the CEO's only list a high school diploma as their highest education level completed...or a Bachelor's degree?
CNNMoney.com published this article last week, so check it out. Quite a few of these businesses are currently hiring for 20 or more positions: sales, marketing, social media, project managers, product managers, engineers, human resources, accounting, and customer service.
Continue reading "Several Hot Companies Hiring Run By Generation X or Millennial CEO's" »
As job seekers look for ways to stand out from the crowd--and as recruiters continue to whine and complain about the increasing volume of resumes of unqualified candidates filling their inboxes--job seekers today need to be more innovative with body-slamming their competition.
I use this term figuratively, of course.
Yes, job searching these days is a contact sport. With unemployment now at a 26-year high, your search requires solid action plans, follow-through, and the ability to assertively market and sell yourself -- or an idea -- to a potential employer. And while at all times you must remain professional and dignified, there ARE ways to get a hiring manager's attention without having to walk the streets with a sandwich board saying "HIRE ME" hanging from your shoulders.
Continue reading "Job Seekers: Body-Slam Your Competition" »
Over 90% of fellow employees do not want you to come to work with any H1N1 flu symptoms. And if you do go into work showing symptoms, chances are a colleague will likely report you to a superior.
Ninety-one percent of Americans said they want their co-workers to remain at home if they are infected with the H1N1 flu virus according to a national survey released today by Mansfield Communications. And if you are considering going into work with the flu or symptoms of, 83% of your co-workers say they are likely to inform a fellow colleague or senior management about a colleague in their workplace whom they think might be showing symptoms of the flu.
Continue reading "Employers Need to Do Their Part to Keep H1N1 Out of the Workplace" »
Many Workers Are Dissatisfied and Express Desire for Strong Company Reputation and Mission
Historically high unemployment rates and a weak economy have not significantly impacted employees' career priorities and expectations according to a comprehensive study of U.S. employers and workers released by Spherion Corporation (NYSE: SFN) today. While workers still have high expectations of what their employers should be doing to retain them, the study shows that employers continue to have differing opinions about what keeps employees committed to their jobs, including financial compensation, benefits, work/life balance and growth potential. As a result, only 24 percent of workers say they are very satisfied with their growth and earnings potential at their current employer and 27 percent say they are very satisfied with their compensation levels.
"Despite the significant changes that U.S. employers and workers have witnessed over the past few years, we see that there has been surprisingly little change in how both perceive the workplace and the employer-employee relationship," says Roy Krause, Spherion president and CEO. "The fact that the results haven't shifted significantly is indicative of an interesting trend we've been following over the last 12 years - that workers' perceptions of their own situations and expectations of their employers aren't largely impacted by the economy."
The title of this article is taken from a conversation with a client organization responsible for training men and women to protect us -- the citizens of the United States -- here and abroad. We thought it was a great metaphor for the chaos that erupted in many companies following the Crash of '08.
Although the lessons outlined here are focused on organizations, they are all sourced from a piece which focused on personal finances that appeared in the September 2009 issue of Money Magazine "5 Lessons from the Crash" by Penelope Wang, (http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/).
The hopes of Ms. Wang's article and this one are that the "5 Lessons" will help strengthen finances going forward as well as help limit the damage of the next crisis.
Continue reading "Lessons From the Crash of '08: Chaos Will Happen When the Gunfire Starts!" »
Organizations spend quite a few man-hours every year on strategic planning and implementation. Then, halfway through the year, some key metrics and targets get knocked off track. Panic ensues and there is a big push to spend more time on the "strategic" issues, which are in fact by now much more tactical than strategic.
Why do corporate strategies so often devolve to tactical fire fighting? How can organizations keep inevitable short-term upsets from derailing the successful implementation of enterprise strategies? To answer these questions let's first look at how most organizations "do" strategy.
Continue reading "Six Overlooked Keys to Organizational Alignment" »
On the heels of reports that women may soon outnumber men in the workplace, it seems that just about every media outlet has run a story on the changing landscape of the American workplace. Business Week, The New York Times and now TIME magazine have all devoted considerable space to this issue.
So, what are the latest facts? Here are the highlights:
What does all this add up to? Here's what the authors of the TIME report concluded: "It's no longer a man's world. Nor is it a woman's nation. It's a cooperative, with bylaws under constant negotiation and expectations that profits be equally shared."
Click here to see the TIME report. Click here for my previous ramblings on the "Mancession" and other related topics.
Sources: Business Week, The New York Times, TIME, Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau, American Bar Association, American Medical Association.
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.
As tough as it is to find a job these days, it's just as difficult to keep one. An employee with a bad attitude isn't doing anything to help matters.
The Evil HR Lady answered a question in her blog last month about an employee who comes across as having a bad attitude because she doesn't want to participate in some voluntary office tasks unless she's compensated in a way that she deems appropriate. The writer - who is also this employee's boss - told her that her attitude was not only bad for her, but toxic to the office, too.
The Evil HR Lady agreed and recommended taking this employee aside and letting her know that her refusal to join in simply because she wouldn't receive her ideal compensation reflected badly on her made her boss reluctant to consider her for future promotion.
Some commenters agreed with the Evil HR Lady, but some others felt that the employee's refusal to participate in voluntary activities is her prerogative, regardless of her reasons.
How Facebook Recruiting works for 1 Sm. Business #hr #recruiting
A guest post by Sarah White
While waiting for my pizza last night I was chatting with the owner and her son about nothing when a lady came in to drop of a resume.
"It's sad, you know. We get so many people looking but we just won't hire someone like that." Said pizza place owner
"Like what?" I responded - likely a bit too quickly.
"Off the street." She said quickly - realizing how what she said could have been taken considering the woman was a minority.
"How do you hire then?" I asked.
"Facebook" she said.
We then started to talk about social media and why they chose to do it via Facebook exclusively.
Continue reading "How One Small Business Uses Facebook to Find the Best Candidates" »
Maybe we should adjust the White Paper we just released on Diploma Mills to include High Schools! This of course doesn't surprise me at all but the article highlights an even more important need for quality background screening. Now these are not the traditional types of scams that we have written about in the past but very serious nonetheless.
Government Investigates High School Diploma Mills
An undercover investigation found students were given answers to the tests needed to enroll in college
Government investigators are pursuing high school diploma mills, which, for a fee, give high school dropouts diplomas or answers to the tests that enable them to enroll in college and qualify for federal financial aid.
In testimony before a congressional panel on Wednesday, George Scott, a director of the Education, Workforce, and Income Security division of the Government Accountability Office, played secretly made audiotapes of a test proctor apparently giving students the answers to college-qualifying tests.
The tapes were made by investigators looking into for-profit colleges. Scott said the investigators walked into Washington, D.C.-area offices of a publicly traded for-profit college and told the admissions officers that they did not have high school diplomas but wanted to enroll. Scott did not identify the colleges or testing companies his agency investigated.
Normally, colleges don't admit students who haven't graduated from high school. To qualify for federal financial aid, students without diplomas or GED certifications must pass tests to show they have enough language and math skills to ensure their "ability to benefit" (often abbreviated as "ATB") from a college education. ATB tests are supposed to be given by companies or proctors who have no connections to colleges, so that there is no incentive to improperly pass students.
But the college under investigation, apparently eager to get more paying students, directed the agents to a test center at which a proctor gave answers to three of 10 questions.
Article by, Jason Morris and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
The Great TCBY Store Giveaway Has Officially Begun
Beginning October 5, 2009, TCBY, The Country's Best Yogurt, officially started collecting entries for This Could Be Yours, The Great TCBY Store Giveaway. Found on TCBY.com, the contest will reward one lucky person with his or her very own TCBY store and is open to all U.S. residents over the age of 21.
To enter, contestants must submit a video, no longer than two minutes, explaining why they should be the recipient of their very own TCBY, why their town is the perfect location, and what they have to offer the brand. Submissions will be judged on creativity, a sense of business acumen, and originality. Video submissions will be accepted between October 5, 2009 and November 30, 2009.
This morning the Wall Street Journal reported that a Chicago business man has opened up a hot dog stand in a crime-riddled neighborhood on the West-side of Chicago called Felony Franks. The menu includes items such as the Felony Frank, the Misdemeanor Weiner, the Pardon Polish and Probation Burgers. Signs hang on wall advising customers that "You have a right to remain hungry. Anything you order can and will be used to feed you here at Felony Franks". Customers are asked, "Are you ready to plead your case?", instead of, "can I take your order".
Is this distasteful? Well, the food probably isn't. But local politicians and community leaders are not amused. Before you pass judgment though, consider that owner, Jim Andrews only employs ex-convicts. According to the Journal, "He (Andrews) says he things people deserve a second chance and felons need stable jobs so the don't add to homelessness". Mr. Andrews plans to franchise shortly, so Felony Franks could be coming to a town near you!
Can't decide whether this is funny or exploitative, but I'm betting Mr. Andrews doesn't perform employment background checks.
Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
Whether you believe the recession is over or not, now is the time for companies to get ready to find talent for the increase in business that is coming. For the past 12 to 18 months, companies have had the luxury to be picky about when and who they will hire. Most hiring managers have increased the job requirements and the interview process to ensure they got the best talent as they perceived it.
Companies now have to start preparing themselves for the hiring process to speed up. We will not see the ridiculous hiring frenzy from the dot.com era, but hiring managers can no longer take months to hire a person and expect them to wait patiently to get hired. Highly qualified candidates are getting more recruiting calls and are beginning to have multiple job offers. They are quickly entering the job market and just as quickly they are accepting good offers and are no longer available.
Continue reading "Are You Ready for the Next Hiring Frenzy?" »
What is a ride-along? Why is it important?
A ride-along is just what it sounds like: You spend a day with a medical sales rep who's in the field you're thinking you'd like to sell into, and see how a typical day goes. A ride-along can be one of your greatest opportunities to differentiate yourself from another candidate. It sets you apart as a go-getter. It gives you critical on-the-job information that helps you in your job search. Among other things, it helps you answer the question, "How do you see yourself in this job?"
Survey: More Than One-Quarter of Employees Have Had Ideas Stolen at Work
According to a recent survey, there's a common type of workplace theft -- and it has nothing to do with missing office supplies. More than one in four (29 percent) employees interviewed said that a coworker has taken credit for their idea. Those who steal the limelight from their more deserving colleagues may get away with it, too: More than half (51 percent) of those who have had their ideas nabbed by coworkers revealed they did nothing in response.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam and conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 444 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.
They're lurking in your mailbox - as many as 17 a day, or 70 a week. They are diploma mills, insidious companies that offer academic degrees and diplomas with little or no academic study and without recognition by legitimate educational bodies.
They feed on job applicants who will do anything to enhance their resume. Cheap, easy, and fast is their mantra, and their popularity is exploding in today's marketplace. Employers that don't act quickly face financial loss, litigation, and loss of reputation.
As practically everyone in the world now knows, last week talk show host David Letterman publicly admitted that he has had sex with "women who work for [him] on the show."
Background
Click here to see Letterman's on-air remarks, courtesy of CBS.
One comment Letterman made that has grabbed the attention of employment lawyers and HR gurus is that he hopes to "protect [his] job." He has a right to be concerned.
Most companies have policies that restrict boss/subordinate relationships. According to sources, CBS -- like many employers -- has a policy requiring disclosure of such relationships in an effort to avoid conflicts of interest. It reportedly states:
Losing your job is one of the most stressful life events (see the post "I lost my job, now what?"). With unemployment at the highest level in over 25 years, we all know someone (or several someones) who have lost their jobs. Whether it be downsizing, bankruptcy or mergers is unimportant, the result is the same. Some of my friends have been out of work almost a year. For some people who have been lucky enough to keep their jobs, the stress of worrying about losing you job can be devastating as well.
The good news is that you are not alone and there is a vast amount of advice to help overcome the stress as well as find a job. The better news is that there are thousands of jobs out there if you know where to look, are persistent in your search and have a plan of attack. Today's post covers a number of topics related to job loss, the threat of job loss and where to start in your search.
Continue reading "Outside Looking In - Dealing with Job Loss" »
I was watching CNN on Saturday morning and was disturbed this story about inaccurate background checks. Reporter Gerry Willis interviewed a woman whose husband failed to get a job because the employer relied upon a background check that revealed he had multiple criminal convictions. In fact, someone with the same name was convicted of the felonies identified in the background check. It just wasn't the person being considered for this job. The story, of course portrayed the background screening industry in a negative light. This was made worse by a follow up interview CNN did with a privacy expert that suggested that the entire industry was flawed.
Continue reading "CNN Reports About Inaccurate Background Checks" »
By Mark Walsh
A new report makes the case for SMS text marketing on mobile phones: Texting has become pervasive, and generates response rates two to ten times higher than Internet display ads, it says. That's partly because messages are directed only at "hand-raisers," since SMS marketing requires consumer opt-in.
The study from the Local Mobile Search unit of Opus Research portrays the mobile texting population as a vast, mostly untapped market. It estimates the number of people who use text messaging on a regular basis at 154 million, or 57% of U.S. cell phone subscribers. (A Pew Research Center study on wireless broadband released this month put the proportion of U.S. cell users who send or receive text messages on a typical day lower, at 43%.
This past week I came across a great post titled, The Perks of Being a New Hire. The post is part of Lisa West's featured blog, Life as a New PT Grad, on ADVANCE.com. Current therapy students and recent graduates should definitely check out Lisa's blog. Weekly posts touch on her day-to-day encounters as a PT. Not only are they interesting to read, but they are enlightening as well. In previous weeks Lisa blogged about her feelings of being "the low man on the totem pole", but in this post she highlights the advantages of being a new therapist. Here are just a few:
"3. I have energy. I'm not burned out. Being a new grad, I am so excited to spend my time with patients all day instead of face-down in my notes, studying. I love working, and I love getting paid.
4. I am eager to learn and develop myself as a professional. This goes along with point #3. I have a drive to push myself. I want to learn how to treat in ICU settings, to learn different diagnoses. I am not stuck in a rut with my career."
If you are a new hire, what "perks" do you see?
Article courtesy of RehabCare Student blog. RehabCare provides college recruiting for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants and Speech Language Pathologists.
Did you just flub your job interview? Were you awkward? Did you forget some critical piece of information that will make them want to hire you? Or did you make some other kind of job interview mistake? Whatever it was-it just didn't go well, and you know it. But you still want the job. What do you do?
You send a thank you note.
I need some help. Do you know of any articles, podcasts, blog posts, etc where a truly knowledgeable, experienced and practicing professional in any industry has said Twitter is the end all?
Here is why I ask. I am doing research for an article I am writing and a well known Recruiter/HR guy is poo pooing the use of Twitter and Social Networking sites in general. And he keeps talking about how people are talking about Twitter as the end all of recruiting much like people spoke about Monster.com and the job boards in the late 90's.
The thing is I cannot find who this person's sources are.
Sure a lot of folks are talking about this revolutionary new tool (memo, Twitter has been around a while) and how it can help companies, marketers and yes recruiters get their message out and find people to "sell" but I have not seen anyone say it is the end all.
Can you point me to any credible person in or outside of the Recruiter/HR world who says Twitter will change the axis of our planet?
Article by Paul DeBettignies and courtesy of MN Headhunter -- where they "play with their cards face up."
There's an interesting discussion going on in the comment section of a recent blog post by Alison Doyle between Alison and one of her readers. Alison wrote a post entitled "A Few Good Job Sites" in which she recommended that job seekers use job search engines such as LinkUp, Indeed, and Simplyhired. In a comment, 'Paul' criticized these and other aggregator sites as being very frustrating for job seekers due to the preponderance of old listings and duplicate jobs. Alison, in a reply comment, correctly points out that LinkUp's job search engine contains no duplicate or outdated job listings because LinkUp only indexes jobs from company websites. In reading the exchange, I thought I'd weigh in on how I would define and differentiate sites like LinkUp, Indeed, and Simplyhired.
Continue reading "Job Aggregators Versus Job Search Engines" »
The idea of music being used as a healing influence has been around for over 2,000 years. Practice in the 20th century stemmed after WWI and WWII when community musicians went to the veterans hospitals playing their instruments for thousands of physically and emotionally traumatized soldiers. The patients' notable responses led doctors and nurses to permanently hiring the musicians at the hospitals.
Individuals who can benefit from such therapies are children, adolescents, adults and elderly with mental health issues, developmental and learning disabilities, Alzheimer's and other age-related conditions, brain injuries, physical disabilities and those dealing with acute chronic pain.
Some of the venues in which music therapists work include rehab facilities, hospitals, outpatient clinics, day care treatments centers, senior centers, nursing homes and hospice programs to name a few. In a hospital setting, music therapy is used to alleviate pain, elevate patients' mood while counteracting depression, promote movement for physical rehab, calm or sedate, minimize anxiety in addition to decreasing muscle tension. In regards to a rehabilitation standpoint, music therapy is used to neurologically manipulate inner brain functions such as motor, speech and cognitive processes.
Music therapy is utilized in skilled nursing environments to increase or maintain patients' physical, mental and social/emotional functioning, especially in the elderly population. In Alzheimer's patients, it is used specifically to cue memory recall and socialization.
Article courtesy of RehabCare Student blog. RehabCare provides college recruiting for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants and Speech Language Pathologists.
They graduated into one of the toughest job markets in years, so what types of jobs were graduates of the college Class of 2009 most likely to be offered?
Teaching positions topped the list, according to a new report published by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
NACE's Fall 2009 Salary Survey report lists teaching, management trainee, financial/treasury analysis, consulting, and sales positions as the top five jobs offered to 2009 graduates. (See Figure 1.)
"The types of positions offered to new grads has remained fairly stable over the past five years," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "In general, employers value graduates who have these the skills required for these types of positions, regardless of the economy."
Continue reading "Top Jobs for the College Class of 2009 " »
For some recruiters, the recession isn't their only obstacle to filling the entry level jobs their clients offer. A resistance to changing with the times is another, according to Jennifer McClure, in her article Are Recruiters Like Dodo Birds? ... Soon to be Extinct?
Although McClure advocates the use of social media and other Internet tools, she isn't suggesting that "being a successful recruiter/business owner is all about having a strong Internet presence and using social media," but they do help. Recruiters who refuse to adapt to the changing environment of recruiting do run the risk of following the Dodo into extinction, McClure believes.
Continue reading "Don't Be a Dodo: Successful Recruiters Know How and When to Adapt" »
Survey: Economic Recovery Spending Could Flow to Information Technology
As the economy improves, chief financial officers (CFOs) will look to bolster their information technology (IT) systems, a new survey suggests. When asked where they are most likely to place their investment dollars when a recovery occurs, 40 percent of CFOs interviewed cited IT.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.
CFOs were asked, "In which one of the following areas are you most likely to invest once the once the economy improves?" Their responses:
| New or upgraded IT systems | 40% | |
| New products or service lines | 18% | |
| New locations or real estate | 14% | |
| Mergers or acquisitions | 6% | |
| None, will not invest | 19% | |
| Other | 2% | |
| Don't know | __1% | |
| 100% |
When was the last time your headhunter called you? If they had a job opportunity that matched your skill set, they probably called you immediately. If they haven't called, don't take it personally. With National unemployment at 9.4%, recruiters are faced with the most candidates they've had in recent memory and the fewest job opportunities. So how do you get your resume noticed by headhunters? There are a few ways to do this (most of which will be covered in the Marketing Toolkit series), but the best way to get noticed is to respond to specific ads (only those that are a good match for your skills) on the recruiters website. While they are always searching for good resumes on the job boards, they look first at those sent directly to their sites.
A-List Associates - This recruiting firm specializes in Executive Assistants and Administrative Support and are a New York City based firm. Their main page has tabs at the top for About Us, Why A-List?, Services, Positions and Contact Us. Click on the Positions link to view the open positions. Each position has a brief overview and you can apply fr the job directly from this page. If you don't see a position that suits you, go to the Contact Us link and click. The Contact Us page has several contact options: phone, fax, snail mail and an online contact file (where you can attach your resume for upload).
Continue reading "Once in a Blue Moon - Has Your Headhunter Called Lately? " »
Employees continue to find new and creative ways to get themselves in trouble (and to cause headaches for HR professionals).
The latest example? According to the Miami Herald, a waitress is suing Hooters based on allegations that her manager harassed her by "sexting" explicit messages and photos.
What is "sexting"? Here's how the always-reliable Wikipedia defines it: "the act of sending sexually explicit messages or photos electronically, primarily between cell phones."
Sexting is just the latest form of harassment to pop up on the legal landscape as technology continues to morph and pervade the workplace. It has the potential to create significant legal risk as some employees appear to believe that (1) texting is far more casual than e-mail or other forms of communication, (2) employers can't/don't monitor it and, thus, (3) the normal rules don't apply -- anything goes.
What should employers do?
"Sexting" should be treated like any other form of potential harassment. Get proactive.
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.
In October, 2008 California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed Assembly Bill 2918, a law aimed to ban the employers from using employment credit reports when conducting background checks. At the time, he said, "This bill would significantly increase businesses' exposure to civil actions over the use of credit checks. Further, the bill would increase administrative costs to those employers who must legitimately use credit reports as a screening tool by requiring that the employer first abide by its onerous requirements. California employers and businesses have inherent needs to obtain information about applicants for employment. The bill would become a new employer obstacle to the use of available information needed to make hiring decisions."
Well, here's hoping that the Governor hasn't changed his mind. It looks like the House Assembly is at it again with AB943, a bill which is the mirror image of its predecessor.
According to the Consumer Federation of California, "This bill would prohibit an employer, with the exception of certain financial institutions, from obtaining a consumer credit report for employment purposes unless the information is (1) substantially job-related, meaning that the position of the person for whom the report is sought has access to money, other assets, or confidential information, and (2) the position of the person for which the person is sought is a managerial position, a position in a city, county, or both city and county, that of a sworn peace officer or other law enforcement position, or a position for which the information contained in the report is required to be disclosed by law or to be obtained by the employer. "
Continue reading "California AB943 Threatens Use of Credit Reports . . . Again" »
Security at Yale Questioned After Employee Named 'Person of Interest' in Murder Case
After the release early Wednesday of Yale University employee Raymond Clark III -- who was identified as a person of interest in the killing of Yale graduate student Annie Le -- police now have DNA from his saliva, hair and fingernails. But what information did Yale have when it hired him in the first place?
Clark, who was taken into custody Tuesday but had no charges filed against him, has been described as anything from "a normal guy" to a controlling boyfriend with anger issues. And whether or not DNA tests lead to further investigation, the case raises the question of how a university that employs thousands can ensure the safety of its student employees from non-student workers. Most officials agree that the killer had access to the building and that the act was not random.
Yale employs a screening process and likely performed a background check on Clark, as the university's Web site says it performs screenings on potential employees for positions ranging from "management & professional positions, clerical & technical positions and service & maintenance positions." Questions to Yale's Human Resources and Administration about its background policy were referred the Office of Public Affairs, which referred to the Web site. The Office of Public Affairs also said it was not discussing the case.
Article by, Jason Morris and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
Most of us are still managing a jittery and worried workforce. Even if your company is doing well or is on the rebound your team may be shouldering a tremendous amount stress due to outside factors.
Here are four things you can do to lower stress levels and create a more positive workplace. You won't have to get budget approval for any of them so why not give it a try?
1. Stretching IS the Norm - Try Goal Setting for Results
Stretch goals have historically been a mechanism to get people to expand their skills and abilities and build competencies. However, with all of the cutbacks most companies have had to initiate, stretching - doing more with less, working in unfamiliar areas, doing a job that you have not necessarily been trained for - may now be the new norm.
Continue reading "4 Ways to Keep Employees Up in a Down Economy" »
High-impact findings on the practices of successful professionals
There's plenty of talk around the state of the economy, the hiring squeeze and the new job-seeker burden. Despite the ominous signs, people are getting hired into high-paying positions that are strategically designed to serve as a launching point for their next-next opportunity--an even higher-paying position.
UpMo conducted research to uncover the practices of people that get hired vs. those that stay searching in today's economy--the Hunters vs. the Farmers. Hunters are 87% more likely to find a job in this economy with key differences being in how they use their professional network and their qualitative approach to pursuing new opportunities. Other core differences between Hunters and Farmers: how they leverage their online profiles, reliance on job boards, maintenance of contact lists and customization within their job search.
Continue reading "Effective Job-Hunting Strategies: Hunters vs. Farmers" »
Here's this week's question . . .
Is it unlawful to discriminate against an employee on the basis of his or her weight?
Great question.
A recent Yale University study concluded that weight discrimination is more common than discrimination based on disability, religion, national origin and sexual orientation and only slightly less common than race, gender and age discrimination.
The study also found that women are twice as likely as men to face weight discrimination. Researchers found that women typically start experiencing discrimination when their body mass index (BMI) reaches 27 or higher, while men typically don't unless their BMI is 35 or higher.
So, obesity discrimination appears to be common. But is it unlawful?
As of now, federal law doesn't include obesity as a proteced class. But Michigan and a few municipalities (e.g., San Francisco and Washington, D.C.) do.
Courts have ruled that workplace weight standards could constitute disparate treatment discrimination if they have an adverse impact on a protected class (e.g., women). Moreover, obesity could potentially constitute a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), if it renders an employee unable to perform certain "major life activities." On the workers' compensation front, one court recently required an employer to pay for weight-reduction surgery for a 340-pound employee to increase the chances that surgery related to a work injury would be successful. Click here for more on that case.
The Bottom Line?
The best approach is to stick to purely job-related factors. Anything else can result in bad decisions, hurt employee morale and possibly land you in court.
(Special thanks to Kevin Kopp of Roberts & Stevens for the tip on the worker's comp case discussed above.)
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.
Want to avoid being a defendant in a lawsuit?
One of the best ways to stay out of court is to (1) keep tabs on what employers are actually getting sued for and then (2) do the opposite.
Here's this week's update . . .
If It Ain't Job-related It Ain't Job-related
In a somewhat ironic case, a hospital agreed to pay $70,000 and furnish other relief based on allegations of disability discrimination.
A nurse alleged that she was fired by the hospital for absences caused by diabetic seizures. She also claimed that she and other employees were required to complete an annual health assessment form that asked several unlawful non-job-related questions.
In a press release, the EEOC said: "It is unfortunate that many employers still deny the opportunity to work to people who are ready and able simply because of a disability. The EEOC will continue to fight for the rights of people victimized by such prejudices."
As leaders advance, they tend to ask fewer questions and provide more answers. But according to entrepreneur and executive coach Gary Cohen, this is precisely the wrong approach. Based on interviews with nearly 100 leaders, including Fortune 500 CEOs, small business owners, military commanders, and heads of nonprofits- as well as his own business experience, having grown ACI Telecentrics from two employees to 2,200- Cohen discovered that one of the keys to leadership success lies in asking questions. In his new book, JUST ASK LEADERSHIP: Why Great Managers Always Ask the Right Questions (McGraw Hill/September 2009), he explains how CEOs, managers, and supervisors alike can learn to ask the right questions in the right contexts- enabling individuals and organizations to thrive.
With more than 25 years experience helping organizations keep projects on scope, on time and on budget we have arrived at some universal truths about project management that can make or break a project.
Read more to find out how you can apply those truths to your next project whether it is a $10K marketing project or a $10 billion dollar engineering project.
Project Savvy
Over 25 years ago, WSA began providing project consulting services for organizations which designed and executed some of the largest and most complex engineering and construction projects - Engineering Marvel-type projects - around the globe. Our mission was to keep those projects on scope, on time and on budget.
We then worked to apply the knowledge and best practices we learned on these massive engineering projects to help organizations "project-ize" their work. These organizations looked at most of the necessary tasks - creating a market strategy; designing a shift coverage plan; outlining a fulfillment process, etc. - as a project.
True to promises made by the Obama Administration, employers can expect to see much more aggressive enforcement of federal anti-discrimination laws in the very near future.
Here's the latest . . .
New Wage and Hour Compliance Officers
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has publicly emphasized increased enforcement as a priority, focusing primarily on the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Wage and Hour Division. The Wage and Hour Division alone plans to hire more than 200 new compliance officers to enforce the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and other statutes.
You might want to check those job references a bit more closely these days . . .
ABC News reports on two companies that help job searchers get work by providing fake references for a price.
CareerExcuse.com and AlibiHQ.com both offer to (1) provide the name of a fictitious company and then (2) answer calls from prospective employers by saying nice (and 100% untruthful) things about the candidate's tenure with the company.
Survey: Managers and Employees Differ on Frequency and Quality of Workplace Communication
Managers say they are communicating better and more often with their employees now versus one year ago, a new survey shows. Unfortunately, their teams may not be getting the memo. Sixty-nine percent of executives interviewed said messages to employees have become more frequent, and 56 percent believed communication is of higher quality. Yet, only 37 percent of workers polled agreed there's been a boost in the rate of corporate updates, and only 38 percent felt information has improved.
The surveys were developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. They were conducted by an independent research firm and are based on telephone interviews with 150 senior executives at the nation's 1,000 largest companies, and 493 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments.
Last week Kraft made a US$16.8 billion bid for Cadbury which would create US$50 billion business that would command about 14.8% of the global confectionery market, according to Euromonitor and it would be the leader in the chocolate stakes with a 15.2% of that category, ahead of Mars' 14.6%.
Adage covered the story and then went on to share four PR lessons when launching a take over bid:
1. MAKE THE DEAL SEEM LIKE A LOGICAL NEXT STEP. While companies obviously can't tell reporters and analysts they are plotting a bid, they can lay out the rationale for such a deal in the months leading up to it. On conference calls with analysts, Kraft, for instance, has talked about why international confectionary acquisitions made sense for it for more than a year.
Continue reading "Online PR: What role does it play in takeover bids? " »
I had an interesting conversation with someone following ERE about the lack of innovation in our industry in terms of Candidate Experience. He suggested that if a vendor really cared - they would have someone on staff solely focused on making the technology easier for candidates. After just 1 solid rebuttel's, he stopped the conversation. Cold. Seriously people - you should know by know that I enjoy a good Debate - I learn, you learn, we all win. Anyway...It got me thinking about the conference and the space and asking the question if we really do care about candidate experience.
If you look at the agenda for the ERE Expo and any other conference that I am scheduled to attend this fall - the answer is no. There are no sessions on candidate experience or applicant retention strategies or quite honestly even on talent pooling (yes, super old term - but I still believe in it!). Candidate Experience was brought up in a few sessions - but other than Adidas & Walmart - no one really seemed to have a company strategy built around it. It is nice to talk about. It is nice to think about. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy inside - but we don't really seem to care if we are doing it or not. Well, not really. You see, it is one of those hidden things in our industry that is championed and talked about by large companies (that may or may not actually do it) and agreed upon and validated by smaller companies (that rarely actually do it). Another way I know we don't really care - no one really tweeted about it beyond Fogarty's custom built interview rooms with the ugly table.
Continue reading "Does our industry really care about Candidate Experience?" »
Unless you have been on a desert island all weekend you might have heard about the recent Van Jones story coming out of Washington. Van Jones was recently appointed as the "Green Job's Czar" by President Obama. The controversy sets in because there is no legal requirement for the administration to properly vet a Czar. Unlike a cabinet level position, Czar's are not subject to thorough FBI background checks or Senate approval.
However, many of the stories are misleading. It is correct to assume that Van Jones did not go through the same process as other "non-czar's" but don't be fooled, a full criminal background check is always conducted. The United States Secret Service would not allow anyone access to the President on that level without being fully checked for criminal records. You need a background check just to step foot in the West Wing of the White House. What does not occur is the type of vetting that goes on with other appointees. As we can see from this story, that happens in the court of public opinion. The Czar rule gives the administration a lot of flexibility to avoid certain process and get things done quickly, but we see now that can have adverse consequences.
Continue reading "Controversy Over White House Czars and Background Checks" »
Writing job descriptions can be as complicated as you want them to be. In all my years of recruiting, there are some accepted conventions that seem to be in every good one. Remember the purpose here is to have a clear outline of duties and responsibilities to make the screening process as direct and simple as possible. Putting on my legal hat here,though I'm not claiming to be a lawyer, it also is good practice to have a documented format as part of your hiring criteria. (For more on that contact a good employment lawyer.)
Required Elements
Here the categories that should be addressed are with a brief overview of each:
I was reading a Tweet from Steve Rubel which directed me to an example of a newspaper in the US using Posterous the free blogging platform (that I am posting to here) where you can post using email.
The Austin American Statesman 'Weather Watch' page says:
This has been a summer we won't likely forget -- thanks to the record-setting heat. Today, we get something of a break and, for the third consecutive day, should stay under 100 degrees. We're expecting folks to get out and take advantage of the relative cool.
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH Act) will soon require employers to provide notice to plan participants, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and maybe even the media, following breaches of protected health information (PHI). The HITECH Act goes beyond the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and adds new requirements for employers who in the past may not have worried much about PHI.
Is that enough acronyms for you?
The HITECH Act is part of the stimulus package enacted in February. The new regulations will cover breaches that occur after September 23, 2009. However, HHS has announced a 120-day grace period, which means enforcement won't begin in earnest until February 22, 2010.
What should employers do between now and then? Plenty, including (among other things):
For a couple of excellent articles on this topic, including FAQs and step-by-step instructions, click here and here.
Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.
I was watching "The Oprah Effect" on CNBC this weekend. Like most viewers, I was wowed by the sheer amount of influence this woman has on...well, just about everything, I suppose. A true success story, Ms. Winfrey catapulted herself into a multi-billion dollar enterprise and became The Voice On All Things Important--and some not so important. In fact, Oprah has so much influence that a recent show she did about Twitter increased the hits by a whopping forty-three percent as compared with a week ago! Very impressive! (If you missed "The Oprah Effect", you can watch it on Hulu or check the CNBC schedule for showings.) Anyway, as I'm watching the show, it got me thinking: If Oprah can turn a no-name product into a flying-off-the-shelf one, can she do that for job seekers as well? Granted, she endorses some products that the average person either can't afford or has no use for (like $65 t-shirts), but that's beside the point. And, as some folks suggest, she endorses pseudo-science and other "quackery", such as "The Secret" and good old Dr. Phil. Of course, it's her show and she can do what she pleases. But here's what I am suggesting:
Ms. Winfrey, why not put aside, say, one show a week and play match-maker by profiling job seekers and inviting employers to discuss their openings? If you can convince your viewers to buy $12 bars of soap and $6 cupcakes, I would imagine you can "subtly" convince employers to start hiring people (or else!).
And, perhaps add a page to the career pages on your website that features the "Job Seeker of the Week" and help people get back to work! P.S. -- Oprah (er...I mean Harpo Productions) is hiring.
By Lorraine Russo of the Underground Job Network
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.
In September 2008 Careerbuilder.com released their survey, "One in Five Employers Use Social Networking Sites to Research Candidates." Below were the top concerns hiring managers responded they had when checking candidate's pages.
Continue reading "Social Network Candidate Screening - Top Concerns " »
Yesterday, we talked here about what social networking sites our visitors use most. Today, we'll talk about how they're being used.
Social Media Intelligence?
More and more employers are using social media to gather "intelligence" on employees and potential candidates.
We previously reported here about an employee whose bereavement leave was proven by his manager to be a lie based on a Facebook photo showing him in a fairy costume and holding a beer at a Halloween party (instead of a funeral).
CNN reports on a couple of similar recent cases:
[A] guy I sort of know is a recruiter and sends me an email asking why his job post tweets are getting little traffic and worse why his follower numbers are decreasing.
Going back to a comment I made earlier this spring in a few different chats, in my opinion recruiters (and lots of other folks) make a mistake with Twitter, Facebook and other sites by not contributing to a community or group before making a withdrawal.
My opinion is that one needs to invest in a group by offering advice, links and other information that can be useful to others and do this over a period of time before asking for something. Call it being a good citizen or netizen.
Continue reading "Social Media Capital: Are You Running A Surplus Or A Deficit?" »
[A] guy I sort of know is a recruiter and sends me an email asking why his job post tweets are getting little traffic and worse why his follower numbers are decreasing.
Going back to a comment I made earlier this spring in a few different chats, in my opinion recruiters (and lots of other folks) make a mistake with Twitter, Facebook and other sites by not contributing to a community or group before making a withdrawal.
My opinion is that one needs to invest in a group by offering advice, links and other information that can be useful to others and do this over a period of time before asking for something. Call it being a good citizen or netizen.
Continue reading "Social Media Capital: Are You Running A Surplus Or A Deficit?" »
This week is an important one in relation to Cancer awareness with the LiveStrong Global Cancer Summit taking place in Dublin from 24-26 August 2009 with over 500 attendees and participants from 60 countries.
The LIVESTRONG programme has adopted social media from blogging, to blogger outreach, from running multiple Twitter accounts through to online video.
The following story isn't anything new to our readers. We've stated time and time again that employers should not use social networking sites as a way to investigate job candidates because the information you find may not be truthful in nature. How do you know that the Facebook profile filled with bad language and borderline inappropriate photos you are looking at is your candidate's creation and not the invention of a former friend, spouse or co-worker with an ax to grind? Denying someone a job based on information found on a social networking site could be asking for trouble.
Unemployment in St Louis was measured at 9.9% in June 2009 by the RCGA. Those are pretty scary numbers, and the big questions are not only when they will taper off, but if they will remain permanent.
Jobseekers have plenty of stories about being unfairly treated, but employers have just as many about candidates that just don't seem that interested in taking jobs. Rather than complain, I want to focus on stories about people who did get employed. I want to hear from companies who are growing, and who found those employees that are helping them succeed.
If you have a story, or know of one, contact me at socialmediaheadhunter at gmail with the subject St Louis Jobs. These don't have to be social media stories, but instead should be descriptions of how you got a job, or how you hired.
Free publicity - on a blog that will put your company on the first page of Google. What else could you ask for?
Article by Jim Durbin and courtesy of StlRecruiting.com
A judge's ruling could make it easier for targets of Internet invective to identify hecklers and sue them.
New York Supreme Court Judge Joan Madden ordered Google to identify an anonymous blogger who published photos of former fashion model Liskula Cohen alongside captions such as "ho," "psychotic" and other unprintable things.
"The protection of the right to communicate anonymously must be balanced against the need to assure that those persons who choose to abuse the opportunities presented by this medium can be made to answer for such transgressions," Judge Madden said.
Cohen's lawyer said that he plans to sue the blogger as soon as Google provides the identifying information. He said that he and his client are "happy that the court recognizes that the Internet is not a place where people can freely defame people."
Not surprisingly, the blogger's lawyer had a different reaction. She asserted that her client's statements were typical of chatter "in comments sections, on Twitter, on blogs" and that the ruling could have "potentially damaging implications for free speech on the Internet."
What does this mean for employers? Companies tormented by anonymous bloggers (including employees) may now find it easier to obtain IP and e-mail addresses for those behind the comments. Those who try to hide behind the web's supposed cloak of anonymity may soon find themselves exposed.
This case certainly won't be the last word on this issue. Stay tuned to see how this plays out.
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.
More so than any other large media company, the New York Times is doing a phenomenal service for the unemployed by prominently highlighting the job scams that prey on job seekers. Over the past few weeks, the Times has run a number of stories that describe the most common job scams and ripoff services that are thriving as job seekers become increasingly desperate in their job search. Unfortunately, most of these scams rely on pay-to-post job boards (especially high traffic ones) to lure unsuspecting job seekers by posting fake job ads.
In a New York Times story yesterday, the Arthur Group was identified as a scam headhunting firm that posted ads throughout Careerbuilder to attract and dupe its victims. That story accompanied a front page Times story that exposed ITS and Benchmark Professional Careers as bogus 'career management' or 'career marketing' companies that add little to no value for their clients yet charge absurdly high fees (paid up-front, of course). The companies, and others like them, have been sued by and banned from doing business in various states, but they still manage to survive and thrive like cockroaches.
Survey: Senior-Level Accountants Will Spend 40 Percent of Their Time on Strategy, Other Nontraditional Functions Five Years From Now
The role of the accountant in business operations continues to expand, a new survey confirms. Chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said they expect issues outside of traditional accounting functions to occupy 40 percent of a senior-level accountant's time five years from now (up from 36 percent currently). More than one-quarter (26 percent) of respondents said these issues would require as much as 50 percent of a senior-level accountant's time in the coming years.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and conducted by an independent research firm and includes responses from 1,400 CFOs from a stratified random sample of U.S. companies with 20 or more employees.
According to a new study released by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, about 90% of US bills contain traces of cocaine. Researchers have said that this could lead to false positive drug test results if the employee handles large quantities of money as part of their job. It could also lead to claims that cash handling is the reason for a failed drug test. Imagine Tony Montana coming into your office after failing a drug test, saying "I never used cocaine, it's because I used to be a bank teller." How much cocaine do you have in your pocket?
90 percent of U.S. bills carry traces of cocaine
The term "dirty money" is for real. In the course of its average 20 months in circulation, U.S. currency gets whisked into ATMs, clutched, touched and traded perhaps thousands of times at coffee shops, convenience stores and newsstands. And every touch to every bill brings specks of dirt, food, germs or even drug residue.
Research presented this weekend reinforced previous findings that 90 percent of paper money circulating in U.S. cities contains traces of cocaine.
"When I was a young kid, my mom told me the dirtiest thing in the world is money," said the researcher, Yuegang Zuo, professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. "Mom is always right."
Scientists say the amount of cocaine found on bills is not enough to cause health risks.
Money can be contaminated with cocaine during drug deals or if a user snorts with a bill. But not all bills are involved in drug use; they can get contaminated inside currency-counting machines at the bank.
"When the machine gets contaminated, it transfers the cocaine to the other bank notes," Zuo said. These bills have fewer remnants of cocaine. Some of the dollars in his experiment had .006 micrograms, which is several thousands of times smaller than a single grain of sand.
Article by, Jonah Green and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that the U.S. Department of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is stepping up their efforts to audit U.S. employers who hire illegal workers. According to John Morton, the new chief of of ICE, 654 companies are currently being audited with many more notices to follow.
These efforts are in stark contrast to the lax auditing practices of the previous administration. And the fines are significant. So employers, beware. Make sure you have I-9's in place with a process to ensure you are receiving valid identification. Many employers now have started to use E-Verify and other electronic employment eligibility systems to help with compliance in this regard.
U.S. Intensifies Audits of Employers- Wall Street Journal
LOS ANGELES -- A senior U.S. immigration official said Monday that his agency will intensify a crackdown on employers of workers in the country illegally as part of the Obama administration's new immigration strategy.
John Morton, the new chief of U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement, a unit of the Department of Homeland Security, said that the agency is set to increase the number of companies it will audit and systematically impose fines on violators. Violations could also lead to criminal charges, he said.
On July 1, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced an audit of employers to verify whether their employees were eligible to work. Mr. Morton said that 654 companies are currently being audited and that many more employers will be notified soon that they also will be under scrutiny by the government.
"You are going to see audits regularly and on a larger scale," Mr. Morton said during a two-day visit to southern California, his first since being appointed four months ago. "You will see the resuscitation of...civil fines."
Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
HR professionals and employment lawyers across the country are abuzz over the forced resignation of a Panama City, Florida physician. His offense? Promoting health.
Dr. Jason Newsom was hired a few years ago to run the Bay County Health Department. As a doctor and director of an entity with the word "Health" in the middle of its name, one might think promoting healthy living would be one of his main duties. But apparently some felt he went a bit too far.
The former Army doctor who served in Iraq declared war against obesity by posting warnings on an electronic sign outside the building. Some of the messages:
FRENCH FRIES = THUNDER THIGHS
HAMBURGER = SPARE TIRE
SWEET TEA = LIQUID SUGAR
I recently featured a video on our HR blog that told folks to "Teach Naked." Though, I still believe this to be true, after my stint at Washington Business Week last week and listening to "my kids'" reactions to the various guest speakers, it seems that having a little bit of something something (a la Quentin Tarantino when he guest starred on Alias) behind you isn't a bad idea. It all comes down to learning styles. I know myself to be a audio/visual learner so if someone wants me to truly get it, it's critical that I get to both see and hear the speaker and maybe even view some images or supporting visuals to really understand the message.
In general my group, who ranged in age from 15 to 19 years, seemed to appreciate the speakers who as a general rule did the following things.
You already heard on how to set up your RSS on my previous posting RSS for Recruiting / Sourcing - Part 2
So once you choose a feedreader; for instance I like NewsGator. I used Google reader but moved on to NewsGator for nearly a year now as it allows me Sync with my mobile and the interface is better. Both are good and depends on which ever is easier for you to access.
So for example I need to hear anyone who mentions about KPMG ( I work for them) in Twitter. Yes you can go to search.twitter.com but how many times in a day you are going to do that? Now all you have to do is to search ONE time and "click feed for this query" and subscribe it.
When denying employment based on the results of a background check conducted by a Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act stipulates that the employer follow very specific adverse action procedures set forth in sections 604(b) and 615(a). Two companies were apparently not well versed in these rules and ended up with a combined fine of $77,000. That's a big chunk of change - struggling economy or not.
Our recommendation: Employers should brush up on their obligations as users of consumer reports and speak with their legal department to ensure compliance.
For release: 08/11/2009
Two companies that fired workers and rejected job applicants based on background checks without informing them of their rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they violated federal law. The settlements require the defendants to pay $77,000 in civil penalties and bar future FCRA violations.
Employers often conduct background checks and seek employees' and job applicants' credit records, criminal histories, and other background information from a consumer reporting agency (CRA) such as a credit bureau or background screening company. The FCRA requires that before taking adverse employment actions based on these consumer reports - for example, firing employees or denying job applications - employers must provide the employees or applicants with a copy of the report, identify the CRA that provided it, notify them that the CRA did not make the adverse action decision, and inform them that they have the right to obtain a free copy of the report from the CRA and dispute its accuracy.
According to the FTC's two complaints, both defendants contracted with a CRA to conduct background checks including criminal record reviews for employees and job applicants, and made hiring and firing decisions based on those background checks. The companies allegedly failed to provide the employees and applicants with pre-adverse action notices and adverse action notices as required by the FCRA.
The settlements require Quality Terminal Services, LLC and Rail Terminal Services, LLC to pay $53,000 and $24,000 in civil penalties, respectively, and to provide the FCRA-required notices in the future. The settlements also contain record-keeping and reporting provisions to allow the FTC to monitor compliance.
Article by, Natalie Beck and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
This is a great example of why to be honest on a job application. This individual is obviously being put between a rock and a hard place, but there are solutions. An employer is going to conduct an employment background investigation and this conviction will likely be found. It is very important for this individual to be open and honest about the past conviction do it does impair her ability to become employed.
When a Background Check Reveals a Misdemeanor
By TODDI GUTNER
Q: A close friend was laid off in January. She is an educated, smart, professional, high performer and team player who has climbed the corporate ladder. She has also been a battered wife for many years. In 1995, she had enough of the abuse and hit her husband with a briefcase. He decided to call the police on her and she now has a misdemeanor on her record. When she applies for an executive position and they do a background check, this "domestic assault" charge appears. Since it was her ex-husband, she cannot get it sealed or expunged. What advice do you have for her?
Candidates with unfortunate histories on their records are often anxious and defensive in interviews. But it's important to be upfront and honest about your record.
A. This is a legal issue as well as a career-transition issue. To that end, your friend may want to get some legal advice about how damaging and discoverable a misdemeanor is on someone's record. At the same time, "it is important that she separate out personal situation from her professional achievements," says Sheryl Spanier, a career coach and consultant. "She will want to create a compelling story about what she has accomplished and what she has to offer," says Ms. Spanier.
First she will have the initial interview process, then the reference and background check to address. Even before she gets to the interview process, she will need to think about and be prepared to handle questions about her background. Often, candidates who have unfortunate histories on their records, are anxious and defensive in interviews and obsess over the potential of being discovered, says Ms. Spanier.
For the most part, companies do background checks late in the job-hiring process when they have a finalist candidate. "She should be upfront and honest about her record and what happened but not until the time when a prospective employer asks to do the background check," says Jo Bennett, a partner with Battalia Winston International, an executive search firm. "At that stage, both the candidate and the employer are sincerely interested in each other and have built up a good level of rapport," she says.
While all candidates offer references to potential employers, your friend will want to "amass character and work references that counterbalance any concern an employer may have about her domestic assault record," says Ms. Spanier.
Article courtesy Jason Morris and EmployeescreenIQ
Hi All!
I sent out a Tweet about this NY Times article when it first came out, but forgot to blog about it. The article "In Recession, Optimistic College Grads Turn Down Jobs" , was written by Steve Freiss, and published on July 24, 2009. It brings to light that many new (young) college grads are being picky about the entry level jobs they accept, even in this economic downturn with soaring unemployment rates, because they don't want to settle on a job they don't really want and/or accept lower pay based on starting salaries being reduced.
Continue reading "Recent College Grads Turn Down Job Offers During Recession " »
Hank Williams' song line 'one man's famine, is another man's feast' has proven to be true with the economy in a down spin diploma mills and websites providing fake credentials for references to degrees are seeing rapid growth. It is estimated that there are as many as 3,000 such firms worldwide and more than 700 of them are in the US.
While diploma mills have been around for years a new development has been the emergence of firms providing fake experience certificates and references. This first came to light last year from a report issued by KPMG India. KPMG report revealed the existence of 150-250 such firms, often masquerading as information technology (IT) companies. KPMG India's executive director Rohit Mahajan stated "There are some kind of set-ups that issue fraudulent experience certificates. We have identified almost 150 firms that are fictitious companies." "During our background verification process for clients over the past one year, we found 250 firms that fake experience letters, salary slips and relieving letters to candidates," added Abhay Aggarwal, chief executive of Integrity Verification Services Pvt. Ltd.
Jason Morris, CEO, EmployeeScreenIQ and Past President, NAPBS believes this is not a problem that is likely unique to India. He believes we see it there now because of the high concentration of BPO and Call Centers, but believes as other countries compete for this business we will see these fake experience providers show up there as well. Jason added, "It also is a business that desperation breeds because 'people have to work' so when there is a down turn or lack of opportunities people get creative in finding ways to get a job. When people are desperate they will take any means necessary to support themselves and their family." Jason was prophetic with his comments because with the many of the economies of the world struggling and unemployment souring people are desperate for jobs and making desperate decisions.
Article by, Jason Morris and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
The title of this blog is indeed the question I want to raise today. Are career transition companies (the outplacement firms that companies who are downsizing will sometimes engage to help those employees who have been, or are about to, get laid off) really offering the right solutions to IT professionals looking for work?
I had the honor of meeting with a very senior candidate recently, who is going through the career transition process. In fact, the candidate had their workshop curriculum with them, a folder that had all the course information and work sheets within it. Being the curious recruiter that I am, I asked my candidate if I could take a peek at some of the workshops they were about to attend. I automatically found the resume section and started to scan through what these Career Transition Specialists were about to teach my candidate.
Continue reading "Career Transition Companies - are they the right solution for IT Specialists?" »
Anything other than true systemic change is like pushing a mound of jello. When you push jello, it easily gives way. When you stop, it reverts back to its natural shape. To change jello permanently you have to bring it back to a fluid state and start again with a new mold.
To create sustainable strategic change, you must remold your organization so that the new condition becomes the natural condition and it's impossible to see any remaining marks of the way it was.
Many organizations and restructurings fail because, while boxes in the org-chart are moved around or eliminated, the organization hasn't been fundamentally changed and the remaining components of the system adjust to prevent major impact and preserve the status quo.
Continue reading "Systemic Change & Jello: What Do They Have in Common?" »
One thing that may surprise the reader is that there are numerous different types of recruiting firms at your disposal. The types of recruiting firms that will be the best for you to work with really depends upon your past work history and the types of jobs you are looking for. There are, of course, many types of recruiting firms but the five main types of firms you will generally hear about include:
Want to avoid being a defendant in an EEOC lawsuit?
One of the easiest ways to find out what's on the EEOC's radar is to keep tabs on the lawsuits it's filing. Here's the latest, all from just the past week:
Accommodate Reasonable Religious Requests
Four Caribbean Rastafarian public safety officers asked for religious accommodation because their dreadlocks didn't fit under their hats as required by company policy. When the employer refused, the employees filed claims for religious and national origin discrimination.
In another case, the EEOC sued an employer for refusing to allow a hairstylist to take off Sundays, despite her request to do so based on "sincerely held religious beliefs."
The verdicts: $40,000 settlement in the dreadlocks case and $26,500 settlement in the stylist case, plus injunctive relief including revised policies and training in both cases.
The EEOC's take: "Employers are obligated to explore how they may accommodate employees' or applicants' religious beliefs. In addition to time off for religious services, this may also include accommodations such as allowing time and space for prayer during the workday or, as in this case, making adjustments to grooming and uniform policies."
Don't Retaliate
An employer's only African-American manager complained about unfair treatment. The employer allegedly responded by retaliating against the employee, giving him an unfavorable performance evaluation, putting him on an overly burdensome performance plan and allowing him to be subjected to racial slurs.
In another case, the EEOC sued an employer for allegedly firing an employee in retaliation for her filing a sex discrimination charge.
The verdicts: $40,000 settlement plus equitable relief in the first case and $84,750 settlement in the second case. Click here and here for more.
Reasonably Accommodate Disabilities
The EEOC sued an employer for allegedly refusing to provide accommodations that would have allowed an employee diagnosed with Parkinson's disease to continue a successful sales career. The requested accommodations included moving the employee closer to his assistant to reduce walking and providing computer equipment to reduce writing. Instead of agreeing to the requests, the employer allegedly put the employee on a performance plan due to falling sales and then fired him before the 90-day improvement period expired.
The verdict: $65,000 settlement plus injunctive relief including revised policies and training for all employees. Click here for more.
Address Harassment Immediately
Seven female restaurant employees complained of sexual harassment by male co-workers. When the employer allegedly "did nothing to stop or prevent the abuse," the employees sued.
The verdict: $60,000 plus injunctive relief including revised policies and training for all employees. Click here for more.
Don't RIF Wrong
An employer allegedly terminated six African-American employees under the guise of a layoff and then immediately hired Hispanic employees to replace each of them. The EEOC sued for race and national origin discrimination.
The verdict: $44,700 plus injunctive relief. Click here for more.
Don't let this happen to you. In addition to monetary and injunctive relief, the negative PR resulting from media coverage of the EEOC's press releases can cripple a company.
Stay tuned for more valuable lessons from the EEOC.
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.
I have been on a near constant rant about all the self proclaimed gurus and experts that popped up since, well shockingly enough since the recession started. Add on to that the ability to more easily self promote via Twitter and Facebook and it may be difficult at times to figure out who is as good as they say they are.
I was asked by a professional group if I had heard of a "guru" and I said no but that also did not mean they were not one. I frequently miss names in a conversation (but I can remember most things about them) so sometimes 2+2 does not = 4 until I stop and think about it.
Once I put 2 and 2 together I was fairly sure this was one of the newly minted "gurus" who was talking a good game but could not back it up let alone at the price quoted.
The New York Times recently published an interesting, albeit one-sided article on the use of employment credit checks. The article seems to slant towards demonizing employers' use of this background screening tool by highlighting cases where applicants have been denied employment.
There is another important side of the story. And that is the fact that when used properly, these checks allow employers a snapshot into an applicant's personal responsibility and to assess potential risks.
To be fair, a small part of the article addressed the other side and in my opinion began to create a compelling arguement for the use of credit reports.
So many times I have seen recruiters who are ready to hire internship or entry level job candidates and they take their recruiting dollars and do a pinata approach. In other words, they are blindfolded and swinging wildly in every direction, hoping to hit the mark where the target bursts open and all kinds of goodies (great candidates) fall into their hands. However, blindly swinging in every direction in this economy costs you money that most companies can ill afford.
Instead of trying a "bit of this" and a "bit of that" and not really having clear qualifications and goals in place for the various tools and techniques you will use, take the time to target. Clear you desk, clear your mind and just sit for a moment and think about who your dream candidate would be. Obviously, certain majors are needed. Make sure you target that. But, is the position that you are filling a challenging position where you would prefer only a certain GPA? Then why waste time and money going after people that don't have it? How about diversity needs? Are you meeting your percentages there? If not, are you doing all you can to target minority groups?
The cost of recruiting good people is high and companies are wise to make sure they get everything they can out of each dollar spent. If you are recruiting for internships or entry level jobs this fall, why not make sure that, besides finding and hiring qualified candidates, you build a database of candidates you may want to hire in the future? If you deploy email or sms blasts, the chances are you will end up with some candidates you don't hire right now but possibly would have wanted, had there been more positions open. Don't let them fade away into the sunset! Even if they find employment elsewhere, you may have been their first choice. Keeping their names and contact information in a database is, of course, a no brainer. But what else are you doing to keep your name in front of them?
Are you sending out newsletters to the email addresses in your database so that desired candidates know about the cutting edge things your company is involved in? Do they know about the philanthropic things your company supports? How about contests where candidates answer questions about the field they are in, with winners getting gift cards to a store or coffee chain? This builds excitement about your company and makes good candidates wish they had been hired. Once they receive notice that you are hiring again, they will remember all of the good things about your company that you have promoted.
Continue reading "Always On My Mind: How to Keep Your Company on the Minds of Future Candidates" »
Nurse of the Year is a pretty impressive feather in the cap of a health care practitioner. That type of honor can make can place a nurse looking for a job in high demand. In the case of Betty Lichtenstein of Norwalk, CT, she claimed to have won the Connecticut Nurse's Association's "Nurse of The Year" award in 2008. It turns out Nurse Betty wasn't really a nurse, but she pretended to be one. Oh, and the Connecticut Nurse's Association doesn't exist. In the words of Homer Simpson, "DOH!"
Nurse Betty was hired on by a Connecticut doctor after committing resume fraud and had been treating his patients. Word to the doctor: You might think about ordering a background check next time including a professional license verification and past employment references.
'Nurse of the Year' Charged with Not Being A Nurse
NORWALK, Conn. - A Connecticut woman who authorities say spent more than $2,000 to stage a dinner honoring her as "Nurse of the Year" has been charged with pretending to be a nurse at a doctor's office. Betty Lichtenstein, 56, of Norwalk was charged Thursday.
Prosecutors say Dr. Gerald Weiss believed Lichtenstein was a registered nurse, especially after she was named the Connecticut Nursing Association's "Nurse of the Year" in 2008.
According to the arrest warrant, that association does not exist.
The state's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit began investigating after a patient complained about Lichtenstein.
She faces up to five years in prison if convicted of reckless endangerment and criminal impersonation charges.
Lichtenstein did not return a telephone message for comment.
Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
New Tools and Content Will Help Give UpMo Users and Robert Half Candidates a Competitive Edge in this Difficult Employment Climate
Upwardly Mobile (UpMo) today announced a strategic alliance with Robert Half International (NYSE: RHI). Both companies recognize that job losses stemming from economic instability have displaced many outstanding professionals. This collaboration is designed to help job seekers by combining the wealth of content and "personal touch" experience from Robert Half's long history of staffing and placement services with Upwardly Mobile's innovative tools, technology and resources to help highly skilled professionals manage and succeed in their careers.
According to recently released unemployment data from the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are nearly six unemployed workers for every job opening, and the unemployment rate has reached 9.5 percent. These figures underscore the need for professionals to be able to respond quickly when presented with either an unexpected job loss or, on a more positive note, an attractive new career opportunity.
"People often overestimate how prepared they are to showcase their skills and experience to hiring managers," said Reesa Staten, senior vice president and director of workplace research at Robert Half International. "By working with UpMo, we'll be able to provide job seekers with a range of valuable online and offline tools and resources that can help them promote themselves to potential employers and advance their careers."
As part of the alliance, Robert Half will provide a portfolio of customized resources through the UpMo service to help professionals prepare for the job hunt including career advice articles, white papers and other timely research. In addition, UpMo and Robert Half are collaborating on a "Job-Hunt Readiness Evaluator," an advanced assessment tool currently in beta that measures how prepared users are to search for and land a job in the next 90 days. The new tool is scheduled for a late summer release. Similar to UpMo's Network Readiness Evaluator, the Job-Hunt Readiness Evaluator asks UpMo users fewer than 25 questions to help them assess their unique career perspective, behavioral traits, skills and network. UpMo leverages its deep scientific base by comparing this information with elite professionals, industry benchmarks and millions of data points to assess how ready users are to land a job in today's market. The output is a valuable report that illuminates users' job-hunt readiness via an updatable score and realistic, next-step guidance professionals can use to help boost their chances of landing a job faster.
"UpMo is committed to partnering with forward-looking companies and building the right tools to help people be empowered, knowledgeable and successful throughout their careers," said Promise Phelon, CEO of UpMo. "Our strategic alliance with Robert Half allows us to combine our cutting-edge technology, scientific data and service with their comprehensive resources and career knowledge to help professionals succeed in their careers."
About UpMo
Founded in 2008, Upwardly Mobile, Inc. is a privately-held company committed to taking on the difficult challenges that help people appreciate their most valuable asset -- their career. UpMo.com's always-on solution is an intelligent, personalized career service that uses expert insights and patent-pending scientific tools to empower business professionals and job seekers to confidently get the job they want faster and stay ahead in their career. For more information, visit the website http://www.UpMo.com
Upwardly Mobile is located at Palo Alto's renowned 165 University Avenue, a historic Silicon Valley office building that once housed Google, PayPal, Logitech and several other successful tech companies.
About Robert Half International
Founded in 1948, Robert Half International Inc., the world's first and largest specialized staffing firm, is a recognized leader in professional consulting and staffing services. The company's specialized staffing divisions include Accountemps, Robert Half Finance & Accounting and Robert Half Management Resources, for temporary, full-time and project professionals, respectively, in the fields of accounting and finance; OfficeTeam, for highly skilled temporary administrative support personnel; Robert Half Technology, for information technology professionals; Robert Half Legal, for legal personnel, and The Creative Group, for creative, advertising, marketing and web design professionals.
Robert Half International has staffing and consulting operations in more than 400 locations worldwide.
Ask anyone if they are:
* Self-centered
* Selfish
* Greedy
* Materialistic
* Narcissistic
They will all answer with an emphatic "NO ." In fact, it's unlikely you will even ask them as these very human traits are subjects of denial, swept under the rug, hardly fair game for cocktail party banter or even frank discussion between friends, lovers, spouses or partners.
OK, not a poll where you can vote because I need more than that, I need answers.
I have been doing presentations for years and I never used to struggle with this question. I mean, 2 years ago who cared how old, what race or what you looked like?
Today in this economy some are being discriminated against and as a white guy [in my late thirties], I feel awkward about giving the best advice possible.
2 years ago I said, "Put your photo on there. Adding a face to a name always helps. And if someone does not want to work with you because of age or race, screw them. You did not want to work with them anyway."
But now, I feel conflicted as there does appear to be some discrimination going on. I do still suggest a photo on the profile but I am not as sure as I was. Although, I question more when a photo is not on the profile.
So help me friends, what advice do/would you give?
Leave a comment below please versus sending an email. I would like to get a conversation going about this.
Thanks in advance for your participation.
Article by Paul DeBettignies and courtesy of MN Headhunter -- where they "play with their cards face up."
A Bronx college graduate has sued her college for failing to inform her that her degree would be useless in finding a job. The Full Article can be found on MSN. I know thousands of students must be secretively applauding this daring
move. Now it will be interesting to see the outcome.
As someone who found the career services assistance at my own college woefully unable to produce worthwhile jobs, I find myself cheering this woman on. When I graduated with my degree in Business in 1985, which came after significant sacrifice of working nights and overtime weekends so I could attend college during the day, I was disgruntled at the offers mailed by then Jersey City State College's career dis-service department.
Continue reading "College Grad Sues College - Gotta love this one!" »
I first heard about this guy a few weeks ago and thought his idea was absolutely brilliant.
Job Market Tough? Man Finds 50 Jobs In 50 States
Daniel Seddiqui Works As Brockton Rox First-Base Coach
For a California man, the nation's sour economy was making it tough to find work, but instead of giving up, he decided to take his resume on the road.
His mission: to work 50 different jobs in all 50 states.
Daniel Seddiqui, 27, said the resume wasn't happening. The recent college grad had flunked no less than 40 job interviews for work in his field of economics.
Read the full story.
Think of the life experiences this man has acquired in just under a year. He's 44 weeks into his 50 state journey. Follow along through his home page.
Of course, as a background check guy, I immediately thought of what his employment verifications would look like. A bar in New Orleans, a maple syrup(er?) in Vermont. A rodeo announcer in South Dakota and a coal miner in West Virginia. EmployeeScreenIQ is in Ohio. His tour with us? Meteorologist for a Cleveland TV station.
A tip of the hat to Daniel. We usually complete verifications in 2-3 days. Something tells me our clients would understand this one taking a bit longer!
Article by, Kevin Bachman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
This story proves that you can have all the right employment screening policies and procedures in place to mitigate risks in the workplace (okay, I'm not a fan of statewide background checks, but that's for another time), but those practices mean nothing when you have an unscrupulous employee at the controls. The Palm Beach Post is reporting that a convicted murderer was working as a janitor at a local school until it was discovered that he served 15 years in prison for a murder he committed in the 1970's. He had also been arrested 13 times for a variety of crimes including murder and rape, not necessarily something parents look for when entrusting their kids to a school.
To his credit, he reported this conviction on his application. Jacqueline Clervan-Harrell, a family friend of the employee, was the school administrator who was responsible for executing the background check. It seems that she conveniently "forgot" to conduct a background check on this particular employee. He had been working at the school for 3 years until the state found the conviction while doing a random post employment background check.
Continue reading "Screening the Background Check Screeners?" »
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.
Continue reading "Global Accounting Standards Create Uncertainty" »
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.
Continue reading "Employees Who Love Their Jobs, Do Their Jobs Better" »
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.
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.
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.
Continue reading "Social Media & Personal Branding from the Eyes of a Millennial" »
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.
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:
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.
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."
Continue reading "Engineering Grads Earn Top Salary Offers " »
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
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.
Continue reading "How to Attract the Best Candidates to Your Job Opportunity" »
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."
Continue reading "Signs, Shoes, Balloons and Other Creative Ways to Get Hired" »
"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).
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.
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.
Continue reading "Viral Marketing and the Recruitment Campaign" »
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:
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.
Continue reading "Using Social Media to Connect a Workforce" »
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:
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:
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?
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.
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:
"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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
What a genius idea!
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."
Continue reading "Stories of the Absurd: VERY Odd Jobs and T-Shirt Resumes" »
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.
Continue reading "Veterans Face Unique Challenges When Searching for Civilian Jobs" »
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.
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
Continue reading "New Plan to Help Students Pay Back College Loan Debt " »
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.
Continue reading "How To Show Employers That You Fit The Job" »
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:
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.
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.
Continue reading "Use Keywords to Speak The Language of Your Gen Y Candidates" »
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.
Continue reading "Leadership Coaching for Gen Y and Gen X Employees " »
A sustained upturn in staffing industry employment would signal the end of the current recession and suggest that overall nonfarm employment would begin to grow about three months later, according to new research released recently by the American Staffing Association. Staffing industry employment has long been considered a popular indicator of current economic conditions and a precursor of overall employment trends. Recent research confirms this conventional wisdom, but adds important nuance.
Key Findings
Continue reading "When Will Overall Job Growth Begin? Watch Staffing for Early Signs" »
The New Paradigm for Building the Candidate Pipeline
Traditionally, most companies start the talent acquisition process by opening a job requisition. Corporate recruiters and HR professionals work diligently with hiring managers to define job requisitions and post these openings to job boards as well as the company's own online career site.
With rising unemployment numbers, more job seekers are heading online to search for employment, but unfortunately candidates are hitting a dead end because of the drastic reduction in open jobs (requisitions) that are available on corporate Web sites, and without any alternative method besides applying for a particular job, both candidates and hiring companies are losing out on an opportunity during this recession. In fact, according to the most recent National Online Recruitment Audience Survey (NORAS) the number of online job seekers has risen 50% over the last 12 months. However, as the economy continues to falter, hiring at many organizations is increasingly selective and anticipatory, forcing a ground-breaking paradigm shift in building the candidate pipeline.
As any historian will tell you, it's only a matter of time until the economy begins to rebound and there will be a return in hiring. When the market comes back to life it might be too late for those companies that didn't use the down time to cultivate prospect relationships, as the noise in the recruiting market will reverberate loudly making it harder than ever to market specific jobs to matching prospects.
Yesterday, representative Bruce Braley (D-IA) introduced what is known as the Frontline Providers Loan Repayment program. Under this new legislation Physical Therapists (among other health professionals) are encouraged to practice in underserved areas.
HR 2981, as the bill is known, asks the therapists to sign a commitment to practice in an area for at least two years in exchange for the student loan repayment. APTA President R. Scott Ward is noted as saying "With health care reform legislation on the horizon, it's imperative that our leaders address workforce issues as a part of overall reform. The Frontline Providers Loan Repayment Program would bring physical therapists to areas in the country where their services are greatly needed."
In times like these, you may be wondering how you're ever going to pay off all of your student loan debt. If you would like more information on the Frontline Providers Repayment program, check out this article on the APTA's website.
Article courtesy of RehabCare Student blog. RehabCare provides college recruiting for Physical Therapists, Physical Therapy Assistants, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Assistants and Speech Language Pathologists.
The number of employment offers across all sectors in financial services declined dramatically in 2009 as compared to 2008, according to research by Powerchex, a pre-employment screening firm for financial services. The study shows that Investment Banks made 83% less employment offers in May 2009 as compared to the same month last year. Insurance firms saw the smallest decline by reducing their employment offers by 28% while Investment Managers (45%), Stockbrokers (54%), Hedge Funds (56%) and IT contractors for financial firms (72%) also experienced significant declines in the number of jobs being offered.
The ongoing research shows a decline in employment offers each month of 2009 as compared to the same month in 2008. The pre-employment screening firm also finds that employment offers in May as compared to April this year, increased within the Insurance (23%) and Investment Banking (19%) industries, indicating a more positive approach in the sector. The biggest indicator yet that companies believe the worst times are over come from the fact that IT contractors servicing the finance industry saw a 100% increase in the number of employment offers from April to May. Offers in stock-broking firms were down by 69% reflecting the continuing decline in trading volumes.
"Most firms in the sector have an official or unofficial freeze in recruitment; however firms continue to recruit selectively. We are seeing a split in strategy amongst firms that operate within financial services. There are those companies that are not actively recruiting and only replacing people who leave critical roles, and on the other hand there are those companies who believe now is the time to position themselves to take advantage of any upturn by hand picking new staff from a large and talented pool of people," says Alexandra Kelly, Director at Powerchex. Kelly also states that there are opportunities for job seekers who are experienced and have a good track record.
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
As your network grows on social networking sites, you will no doubt find that your time online will increase if for no other reason than responding to the requests to connect and answering questions from people in your network.
Within LinkedIn one of the requests you may find is that people ask you to connect them to people in your network or even people one or two degrees of separation away from you.
In my LinkedIn for Business workshops we discuss case studies of what makes for an effective connection and referral request.
I am noticing however that I have had an increase in the number of situations where I have declined the request to refer someone to another person in my network.
Here are three situations where I have declined to connect someone - each time I have sent the person a note to explain why I have declined:
1. There was a lack of information explaining why the person wanted to connect and what the benefit will be to the person they want to connect to.
2. The person connecting (who was two degrees of separation from me) was a recruiter and wanted to connect to someone in my network - as a matter of principle I won't connect someone to a recruiter unless their profile said they were open to such connections or I know they are looking for a new role.
3. The request to connect did not look relevant to the person I was being asked to connect someone to.
This got me thinking about my connection policy for referrals on LinkedIn - it's not something I have documented but it is something I do consider each time I am asked to connect to someone in my network.
Do you have a 'connection policy' for referrals in LinkedIn?
What guidance formal or informal do you follow?
Article by Krishna De and courtesy of Biz Growth News blog
Most people can remember a boss - or bosses - who stood out because he - or she - knew how to bring out the best in every one of his employees by noticing and catering to each person's strengths or "unique talents." According to Peter Bregman, in his article, Susan Boyle: A Lesson in Talent Management, being able to not only recognize but also accomodate each employee's talents is what makes a manager great.
Bregman used Susan Boyle as an example because everyone judged her talent based solely on her appearance - ordinary. The judges and the audience all dismissed her until she actually began to sing. Bregman suggests that there's a little Susan Boyle - and for that matter a little Simon Cowell - in all of us. We all have many talents, but haven't yet been presented with an opportunity to demonstrate them.
Continue reading "Great Managers Capitalize On Employees' Great Talents" »
A survey by job board, RecruitIreland.com, on how the recession is impacting jobseekers reveals that despite the prevailing doom and gloom, jobseekers are actually seeing positive outcomes from the recession. Of the survey respondents, 70% agree that bargaining for services is now easier; over 50% state there is less pressure to "Keep up with the Joneses"; and 50% are optimistic about the future.
Additional findings suggest that the majority of respondents believe recovery will take place in early 2011. "This survey shows how resilient we are as a nation. It is refreshing to see that people can see some positives," says Emma Henry, Marketing Manager RecruitIreland.com. However, it does seem that very few job seekers can escape the impact of the recession, with 81% having seen their jobs impacted in some way and 33% being laid off.
Additional key findings claim that of the respondents, 35% confirm a reduction in salary and over half of those have also seen reduced working hours; furthermore, 31% feel that their careers are on hold for the moment, with some believing that their careers have taken a step back; additionally, 16% are taking the opportunity to invest in further training; 14% have actually benefited from the recession through promotion as the result of a job freeze or are benefiting from increased experience through job sharing; and 8% are taking the opportunity to start their own business.
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
As hints of summer taunt us, more than half of U.S. workers polled will find themselves with the summer off, due to unemployment. In fact, 55% of the U.S. workforce will have flexible hours this summer as a result of job loss, according to a nationwide poll conducted by Monster.com, a global online career and recruitment resource. "With many companies offering flexible working hours as an alternative to lay-offs, it's not surprising that nearly one-quarter of the respondents (20%) report flexible working hours during the summer are a perk where they work," says Norma Gaffin, director of career content, Monster.com.
"In fact, Inc.com reports on a recent study suggesting one way companies are looking to keep employees engaged amidst news of lay-offs is to grant flextime," Gaffin adds. Only 5% of poll participants indicate their flexible summer schedules are a direct result of cost-cutting initiatives within their companies. The remaining 20% of Monster Meter poll respondents say flexible working hours at their companies are not an option during summer months.
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
Job prospects for professionals and managers in the US are worse than the global average, according to a quarterly survey of hiring and firing trends in over 30 key countries. However, the percentage of US organizations hiring staff at this level has almost caught up with the worldwide average, suggesting that the jobs market is at least beginning to level out.
The Global Snapshot from recruitment specialist SPI and its international partner, Antal, asked 4217 companies in major markets such as the US, western and eastern Europe, Africa, India and China whether they are currently hiring at professional and managerial level. It then asked whether they plan to do so in the coming quarter and whether they are currently letting staff go or are planning to do so in the next three months.
Continue reading "Global Employment Survey: Hiring on the Rise" »
The prevalence of LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and a host of other social networking tools has certainly raised awareness for personal relationship development and social networking best practices. When the use of the same social interaction functionality is brought into an organization to manage client or customer interactions and partner or supplier engagement in order to enable and manage collaboration within your organization, the mindset becomes one of Enterprise 2.0.
It's a fundamentally new way of identifying and proactively managing opportunities for any sized organization. It connects you with your clients, prospects, partners, the media, and the business community at large, and it is as critical as the organization's intra-company relationships.
Although technology is a fundamental cornerstone of the success of social networking, a social networking success story begins with the appropriate strategy. The fact that desired behaviors require and support key initiatives will help you understand the necessary tools to enable and enhance such interactions. We believe people will soon give way to blogs, wikis, existing platforms such as SharePoint, and social networking platforms that are much more congruent with the business goals and unique nuances of the teams they support.
We've all heard of the alpha male and female. The dictionary defines them as the dominant person in a group, the one everybody emulates and follows. The term was originally coined to describe behavior in wolf and dog packs, but for most of the 20th Century, it also accurately depicted the way we interacted in our careers. One person was on top, and the rest of us brought up the rear.
While wolves and dogs are stuck with this leader-follower relationship, however, we humans have an option. We can pull ourselves out of the back of the pack--out of the pack altogether, in fact--and assume a new role. I call it the "alpha career athlete." It recognizes our innate ability to act as individuals and to set our own unique course in the world of work.
Many a times when there is an issue with an employee, people blame it on the employee and do not realize that their hiring process could be the root cause.
It has been demonstrated by research, that even the best interview techniques; only provide a 50-60% (or lower) chance of hiring the right person for the job, or a person who will perform all required tasks according to the standards required.
Not hiring the right/best person can have a number of drawbacks, such as:
Continue reading "Is your hiring process helping or harming the organization? " »
Somewhere, someplace, Henry Ford is crying.
It is truly an amazing story of how one man's entrepreneurial vision and spirit led to the creation of one of the greatest companies in history. And how, in time, his successors came to destroy it.
Ford Motor may survive but it is a shadow of the industrial miracle it once was. And the reason is as common as the ones that fire a bullet into the hearts of thousands of lesser known companies, large and small, every year.
Put simply, they fall into the hands of people who don't care. Left to the natural flow of things, the same will happen to your business or the department you are responsible for. Why? Because business is forever challenging, unpredictable, swirling and swirving like an Oklahoma twister. Rather than predict, analyze and outsmart the forces aligned against your business, many prefer to take the easy way out, running for cover until the storm passes.
New Survey Reveals Economy Forcing Many Financial Executives to Forgo Time Off
In a sign of the times, nearly one in three (31 percent) financial executives interviewed recently said they will be taking fewer vacation days or skipping vacations altogether this summer to focus their efforts on navigating the current economic climate.
The survey was developed by Robert Half Management Resources and 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.
CFOs were asked, "Has the economy forced you to postpone or reduce the amount of vacation you plan to take this year?" Their responses:
| No | 68% | |
| Yes | 31% | |
| Don't know/no answer | 1% | |
| 100% |
"Many CFOs understandably feel they must remain diligent helping steer their firms through the downturn and, just as important, prepare the business for an ultimate recovery," said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources.
How do hospital recruiters know when it's time to seek additional physicians?
In the past, many health care facilities gauged their physician recruiting needs by intuition. Administrators and recruiters "sensed" that access to physicians in their areas was becoming problematic. Today, by contrast, many hospitals complete formal medical staff plans. These are data driven analyses that look at patient demographics, patient acuity, physician practice patterns and other information in order to form objective projections of how many physicians are needed to provide access to care in a given community.
Is there such a thing as a medical staff plan for the entire country? The answer is yes. Policy makers and academics use various statistical models to project physician need on a national basis. Based on these models, most experts over the last 30 years projected that the United States was headed for a surplus of physicians. It is only in the last several years that this widely held assumption has been challenged. New models, which more accurately reflect population growth, population aging, and changes in physician practice styles, now indicate the U.S. is facing a serious and growing doctor shortage.
Continue reading "Lines are Forming at the Doctor's Office: Do You Know When to Recruit?" »
Yesterday, we reported here that some law firms are paying new attorneys up to $80,000 to go away for a year. Another law firm is in the news for its approach to layoffs.
As reported here, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer -- the world's fourth largest law firm -- decided to lay off 14 employees. Rather than deliver the messages themselves, the partners of the firm reportedly delegated the dirty work to HR.
The HR folks apparently weren't too keen on delivering the message either. Rather than inform affected employees in person, they decided to give the news by phone. When employees didn't answer, some were left voicemails telling them they had been sacked.
A spokesperson for the firm said, "It was not ideal from our perspective but we were trying to get the information out as soon as possible." He added that the employees each received a severance payment. The amount? Approximately one-sixteenth of annual pay, according to sources.
As one employee of the firm said: "This obviously made people feel incredibly undervalued for their two years of hard work for a bunch of partners who were too gutless to deliver the news themselves."
Yikes.
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.
As we've mentioned here before, about 80% of jobs are never advertised, so consider adding another useful tool to your job search toolbox: Trade Shows and Industry Association gatherings.
One of the best activities for locating unadvertised or hidden jobs is attending industry- or product-related trade shows. Because only 20% or so of jobs appear on the boards or a company web site, get a leg up on your competition and go after the 80% of jobs that few others are looking for.
Also, the Conference Board reports that "in April, there were 2.4 advertised vacancies posted online for every 100 persons in the labor force, down from a high of 2.9 in April 2007."
Things really are crazy out there . . .
The New York Times reports that some law firms are paying new lawyers as much as $80,000 to stay away for a year.
New York-based Cravath, Swaine & Moore is offering new attorneys $80,000 to delay their start dates for one year. Cravath isn't alone -- other firms have taken similar steps, including offering current lawyers a year off to work in a public-interest job in exchange for a salary cut.
Law firms continue to lose revenue, due to drastically reduced merger and acquisition activity -- down 55% so far this year compared to 2008.
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.
"Calling all problem-solvers, critical thinkers and entrepreneurs: America needs you." This is the call from President Obama, and is overwhelmingly supported by the results of a recent Gallup poll. The Gallup poll of 1,100 employers and employees shows that virtually all of those surveyed believe that the American workforce needs to become more entrepreneurial if America is to remain competitive. Entrepreneurship was defined as "taking the initiative and assuming risk to create value for the company or business, either as an owner of your own business or in your place of work."
The new report from the Junior Achievement Innovation Initiative (JAII) and Gallup also shows that K-12 classrooms are the place to start teaching entrepreneurship. Nearly half of employees and employers felt the best time to learn entrepreneurship is in the K-12 grades, surpassing college and "on the job." Only one in 10 felt entrepreneurship is an innate skill that comes naturally.
"We began this process nearly a year ago and are frankly surprised that the employers and employees are in agreement on the value of the country having a more 'entrepreneurial workforce,'" says Jack Kosakowski, president of Junior Achievement USA. "We also could not anticipate that the new Administration would be making entrepreneurship a priority as part of its agenda for education, which we believe opens the door for a new way of thinking about workforce development in this country."
During his March 10th speech on education to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC, President Barack Obama called on the nation's governors and state education chiefs to "develop standards and assessments that don't simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test, but whether they possess 21st century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking and entrepreneurship and creativity."
For full report visit http://www.ja.org/files/The_Entrepreneurial_Workforce_full-11.pdf.
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
Survey Reveals Employees' Most Prized Summer Benefits
All work and no play makes for a dull summer, a new survey suggests. Flexible schedules (38 percent) and leaving work early on Fridays
(32 percent) are the most coveted summer benefits, according to workers polled.
The survey was developed by OfficeTeam, a leading staffing service specializing in the placement of highly skilled administrative professionals. It was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with 457 workers 18 years of age or older and employed in an office environment.
Workers were asked, "Which of the following summer benefits would you most like to have?" Their responses:
Easy Rewards to Retain Employees
Using visa gift cards, is an easy and affordable way to retain valued employees. It does not have to be an expensive card. It is the symbolism that is important. The recognition is the important thing. The gift card is just the method of recognition.
Why Use Gift Cards?
The card links the company to rewarding performance. That recognition will improve retention. Again the point is not to be giving money or equivalence. The point is to recognize valued contribution. Using a gift card is simple, useful and easy to obtain. The person who is recognized can keep it and use it for anything they want to reward themselves. This becomes a secondary benefit to you.
Two trends have changed the world of work in many ways. The first is the shift towards a knowledge based economy that many countries are seeing and the second is global connectivity, interdependence and integration. The new career context that is emerging as a result of these trends has given rise to the terms - Protean and Boundaryless careers.
Protean careers
Companies are operating in a more complex (knowledge-based/global) environment, which is constantly changing. They need to be flexible and nimble in order to stay in business and hence many companies have given-up the idea of keeping employees for a lifetime. By doing, so they have transferred the responsibility and risk of managing careers to the individual. So in order to survive this change, individuals need to become more self-reliant in managing their careers. This means knowing what they want from their careers, developing the skills/knowledge/network that is necessary to achieve their goals and being able to 'change with change'.
Every so often, we at employeescreenIQ like to have a little bit of fun with the question "What would a background check on (insert name) look like?" We've tackled O.J. Simpson (no pun intended), the fictional character of 24's Jack Bauer and even our own Jason Morris (but keep in mind he wrote that one himself so I'd triple check those facts!). Occasionally, however, members of the news media do the work for us. Accordingly, we have the case(s) of Adam "Pacman" Jones, former defensive player for the Tenessee Titans and Dallas Cowboys.
Mr. Jones has made some poor choices in his personal life that have had a significant adverse effect on his professional career. The whole reason for this timeline of events is that the Cowboys are looking to give him yet another chance at redemption. If your employee had the same history, would you do the same?
Pacman Jones Arrest Record: His Greatest Hits
By Mike McD, Bleacher Report - June 8, 2009
Reports are coming in that the Dallas Cowboys are thinking of bringing Adam "Pacman" Jones back to the team.
On paper, that may not be a terrible idea. Jones has shown that he can be a solid defender and a dangerous punt returner. Off the field, however, Pacman has not exactly proven himself to be a good, upstanding citizen.
He has more arrests than he does career interceptions. That's really all you need to say.
Let's take a look at the kind of trouble Jones has gotten into.
July 13, 2005
He was arrested and charged with felony vandalism after an altercation at a nightclub. Pacman doesn't waste any time making himself familiar with the nightclub scene.
I also love how press releases always say nightclub, but we all know it was a strip club. How tame was it that all he got busted for was vandalism? Grade: C-
October 2005
Jones fails to check in with his probation officer and has his sentence extended for an extra 90 days.
Jones claimed that he couldn't get reception, that it always went to voicemail every time he called, that his probation officer was screening his calls, and that he totally lost his phone and actually just found it. He was ignored. Grade: D+
Article by, Natalie Beck and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
A Must-Have in the Electronic Age
An applicant tracking system (ATS) in the electronic age is a must have. With resumes coming in via mail, email, fax, carrier pigeon, (long story) you need a good resume management system to keep track without creating unmanageable stacks of paper.
A good system should accept the various forms of resumes and job inquiries. It should also allow for the capture of contact info along with notes on phone or email interactions. A top end system would also include specific job tracking and a direct web portal where job seekers can apply directly through your company web site.
Why Keep Resumes?
There are 3 very good reasons.
1. The first reason is to save you money. If you search for positions and find a number of candidates but only have 1 position to fill, it would be wise to keep the contact info and resumes of these candidates close by and easily searchable.
I have seen a lot of bad ideas in my life; New Coke, Windows ME, The Ab Roller and Sleeping Pills for Kids! While I am confident that legislatures thought this was a good idea the impact is far reaching. Sealing criminal records, especially those of convicted felons could very well top the list of worst ideas ever! Not allowing an organization to conduct thorough background checks puts people at risk, period. Well congratulations State Senator Eric Schneiderman, D-Manhattan/Bronx, you get the newly created employeescreenIQ "New Coke" Award!
New Law Will Allow Courts to Seal Criminal Records for Drug Offenders
Starting Monday, a convicted felon could be hired to teach your child in school or care for your ailing grandmother in a nursing home, and neither you, nor the employer, would have a way of knowing about the person's criminal past.
New legislation, enacted as part of Rockefeller drug reforms included in this year's state budget, allows courts to seal the criminal records of non-violent felony drug offenders if they complete drug court and rehabilitation programs. Convictions for one felony and up to three misdemeanors could be sealed.
That means that most employers would never know if a person was previously convicted of manufacturing meth, selling marijuana or using a child to commit a controlled substance offense -- even if the employer runs a background check. The same would be true for several burglary and criminal mischief charges.
Those criminal convictions would pop up only if a person applies to become a police officer or requests a gun permit. Background checks for doctors, day-care workers and bank tellers would reveal nothing.
"It's insane to not protect the vulnerable over people who have had four shots," said Sen. John DeFrancisco.
James Freedland, spokesman for Sen. Eric Schneiderman, D-Manhattan/Bronx, who sponsored the bill, said the senator proposed the changes to give non-violent offenders a second chance and get them back into the workforce.
Article by, Jason Morris and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
One of my favorite weekly pieces in The Wall Street Journal is the "Cranky Consumer" feature. It's mystery shop kind of article; picking a product or service, 4 or 5 competitors, and evaluating each on the basis of quality, service and price. Recently, they hit close to home.
Investigating Online Private Eyes
CRANKY CONSUMER MAY 21, 2009
A Google search takes you only so far. If you really want the dirt on potential suitors, business partners and tenants, you have to dig deeper. Services that conduct background checks say they can find everything from a subject's prior addresses to credit-card use and even criminal records.
We tested four Web-based background-check services, Intelius, InfoRegistry, US Search, and NetDetective, to see what they could tell us about our chosen subject, a 50-year-old medical technician in Washington state who agreed to review results with us. Some facets of her life we thought would be easy to research, like the fact that she has lived at the same address for more than two decades. More complicated, a woman in our subject's hometown shares the same name -- it's a pretty common one -- albeit with a modified middle-name spelling.
Continue reading "Databases Have Known Holes, But Would You Guess They're More Expensive Too?" »
Recently I invited Jonathan Herrick the VP of Sales from Sendouts in St. Louis, to deliver a program to my Clients. I've always admired the company culture of Sendouts and it's no coincidence that their sales have increased by 50% during the last two years. It's no coincidence that Southwest Airlines and Zappos are also flourishing. The success of all three organizations is rooted in their company culture.
How would you define your company culture? What are your core values? What does your company truly represent? Your Company Culture is your company's "way of life." Is it your DNA, it's what makes you unique? The companies I mention above have no problem attracting talent. They have all become a magnet for Top Talent because of their culture. When an employee goes to work for Zappos they are trained on the company culture and core values for five weeks! It's no surprise they are one of Fortune's Top 100 companies to work for and have a 99% retention rate! Who does that?
It was revealed in an AMA study that 70% of change initiatives fail because your culture rejects them. That one statistic is enough for anyone to realize the importance of this topic.
Jonathan shared five steps to building a dynamic culture:
Continue reading "Does your Company Culture Attract Top Talent?" »
Consistent with LinkUp state by state job listing report for May released yesterday, the job search engine's report of new and total job listings by industry for May provides further proof that the job market is showing signs of life. While new job listings on LinkUp fell 8% to 425,783, the decline was a massive improvement from the 23% drop in April. Total job listings by industry fell 4% in May to 726,173. This, too, was an improvement from the 7% decline in April.
LinkUp, one of the leading job search engines in the country, indexes job listings found on only on company web sites (18,356 company sites in May). Unlike other job search engines such as Indeed or Simplyhired, LinkUp does not aggregate jobs from other job boards but rather aggregates and publishes only jobs pulled directly from company web sites themselves. As a result, job listings found on LinkUp are always current, often unadvertised, and never fake.
Just as encouragning as the slowing rate of decline is the fact that 14 industries showed either an increase or no decline in the number of new or total job listings. In April, not a single industry showed an increase in new job listings, and only 5 had an increase in the total number of listings. In terms of the best and worst industries, Healthcare and Hospitality experienced the largest increases, while Restaurant & Food Service, Technology, and Engineering & Architecture showed the largest declines.
Article by, Toby Dayton and courtesy of Diggings, a blog about recruitment advertising, media, publishing, HR, work, & technology, among other things.
We asked a few recruiters what they like and what their pet peeves are, when it comes to resumes. Here's what they had to say.
What they look for in a resume:
In a study conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), six-of-ten respondents acknowledge that managers in their organizations have "tough but fulfilling" jobs. However, the majority of respondents lack confidence in management's effectiveness with 53% reporting that they rate overall management in their companies as "so-so" or worse. Interestingly, some respondents are even more critical with 15% believing their managers are either "barely deserving the name 'management'" or just plain "hopeless."
So, why become a manager? The top-rated answer among current managers is that they want to "make more of a difference in my organization." Two-thirds of managers gave that answer, a figure that rises to 70% in large companies. "That answer might seem a bit self-serving," says Mark Vickers, VP of research at i4cp. "But that was far and away the top response, and it helps give lie to the stereotype that managers are status hounds.
The truth is, being a manager is a tough job but one that often provides real opportunities to help companies." There are plenty of people, however, who would prefer to not take on the role of boss. In fact, when non-managers were asked if they wanted to become a manager, fully two-fifths say they do not. The top reasons include not only did they believe there is no work/life balance, but that there is just "too much stress." When asked which kind of managers people prefer, of the survey respondents, 34% opt for "easy-going" over "tough" (9%), but the majority didn't like either of those two options. In fact, nearly 57% chose "other" and proceeded to put in their own idea of a preferred manager. It seems people want a mix of managerial qualities, with fairness, consistency, balance and flexibility being among the most widely cited characteristics. So what qualities are associated with managers?
When asked to provide one "positive" word to describe managers, 11% of survey respondents cite "leadership," followed by "supporting" at 5.2%, and "mentor" at 5%. On the "negative" side, 10% of respondents claim "micro-manage," followed by "controlling" at 5.4% and "selfish" at 3.2%. "It gives you an idea of the yin and yang of leadership," says Vickers. "People want leaders who will support and empower them, and they hate bosses who try to control every little thing or who appear selfish. Most don't want someone who is just easy-going. They want someone who is responsible. To put it in leadership lingo, I'd say a lot of this is a vote for what they call 'servant leadership,' where managers provide the people they manage with the help they need to be successful."
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
Engagement Still Holds Steady; Declines in Favorable Scores on Other Indicators
As the global recession wears on, employees are feeling increasing stress in the workplace that, if left unchecked, could impact business performance, according to Towers Perrin's Workplace Watch, a newly launched quarterly look at employee opinions across a set of large global organizations. Based on opinions of more than 650,000 employees, Towers Perrin found that only 55% of workers agree they can balance work and personal responsibilities, down from 62% just one quarter earlier. On the other hand, employee engagement -- a key indicator of organization performance -- has held steady through the first quarter of this year.
While the global engagement gap that Towers Perrin has measured and tracked for more than a decade remains, the current crisis has not, surprisingly, widened that gap. Contributing to this outcome is the fact that employees are actually clearer about their job responsibilities and have more confidence in their long-term career opportunities now than a year ago.
Continue reading "Mixed Results on Key Workforce Indicators" »
Hi All!
There is a terrific new online service that matches Gen Y college grads with employment opportunities. This new service, ComeRecommended.com, was developed and founded by go-getter Millennial, Heather R. Huhman. And not only is this talented, savvy young woman the founder, but she also writes a popular column for entry-level job seekers on Examiner.com.
I believe in what she's doing with this new service so much that I'm supporting her efforts by being a business sponsor. And, no, I don't get any money for doing this, so before you believe I have ulterior motives for promoting ComeRecommended, I don't.
Anyway, if you are a recent college grad looking for a job, or an employer seeking entry-level employees, I suggest you check out the website.
And here's more info about all of this from a recent Q & A session with Heather:
Q: What is Come Recommended?
A: Come Recommended is an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. Unlike other exclusive recruiting networks, Come Recommended requires both candidates and employers to provide at least three recommendations to gain access to the community.
Continue reading "New Resource for Recent College Grads & Entry Level Job Seekers " »
An interesting twist on the social networking argument. We have written and spoken extensively about the pitfalls of using social networking sites for background checks. Well, this is how it is now affecting the legal world. According to LegalBlogWatch, a Judge in a civil case accepted a "friend" request from one of the lawyers in the case. This begs a lot of legal questions!
Facebook Friend Earns Judge a Reprimand
Opposing counsel are sitting with the judge in his chambers during a child-custody trial when the lawyer for the husband brings up Facebook. The other lawyer says she is a non-user, but the judge quickly agrees to "friend" the lawyer who is on Facebook. As the trial proceeds, the judge and the lawyer comment about it to each other through their Facebook pages, with the lawyer writing in one post, "I have a wise Judge."
Continue reading "Facebook Friend Earns Judge a Reprimand" »
One of the best and fastest ways to find the best man for the job is to avail of the services of an executive recruiter. They have the best complete and updated databases of every job hunter in the country who's looking for a place to work but how do they get these people's data or information? Firstly, most job hunters today will find it not easy to go from one employer to another in search of that "manna from heaven", to have a good job. That's when they turn to executive recruiters, leave their credentials there and hope someone like you will go to executive recruiters and hopefully, you will be interested in calling him for an interview or an exam. That means, it's not only employers who are seeking and availing of the services of an executive recruiter but the job seekers as well and what are the advantages that you, as an employer, can get if you ask for help from an executive recruiter directory?
For a job seeker, they can save more time and money in looking for jobs. For a company, they will also save time and money in looking for the best man to do the job. They just need to go online, find a directory of executive recruiters and from there, they will be supplied with all the best applicants who's credentials and educational background and work experience are in line with the nature of their business.
You are probably right in thinking that who would need to go through an executive recruiters directory when as a matter of fact, a lot of companies today are throwing out their employees because of financial problems. But don't forget that there are other companies who needs more employees than ever before in spite of the recession. For some companies, a great number of employees who can work as a team for a common goal can accomplish good customer satisfaction therefore resulting in even bigger and better revenues.
Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter
As a business owner, one of the most important things you can do to boost your business and improve your professional skills and knowledge is to take the time to keep up with the latest business literature.
As an entrepreneur, it's easy to feel like the challenges you face every day are unique to your situation. However, it is very likely that other professionals have faced, and overcome, many of the same challenges. There are so many great publications geared toward helping entrepreneurs just like you learn to deal with the day-to-day personal and professional challenges they face. Time you spend keeping yourself current with business literature is definitely time well spent. It is an investment in your business and in yourself.
Whatever your challenges are, you are likely to find great business publications, authored by successful professionals and consultants, that can provide valuable insight into dealing with whatever business challenges you are facing at any given time.
Continue reading "Reading Business Books: A Must-Do for Entrepreneurs" »
Pinpointing the match takes the right kind of personality assessment
We've written previously about how personality testing provides valuable insights into some of the most important tasks for human resource management and evaluation: identifying new leaders, finding better ways to use the skills of the oldest and youngest generations of employees, and retaining the best existing talent. Yet not all personality testing is the same. Plainly speaking, the more an assessment measures, the more useful it is to predict workplace behavior and the greater the level of understanding it provides on how best to leverage the capabilities of each person.
Crucial factors
Extensive analysis of workplace situations strongly demonstrates that three distinct factors account for much of the variance in both job performance and job satisfaction:
Assessments that account for all three factors in detail maximize the potential for predicting and understanding job performance and satisfaction - getting the right person in the right place. That means determining whether a given person's personality traits mesh with the requirements of the job that person has or might have. Job requirements go beyond hard skills and experience to include the ability to work with others or lead others productively and effectively, to exhibit and use certain behaviors, and more.
Despite recent news surrounding the H1N1 (Swine Flu) influenza virus, most workers in the U.S. are going to work sick. Seventy-one percent of U.S. workers admit they do show up at work when they are ill, according to a nationwide poll conducted by Monster.com. "Interestingly, despite news surrounding the recent H1N1 (Swine Flu) influenza virus, and advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to avoid the workplace if workers are sick, 71% of Monster Meter respondents admit they do go into work when sick," says Norma Gaffin, director of career content, Monster.com. "Of those who go to work sick, 33% fear losing their job if they take a sick day, while 38% admit their workload is too busy to take a day off from work even when they are ill." Only 19% of Monster Meter U.S. respondents admit they stay home from work when sick in order to rest up and get well. The remaining 10% who avoid the workplace when sick, actually work from home, even though they're ill.
"Whether it's the sniffles or H1N1 Swine Flu influenza, a recent Associated Press report addressed the fact that sick or not, many workers cannot afford to stay home when ill because an estimated 57 million working Americans do not have paid sick days," Gaffin adds.
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
Staffing Firm Offers Checklist to Help Businesses Lay Groundwork for Economic Rebound
The economy may be showing glimmers of hope for a recovery, but are businesses positioned to capitalize on the opportunities ahead? Robert Half Management Resources, the world's premier provider of senior-level accounting and finance professionals on a project and interim basis, offers advice for making the most of personnel resources to manage future business growth.
"The economy will eventually bounce back, and businesses must be adequately prepared or risk losing ground to competitors," said Paul McDonald, executive director of Robert Half Management Resources.
McDonald advises that instead of waiting for an official end to the recession, companies start now to analyze every aspect of their business and determine how prepared they are to respond to improving business conditions. This is particularly true for firms that made staff cutbacks. Robert Half Management Resources offers the following checklist for determining if your business is recovery-ready:
1. Keep reassessing budgets. Financial staff must be prepared to continually modify budgets to reflect progress or setbacks. Those companies that fully leverage the expertise of financial, budget, treasury or cost analysts will be better positioned to capitalize on improving conditions.
Another company is in the news because a former employee allegedly found it easier to take clients' money instead of investing it as promised.
Firm pays $2M for bad hire
Man accused of rape, embezzlement
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1174955
This employee allegedly had over $400,000 in debts before he was hired, a fact easily identified within seconds after running a credit report, which costs about the same as lunch at Applebee's.
And a more comprehensive background check, one that includes education and employment verifications, a criminal records search, a motor vehicle report plus a credit check? Roughly a single day's pay. If the new hire is a financial advisor handling millions of dollars of client assets, a background check probably costs the same as one hour of their salary.
We have seen more stories about embezzlement these days. My colleague blogged on another example just last week. It's saddening but not surprising to see companies get burned because they do not background checks. And while there is FAR more awareness of the need to conduct employment screening compared to 10 years ago, many organizations still have a ways to go in terms of reducing their risk and evaluating potential damage.
Consider this company. It's not only the out of pocket cost to investors this financial services firm has to contend with. There's the hidden expense as well. Current and potential investors who may leave track marks sprinting in the other direction. When all is said and done, this will cost far more than $2 million dollars. It's too bad so much money could have been saved by spending so little in advance.
Article by, Kevin Bachman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
I just came across this release from Carnegie Mellon University entitled "When Is It Safe to Hire Someone With A Criminal Record". The study suggests that a person has been fully rehabilitated after a period of 5 years without any additional criminal records. By no means do I endorse this study. They might be right and they might be wrong. One thought though: just because a person hasn't been charged or convicted of a crime in five years doesn't mean that that they have not engaged in criminal activity. It simply means that if they did, they haven't yet been caught. What do you think?
The new study, which appears in the current issue of Criminology, estimates that after five years of staying clean an individual with a criminal record is of no greater risk of committing another crime than other individuals of the same age. The research comes at a time when President Barack Obama's crime agenda includes breaking down employment barriers for people who have a prior criminal record, but who have stayed clean since their earlier offense.
Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
Sources are reporting that President Obama has selected federal appeals court judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court. If confirmed, Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic in the Court's history.
Given the Democratic majority, Sotomayor is expected to be confirmed. She is described as having a bit of a "bipartisan pedigree." She was originally appointed as a judge by President George H.W. Bush and then appointed to the appeals court by President Clinton.
Continue reading "President Reportedly Picks Sotomayor for Supreme Court" »
"Leadership behaviors and actions are the key to building a strong employer brand. No amount of investment will optimize the benefits of a strong employer brand unless leaders themselves can deliver the employer brand promise and cascade it throughout the organization," says Employer Brand Institute Chairman and CEO Brett Minchington. The research underscores how important it was for an employer brand to reflect the actual employment experience lived by employees.
Companies rely on a range of metrics to measure the success of their employer branding projects, with 42% tracking retention rates. Some 35% of survey respondents track quality of hire, 30% record the number of applicants, and 29% measure the cost per hire.
Developing a unique and authentic employer brand was the single most challenging step in the branding process, the survey indicates. This ranked as the most difficult aspect of employer branding projects, even ahead of obtaining funding and engaging senior leaders. Employer branding is receiving a higher resource allocation, with 46% of companies planning to increase the amount invested in employer branding initiatives in 2009.
While employer branding is now high on the leadership agenda many organizations lack the capability to leverage their employer brand due to the absence of a clearly defined strategy, survey findings show. It finds that only 16% of companies have developed a clear strategy for their employer brand. Interestingly, respondents also say that having a clearly defined strategy is the key to achieving their employer brand strategy.
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
Recruitment marketing doesn't have to be complicated. And it doesn't have to be expensive. Smaller companies can very easily put together more valuable recruitment marketing initiatives. Here are five components of recruitment marketing to consider:
1. Advertising: Everyone is familiar with job advertising - posting on job boards. There are thousands of job boards in the United States alone, which can make it hard to decide where to post your job. Most recruiters continue to rely on the big job boards, but the general consensus is that this is not enough.
Remember: Advertising is a part of marketing, but only one part. And how you advertise, and where you advertise matter. Boring, bland job descriptions won't work as well. And put your ad in the wrong place and you won't get good results. There are platforms out there, such as JobTarget that can help with greater distribution of your job posting.
Diversity in university business schools - and ultimately the U.S. workforce - could be another casualty of a deep and lingering economic downturn, says economist Larry DeBrock, incoming dean of the University of Illinois College of Business. As tuition rises to offset economy-driven revenue declines, business schools will face a stiffer challenge to maintain enrollment among lower-income students, DeBrock says.
"The mission of a great public university is to provide a depth of student diversity, whether based on socioeconomic or ethnic criteria," he said. "Businesses prize diversity, too, and want workforces that reflect America and its varied walks of life."
But DeBrock says enrollment among lower-income students will likely dip as universities boost tuition to make up for declining support in recession-drained state budgets. Universities also will find it tougher to help students bridge the cost gap, as the sour economy stretches campus finances and scales back dollars available for financial aid, says DeBrock. Census data show that minorities would the hardest hit by rising college costs, with 26% of blacks and 22% of Hispanics living in poverty, compared with 11% of whites.
But all students could feel the pinch because businesses crave diversity, job recruiting could shift toward campuses that best maintain ethnic and socioeconomic balance. Meanwhile, DeBrock says the recession also will spark other changes in business studies across the country. Including:
Article courtesy of Kennedy Information Recruiting Trends providing leading edge insights and strategies for the recruiting professional
Nearly two-thirds of the college Class of 2009 are concerned about finding a job, but nearly as many are confident they will be employed within three months of graduating, according to a new study by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).
NACE's 2009 Student Survey shows that 63.6 percent of responding seniors are worried about their job prospects, and more than 61 percent see the economy as an impediment to their getting a job.
At the same time, however, "52 percent told us they are confident they will be employed within three months of their graduation," says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. "The results suggest that students understand the economy is a factor, but do not believe it will stop them from finding a job."
Despite that optimism, more than 40 percent of responding seniors appear to recognize that their first job out of school may not be as lucrative as they had hoped. "They expect to need financial help from their parents," says Mackes.
NACE's study shows that only 19.7 percent of those who have applied for jobs actually have one.
"A significant issue is that although most responding students say they have started looking for jobs, the majority--59 percent--had not actually applied for one as of the end of April," says Mackes.
Since 1956, the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) has been the leading source of information about the employment of college graduates. NACE maintains a virtual press room for the media at www.naceweb.org/press/.
The city's education section has decided to create a new commission that will basically handle the counseling tasks for students and youngsters. There are huge number of colleges, institutions and universities across the country. But there is no such place that guides and counsels the student in terms of the choice of career path to be taken.
Choosing the right career path is very important. It is even more essential than coaching of various vocational courses. Choosing a right career path means following ones interests and dreams. It is really very important to choose a right career path lest you engage yourself in the field that is not at all of your interest. Once you are in the right field, you always wanted to be in, it increases your interest for the subjects and also it boosts up your efficiency to perform well. To attain this task, government has first included the counselors of not so trendy career options. About engineering and medical field everybody is conscious. But for streams like electronics, architecture and construction students need to be counseled well.
There are many students with pioneering thinking and creative minds, who need to be guided so as to be at the right place and proper career field. Melrose Park Electricians, for example, would be guiding the students to take electronics as the career path if they think that electronics is the field they want to go for. Not only this, Melrose Park Roofers, would prove to be a great counselors as they will not only help students to clarify them the career and progress in the field of roofing, but will also help them identify and explore the innovative part of their minds. In the end, I would like to wind up with a remark to the Melrose Park Plumbers, who will not be new in this field. Earlier they were delivering seminars and trainings to others, and now they will be guiding students about the scope of being in the field of Plumber.
Article courtesy of Carl Chapman, Founder, CEC Search, LLC and Confessions of an Executive Restaurant Recruiter
I recently took stock of some background screening lessons we have learned since the economy went south. Here's an excerpt from an article just published on employeescreen University.
So we've all nearly made it through the first half of 2009, inarguably one of the worst financial periods in our lifetimes. And while we hope that the worst is finally behind us, we are all still fearful of what is to come. One of the most positive trends I am starting to see is that many of us are now focusing on the future. We are building up our individual departments and organizations to be leaner, smarter and stronger so that we can emerge from this whole thing in a position to thrive. We don't seem to be as paralyzed by the fear described above and instead are using this fear to motivate us to push through. GreenlightJobs president and CEO Lisa Kaye recently wrote an insightful blog post on how we can and should use the fear and uncertainty we feel for motivation to fuel us.
The purpose of this essay is to examine how the state of our economy has affected the use and implementation of employment background checks. We will also discuss how it has driven some interesting trends and what it means for the future.
We'll start with the obvious. Today, there are more people competing for fewer jobs. While hiring managers have the proverbial "pick of the litter", they are being flooded with resumes. Further, the pressure to hire the right person the first time has never been greater as organizations no longer have the luxury of time or money that they once had to allow someone to develop. Those who are hired are expected to produce more work with fewer resources. This confluence of events means that employment screening and background checks are now more important than ever to organizations.
The list of trends includes:
To read the full articles and see a full description of each trend, please click here.
Article by, Nick Fishman and courtesy of EmployeescreenIQ
Do not be fooled into thinking that a dental assistant is a mere helper. Without his or her help the office would come to a stand still and would cease to function. They may run the front counter one day. The next they may be answering the phones. They may be helping clean teeth when patients come in for routine checkups. They could be helping the dentist with surgery. It is all in a days work for the dental assistant.
A dental assistant can have several job duties. He or she is often the office manager, a book keeper, a receptionist, assistant to the dentist, does lab work and takes x-rays. The other job duties can vary according to what kind of dentistry services the office offers their patients. As you can see the dental assistant has a lot of responsibilities.
A Philidelphia law firm is feeling the burn after discovering a former employee is responsible for forging checks totaling more than $100,000 from the estates of the firm's deceased clients. Assuming that the legal recruiter who recommended the employee for employment had conducted a criminal background check, the firm hired her. Little did they know that she was awaiting sentencing in New York for stealing $285,000 from her previous employer - also a law firm.
A partner in the law firm states in this news story that the recruiter obviously didn't do their job since a criminal background check was not conducted on the employee. Well, unless the law firm made that a requirement in their contract with the recruiter, they never should have assumed the vetting process was taking place. I believe it is unfair of the firm to throw the recruiter to the wolves over this one when they themselves didn't conduct their due diligence and make sure the recruiter was conducting the background check.
Continue reading "When it comes to the background check, never assume" »
Few leaders - historic or modern-day - have shown as much true leadership as Ernest Shackleton did in 1914, leading his crew through hazardous, life-threatening conditions for a period of two years in the Antarctic. What made Shackleton an employee engagement trailblazer? What can we learn from him today?
21st Century Employee Engagement in the 1900s?
Think back to England, circa 1914. Can you imagine leaders from this era being advocates of employee engagement? Let's take it a step further - is it possible in the 1914 world of cutting-edge polar exploration -- known for autocratic leadership-- to have within its ranks an Antarctic explorer who practiced a style of leadership that in today's world is considered enlightened?
After extensive research of the famed Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton, it is apparent that Shackleton was truly our first engaged leader. Although a coercive leadership style was common in the England of 1914, Shackleton's humane leadership style was both unique and effective as he led 27 men to accomplish the extraordinary.
President Obama may be getting more pressure to add a woman to the Supreme Court following a ruling by the justices today.
In a case CNN called a "setback for female workers," the Court ruled that employers may give less credit for leave that occurred prior to the passage of the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA) than for other types of leave when calculating pension benefits.
The PDA, passed in 1978, requires employers to treat pregnancy leave the same as any temporary disability. At issue in the case was what to do about pre-1978 pregnancy leave. Four AT&T employees claimed they were treated unfairly when the company failed to apply the PDA retroactively to leave time that arose prior to 1978.
In the 7-2 vote, the majority refused to apply the PDA retroactively to pre-1978 leave, finding that AT&T complied with the law in effect at that time.
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg -- the only woman on the court -- disagreed. In her dissent, she stated that AT&T committed a "current violation" of Title VII "when, post-PDA, it did not totally discontinue reliance upon a pension calculation premised on the notion that pregnancy-based classifications display no gender bias."
In a recent interview, Ginsburg called for the appointment of more women to the Court and described her view that the gender imbalance has had a negative impact on deliberations among the justices.
Click here for CNN"s take, which correctly noted that the ruling applies to a "relatively small class of women." Click here to read the Court's full opinion.
Article by Mark Toth, Chief Legal Officer of Manpower's North American operations, and courtesy of Manpower Employment Blawg. Mark also serve as Chief Compliance Officer and Vice President of Franchise Relations and serve on our Global Leadership Team, North American Lead Team, Executive Diversity Steering Committee and Sarbanes-Oxley Steering Committee.
With more workers vying for summer jobs this year, those looking for seasonal employment are preparing for a challenging job market. Nearly a quarter (23%) of employers plan to hire seasonal workers for the summer, in line with last year's findings, but the competition for those jobs will be stiffer than in years past due to high unemployment and a tough economy. This is according to CareerBuilder's Annual Summer Job Forecast, conducted from February 20 to March 11, 2009, among more than 2,500 employers. Those that land summer jobs may have a chance to parlay their roles into year-round positions. More than half (56%) of companies report that they would consider summer recruits for permanent placement within their organizations. When it comes to summer paychecks, nearly eight-in-ten (77%) hiring managers will offer the same pay to seasonal workers this year as they did last year, while only 9% will offer more. An additional 9% will offer le