The Wall Street Journal (Marketwatch, January 1, 2012) suggests that job seekers need to be creative and flexible to land and keep a job.   There are a number of reasons given for this statement, and I thought they were worth reviewing. 

Employers are staying lean, and staff levels aren’t expected to increase much in the next months.  That means that the existing staff will have to respond to a wide variety of demands.  As workers shift around some of these positions may be available, but they may have changed significantly in breadth and skill requirements.  Employers also want workers who are able to adapt quickly to new responsibilities as companies try to stay competitive in a changing economy. 

Opportunities may be there in industries that the job seeker isn’t familiar with.  Economists do project growth in the health care market, professional services such as accounting and legal, retail sales and management and certain manufacturing jobs.  For each of these industries there are some special skill requirements or education.  Manufacturing may require some occupational training, but that can be accessed thru many community college programs.  The retail industry, sales in particular, requires interpersonal skills.

So, what is a job seeker to do?  Ideas presented in the article include highlighting the applicant’s creative skills to show their ability to adapt to new duties.  Technical literacy is really a basic must in most companies, including health care, where much of the business end of the industry is going automated.  If you are well versed in electronic data handling – they will want you! 

Project management and communications skills are abilities that are valued across many industries, and finding workers able to communicate clearly is getting harder to find among today’s applicants.  Job seekers need to work hard at honing their verbal and writing skills to differentiate themselves. 
Then, use marketing skills to get the point across.  Use social media (with taste and skill please) to reach prospective employers.  Understand in advance what the company values.  For example, a law practice will want to add skilled members that can bring in more business.  That asset is also valuable in other industries, so use your contact list appropriately.  Package your skills to show how you will add value to the organization – and be able to back it up with examples.  No “puffing”!
As always, good luck.

Tags: applications, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, job seeker, social network

Right now Congress is battling about how to resolve the budget deficit.  Some might argue that the most important issue to improve our economy is to get Americans back to work.  According to an article in the Society For Human Resource Management’s HR News, economists suggest that jobs should have been the focus of the Super Committee all along.

However, in areas of the country where there is job recovery, there seems to be another problem.  There is a significant gap between skills needed for these jobs and skilled workers ready to go to work. 

The SHRM article asked for responses concerning the skills deficits in job applicants for specific organizations.  A response from the Arlington, VA Workforce Investment Board said that in some cases job seekers just don’t know how to promote themselves.  When responding to the question “Why do you want this job” the applicant’s answer may be – “Because I want a job.”  Not a good way to highlight the skills a worker could bring to the company. 

Job seekers need to be aware that the current economic productivity is similar to levels reached prior to the 2007 -2009 recession, but there are millions more people out of work.  The good news is that 58% of companies that laid off workers during the recession are making direct replacement of those jobs. The bad news is that many of those jobs now require completely new skill sets.

The applicant needs to be able to separate him- or herself from the pack by highlighting the talents and skills they bring.  Recently there has been a change in the focus of the HR Recruiters from years of experience to actual skill sets available in the job seeker pool- reflecting the trend of changing skill requirements.

The really interesting issue highlighted by companies responding to the SHRM-posted question said that the most common skill deficiencies in applicants are 1) writing in English 2) math skills 3) reading comprehension and 4) speaking in English.  The cited language deficiencies could be easily addressed by applicants through local training organizations.  Students in secondary or post-secondary educational institutions need to be aware of these needs and be focused on heightening their skills going forward.

Hiring, or hunting for a job are stressful and difficult processes, and even with the right skills, or the right group of applicants the one thing we all need is persistence and a sense of humor.  Good hunting!

Tags: applications, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, job seeker attitudes, retraining

Hiring interns for an organization can be extremely beneficial for both the employer and the intern.  Some large organizations that have lots of hiring opportunities have special departments dedicated to promoting their internship programs and providing selection and orientation support for same.  A special report done thru the Society for Human Resource Management outlines opportunities and pitfalls in managing an internship program of any size. 
The pros:
-  Employers are able to hire interns at a lower salary for the cost of giving training.  Interns usually work for a short time without benefits. 
- These interns are then a great resource for potential hires.  Not only are they familiar with the work, but the employer has much better knowledge of the intern’s skills and work ethic – much more than can be gained through the basic interview. 
- The employer gains brand recognition and the appreciation of the community for providing these opportunities to inexperienced workers.  The internship program can also be a key component of the company’s diversity efforts.
- Interns also benefit.  They can gain a real-world view of a particular industry or job before they devote considerable effort to qualify for the positions.
- In the present economy, this can be an extended job interview, giving the intern the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.

The other side: 
- Be careful not to discriminate against older workers when looking for interns.  The perception is that these jobs go to young graduates, but there are many older workers wanting new skills.
- Interns sometimes perceive that they are not subject to employer’s policies even if they sign the appropriate documents.  Similarly supervisors may think the same way.  Abuses of internships by both parties can lead to legal claims and end up being more of a hassle than the program is worth.  The key, of course is clear direction and careful management by the supervisor, with the help of the Human Resource group.
- Foreign workers on a visa do take internship jobs, and so the visa requirements need to be carefully managed as well. 

Companies need to set clear goals for their internship programs and make certain they are reaching them.  The primary reason a company has this program is to have access to a pool of possible hires.  If the company can’t identify good candidates in this pool, then it isn’t being managed correctly.  If the company isn’t able to add new employees, the time spent on training may not be worth it, even though it contributes to the business community overall.

Each company has its own special needs, and decisions about internships need to fit these needs.

Tags: internships, job seeker, recruiting

At a National Journal policy summit sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management, one of the hot topics was the lack of workers with skills needed by companies.  Hilda Solis, U.S. Labor Secretary, commented in her address that this mismatch is one of the reasons for the high unemployment rate.

Most businesses that are hiring right now have experienced the disconnect between the skills they are looking for and the types of applications they receive.  There are so many people out of work that they are flooding the system with their resumes whether they are applicable or not.  A statistic quoted by Secretary Solis is that more than 4.7 people typically apply for the same job. 

One of the reasons given for this problem is the lack of relevant curriculum provided via our educational systems.  Even as I write, local universities and community colleges are soliciting input from employers to better meet their needs, but there is a ways to go.  Students need the motivation to enroll in these new programs – and we are told that many students lack the science and math skills to complete the programs and qualify for new jobs. 

A second reason for the problem is the Workforce Investment Boards of the Department of Labor seem to be out of touch.  The system is perceived as antiquated and irrelevant to the current crisis.  Older laid off workers who are not highly skilled are not going find their jobs returning in the current market.  The need to retrain is crucial for these workers. 

One problem that is difficult to solve is that many high school graduates don’t have basic skills needed to hold a job, such as good communication skills, the ability to keep to a schedule, or how to behave appropriately in the work place.  These are issues that require a whole different type of training that hasn’t been routinely addressed in our current systems.

There are multiple sources for the retraining or updating of job seeker skills if we can improve the quality of information on the real job market and the skills required.  Community colleges, unions, universities, businesses  and government training programs can all help.  Visionary efforts include a “Helmets to Hardhats” program to help veterans transition to construction jobs in the civilian world.  In addition, retiring employees in some organizations are being encouraged to impart their wisdom to the newer employees in their organizations.  Intern programs also help companies evaluate potential employees, and give job seekers an opportunity to learn about a particular industry.  

Responding to an ever-changing work environment by educational systems that aren’t by nature flexible and able to redo entire curricula in a short period of time is a challenge for the education industry.  Most successful programs come as a result of intense involvement by the business community.  In many cases where the company has unique products or processes, on-the-job training is just part of the orientation for new hires.

We need to do better in preparing people for the world of work.  There are good jobs begging, and great folks wanting to do them.

Tags: effective learning, hiring talent, retraining

The New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) received an individual State Labor Market Information Improvement Grant, in the amount of $1,250,000, to gather information on employers and opportunities in New Mexico in four key sectors:
* Renewable Energy;
* Green Clean Manufacturing;
* Energy Efficiency; and
* Research, Development, and Administration.

Research is being conducted by the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University. ER&A will conduct an educational inventory with the assistance of the New Mexico Public Education and Higher Education Departments. Ultimately, survey results and data will be provided to job seekers, educational institutions, business communities, and state agencies to help guide the State Energy Sector Partnership and Training grant efforts. (see below)
Another goal of the grant is development of the Mobile Green Jobs Workforce Center (MGJWC), whereby job seekers will have access to new computer workstations, software, and online services resulting from the Grant research utilizing this new resource. The MGJWC will be more responsive to the targeted population needs by making resources available to job seekers in all areas and communities with the most need, such as the state’s rural population, isolated Native American tribal areas, and other underserved communities. The MGJWC can also serve as a training center to promote workforce information and other topics at mass layoff rapid response locations around the state. All the data collected and outlined under this Grant will provide essential information to help stimulate the growth of New Mexico’s new green economy and help fill the job market void left by recent business contractions and closures.

State Energy Sector Partnership Program
The goal is to establish a statewide approach to job seeker training in renewable energy/energy efficiency occupations in solar, wind, green building/energy efficiency and biofuels.  These are identified as sectors active in the State with a potential for job opportunities in the future.  The oversight council, a subcommitte of the State Workforce Board will work to identify industry needs and job opportunities to make sure that training matches with the sector needs.
To be eligible for training candidates must be over 18 and 1) have a Social Security number, 2) have the right to work in the U.S., and 3) comply with Selective Service registration requirements (for males)
AND
Be included in one or more of the following groups:
1. An incumbent (currently employed) worker in need of skills upgrades for a solar, wind, biofuels, green building/energy efficiency green job;
2. A displaced (currently unemployed) worker ;
3. A woman;
4. A veteran or qualified spouses of a veteran;
5. A high school dropout; and/or
6. meet low-income eligibility guidelines.
To apply for this program complete the SESP training pre-application, available at the project website, www.greenjobs.state.nm.us,  and take it to your local Workforce Connection Center. Your nearest Workforce Connection Center can be found by visiting http://www.dws.state.nm.us/dws-offices.html.

Tags: industry news, job seeker, retraining, technical jobs