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

I have read numerous articles on the changing requirements of the job seeker – especially the newest generation of earners.  Some of the comments are not flattering – such as that the new wave of workers doesn’t really expect to have to show up to work every day, or that they expect to be paid exceptional salaries without any experience.  In reality there are good and not so good applicants in any generation.  One of the most commented – on wishes of today’s employee is more TIME.  When an applicant looks at a job opportunity, don’t be surprised if they look at salary and benefits, but also pay close attention to how much personal time/vacation time is included in the offer. 
In a  survey done by the Society for Human Resource Management(SHRM) earlier in 2011, 86% of the 550 respondents to the survey said flexibility – the ability to balance their work and personal life – is an important or very important aspect of job satisfaction.  Acknowledging the pressure of balancing personal needs and their work requirements, many employers are offering work flexibility to keep their best and brightest.  Others are using the flexible work arrangements to attract workers from their competitors!
There were actually awards given for workplace flexibility through a rigorous process developed by the Families and Work Institute.  One example – Turner Construction finds that listening to staff needs and communicating how important they are to the company resulted in a voluntary staff turnover rate of just 3.8%.  Employees surveyed feel they were being heard (an increase of from 59% in 2005 to 72% in 2011), and management  evaluations include a section on how well they promote flexible work options.  There are such perks as Friday afternoons off in the summer, even though it is a peak time for their industry. 
Another company, Ben Secours Health System, has used a variety of flexible work schedules for years – partly because of a shortage of health care workers, and partly because many departments require 24-hour coverage.  Employees can work compressed workweeks or either four 10-hour shifts or three 12-hour shifts a week.  There is enhanced pay for weekend hours, and many more.  Because women make up 85% of the workforce and women are still the primary caregiver in a majority of family units, these options are especially important in meeting staffing needs.
Even in the factory (Futura Industries in Utah) there are opportunities.  At Futura 85% of the employees take advantage of flexible work times without sacrificing pay.  Employees are cross trained, and managers can decide if they need to backfill when an employee needs some time off or if they can work with one less for that time. 
It seems that investigating flextime options can be an important factor in the success of a company to hire and retain their workforce.  Check it out!

Tags: employee benefits, employee morale, Hiring Trends

Both hiring executives and new employees have a fear of failing when adding staff to the company.  As a result, recruiters have tried to come up with ways to screen for success.  These range from holding extensive interviews to putting applicants through rigorous testing processes.  Yet there are still mis-matches and thus frustration on both sides of the hiring equation.
At Technology Ventures Corporation one of our continuing education topics is on the subject of recruiting the right talent.  We talk about things to watch out for, and things to ask a prospective hire, as well as what types of screening are available.  However, we haven’t been able to find the magic bullet!
An article in a Canadian HR publication (hrreporter.com – Oct 211) interviewed Canadian CFOs on the top factors leading to a failed hire.  They were asked what, aside from poor performance, was the most likely factor in a poor hiring match.
The list, from highest to lowest choices were;  mismatched skill set, unclear performance expectations, personality conflicts, and failure to fit into the corporate culture.  The CEO of Robert Half International stated (as we all know) that companies can’t afford hiring mistakes as they are costly and erode company morale.  Finding the right hire for the company takes time, and even the busiest manager needs to make time for the process.
Therein lies the secret.  The hiring process needs to be given the same importance as the monthly financial review.  The biggest mistake a company can make (and the Robert Half Agency mentions this also) is to use a canned or cobbled together job description.  Companies need to review the position each time they fill it, as needs always change over time, and the people doing the hiring need to be very clear about what is required to do the job. 
As part of the position description, the company needs to take into account the candidates work style.  Employers often neglect to take into account talents such as leadership and communications skills needed in the job.  A mismatch here can make for disaster.
The art of the interview is SO important in the process.  Anyone can look good on paper, but conversations with the applicants can allow you to assess not only their skill set, but also their personal skills, such as being able to clearly express ideas (and listen to yours!).
Finally – don’t let the good one get away.  Even in these economic times  highly skilled applicants will get more than one offer.  Make sure you sell your organization and the opportunities involved, and offer a compensation package that is competitive in the market.
Use all the resources you can to help make the final evaluation – and as always, good luck!

Tags: candidates, hiring process, Hiring Trends, recruiting

Many of the news stories on job losses/job creation/unemployment state that small businesses, led by start-ups, generate over 50% of new jobs in the economy.  An article in the Wall Street Journal (9/15/2011) quotes the Small Business Administration as saying that 65% of new jobs over the last 17 years were due to small employers.
That same article “With New Technology, Start-ups Go Lean”, says that the number of workers needed to launch a new company has decreased by almost half in the past decade.  Start-ups are being launched with an average of 4.9 employees vs. the 7.5 workers in the 1990s.  At the same time, the number of start-ups has held steady, or even showed a slight increase since the recession, according to a study by the Kauffman Foundation.  This factor can have a huge impact on overall job recovery.
Efficiency is a good thing, but how do they do it?  As it turns out, using Web-based business tools, and working with contract developers/workers online has reduced the need for bodies in the company. The availability of web-based collaborative tools allows disparate groups to work together on projects, and eliminates the need for a large staff. 
One thing occurs to me – maybe the start-up or small business doesn’t add to its staff, but the work (managing the projects, ordering supplies, keeping financial records, etc) still needs to be done.   Someone outside the company is getting paid for providing these services in another setting.  Whereas the work may be done more efficiently, we still have a job opportunity for some bright soul.  It might be interesting to compare costs for outside services and support between today’s start-up and the earlier versions. 
Sadly there’s one part of this story that doesn’t help our jobs picture – the ease of collaboration with overseas talent.  Good for keeping costs down, but not so good for the job market either. 
In the meantime, the really good news is that start-ups are continuing to launch at a steady rate, and our innovative talent is still at work.  Keep up the good work!

Tags: change management, Hiring Trends, industry news, recruiting, technical jobs