For all you fans of green jobs and companies there will be a Green Careers Fair on March 10 at Santa Fe Community College. This is a first for the college, and brings together companies engaged in green businesses, organizations promoting a more sustainable lifestyle and job seekers wanting to be involved in this new industry.

The Fair will open with speaker Carol McClelland, Founder and Executive Director of Green Career Central, and author of Green Careers for Dummies. Carol has helped thousands of people discover their dream career through her book Your Dream Career for Dummies and her work with individuals, groups, and students. Together with her team of experts, researchers and writers, Carol has pulled together eighteen years of experience into a broad collection of how-to articles, resources, support, and teleclasses to help you find your way to make a difference and prosper. Carol’s latest book, Green Careers for Dummies, will be available in bookstores in late January, 2010.

Attendance at the fair is free. Registration is available at www.sfccnm.edu/career_services/upcoming_events. This event will be sponsored by the Santa Fe Community College and the NM WIRED program.

Tags: applications, hiring talent, job fair, job seeker, recruiting

The economic news is that the decline is slowing, and we may be stable and looking for improvement in the overall economy next year…but who knows? The most important sector of the economy for most people is the job market, and the news isn’t comforting.

According to a survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management, one third of HR professionals have some level of concern about the job market in the U.S. for the last of 2009, and other sources don’t expect it to be any better in 2010. The National Association of Business Economics survey found that more than half of the 44 economists surveyed don’t expect the lost American jobs to be recovered fully until 2012.

The SHRM Survey found that white-collar employees have particular cause for concern. With one in seven U.S. organizations planning to reduce staff, they are targeting a higher percentage of managers and professionals (double the percentage of any other employee group). These people represent a lot of talent and experience, and hopefully will be able to hang on until things improve – as their skills will surely be needed. There is a tendency among employers not to add jobs even though there might be a short term need, to prevent having to lay off again in the uncertain economy.

In New Mexico the government sector has taken an economic hit and consequently is cutting staff and tightening the budget. Some companies are laying off, and many are reducing their work week in order to avoid layoffs. Benefits are being cut in almost all sectors in the coming year which has huge long term effects, especially for those nearing retirement age. Ironically one of the difficulties new and growing businesses in New Mexico have faced in the past has been the need for an experienced workforce. Now there’s an abundance of talent looking for employment and not enough opportunity. We’re a fairly creative state, so let’s get to work and get these good people back on the job.

Tags: employee morale, hiring talent, Hiring Trends, job seeker, recruiting

As my generation (baby boomers) age, changing jobs is more difficult for more than one reason. It is painful at any age to go job hunting. The fact that business technologies change so rapidly and we’re scrambling too keep up doesn’t help. The way we apply for jobs has gone techie as well, and social networking for jobs is on the rise. So – add the fact that some of us are now more mature and there are a number of people job hunting in this economy and you could get very discouraged. Don’t! According to an article in "Marketwatch" by Andrea Coombes, we should be touting our maturity and experience. The idea is to confront age biases head-on by addressing them. Here, in brief, are a few tips. 1. Get someone to recommend you. This is always a good idea, as some companies get inundated with resumes, sometimes hundreds for a single position. 2. Create a profile online detailing industry skills and experience. Include that link in your resume. 3. Address the stereotypes. Talk about your flexibility and willingness to take on new experiences. Show the company that you’d be cheaper to train because of past experience and let them know you’ll be around for quite awhile if that is the case (many aging workers are perceived as headed for retirement). 4. Create a skill-based resume, focusing on the knowledge needed for the job you are seeking. Highlight the last 10 years or so- not your entire career. 5. Attend conferences and workshops relevant to your field to be up on the latest in that industry. 6. Your cover letter should make you stand out as a candidate. Include references to what’s happening in your industry or in the company you’re applying to. Good luck and good hunting.

Tags: applications, hiring process, job application, job seeker, job seeker attitudes, recruiting

When your company decides to add a new position or fill an old one there needs to be some thought given to how they will notify potential job seekers of the opportunity. Here are three things to think about as you or the company starts the hiring process.

1. Where are you going to find the candidate you want? The sources change as the market for jobs changes. Running ads, online or otherwise, has evolved to posting on job boards, to posting on the company site and select professional site boards, to attending professional society meetings and job fairs, and finally to social networking sites. As the number of job seekers increases, the company may not publish the job information too broadly, but rather do their own search through Facebook and MySpace and other popular sites. Research published by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 46% of staffing professionals felt the social networks were effective in finding executive talent. The jury is still out on the legal issues of screening applicants through their social network postings, but there doesn’t seem to be an issue with identifying potential candidates this way. Above all, don’t forget your internal sources, both for referrals and for candidates.

2. How will you describe the job? The more precise and clear you are in the posting the more relevant the resumes submitted will be. THIS IS NOT A JOB DESCRIPTION! This is a summary or overview of the job offered. Skills or education required, the level of authority and responsibility involved, benefits of working at the company and the nature of the industry (a good company description) are all important. Try to make the title for the job relevant to the general public and not just to your internal group.

3. What is your application process? According to a Job Seeker Attitudes report on Staffing.org, the company is better served by making the process simple. The major complaint of job seekers that didn’t apply for a particular job was that the process was too frustrating or lengthy. Admittedly if one wants a job badly enough they will struggle through, but it doesn’t make a good first impression if your company is perceived as being "difficult". Some companies have included aptitude tests and personality surveys in the application process. This may be overkill as it does self-select for candidates that love to take tests, and the recruiters will need to have a method to evaluate all this extra data. Collect the information you need to make the initial cut from the applicant pool, and then drill down.

Hopefully these tips will help your company connect with the best available candidates in the most efficient manner, and that everyone involved in the process will have a positive experience.

Tags: Facebook, hiring process, hiring talent, job application, job seeker attitudes, recruiting

In the current employment market there is a strange phenomenon occurring. Job fairs abound in the larger cities—at times there is one or more scheduled per day. Universities and community colleges as well as local companies or commercial recruiting groups all have their day. Job seekers also abound. At many of these fairs there have been many more job seekers than jobs.

As a result the job/career fairs become disheartening for the applicants and grueling for the recruiters present. There has to be a better way!

The New Mexico High Tech/Green Tech Virtual Job Fair provides a more pleasant atmosphere for both parties involved. This fair is a boutique event catering to high tech companies with jobs in New Mexico. Our first event was held October 12-16, 2009 and was well received.

The fair is promoted as any other event, and the jobs listed are current and available. The recruiters respond and give timely feedback to applicants, but from their office computer. They get the extra visibility a job fair provides but can manage the process much more efficiently. Especially for some of the smaller companies where staff wears many hats, it has been a positive experience.

For job seekers as well, the event is more pleasant. Rather than standing in line with hundreds of other job seekers, one can apply from home and still get a response as to whether the employer is interested in their resume.  At that point further follow up can be arranged if the employer so chooses.

Best of all—parking is never a problem!

Tags: candidates, For Employers, job, job fair, job seeker, recruiters, recruiting