HIRING IN 2010

HIRING BY INDUSTRY
Comparing selected industries, hiring is expected to increase in information technology, manufacturing, financial services professional and business services, and sales in the coming year. Thirty-two percent of IT, 27 percent of manufacturing, and 23 percent of financial service employers plan to add full-time permanent employees in 2009, followed by 22 percent of employers in professional and business services and 21 percent in sales. Health care employers are also planning to expand staffs at 21 percent followed by 18 percent of transportation employers and 15 percent of retail

HIRING BY JOB TITLE
When asked what areas employers plan to hire for in 2010, one-third pointed to technology followed by 28 percent in customer service. Nearly one-quarter (23 percent) plan to add sales people, 18 percent will add in research/ development, 15 percent in accounting/finance and 14 percent in marketing.

COMPENSATION
Even as companies continue to watch their spending, they still plan slight increases to salaries in the coming year. Fifty-seven percent of employers report their companies will increase salaries for existing employees in 2010, down from 65 percent in 2009. Thirty-six percent expect to raise salaries of existing employees by 3 percent or more, while 11 percent anticipate increases of 5 percent or more.

Twenty-nine of employers plan to increase salaries on initial offers to new employees, down from 33 percent in 2009. Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) employers will raise salaries on initial offers by 3 percent or more while 7 percent anticipate increases of 5 percent or more.

To Get Hired, You have to be one of these Two People

The job market is not really that difficult to understand when you look at why employers take on new staff. The company will have a need that cannot be fulfilled by the current organization and thus there is a job opening. If you can understand what need you can be the solution to, you will be on to a winner. Every business out there has a common goal: to make money. This can be achieved by getting people that can generate more money, or by getting people that can cut costs and save money. The question is; which type are you?

Money makers

Sales people are the best example of money makers. They are hired to generate more customers and orders that will go straight to the bottom line. If you are in the money making category, it is fairly straightforward why you are needed. You have to convince the employer that you have generated cash in the past and will do so in future. By using specific examples and quantifying your achievements, you demonstrate what you are capable of.

Money savers

If you are in this category, it will be harder to justify exactly how you will make a difference to the profits of your potential new employer. Anyone in accounting or finance would be a potential money saver. Managers can cut costs by automating processes, reorganizing teams, establishing better focus and so forth. However you saved money for your current or previous employer, be prepared to deliver the story in the interview. Again, be as specific as possible and quantify how much you saved and exactly how you implemented your idea.

Call to action

Have a good think of how you deliver value to your new employer. Do you make or save money? Whichever it is, does the prospective employer know exactly what you do and what the impact would be to their bottom line? The more specific you can be, the better your chances in an interview. Look back at your professional experience and analyze your jobs. How much did you make/save in each role and why? When you prepare these case studies and back them up with figures, you will be way ahead any other candidate going in for the same job.

DYK? Application of 75-Mile Rule to Staffing Firms

Under the regulations, an employee is not eligible for leave unless the employer employs 50 or more employees within 75 miles of the employee's work site. In the case of temporary employees, the rules specifiy that the work site is the temporary staffing office from which employees are assigned, not the client's place of business. Thus, all employees assigned from a temporary staffing office- even if a client work site is more than 75 miles from the office- are included in the head count for the purpose of determining the eligibility of both temporary and full-time staff employees. To avoid undue hardship to small tempory staffing offices, the staffing industry had urged that staffing firms be allowed to exclude their temporary employees in determining the eligibility of their full-time staffs. DOL declined to adopt such a two-tiered counting test. In meetings with industry representiatives, DOL officials said that there was no practical way to apply such a test only to staffing firms because other businesses also assign employees from central offices to work at remote client locations and that it would create significant administrative problems.

Interviewing to Take Home the Gold

Interviewing is like being selected to compete in the Olympics: you have outperformed hundreds or thousands of competitors and are down to the final round. You are now competing with the best of the best. How can you leave with the gold? Here are keys to making your interview a day for the champion.

• Get the company's annual report from its Web site, if available
• Visit its Web site to read about the direction of the company and any current media coverage
• Look over the Standard and Poors Corporate Records
• For smaller companies, call the city's Chamber of Commerce

For every company, you want the following company information:

• Services and/or products
• Competition
• Sales: any large increase or decrease and why
• New products/services available from the company
• International operations
• Any media information on the company in the last year

The Handshake

It tells a story about each person. Do you come from the top and give the power handshake? Do you shake hands very lightly? These examples may seem simple, but it is easy to start off poorly with a bad handshake. Avoid the light delicate handshake and the powerful over-the-top controlling handshake. Give a firm, full-handed handshake with members of both sexes.

Prepare Yourself but do not Memorize

If you try to memorize a response to the question, "What is your biggest strength?" you will blurt it out, privately congratulating yourself on your memory while the interviewer stares in disbelief at how quickly you answered that question without seeming to give it much consideration. When your interviewer follows with, "Why do you consider that your biggest strength?" you realize that you were not prepared for that one. Instead, think of some challenges in your work background--positive and negative--and tie your answer to those challenges, your response, and the results. For example:

Challenge: Your sales division's productivity decreased, and it seemed your division would not meet/exceed annual goals.

Response: You observed the staff to see where bottlenecks were occurring and determined a need for additional employee development and training. Then you focused on employee development through intense training.

Results: You were responsible for hitting corporate budget at year-end, and was noted by management for exceptional problem-solving and turnaround capabilities.

Now when asked, "What is one of your biggest strengths?" your response might be: "My biggest strength is my ability to identify potential problem areas, solve the problem, and produce results. An example of this would be when my division's productivity decreased and it seemed as though we would not meet/exceed our annual goals..." and continue with the story above.

This same scenario would also work if the interviewer had asked, "Describe a difficult situation and how you handled it" or, "What would management say about you?" Thinking through specific situations will allow you to choose scenarios most appropriate to the question.


Have Questions for the Interviewer
Here are some good ones:

• How does my job fit with the mission of the organization, corporate performance, or profitability?
• What will I be contributing to the organization?
• What makes your company different from others?
• What is your corporate culture?
• What differentiates your company from your competition?
• What significant changes has the company experienced in the past couple of years?
• How would you describe the most successful employees in your company?

Mental Preparation

This may seem hokey, but mental preparation is proven to be a good tactic in any high-stress situation. As you arrive early for the interview (at least 15 minutes), and you are waiting to be called in, mentally prepare for your interview. Picture the interview going smoothly, the interviewer asking questions, and your answering them perfectly. Imagine the interviewer telling you that you seem perfect for the job, as you leave even more excited about the position. These are some of the things that should be going through your mind. If you are nervous, start your mental preparation by taking deep breaths and thinking, "You are" as you inhale and, "relaxed" as you exhale. Repeat this procedure until you are relaxed. Avoid thinking, "What if they don't like me?" or "What if I get stumped?" and focus instead on relaxing. Just try it--mental visualization worked for the Bulls and Phil Jackson, and it will work for you.

Close of the Interview

You are ahead of the competition and on your way to the gold medal, but you get a cramp. Do you stop? Not a chance. You have to cross that finish line, just as you have to close the sale of yourself in the interview. The end of the interview is your time to close with a positive, "very interested in what you have learned" finale. When the interviewer is closing with, "Well, if you have no further questions, then we are done," that is your cue to say one of the following:

• Actually, I'd like to know how I should proceed from here. Should I contact you or will you be in contact?
• How soon will I hear from you?
• What is the process from here?
• What would distinguish one potential candidate joining your company from another?
• How do I prove my commitment to the organization?

Follow-up

You leave the interview and feel good about the position. Now go to your car and write down what just happened. Write the topics discussed, the characteristics the interviewer described for the position, and other details. This will help you write a thank you letter that shows both your interest and that you are a perfect match for the position.

There are, of course, as many ways to succeed in an interview as there are Olympic gold medal winners. The best advice is to relax and be yourself. Remember that your interviewer once interviewed for his/her job and understands the intensity of the interview process. By being as prepared as possible for your interview, you will enhance the qualities that have already made you a great candidate. Just remember that it takes preparation and know-how to play the game with strategy and excellence to win.

How to Write a Résumé That Doesn't Annoy People

A Google search for "résumé" results in over 178,000,000 hits, whereas "possum" nets only 5,340,000. Thus the documentation of work experience is 33 and 1/3 more popular than arboreal marsupials. But what does this really tell us? Not much, but neither does the average résumé that comes across my desk. Some excerpts: "Administered resolution of issues and implementation of ideas surfaced by individuals."

"Partaking in meetings designed to enhance collaboration, identify and develop strategies to ensure success regarding the accomplishment of goals."

"Experienced leader with superior interpersonal skills and business acumen talented at building productive relationships across a global organization."

Huh?

We all know that there are more jobs being lost than created, and that an opening will get dozens, if not hundreds, of applicants. But in our fear to avoid saying anything that might get our résumé tossed out of the pile, we end up saying nothing at all. As a result, the hiring manager feels like she's reading tea leaves, not CVs. One feels forced to come up with arbitrary rules to narrow the field. Nobody with an objective statement, no résumés longer than 3 pages, no serif fonts. I'm not immune. Personally, I look at the width of the dashes. Microsoft Word will helpfully attempt to make a hyphen, n-dash, or m-dash based on the spacing you use when writing. Many people don't know this, and they don't notice that their dashes are all different lengths. Does this mean they are more or less qualified to be a project planner? I don't know, but it's easy for me to say, "If you don't know that your own résumé is inconsistent, how can you be expected to supervise a multi-million dollar project?"

Other people have their own peccadilloes. The best you can do is try to achieve the maximum content with minimum peculiarity. Here's a list of nine things to make your résumé stand a better chance of survival:

1. Get the formatting right. Line up bullet points, dates, headings. Wacky spacing will get you questioned about skills that have nothing to do with what you can do on the job. And please learn to put dates flush against the right margin. The right-aligned tab stop remains a mystery as deep as an ocean for many resume writers.

2. Insert dates for everything. If you've got a gap, explain it in your cover letter. But don't leave the dates off a job or a degree. Maybe you're worried they'll think you're too old or too young — but at best you'll look sloppy. At worst, sneaky.

3. Fill up on the buzzwords. Yes, buzzwords are typically "bad" for clarity, but you have to get past the HR department first, and they're screening for matches with the words in the job description. Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), consumer goods industry, certified project manager, SPL, BMN, FLB...whatever it is that matches the requirements, put it in.

4. Choose verbs that mean something. "Assisted," "Worked on," "Contributed to" and so on don't convey much to a prospective employer. Instead, say what you did: "Wrote," "Designed," or "Managed." The more specific, the better.

5. Rewrite your résumé for each job application. If you really want a job, your prospective employer isn't going to be impressed by your inability to adjust one 3-page document to meet their needs. Highlight the top 3 to 7 things you've done that match up with the requirements of the job.

6. State career objectives or outside interests — but be very careful. Do you know that they're looking for a "motivated team player who wants to excel in international fashion and likes skiing and hot tubbing?" Great, put that in. Otherwise, save the non-job stuff for the cover letter. Or better yet, the interview.

7. The further into your past, the less detail you should have. Don't have 13 bullets on a job from 10 years ago.

8. Keep it short. . A five-page résumé may be justified, but you've got to make it clear through headings and organization why you need so much space. If you've got a list of publications or industry conferences you've spoken at, great, but put it at the end as a separate section. Consider the résumé of a CEO. He doesn't need to say that he "attended meetings, assigned work" and whatever other tasks. He ran a company. One line.

9. No typos. Your résumé is like the restroom in a restaurant — as Anthony Bourdain says, the one room everyone sees. And if you can't keep that clean, what's it like in the kitchen?

What do you think? Are there things you see in résumés that cause you to toss them in the "probably not" pile? Have you ever had your résumé prevent you from getting a job?

Top 10 Social Sites for Finding a Job

Dan Schawbel is the author of Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, and owner of the award winning Personal Branding Blog.

Here at Mashable, we’re trying hard to help you stay afloat and succeed in the current economic crisis. We’ve told you how to build the ultimate social media resume, sites to visit if you’ve been laid off, and the secrets to finding your next job using social media tools. Now we’ll look at ten incredible social sites to help you in your job search.

Some of these sites allow you to craft a resume, while others are networking platforms that contain job listings. By signing up for all ten, you increase your chances of getting a job and decrease the amount of time you’ll spend searching for a new one. Three of the listed sites can be combined with other sites to be more impactful. In addition to joining, creating profiles and searching for jobs, I encourage you to support these sites with either a traditional website or blog, so that you have more to present to employers, in addition to your profile.

Have another social network you’d recommend? Tell us more about it in the comments.

1. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is by far the #1 spot for job seekers, those currently employed, marketers who are looking to build lists and salespeople who are seeking out new clients. With 35 million users, including recruiters and job seekers, LinkedIn is quite a hot spot. Of course, due to the current state of the economy, it’s simple to understand why LinkedIn is more popular than ever.



The problem is that most job seekers don’t optimize their profile, cultivate their network, join and participate in groups, use applications and exchange endorsements. That is basically everything you should be doing in a nutshell. I also recommend that you use a distinct URL (linkedin.com/in/yourfullname) and an avatar that best represents you and is consistent with the picture on your other social sites.

When you search for a job, recognize who in your network might help you get to the hiring manager. You’re given 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree connections on LinkedIn that you should be using to secure a job opening.

2. Plaxo With Simply Hired

Plaxo is a social network that resembles LinkedIn to a certain degree. You’re able to create your own profile with a section about you, your contact information and your “pulse stream,” which is made up of your presence on social media sites such as Twitter. You’re even able to share your photo album and send eCards, which is a nice differentiator.

The real value in Plaxo is the address book that keeps track of all of your contact information, including a Yahoo! Map indicating where your contacts live. Plaxo, which is owned by Comcast, is also integrated with Simply Hired, which is a job aggregator that searches thousands of job sites and companies and aggregates them in a single location for you. After building your Plaxo profile, use it as part of the recruitment process when applying for jobs with Simply Hired for success.

3. Twitter With Blog or LinkedIn URL

Twitter is an amazing tool if you can unlock its power. It’s taken me months to understand how conversations flow and how I can add to the discussion. Twitter breaks down communication barriers and lets you talk directly to hiring managers, without having to submit a resume immediately to a machine.

Although Twitter is probably one of the best networking tools on the planet, it needs to be supplemented with a blog or LinkedIn profile. There’s no way you can hire someone based on a Twitter profile, without having a link from that profile to something else that gives more information on that job seeker. You get to add one URL to your profile, so choose wisely.

4. Jobster

Jobster isn’t spoken about nearly enough, yet it is a powerful platform for networking with employers who are offering jobs, while you’re searching. You can upload your resume, embed your video resume, showcase links to your site, your picture and tag your skills, which is a unique differentiator. You can search for open positions and see who the person is who posted the job. Then you can add them to your network and connect with them to find out more about the position.

5. Facebook

Facebook can be used to get jobs. There are two main ways of acquiring a job through Facebook. The first is to go to your Facebook marketplace, which lists job openings or other opportunities in your network. Aside from jobs, there are “items wanted” and a “for sale” listing. When searching for jobs, you’ll be able to see who listed the item and then message them to show your interest.

When you find a job opening that you’re interested in, you’ll be able to message the hiring manager directly. For instance, the subject line of the message will auto-populate with “Principal Web Developer in Littleton, MA” in the subject line. The second way to get a job using Facebook is to join groups and fan pages to find people with common interests and to network with them.

6. Craigslist

Craigslist is an extremely valuable job search tool if you’re not looking to work for a big brand name company, such as P&G or GE. Most of the positions on Craigslist are for consultants (design/programming help) and at small to midsize companies that are hiring. There are new listings every day and if you wake up to this site every morning and refresh the page, you have a good chance at getting a job sooner rather than later.

7. MyWorkster With Indeed

MyWorkster focuses on exclusive networks for colleges, allowing students and alumni to connect for exclusive career opportunities. This site isn’t valuable to you if you didn’t go to college though. This social network allows you to create a professional profile and network with potential employers.



For a free account, you get a profile, instant messenger built in the site, groups, events, your resume and more. The big differentiator is that it uses Facebook Connect to get your information. Here is an example of a profile page. MyWorkster also has job listings, which are provided by Indeed, a job search engine and aggregator, which is very similar to Simply Hired.

8. VisualCV

VisualCV understands the importance of personal branding in a job search. Instead of a traditional resume, you get your own branded webpage, where you can add video, audio, images, graphs, charts, work samples, presentations and references. VisualCVs not only let you stand out from the crowd, but communicate your value in a way that’s not possible with static text.

After you’ve created your VisualCV, you can display it publicly or privately, email it to a recruiter, save it as a PDF or forward the URL, which will rank high for your name. On the site, you can search for jobs and apply directly using your VisualCV. Everybody’s favorite venture capitalist, Guy Kawasaki, is on their board.

9. JobFox

JobFox, like online dating, tries to pair you up with a job that best fits you. Their differentiator is their “Mutual Suitability SystemTM” that enables them to match your wants and needs to those of employers to find the best relationship. The system learns about your skills, experiences, and goals and then presents you with jobs.

Then there’s the “Jobfox Intro,” where both the applicant and company get emails to encourage the connection. Just like VisualCV, you get your own branded website, with a personal web address to send to employers. JobFox was created by Rob McGovern, the founder of Careerbuilder.com.

10. Ecademy

Ecademy, like LinkedIn, is a prime source for professional networking. You have your own online profile, where you can tell people what you do. You can join business networking groups based around your expertise and exchange messages with other members privately. You can also ask for introductions from friends, just like LinkedIn. Although, there isn’t a job search area on the site, 80% of jobs are from networking and this place is dedicated to it.

ERROR ON THE SIDE OF EXECUTION

For every hour, day and or week you delay in developing and executing your plan for obtaining a job, developing a career plan or taking an in depth assessment of where your skills, experience and flexibility are relative to the demand for your skills will affect your employability and earnings.

AVOID ERRORS OF EXECUTION

• You don't have to have everything perfect to start. The key is to Start Now.
  
• Use the available technology, coaching and other tools to leverage yourself.
  
• Your Competitors have the pedal on the medal and their eye on the prize.
  
• The elephant in the room is "raising the bar" each day.
  
• Over your employment life, waiting can cost you a significant amount of cash.
  

BEYOND SENDING YOUR RESUME

YOU’VE DISTRIBUTED YOUR RESUME…… SO WHAT

Now that you’ve faxed, mailed or e-mailed your resume you’re probably wondering why your phone is not ringing off the wall or e-mails are not filling you’re in box.

It’s an employer’s market and you are competing against a number of qualified individuals for each position. So what can you do to stand out from the crowd? What can you do to capture their attention?

You must do what others are not doing! Namely use your own Marketing Campaign.

• Make multiple quality contacts using Phone, e-mail, letters, video e-mail and post cards.
  
• Using Networking, find a way to get an introduction.
  
• Show up at the work site or location and ask to speak with the hiring manager. If you don’t get to see the manager, leave a hand written note.
  
• Invest $2 in a McCafe card and mail to the hiring manager with a note indicating what’s a time to meet and you’ll spring for the coffee.
  
• Send a funny e-card.
  

Want to know more? Contact Bdaniel@pridestaff.com