Agency8Recruiting

Slow hiring

2011-04-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

By JOE LIGHT
Hiring has yet to hit a rapid clip, but it's not for lack of job openings.

Since December, the economy has added about 130,000 jobs a month, barely more than what is needed to keep up with population growth, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Meanwhile, the number of job openings advertised online has grown by more than 400,000, to 4.2 million, according to the Conference Board, a research organization. That increase continued a trend that began in the spring of 2009.

View Full Image

Getty Images

Hundreds of people waited to fill out job applications at a San Francisco Mollie Stone's Market last month.
.Recruiters say they are having trouble finding candidates for many skilled positions, and once candidates are found, hiring managers are taking longer to pull the trigger.

Positions that typically took two months to fill before the recession are sometimes taking four times longer, recruiters say, as hiring managers are holding out for better candidates.

Managers invited between five and six candidates on average for second-round interviews last year, twice as many as in 2007, according to a survey of 1,500 recruiters at large companies by the Corporate Executive Board, a research organization.

"Nowadays, if managers speak to a really great candidate, instead of hiring him, they take it as an indication that there must be 10 even better people out there," says Todd Safferstone, director of CLC Recruiting, a unit of the Corporate Executive Board.

PepsiCo Inc. aims to make offers to job candidates within two months of posting an opening, but since the recession began, some positions have taken up to 90 days to fill, says Paul Marchand, head of talent acquisition for the Purchase, N.Y., food-and-beverage company.

.Certain candidates, such as scientists and some kinds of marketing professionals, are in short supply in the labor market or, if they are available, are unwilling to relocate to fill the position, he says. But even when qualified candidates are found, hiring managers sometimes want recruiters to find more candidates, thinking better matches must be possible, Mr. Marchand says.

"People think that with all the available talent, time-to-fill would go down, but it's just the opposite. When you're still trying to find quality candidates, it's actually taken longer," he says. Less-skilled positions, as in sales and customer service, take less time to fill, he says.

Eight months ago, Catholic Health Initiatives, a Denver-based nonprofit that runs hospitals and other health-care facilities, began looking for 50 highly skilled project and program managers. Eighteen of those positions still aren't filled, says Director of Recruitment Tracie Grant. Before the recession, it typically took the company 60 days to fill positions.

"Hiring managers hear the news and see the high unemployment rate and tell us that they want to continue looking for better candidates," she says. "They want the perfect candidate, when the reality is, there is no perfect candidate."

Zions Bancorp has about 430 openings in such areas as compliance, credit, auditing and risk, says Chief Human Resources Officer Connie Linardakis. After a six-month search, the company recently hired six senior vice presidents to help manage its credit department, she says. A few years ago, it might have only taken three months, she says.

The company, which is based in Salt Lake City, is trying to find a manager for its compliance department in San Diego but is competing with 15 other banks for the same kind of manager, she says. That will probably mean the opening will take months to fill, she says.

At videogame maker Electronic Arts Inc., there is a gap between the skill requirements the company posts and the experience of the people who apply, Gabrielle Toledano, executive vice president of human resources, says by email. That means the Redwood City, Calif., company's recruiters have to woo candidates who work at other companies, which can extend the time it takes to fill a position and push up compensation, she says.

"We're seeing a problem of companies unable to find the right skills in the right places," says David Arkless, president of corporate and government affairs for Milwaukee-based staffing firm Manpower Inc. For a position that would have needed two or three candidates a couple years ago, now companies want five or more, he says. "Companies want to make the hire count."

Copyright 2011 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit
www.djreprints.com
More In Management Join the discussion 50 Comments, add yours More In Management »
EmailPrinter FriendlyOrder ReprintsShare: facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
StumbleUpon
Viadeo
Orkut
Yahoo! Buzz
Fark
Reddit
del.icio.us
MySpace

Companies refusing to hire the unemployed

2011-02-28T07:02:00.000-08:00

This contraversal article might make you angry but it is often a quiet practice of many companies. Some companies even have a check list of hidden qualifications such as currently employed, was given a promotion at some point of their career and job tenure of 2+ years per job. With many talented people unemployed in this market, do you think this practice is a "best practice"?

ERE Daily: Refuse the Unemployed?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Opinion

Refusing Applications from the Unemployed: Best Practice or Madness?
by Dr. John Sullivan February 28th, 2011
Is it a good idea for firms hiring to purposely exclude the unemployed from consideration?

If you missed the news last summer (June 2010) about the growth of this practice, then you might be scratching your head and thinking to yourself, ‘that’s crazy.’ However, for those that follow trends and deal with job postings daily, it’s clear that postings increasingly contain some variation of the phrase “you must be currently employed in order to be considered.” For example, a posting made last week to CareerBuilder by an Alabama restaurant chain made the requirements crystal clear by putting the word “currently” in all caps.

“Must be CURRENTLY employed as a restaurant manager”

Houston Economy

2010-09-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

So how is the Houston economy? When you are in job search mode or in fear of job loss, suddenly the economic health of our nation and community becomes VERY important. September 2010 unemployment numbers were reported at 9.6% national average and Houston is fairing better at 8.8%. We are doing better than the national average but these numbers do not include the NASA cutbacks taking place now. The verdict is still out on the volume of job loss (reports have ranged from 2000 to 6000 in Houston).

But it is not all gloom and doom in Rocket city. Houston came in No. 1, with 129,800 private-sector jobs created between June 2005 and June 2010. Dallas came in second, gaining 71,300 private-sector jobs. Austin ranked third, with 56,100 new private-sector jobs; San Antonio ranked No. 4, with a gain of 32,600 private-sector jobs. We would like to point out that the highly popular Chi irons and Biosilk hair care line by Farouk increased the Houston private sector job market by adding 4,000 jobs in Houston by pulling all manufacturing outsourcing from Asia. Houston is teaching the world how to deal with frizzy hair and economic stability. Houston has had the fortune of a steadier job market due to the diversity of our industries. We are a city of diverse strengths including numerous space and science research firms; home of top medical research and hospitals, electronics plants; high-tech and computer-technology industries; and all things oil and gas. In Houston, we value our scientific technology and set our goals higher than the moon.

Real Job Searching Tips

2010-04-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

Real Job Searching Tips

See a good job, send a copy of your resume, and get an interview then a job offer…. just that easy right? We all know it never goes that easy and there are many processes behind the scenes. I like to think of the job process as a funnel. You start in a large group and the select few make it through to the end.

So let’s start with the very first step….the resume. You need to think of your resume as your personal marketing piece.

YOU GOT 10 SECONDS TO SELL

When a company posts a job they get literally hundreds of resumes in response. Yikes… I totally hear ya! The first step of the Recruiter/ HR is to weed out all of the non-matching candidates from the pile. Here is a crazy fact: most recruiters read a resume in 10-20 seconds or less (crazy right?). The first point is to screen OUT resumes that do not match. So, to make it IN the second pile we need to answer the job criteria and QUICK.

On the top half of page 1 of your resume, your reader should quickly determine: your expertise or job function, your location, industry expertise, career level (manager, lead, hands on worker), recent experience, education, turnover/ stability, and overall format, grammar and spelling. Not saying that your resume needs to be short or that you need to put ALL of that info in the first ½ of the first page, but get the best part in there. That is prime real estate!

In the first part of the process, 80%-100% of the applicants are eliminated! Those that are left are read in detail or the long resume version is reviewed.

FIND YOUR INNER ADVERTISING GURU

Think about your marketing tone, if your resume currently reads “here is what I did in the past” rather than “here is what I can do for you today” then you need revisions.

Take a tip from Hollywood! Let’s say you have worked with Fortune 500 leading companies then make sure speak to that in the experience: i.e. worked for Fortune 500industry leaders including Shell, Continental Airlines, MD Anderson- name dropping like totally works in like building credibility on your resume.

Find your “Sizzle” story, share details of when you improved a process, saved or earned money for a company, or were given public recognition. Often the most stressful times in our career have given us the most personal growth.

Make a tag line. Create a resume title under your name so the reader mentally associates your name with your expertise (i.e. John Smith, Senior Mechanical Engineer).

SOCIAL MEDIA IS YOUR FRIEND

Best advice right now in your job search- make sure you have a Linkedin.com profile, add groups, apply for jobs and get public recommendations.

Stay on the look out for future advice!

www.agency8recruiting.com
YOUR PARTNER FOR TOP TALENT

“Work hard now, so you don’t work hard for the rest of your life”

2009-10-20T18:16:00.000-07:00

A former professor back in college said something that has always stuck with me.

“Work hard now, so you don’t work hard for the rest of your life”

Through the years, I have been asked advice from my candidates about the decision to complete their degrees; obtaining that certification; or going after the next step in their career path. First, let me say that I am honored to be asked to share my opinion on one of the most important decisions in your life.

They tell me their dreams and long-term goals. They are working a 40-50 hour a week job, and debating attending night and weekend courses to pursue that dream. Money is tight, and life is strenuous right now in this economy. College expenses and limited time will complicate life more. But have you ever known a time when things were truly easy?

Is risk, worth the reward?

So… I am shouting out-loud, my simple and clear advice:

First, do not give up the fight before you begin. If you know what you want out of life, then know that you are capable of achieving it.

Second, it won’t be easy. A degree or accomplishment would be worthless, if it were.

And last, listen to the professor; do it now and reap the benefits for the rest of your career.

But if you fail to follow my advice; and you never go after your dreams… Well.. then move over to the slow lane 'cause the rest of us are going to plow right on past you! :-)

In this blog I am including a list of 3 books that will FOREVER change your life:

Think and Grow Rich (N. Hill)
Change your thoughts, change your life (W. Dyer)
Total Money Makeover (D. Ramesy)

Happiness and success, is my wish for you

Rebecca Nutt

2009 Flu Fears Controlled

2009-09-21T07:27:00.000-07:00

Flu Season is around the corner
As a Human Resources Manager, or Business Leader you are a valuable educator to your employees in the prevention and preparedness against the impacts of all threats and all hazards, including public health threats.
As we face the possibility of a wider H1N1influenza (formerly known as Swine Flu) outbreak, it is difficult to predict how the virus may or may not change. The severity of illness that H1N1 influenza flu could cause (including hospitalizations and deaths) or the amount of illness that may occur cannot be predicted. The impact that an outbreak could have on your workforce and company is significant. Therefore, it is recommended that you plan accordingly so that your company will be able to respond in a flexible way to varying levels of severity and be prepared to take additional steps if a potentially more serious outbreak of influenza evolves this fall and winter.
The symptoms of seasonal and 2009 H1N1 flu virus in people include fever or chills AND cough or sore throat. In addition, symptoms of flu can include runny nose, body aches, headache, tiredness, diarrhea, or vomiting. Like seasonal flu, 2009 H1N1 flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.
You do not want to be caught unprepared when the flu season hits. Regardless of the size or type of your business, we believe a bit of planning now can help protect your business and your employees.
We recommend the following Business Planning Initiatives:
1. Provide resources and a work environment that promotes personal hygiene. For example, provide tissues, no-touch trash cans, hand soap, hand sanitizer, disinfectants and disposable towels for workers to clean their work surfaces (especially phones, keyboard, copy machines or any frequently shared items). Limit equipment sharing if possible.
2. Provide education and training materials in an easy to understand format and in the appropriate language and literacy level for all employees. Provide workers with up-to-date information on influenza risk factors, protective behaviors, and instruction on proper behaviors (for example, cough etiquette; avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth; and hand hygiene). see attached poster for your bulletin board
3. Develop flexible policies to allow workers to telecommute (if feasible). Encourage ill workers to stay at home without fear of any reprisals. Create policies to allow workers to stay home to care for sick family members or care for children if schools close.
4. Encourage workers to obtain a seasonal influenza vaccine. We strongly recommend offering the vaccine free/reduced price and granting employees paid time off from work when obtaining vaccine to encourage participation.
5. Encourage employees to get the 2009 H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available if they are in a priority group according to CDC recommendations. For information on groups recommended for seasonal and H1N1 vaccines, please see www.flu.gov.
6. Plan to implement practices to minimize face-to-face contact between workers if advised by the local health department. Consider ideas such as reducing meetings to teleconferences, email communication and encouraging flexible work arrangements to reduce the number of workers who must be at the work site at the same time or in one specific location.
7. If an employee does become sick while at work, place the employee in a separate room or area until they can go home, away from other workers. Ask the employee to go home as soon as possible.
8. Create a Preparedness Plan with important details such as determining key business functions, supply chain demands and emergency communication protocol.
Agency 8 Consulting Services offers:

§ Full service Recruiting Solutions
§ Resume sourcing
§ Interview Coordination
§ Management training on interviewing
§ Creation of customized interview forms
§ Customized recruiting methodology
§ Human Resource Consulting
§ Review, Analysis of existing Recruitment Process
§ On boarding procedures
§ Positive Company culture initiatives
§ Employment Handbooks, Policies and procedures
§ Problem Resolution

Agency 8 partners with Business Leaders and HR Professionals to co-create processes and solutions to human capital challenges that will best support your strategic business goals. Please let us know how we can impact your success.

COBRA stimulus plan

2009-04-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

The 2009 COBRA Subsidy

In this blog I will summarize information on the COBRA Stimulus plan changes that could greatly impact you if you are unemployed in the years of 2008-2010.

Before we learn more about the COBRA stimulus plan, let's start with explaining a bit about COBRA (The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act). The Act was put into law in 1985 by Clinton to help workers who lost their job continue their health insurance. Basically, it gave the ex-employee the ability to continue their employer sponsored health insurance plan at a premium cost of 150-200% more than costs for active workers (thus deeming it unaffordable to most unemployed beneficiaries).

COBRA Stimulus Plan:
Part 1: Reduced Premiums The COBRA stimulus plan basically has two parts.
People who are currently enrolled in the COBRA plan will get a 65% reduction in their premium costs.

Part 2: The Ability to Re-Enroll into COBRA Recently unemployed people now have the ability to re-enroll into the COBRA plan, even if they had denied coverage in the past. This will help a great amount of people who choose not to continue their health insurance through COBRA because they just could not afford it. Note that coverage cannot date back before 4/1/09.
Key Details about the COBRA Stimulus Plan 1. Qualified Beneficiaries (not gross misconduct), who were involuntarily terminated between September 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009 2. Annual income cannot exceed $125,000 for a single person and $250,000 for a couple3. 65% of existing COBRA premiums will be subsidized by the U.S. Treasury Department. The employer pays and then the government will reimburse those costs.4. Subsidies will be available for up to 9 months 5. If you declined COBRA coverage after September 1, 2008 you will have the option to re-enroll into COBRA with the above subsides 6. Second chance notices of the COBRA subsidies and re-enrollment information will be sent from the COBRA administrator (usually your previous employer) 7. Subsidies will be paid, via a refundable tax credit, directly to the COBRA administrators 8. Subsidies will terminate if the enrollee acquires a new health insurance plan through another employer or is eligible for Medicare 9. Subsidies will only apply to COBRA premiums paid after the effective date of February 17, 2009 and there will be no refund of premiums prior to this date
10. You have 60 days from termination to elect COBRA coverage, then 45 days to pay that premium.

Final note: This is a great plan and I strongly suggest that if you are a Qualified Beneficiary that you take advantage of this offer. Your unanticipated medical bill could drain your savings much quicker than the cost of this plan. Employers, this news came to us fast- make sure you read the rules as strict penalties of 110% apply. Feel free to contact me for additional resources, comments or questions at Rebecca@agency8recruiting.com. Have a blessed day!

April Blog

2009-03-31T05:58:00.001-07:00

Next topic- Unemployed in 2009...things you should know.

We will discuss filing unemployment, changes to COBRA and the current job market. If you have any specific topic areas you wish to discuss, send me an email at Rebecca@agency8recruiting.com.

Have a great week!

Optimism in a Recession

2009-03-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

Optimism in a Recession

Make it your goal this quarter is to remain optimistic. Simply put but difficult to achieve. With unemployment at a 6.5% in Houston and the news out-right depressing, this is a challenge for sure.

When we log into Facebook, LinkedIn or email we are constantly being reminded that the people being laid off are our friends, family members and business acquaintances. It is personal, it hits home. So my message to you is that you might get laid off or be directly impacted by this recession. But how you handle it will make all the difference in your success.

Have your resume ready to go
Even if you have a stable job, make sure your resume is current. Always have a network of job references or reference letters ready. Agency 8 offers resume writing services and there are many online tips to help you out. Often candidates get laid off and then spend a month getting their resume together. This leads to helplessness and desperation. Don’t wait for your unemployment to run out or your severance money to dry up either… HUGE mistake! Be prepared and act quickly.

Have People
Make sure you are always meeting new people in your career by attending networking events. Setup online network groups like LinkedIn so that you are visible to leaders in your industry and field. Don’t be afraid to add friends and meet people. I am happy to be your friend and I know others out there feel the same.

Know your Power
Just because your employer cannot afford to keep you on staff, it is not always a reflection on your job performance. You have something to offer a future employer that is unique to you!

Be Flexible but not Weak
You might have to lower your salary expectations, drive a little further or lose some benefits in your next position. When the economy picks up (and it will) you can be more selective; but now is not the time. On the flip side, when you suggest that you could work at a 30% pay decrease and would drive 3 hours a day to work, the Recruiter/ Employer is wondering what is wrong with you! Expect to compromise, but don’t “give in”.

Run the Show
Recruiters and companies are getting lots of resumes and they are overwhelmed. If you send your resume out, follow up in 3 days. Send a thank you email or note 1-2 days post interview. Keep following up (weekly) on nonresponsive resume submissions. You can’t expect someone to manage the job search process for you.

Keep your Cool
Don’t call daily, pout or get angry with Recruiters or Employers. You will hurt your reputation and ultimately lose. As hard as it may be, remain polite and professional, I know your mamma taught you better! Most of the candidates that I place have worked with me for years. Maybe they did not get an offer on the original position they were recruited for, but they remained professional and kind. Down the road a better opportunity came along and they were the first person I considered.

Do More than Just get through the Interview
Often, the person that gets that job offer had the same required skills, but they did a better job selling their expertise to the employer. You must sell your skills to the employer in a way that solves their problems. See each interview as a chance to learn and improve this skill. Many people have a hard time with this, so I suggest to pretend you are selling your friend’s skills. Practice with 3 key arguments as to why you are the best candidate for the position.

Don't give up, be a Contender
I am not saying this just because I don’t want to pay your mortgage. You will find something and you will grow from this experience. It will take work, compromise and stepping out of your comfort zone, but you will get there. In this economy each job has more competition and you are a contender…. so fight!

Thank you for taking time to read my blog. If you have any topic suggestions, please email me at Rebecca@agency8recruiting.com

NYC Lessons

2009-01-31T08:24:00.000-08:00

This week, I am in NYC making new business contacts

NYC ... full of energy and people following the American dream of success. As I walk through the streets and push through the subway I see many career-minded individuals dressed in their finest suits, sipping their coffee in the 20-degree temperatures as they rush off to work. It is amazing the hard work we must put in to climb that corporate ladder and make it to the top of our profession. It takes a professional image that most of us may not honestly enjoy. Working in sweats would be much easier but you would never be taken seriously. It take extreme dedication; long hours and often relocating for that once in a lifetime opportunity. Many of these young bright professionals live in closet-sized apartments with rent costs that double your Texas mortgage payment. Ten years from now, many of them will be managers maybe even Executives. They might stay in NYC or move back to their hometowns emerging as leaders in their field. But they put in the time... they worked hard and sacrificed to have the rest of their life to now be respected in their jobs. It is knowing your long-term career goals, going after them in full pursuit. So whether you are in Houston or NYC- set up your foundation for success. Push yourself and don't think that dream job is going to just fall in your lap. If you want it- YOU make it happen and then you better work hard when you get it! Your American dream is waiting. So don't let another New York minute pass you by. Know what you want out of your career; go after it NOW!