Though the unemployment rate dropped to 7.6% and employers are hiring more readily across the U.S. the results are mixed. For example, in Illinois, the unemployment rate stands at 9.5%. Furthermore, only 14 out of the nation’s 100 largest metropolitan areas have more jobs now than they did before the 2008-9 recession! Moreover, 6 out of those 14 are in Texas according to researchers at the Brookings Institution.

On a positive note, job gains were in:

1. Professional and Business Services, which added 51,000 jobs in March.
2. Health Care, which continues to grow, and added 23,000 last month.
3. Construction, which rose by: a) 18,000 last month and b) has added 169,000 since last fall.
4. Leisure and Hospitality, which has added: a) 13,000 last month and b) 262,000 over the past year!

Another positive sign is, for the first time since the financial crisis, U.S. employers are expected to soon reach their yearly allotment of 85,000 H-1B visas. The last time employers reached this limit in less than a week was 2008. Though this is for foreign workers, this is a quasi indicator of hiring demand for technical workers.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) 312,000 new jobs have been created during the last two months. Furthermore, anecdotally, I have observed that many of our clients have significantly ramped up hiring since January 1st. Unfortunately, few have prepared for this momentous recruiting increase.

As a result, I recommend a 360-degree audit of your staffing needs for the next 18 months including:

1. Full assessments of all your department’s requirements.
2. Thorough evaluations of your talent needs in comparison to: a) manpower availabilities in the current job market and b) your competitors’ needs and current recruiting efforts.
3. Researching new methods for securing talent for your organization.
4. Increasing the recruiting prowess of your hiring managers.
5. Brainstorming sessions among all key managers to discuss actual and projected regulations and how they will affect your abilities to secure key talent in the future.

To assist your efforts, we have prepared a list of 12 key tips we recommend for recruiting. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/technical-recruiting-tips/technical-recruiting-tips.php to learn more.

If you would like more information about this topic or need any assistance with your staffing needs please contact me at 312-944-4000 or e-mail ssargis@strategicsearch.com

Talking Points for the month

1. 157,000 (+2,000 from December) non-farm jobs added in January. But unemployment rate up to 7.9%!
2. 22.7 million ( Same as December)= 12.3 (+100,000 from December) mil. Unemployed + 8 (+100,000 from December) mil. Involuntarily working part-time + 2.4 (-200,000 from December) mil. who are not even counted = 22.7 million workers who are either unemployed or underemployed or 16% of all workers! = 1 in 6 workers still unemployed or underemployed in the January BLS figures!
3. BLS said that the National Unemployment rate stayed the same at 7.9% (revised upward from December) in January. This was the 5th straight month below 8% after 43 straight months of 8% or above!
4. Illinois unemployment rate was 8.7% (same as November) in December (Projected).
5. The gains were across the board: a) Health Care continues to add jobs and rose by 45,000 in January (- 22,000 from December, but over the year has added 320,000) b) Retail added 33,000 c) Construction rose by 28,000 in January (since a low in January, 2011 has grown by 296,000 jobs) d) Wholesale added 15,000 jobs in January (since a low in May, 2010 has added 291,000 jobs) and e) Mining added 6,000 jobs in January (has risen 23,000 over the last 3 months).
6. Transportation and warehousing dropped 14,000 jobs in January and manufacturing stayed the same!
7. How bad is it?  With only 157,000 jobs created in January, it will take over 10 years to make up for the 7.9 million jobs killed off by the recession. Many of them are not coming back!

If you get a chance, I’ll be live on WGN Radio on Saturday, December 29th from 12:30 to 1 p.m. CST (720 on the AM dial) discussing a new, lower-cost alternative (10% of the cost) to outplacement for displaced workers, called World2Work™

You can also listen in to this broadcast live on the Internet at http://www.wgnradio.com/about/listen/ and then click on “Click here to listen live” towards the top of the page.

Lastly, please let me know if I can be of assistance.

Here is a tip that can help you with your job search CandidateTips 6-9-09-Interviewing Tip #1 A-MPEG-4 Improved NTSC for CD

The 171,000 increase in jobs reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) today was only the tip of the iceberg. We have noticed over the last few weeks an exponential increase in search inquiries. This has been across the board and across the country ranging from several CIO positions to many hardware and software engineers to even an R&D chef, which is a position no one has inquired about for several years!

Unfortunately, countless companies have significantly reduced HR staff over the last few years. Furthermore, they have demanded a lot more from the remaining staff. This has over burdened the Personnel department and created a recruiting vacuum in scores of organizations. As a result, I recommend that all hiring managers sharpen their recruiting skills. One tool I have to offer is the 12 Commandments of Recruiting. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/technical-recruiting-tips/technical-recruiting-tips.php to learn more.

Though the unemployment rate dropped by .3% to 7.8%, which marked the first time in 3 ½ years it dipped below 8%, a lot more needs to be done. For example, if you total: a) Unemployed (12.1 million) b) those involuntarily working part-time (8.6 million) and c) those who have just given up looking (2.5 million), the aggregate figure actually rose from 23.1 last month to 23.2 million Americans this month! Fortunately, there is a three-pronged approach to increase job seeker’s probability of success:

1. Developing a quantitatively laced resume.
2. Selectively using recruiters
3. Networking, which is the most important of the three!

Let’s take these from least important to most important. First, having a resume is a necessary evil. Most hiring managers (especially human resources) require it. Therefore, you need to mold your resume into a quantitative one. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/interview-preparation-tips/interview-preparation-tips.php and review my 1st Commandment of Interviewing. The key is seeding your resume with numbers (e.g. % improvements or dollar savings to employers).

The Second prong is the selection and use of recruiters. I recommend using both recruiters who place full time and temporary positions. Access both: a) The Directory of Executive and Professional Recruiters for full time and b) the website http://www.americanstaffing.net/jobseekers/find_company.cfm for temporary agencies. There is no magical formula to selecting recruiters. Instead, develop a list of questions to ask, contact them and select a few that you feel meet your needs. However, DO NOT RELY UPON ANY RECRUITERS! Some may provide some assistance, but the primary way to land a good job is through networking.

Finally, the third and most important of my recommendations is networking. There are two types of networking: a) the old fashioned form of meeting people and b) e-networking. Please refer to my 2^nd and 3^rd Commandments of Interviewing for more information. However, one of the cornerstones of any networking approach is developing and applying a 20-30 second elevator pitch. During this pitch you want to quickly convey three things:

1. Who you are?
2. What you are looking for (be specific)?
3. Your 2-3 greatest strengths.

Practice pitching this information aloud into either: a) a tape recorder or b) the mirror at least 50 times until you feel it is very concise, “rolls off your tongue” and conveys everything you wish to convey very powerfully. Also, time yourself with a stopwatch until you can complete it in no longer than 30 seconds!

Once you have a pitch finalized that you feel comfortable with, you want to use it on everyone you know and meet. Also, use the written version of this pitch on social media sites like LinkedIn. Join appropriate business groups and meet people. When you meet someone new, don’t forget to share your 30-second elevator pitch because you don’t know who might know about your next job.

This is a very tedious process that requires a lot of diligence, but there is no secret to landing a job especially in this terrible jobs market. You have to be work harder than everyone else since there are so many people now out of work! Finally, remember that networking is your most important tool. As part of that you need to develop a very strong, 30-second elevator pitch.

Recently, I have been bombarded by requests by friends, family and clients to help them find a job. Unfortunately, there is no secret to landing a job especially with this terrible economy with the real unemployment (including those who are involuntarily working part time because they cannot find a full time job and those that have given up looking) at about 16% or 1 in 6 workers! However, I do recommend being very diligent and using a three-pronged approach including:

1. Developing a quantitatively laced resume.
2. Selectively using recruiters
3. Networking, which is the most important of the three!

Let’s take these from least important to most important. First, having a resume is a necessary evil. Most companies (especially human resources) require it. Therefore, you should mold your resume into a quantitative one. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/interview-preparation-tips/interview-preparation-tips.php and review my 1st Commandment of Interviewing. The key is the mantra: numbers, numbers, numbers. As a rule of thumb, when you put some wording in your resume, ask yourself the questions: a) “so what?” or b) “what does this mean to an employer?” or c) “what is the benefit of this to an employer?” Then add one of the following (or some variation) sales bridges to what you say:

1. The benefit of (whatever you wish to say) was (e.g. a 40% increase in sales or $560,000 profit etc.).
2. That was important because (tell the benefit in quantitative terms).
3. The result of (whatever you mentioned) was (mold the result into dollars or profit or percentage change).

You should not lie on any of these “numbers”, but you can error on the high side. Remember that your resume is an advertisement about you! It is not an encyclopedia of your entire life. It is only meant to quickly share your highlights. For example, if you think you saved your employer somewhere between $10,000 and $45,000 with a new computer control system you selected, then say, “the result of the new computer control system was about $45,000.” Once again, the key is to seed your resume with: numbers, numbers, numbers! Also, try and keep it concise (e.g. no more than two pages). However, do not spend too much time, effort or money on developing a resume, because as my 2^nd Commandment of Interviewing says, “Resumes don’t get you hired, you do!”

Second is the selection and use of recruiters. I recommend using recruiters who place both full time and temporary positions. To access full time recruiters, I recommend getting a copy of The Directory of Executive and Professional Recruiters. Please go to http://www.recruiterredbook.com to learn more. It is available at most libraries. It divides recruiters into two main categories: a) retained and b) contingency. Retained recruiters, like myself, work mainly for the company to find talent. Contingency recruiters only receive their fee when they place someone. It also further divides each group into their specialty areas.

I also recommend using temporary (also called contract or staffing) agencies. This is an often-overlooked tool. Please review my 9^th Commandment of Interviewing for more details. The key is one of the trends today is towards temp-to-perm conversions. This means companies hiring you on a temporary basis, trying you out and then hiring you full time after you have proven yourself. Unfortunately, many people think temporary positions are beneath them. However, if you overlook this avenue you may loose out on a tremendous job! Please go to http://www.americanstaffing.net/jobseekers/find_company.cfm to view and select several temporary agencies.

I recommend selecting 1-2 retained recruiters, 4-6 contingency recruiters and 4-6 temporary or staffing agencies within your areas of expertise. The reasons are: a) contingency recruiters and temporary or staffing agencies will probably work harder for you since they will only get paid if they place you b) temporary or staffing agencies may know of a few good assignments that will lead to full time work c) temporary agencies can probably find you more immediate income (and you can continue your job search with a pay check coming in) and d) it helps to also add a few retained recruiters because they have access to higher level jobs. There is no magic formula to selecting recruiters. Instead, you should follow several steps:

1. Review The Directory of Executive and Professional Recruiters find: a) 5-6 retained recruiters and b) 10-15 contingency recruiters in your specialty areas.
2. Review the database of temporary or staffing agencies and find 5-10 that seem to meet your needs.
3. Develop a list of questions to ask these recruiters (e.g. how many searches have you done in the last two years in my area of expertise).
4. Call these recruiters and narrow it down to: a) 1-2 retained recruiters b) 4-6 contingency recruiters and c) 2-4 temporary or staffing agencies that you feel comfortable with. Some may ask you for an exclusive. I would tell them they have an exclusive, but do not sign anything. You do not want to narrow your possibilities!
5. DO NOT RELY UPON ANY OF THEM! They will all help to some extent, but your main way to help yourself is networking (below).

The third and most important part of my recommendations is networking. There are two types of networking: a) the old fashioned form of meeting people and b) e-networking. Please refer to my 2^nd and 3^rd Commandments of Interviewing for more information. However, one of the cornerstones of any networking approach is developing a 20-30 second elevator pitch. During this pitch you want to quickly convey three things:

1. Who you are?
2. What you are looking for (be specific)?
3. Your 2-3 greatest strengths.

To develop this pitch, I recommend following these three steps:

1. Write down on paper your most pertinent information.
2. Work and rework this information until you have a very concise document that fits into 2-3 paragraphs.
3. Practice pitching this document aloud to yourself into either: a) a tape recorder or b) the mirror at least 50 times until you feel it is very concise, “rolls off your tongue” and conveys everything you wish to convey. Also time yourself and do not take any longer than 30 seconds to complete your pitch!

Once you have a pitch that you feel comfortable with, you want to practice it on everyone you meet and know. Also, use the written version of this on social media sites like LinkedIn. Join appropriate business groups and meet people. When you meet someone new, don’t forget to share your 30-second elevator pitch because you don’t know who might know about your next job.

Remember, there is no secret to landing a job especially in this terrible work environment. You have to be very diligent. However, remember that networking is the key and as part of that, you need to develop a very strong, 30-second elevator pitch. I hope this helps.

Contrary to recent advances, the U.S. manufacturing sector contracted in June for the first time since July 2009 as new demand crashed, according to data released today by the Institute for Supply Management. The ISM’s manufacturing purchasing managers’ index fell to 49.7 last month from 53.5 in May. A reading above 50 indicates expanding activity.

Because the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) mentioned manufacturing as one of the few sectors to create jobs last month with 12,000 added, I shared this as one promising jobs creation area on my recent TV appearance on First Business with 495,000 new jobs generated since the low point of January, 2010. However, today’s report from ISM gives me cause for concern.

In case you missed  my appearance discussing the current state of the jobs market on First Business on Tuesday, June 26, 2012: please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/media.php and scroll down to “Television Appearances” to view.