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.

With  both conventions concluded it appears that the Democrats won the battle of speeches. Beginning with the spirited keynote from mayor Julian Castro and continuing through Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton, Joe Biden and President Obama, the convention hall rocked to persuasive claims of: a) 4.5 million new jobs created b) a reinvented auto industry and 1 million jobs saved and c) plans to cut the deficit by $4 Trillion. But are these claims factual and are we really better off than four years ago?

Evidence shows the contrary. Our national debt just passed $16 Trillion for the first time in our history! Of that $1.16 T and $1.12 T are held by China and Japan respectively. Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)http://www.bls.gov reported today that only 96,000 new jobs were added in August (67,000 less than the previous month) and the unemployment rate at 8.1% was the 43^RD straight month of 8% or greater, which is an all-time record since record since BLS started record keeping in 1948!

Past U.S. attempts at big government and new society programs have mostly failed dating back to 1791 when our first treasury secretary, Alexander Hamilton, prodded the federal government to add about $18 million to our domestic debt of $65 million after taking on states’ debts from the Revolutionary War. Furthermore, they have failed worldwide, which is why the Soviet Union collapsed and countries like Greece are now in trouble.

Instead: what is needed is to think small, as in doing more to cultivate small businesses, which have historically generated almost 80% of the net new jobs and have produced 13 times more patents per employee than large firms according statistics by the Small Business Administration. Politicians cannot create jobs. When they try, they actually stifle jobs creation by draining scarce resources from the real jobs engine, small businesses (e.g. Solyndra).

Many of my clients are begging to add new jobs, but are scared away by all the red tape and uncertainty created by President Obama. His lack of business acumen rings loud and clear in his policies, which stifle the main job creator, small businesses.

If the government does want to help, one answer may be to substantially expand successful mentoring programs like SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives, a counseling arm of the Small Business Administration). It has a specific mission and a proven track record in instructing small business owners how to better succeed in their chosen field of endeavor. This unleashes the time tested “Invisible Hand” of Adam Smith to create more jobs, which will more quickly drive our economy out of its malaise than anything the government can do directly. Another is to focus on balancing the budget and drastically reducing our national debt, which is at dangerously high levels!

The alternative is to be cast into the abyss like Greece!

The U.S. economy added 163,000 jobs in July, the most in five months. However, the unemployment rate rose one-tenth of a percentage point to 8.3% as more and more workers scramble to enter the job market. This has created an uneven recovery heading into this fall’s presidential election. Fortunately, a cure exists in applying SEO to job-hunting.

As both: a) an expert on jobs, careers and workplace issues and b) a recruiter specializing in high technology, I came to realize several years ago the benefit of applying SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to job hunting and recruiting. As a result, I built up the largest, non-profit, professional SEO group in the Chicago area with almost 600 members. Our main objective is to explore cutting-edge SEO techniques.

Tomorrow, Saturday, August 4^th starting at 10:30 a.m. at 200 S. Wacker we will host our first ever symposium devoted to analysis of one’s online presence. Two major goals are: a) to evaluate one’s Internet footprint (or lack thereof) and b) to suggest improvements.  These techniques can significantly increase a job seeker’s chances of getting noticed by prospective hiring companies and being hired.

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.

Jobs Points for June:

1. Only 80,000 (gain of only 11,000 over May) non-farm jobs added in June.
2. The combined total of unemployment + involuntarily working part time + those who have given up (and no longer counted by BLS) for June was 23.4 million ( Up 200,000 from May). The breakdown is: a) 12.7 (unchanged) mil. Unemployed + b) 8.2 (+100,000) mil. Involuntarily working part-time + c) 2.5 (+100,000) mil. who are not even counted = 23.4 million workers who are either unemployed or underemployed or 16% of all workers! = 1 in 6 workers still unemployed or underemployed in the June BLS figures!
3. BLS said that the National Unemployment rate stayed unchanged 8.2% in June.
4.  Illinois unemployment rate was 8.6% (-.1% from April) in May (Projected).
5. The only gains were: a) Health Care continues to add jobs and rose by 13,000 in June and b) Wholesale trade employment added 9,000 (on top of the 16,000 added in May ).
6. All other major industries showed little or not gain!
7. How bad is it? With only 80,000 jobs created in June, 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!

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.

President Obama’s recent policy change allows some people who came illegally to the U.S. as children to apply for work permits. Unfortunately, it does not solve the larger question of immigration reform. Instead, it was a very calculated move by a very calculated and skillful politician who fears losing re-election.

Despite our current employment woos, we need major immigration reform. Immigrants are the backbone of this country and provide a huge infusion of ideas and labor, which can help our country grow. Therefore, we should spend a lot of time on developing a comprehensive plan that:

1. Rewards those who came into this country legally.
2. Allows easier access to top-notch talent (especially technical and scientific experts in growing fields such as nanotechnology).
3. Provides more extensive standards for entrance (e.g. service to the country).
4. Provides more barriers for criminals and terrorists from entering.
5. More quickly and easily deports criminals and terrorists if they do slitter in.

The BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) recently reported that the unemployment rate rose to 8.2% in May because only 69,000 new jobs were created. However, many fields have continued to grow including: a) Health Care, which added 33,000 in May and 340,000 over the year, b) Manufacturing, which added 12,000 in May and 495,000 since a low point in January, 2010 and c) Transportation and warehousing, which grew by 36,000 last month. This has created a shortage of key talent in countless areas. What can a hiring manager do to win this war for talent and gain differential advantage?

On Saturday, Saturday, September 8th from 9 to 11 a.m. CST in Chicago we will host a symposium sharing many of our top recruiting techniques. The foundation will be our 12 Commandments of Recruiting. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/technical-recruiting-tips/technical-recruiting-tips.php to view. Normally only offered during on-site, ½ day client workshops at $5000! However, as a special introductory offer for only $199, you will gain both: a) much of the same benefit and b) insights working beside peers who are experiencing similar recruiting problems.

During this special event, we will sequentially discuss each of the 12 Commandments and then break up into small work groups to practice them. We will critique your applications and offer suggestions for improvement. Then we will repeat this process for each of the twelve. At the end, will be a summary and question and answer session.

Space is limited so please sign up quickly.

The prospects are grim these days for high school grads who look for work after graduation rather than going to college, according to a recent study by the John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University.Only three in 10 of these recent grads are employed full time, according to the study, which tracked the employment outcomes of 544 young people who graduated from high schools across the country between 2006 and 2011.

The Great Recession has had an impact on everyone, but for young people without a college degree, the employment picture is crippling.Only 16 percent of those who graduated during the recession (2009-2011) are employed full time, although nearly half are looking for work. A third are unemployed and 15 percent are working part time. One in six have left the labor market altogether. Thirty-seven percent of students who graduated pre-recession (2006-2008) are employed full time, according to the report.

It’s a debilitating reality faced by many young people in D.C. face every day, explains Raymond Bell, founder of the HOPE Project, an IT training and development program in Washington (the inititiave’s moniker stands for Helping Other People Excel). “They’re unable to get McDonald’s, Wendy’s, retail,” he said. “Twenty years ago in D.C., you could graduate from high school … and you could go work for the federal government or the postal service. Now they’re competing with a kid from George Washington University with a 3.9 GPA.”

The study shows that although employment is better than the alternative, the jobs young high school grads are landing are predominantly low paying and often are temporary. Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed said they were paid hourly. The average hourly wage was $7.50, only a quarter more than the federal minimum wage. Three quarters of the jobs reported were temporary. “With this combination of temporary, low-wage work, it is likely that few of the recent high school graduates would have been able to earn an annual income of $10,890 to exceed the official federal poverty level for a single household,” wrote the study’s authors.

Of those who worked part time in their first job after college, about 58 percent earned considerably less than a poverty-level income, according to the study. That has consequences for everyone, Bell said. Young grads without prospects for solid employment are more likely to be teen parents, become homeless, or engage in petty crime, he said.

The Great Recession depressed wages for all young graduates, according to the report. Wages for young high school grads dropped 10 percent from 2007 to 2011. Pay for young college grads also dropped by about 5 percent. In 2011, young college grads earned an average of $16.81 per hour – about $35,000 annually, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

The unemployment rate for all workers ages 16 to 19 was three times the national average – 24.6 percent in May, according to the Labor Department.

Therefore, I have three suggestions:

1. Stay in school if you can. Also, try and keep your grades high.
2. Try and focus on quantitative classes such as math, science and other technical fields.
3. If you have to end your schooling after high school, try and keep current with current technologies.