How strong is the jobs market? On Wednesday, payroll-processing firm ADP reported that last month was the weakest private sector hiring month since last September with only 119,000 jobs created. However, today the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said that the U.S. economy added 165,000 jobs last month, more than the 148,000 expected by top economists. This supposedly dropped the unemployment rate to 7.5%. Who is right?

Whichever figures you decide to follow, REAL UNEMPLOYMENT remains very high! If you total: a) unemployment (11,700,00 for April = the same as March) b) those working involuntarily part-time (7,900,000 for April = an increase of 278,000 over March) and c) those who just gave up looking (2,300,000 for April = the same as March), you have a total of 21,900,000 or an increase of 300,000 over March! This is about 16% of the workforce that is either unemployed or underemployed!

My consultants regularly answer the phones of these great Americans who are eager to work, but don’t have an opportunity to do so. Just a walk back home yesterday down Broadway showed many small businesses that had been there in the last few months now out of business! What politicians regularly trumpet, but fail to grasp is small businesses are the real engine for jobs growth creating almost 70% of the net new jobs over the last 20 years. Unfortunately, many of the current policies run contrary to what small business owners need to succeed and add new jobs!

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.

Several recent studies have revealed an increasing shortage of skilled technical talent. For example, a recent report conducted by Crain’s Chicago Business, revealed that: a) demand for tech workers continues to rise and b) the unemployment rate for tech workers is less than 4%. In fact, for some specialty tech professions unemployment is NONEXSISTANT! As a result, many employers have had to resort to signing bonuses and other unique perks to woo talent. For example, Fred Lee, Chief Technology Officer of Chicago-based Enova, an online payday lender that plans to add 50 tech workers this year to its Chicago staff of 1000 employees said, “There’s a tech talent war that’s happening.”

No worries; we can deliver top-notch R&D, scientific, IT and engineering candidates from Staff to C-levels (e.g. CTO or CIO). Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/qualification-technical-recruiting.php for a detailed list of our specialties and terms.

Unlike most recruiting firms, which just “float” resumes (i.e. haphazardly send numerous resumes to you in hopes that one meets your needs), our very systematic 3-STEP PROCESS ENSURES YOUR NEEDS WILL BE MET!

This proven 3-step process includes:
1. Meeting your key representatives on location to develop a comprehensive NEEDS ANALYSIS doctrine. This extensive consultative process includes both: a) reviewing stated job descriptions and b) uncovering hidden employment necessities unique to your corporate culture. The cornerstone is brainstorming to expose additional parameters, which may not have been considered, based upon the distinctiveness of your work environment and limitations of the current labor pool. We spend unlimited time on this very important step before moving forward because this provides the roadmap of your search and ensures surfacing only those candidates who truly meet your unique needs!
2. Engaging in an exhaustive process of SOURCING all viable candidates including: a) employing our 100,000 candidate internal databank b) utilizing all relevant mass databases (e.g. LinkedIn, where I personally have almost 2000 direct connections) c) uncovering all related industry associations and utilizing their internal databases, contacts and jobs posting sources and d) directly recruiting candidates from agreed upon competitors.
3. Applying thorough BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS on all finalists including: a) face-to-face interviews b) reference checking c) confirming educational credentials and d) applying our trademarked Accu-checkcriminal and civil investigation process. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/accucheck.php for more information on this unique practice. Assisting us is former FBI agent Tim Pitchford who utilizes the “trapline” network of retired FBI agents to comprehensively cross-examine your finalists to uncover any “skeletons” in their past.

Furthermore, we also offer STAFFING AND ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT CONSULTING. This includes acting as a strategic advisor to share some of the best recruiting and workplace practices worldwide to streamline your staffing methodologies. This will greatly improve your probability of attracting the key talent you desire. Please go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/technical-recruiting-tips/technical-recruiting-tips.php to view some of our best practices.

If we can be of service to your organization, clients or colleagues, please forward this information. Also, please let me know if I can answer any additional questions.

Though the unemployment rate dropped by .2% to 7.7%, a lot more needs to be done. For example, if you total: a) Unemployed (12 million) b) those involuntarily working part-time (8 million) and c) those who have just given up looking (2.6 million), the aggregate figure only fell 100,000 from last month (from 22.7 million last month to 22.6 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.

As Big Data becomes a fixture of office life, companies are turning to tracking devices to gather real-time information on how teams of employees work and interact. Sensors, worn on lanyards or placed on office furniture, record how often staffers get up from their desks, consult other teams and hold meetings.

Businesses say the data offer otherwise hard-to-glean insights about how workers do their jobs, and are using the information to make changes large and small, ranging from the timing of coffee breaks to how work groups are composed, to spur collaboration and productivity.

The caveat is workers have to become more and more cognizant of their actions. Otherwise they risk being disciplined or laid off. This is especially true during these tough employment times when about 16% of the workforce is either: a) unemployed b) underemployed (e.g. involuntarily working part time) or c) has just given up looking!

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

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.

Despite the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reporting recently that unemployment rate had dropped by .3% to 7.8%, there are still a lot of candidates for every open position. This is the case because, in addition to the 12.1 million unemployed reported by the BLS, there are also 8.6 million who are involuntarily working part-time. Fortunately, the web offers a solution.

If you go to http://www.strategicsearch.com/technical-recruiting-tips/technical-recruiting-tips.php and click on #10 (below) you will see that my 10^th Commandment of Recruiting recommends expanding your vetting process to include social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. A very thorough investigation of these sites will often uncover past poor behavior including alcohol and drug abuse, aggressive tendencies, sexual assaults or cases of plagiarism. I don’t recommend using this information as a sole indicator, but when you have other suspicions then this can be another tool to see “the bigger picture” on someone.

One constraint is most companies lack the time, resources or inclination to vet every candidate’s social-media presence. With all the other information one needs to investigate, such as references and educational credential verification, this can be overwhelming. However, the cost of hiring the wrong person can be disastrous!

One tip to shorten this process is to Google candidates to learn more about a project they were involved with or because a red flag was raised in an interview, recommendation or somewhere else. Then if you do uncover some questionable practices, you can devote extra time to more thoroughly investigating that candidate using social media sites.

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.