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.

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.

With the mega IPO pending for Facebook, I am reminded that LinkedIn has been a much better business networking tool for our firm. Though Facebook is trying to push into the business market, they still seem to be more slated towards personal contacts. This contrasts with LinkedIn, which has netted me a lot more useful passive candidates for very difficult searches. That is why I have put very little effort into either Facebook or Twitter as business networking tools. Instead, I have put a lot of effort into building up 1300 key connections on LinkedIn, which makes me one of the top 1% of all LinkedIn networkers!

Employers only created 120,000 jobs last month, which was 50% of the number added in the prior month. It was the first time since November that jobs creation fell below 200,000. Most of the one-tenth of a point drop was due to fewer Americans seeking work and not more workers finding jobs! However, relief exists in the new form of networking: electronic networking.

As an executive recruiter over the last 25 years, I have found that over 70% of my most qualified candidates were uncovered by networking. Today is no different. However, new, electronic methods of networking exist. Two are: 1) leveraging social media sites like LinkedIn and 2) Link Building. Like in past times when you swayed contacts to be added to your rolodex, Link Building is an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) adaptation where by you convince high-quality contacts to link to your online presence (e.g. blog) to provide what search engines call “Link Juice” or increased reputation. Candidates can leverage this increased reputation to increase their chances of being hired by desired employers! To learn more, I invite you as my special guest to an extraordinary symposium I am hosting on Wednesday, April 25th starting at 5:30 p.m. entitled, “Link Building In 2012 And Beyond.”

I am happy I pushed myself to attend WordCamp Chicago 2011 this weekend. Though my time was limited, I am very glad I allocated the time to experience this phenomenal event. There were numerous geniuses who unselfishly shared many key tips to help my two blogs which are both based upon WordPress CMS (Content Management System). It also helped me to realize that WordPress can be an important vehicle to assist job seekers in standing out among the sea of eager job applicants during these terrible employment times. Developing a blog and sharing its content on some specific area, that you stand out among your peers, can get you noticed. Furthermore, WordPress makes this a lot easier to do. I really recommend (if you have not considered doing so already) developing a work-related blog on your expertise. Especially sharing helpful hints that you think can assist others. Also, commenting on other’s blogs, social media sites and on-line articles. The more you do so, the more likely you will get noticed among the clutter of desparate job seekers.

I would like to invite you to an extraordinary event that can benefit you and your colleagues in several ways. On Saturday, August 20th starting at 10 a.m. I have arranged a special symposium showcasing two experts well versed in applying SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to job hunting and recruiting.

You may recall that I am an expert on jobs, careers and labor issues who is on the cutting-edge of applying state-of-the-art techniques like SEO to job-hunting, including running the largest SEO group in the Chicago area with over 530 members. Please go to http://www.meetup.com/chicago-seo/ to learn more about our group and http://www.flickr.com/photos/62192465@N08/sets/72157626449504491/ to view some photos from one of our recent events.

The first segment, will target job seekers and be entitled, “I Want To Be Found: Using SEO to Enhance Your Job Search.”

Employers and recruiters are increasingly relying on online search as a way to uncover and attract qualified candidates. But how can job seekers ensure that they will be found? What SEO techniques can enhance one’s prospects? Expert Gordon Dymowski will discuss these topics and more including optimizing online channels to create a “communications hub” to make oneself a lot more “visible” during online searches, resulting in a higher frequency of contacts and more job interviews!

Mr. Dymowski has over ten years experience in non-profit/cause-related advocacy and marketing, building communities one cause at a time through a strategic, creative approach to social media (and other online channels) and interpersonal engagement, allowing non-profits and small businesses to outperform their competitors through engaging their constituency. His past employers include, Harvard School of Public Health, Salvation Army, the National Council on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse, and Zocalo Group. Gordon continues to indulge his passion for community building, co-organizing the Chicago Net Tuesday group (which enables social benefit organizations to leverage the tools of the social web) and coordinating marketing efforts for the Chicago Red Cross’ Mission. He also blogs on a variety of subjects ranging from comics and popular culture to non-profits, and is a frequent contributor to the Chicago Now Job Stalker blog. Gordon has a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the Loyola Graduate School of Education. Please go to http://www.gordondymowski.com/ to learn more about Mr. Dymowski.

The second segment will be devoted to applying SEO to recruiting and is entitled, “Candidate Sourcing Makeover – SEO Style.”
Job seekers are changing the way they look for job opportunities, which means that employers need to change the way they locate good people. It’s not surprising that candidates use search engines to find jobs. Unfortunately, less than 2% of the time they’ll locate a targeted company’s career website and job postings. Attendees will learn: 1) why candidates are not currently finding their company’s career websites and job postings and 2) how to leverage SEO to make their organizations more “visible”, which will attract many more qualified candidates.

Leading this discussion, Nicole Bodem, Director of Search Marketing at Bernard Hodes, will be flying in from her offices in Minneapolis to speak to our group. Her areas of focus are SEO strategy, implementation and candidate traffic growth. Prior to joining Bernard Hodes, she held positions at Arbita, a recruitment-advertising agency as well as Jobs2web, where she was responsible for defining the SEO methodology used on their recruiting platform. She has lectured at many search industry events including Search Engine Strategies (SES). She also regularly leads webinars and writes about SEO as it relates to the recruiting space on her blog. Please go to http://www.hrsearchmarketing.com/ to learn more about Nicole.

The seminar will be hosted by TechNexus in their 15th floor conference room at 200 S. Wacker, Chicago, Illinois 60606, on Saturday, August 20th from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Please go to http://www.technexus.com/ to learn more about this unique venue.

Though this event is closed to my SEO group, seating is limited and RSVP is required, I would be happy to squeeze you into this unique event if you contact me directly.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported earlier today that there were only 18,000 new jobs created in June. As a result, the unemployment rate rose for the second straight month to 9.2%! Additionally, many economists thought we had reversed the historical crisis of 20 straight months of 9.4% or worse from May 2009 to January 2011. Unfortunately, we are edging ever closer to that terrible 9.4% rate. Furthermore, the real unemployment rate, if you include those who have either given up looking or are involuntarily working part-time (and are not included in the BLS numbers), is closer to 16.6% or 1 in 6 workers! 

I am both a jobs expert and leader of the largest SEO group in the Chicago area including being an expert in applying SEO to job hunting. I have attached some of my talking points for your review.

1. 25.4 million ( +.8 mil from past month)= 14.1 mil. Unemployed + 8.6 mil. Involuntarily working part-time + 2.7 mil. who are not even counted = 25.4 million workers who are either unemployed or underemployed or 16.6% of all workers! = 1 in 6 workers still unemployed or underemployed in the June BLS figures!

2. The recession has killed off 7.9 million jobs. Many of them are not coming back!

3. BLS said that the National Unemployment rate edged up .1% to 9.2% in June.

4. Caveat: 20 straight (May 2009 to January 2011) months of the unemployment rate being 9.4% or higher!

5. Illinois unemployment rate 8.8% in May= +.2% (Projected).

6. Gain of only 18,000 non-farm jobs in June.

7. The gains were: a) Professional and technical services gained 24,000 jobs in June (gained 245,000 jobs since a recent low in March 2010) b) Health Care which rose by 14,000 in June (Key: has averaged 24,000 added per month during the past 12 months) c) Mining added 6,000 in June (Key: has risen 128,000 since the low point of October 2009) and d) leisure and hospitality, which added 34,000 jobs in June (Key: has added 279,000 since a recent low in October 2009)!

8. The loser was government jobs, which continues to decline and was down 39,000 for the month!

9. How bad is it? a) At June’s pace of only 18,000 jobs created, it would take over 10 years to make up for all the jobs lost by the recession and b) A U.S. Bancorp study of 1004 U.S. companies with $10 mil. or less revenues showed: a) 70% have no plans to expand their staffs over the next 12 months and b) 78% believe that the U.S. economy is still in a recession!