They're 9 and 0. Nine and zero. The Chiefs. I know less than average about football, but have watched this team struggle for years. Sometimes I wondered how the players suited up and showed up for games.
It's the coach, the coaching, right? Andy Reid and his team have done amazing things with and for the Kansas City Chiefs. A career coach can, I assure you, do that much for a job-seeker.
I've watched our senior recruiter, Kathryn, coach people in their job searches for 11 years. The results speak for themselves. Her coaching clients get better job offers, quicker. Here's a link to a Lee Hecht Harrison post that will tell you more: http://workplaceinsights.lhh.com/2013/11/04/how-a-career-coach-can-fast-track-a-job-search/
Monday, November 4, 2013
Monday, May 6, 2013
Your measurements?
What's your inbox look like? I know there are a few of you who keep your email inbox so clean that there are only 7 items in it (like, maybe, 4 people), but most of us are functioning in data overload. I use the term functioning loosely. Years ago, maybe decades, business activity and growth was sometimes measured by telephone-lines-in-use. Marketers, naturally, love having one more piece of data to work with. And, now -- pffft. Some of our clients don't even have telephones at employees' desks, just computers and mobile phones.
But I've got a new way to measure business activity: my email inbox. Really, it's too embarrassing to share absolute numbers, but let me say that my inbox is now double what it was a year ago. And, we are very busy, recruiting for web experience pros, writers, account managers, designers, etc. No matter how hard I try, or how much of my weekend I devote to it, I can't beat my inbox back to where it was.
Guess that's the good news (and thank heaven for global search)!
But I've got a new way to measure business activity: my email inbox. Really, it's too embarrassing to share absolute numbers, but let me say that my inbox is now double what it was a year ago. And, we are very busy, recruiting for web experience pros, writers, account managers, designers, etc. No matter how hard I try, or how much of my weekend I devote to it, I can't beat my inbox back to where it was.
Guess that's the good news (and thank heaven for global search)!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Referral Required?
Whether it's fair or not, an employee referral is often the difference between getting your foot in the door of a company, or getting your resume thrown on the 'ignore' pile.
The New York Times posted an article on Sunday about this shift in hiring, using several large companies as examples. Referral programs are nothing new, but the trend has been to increase the number of new hires from referrals, at some companies up to 50 percent.
This seems to have the most negative impact on the long-term unemployed, as networks begin to shrink the longer a person is out of work. This is why it's important to remain active in job clubs, volunteer activities, and coffee dates with former (and hoped for) co-workers. The more active a person remains in their network, the more likely they are to get that often necessary referral for their next job. LinkedIn and other social media tools are other ways to get involved and stay visible in the market.
Working with a recruiter can also be a great way to get your name in front of the right hiring manager without necessarily knowing someone already inside the organization. Recruiters often have long relationships with their clients, and as such, their judgement is trusted when recommending someone for a position.
Once you're on the job, the 'what you know' side of things eventually takes over. But to get to that point, more and more it depends on who you know.
The New York Times posted an article on Sunday about this shift in hiring, using several large companies as examples. Referral programs are nothing new, but the trend has been to increase the number of new hires from referrals, at some companies up to 50 percent.
This seems to have the most negative impact on the long-term unemployed, as networks begin to shrink the longer a person is out of work. This is why it's important to remain active in job clubs, volunteer activities, and coffee dates with former (and hoped for) co-workers. The more active a person remains in their network, the more likely they are to get that often necessary referral for their next job. LinkedIn and other social media tools are other ways to get involved and stay visible in the market.
Working with a recruiter can also be a great way to get your name in front of the right hiring manager without necessarily knowing someone already inside the organization. Recruiters often have long relationships with their clients, and as such, their judgement is trusted when recommending someone for a position.
Once you're on the job, the 'what you know' side of things eventually takes over. But to get to that point, more and more it depends on who you know.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Job Code
I may not read Dr. Phil's latest book, Life Code, but there's a worth-repeating story about job-hunting and confidentiality:
A woman extols a potential job opportunity that pays $25K more than her current company. Then feels betrayed by a co-worker who, upon learning this, applies for and gets that job.
Seems like a simple lesson, one that we should have learned by, oh, say, junior high or maybe high school? You remember ... you tell Susie that Phil is dreamy and that Sherry isn't treating him right and ... Susie and Phil are going out on Friday night.
Keep it to yourself if you don't want it to get around. It's still doable, even in this age of exploding media.
A woman extols a potential job opportunity that pays $25K more than her current company. Then feels betrayed by a co-worker who, upon learning this, applies for and gets that job.
Seems like a simple lesson, one that we should have learned by, oh, say, junior high or maybe high school? You remember ... you tell Susie that Phil is dreamy and that Sherry isn't treating him right and ... Susie and Phil are going out on Friday night.
Keep it to yourself if you don't want it to get around. It's still doable, even in this age of exploding media.
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Help -- I need a headline.
Everything I'm coming up with is, well, lame. Here's why:
We get all warm & fuzzy when we have a week like this. Two of our recent recruits are in their new jobs and they LOVE them! The employers, one an ad agency and one a nationally headquartered company, are very pleased with the hires they've made, too. In addition, one of those employees was offered 20% more than she asked for! Sure, employers often have established compensation ranges for specific classes of jobs, but still ... 20%? Our temporary employee has gleefully accepted their offer.
So, as we keep looking for more talented professionals every day (http://www.landajobnow.com/static/jobListings.html), we pause to say Thanks! You all are why we do this job!
(headline suggestions welcome)
We get all warm & fuzzy when we have a week like this. Two of our recent recruits are in their new jobs and they LOVE them! The employers, one an ad agency and one a nationally headquartered company, are very pleased with the hires they've made, too. In addition, one of those employees was offered 20% more than she asked for! Sure, employers often have established compensation ranges for specific classes of jobs, but still ... 20%? Our temporary employee has gleefully accepted their offer.
So, as we keep looking for more talented professionals every day (http://www.landajobnow.com/static/jobListings.html), we pause to say Thanks! You all are why we do this job!
(headline suggestions welcome)
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