5 Top Tips for Job Posting With Job Search Engines
Recruiters and hiring managers, find five tips for optimizing your job postings to ensure that they are seen by the largest possible audience. Some of the tips include utilizing job search engines and using specific keywords in the postings. Most of you are familiar with job search engines (large job boards such as Monster and Careerbuilder and meta job search engines like Indeed.com and...
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Viva Le Difference?
A few weeks ago, we posted an article about some of the differences between men and women in the job economy. While there are many factors in play when it comes to this age old discussion (well decades old anyway...) one recently surfaced in terms of how men and women may view the economy differently. Randstadt recently conducted a survey of over 3000 workers and the findings, while over all...
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New Legislation would Bar Employers from Requesting Social Media Passwords
Following the recent rash of companies opting to ask applicants for their social media passwords, and the critical backlash regarding privacy the practice generated, the federal House and Senate have introduced identical versions of The Password Protection Act of 2012 (PPA) to their respective floors. The act is an effort to stop employers from requiring personal information (mainly passwords for...
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Mercer Releases Online Retirement Planning Program for 401k Plan Participants
Addressing the results of its 2011 Mercer Workplace Survey which found that most employees are feeling a higher level of accountability for their retirement planning, benefits administrator Mercer has announced its new website "My Retirement Workshop" planning and education program aimed at helping its clients assess and better maintain their retirement plans. The company hopes to empower...
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Most American Workers Lack Sufficient Long-term Disability Planning
Even while medical problems are one of the leading causes of bankruptcies and foreclosures in the nation, a large portion of the workforce has been found to have insufficient long-term disability risk planning, reports a new survey by Sun Life Financial, Inc. The results indicate the presence of a national workforce ill prepared for the changing landscape of workplace benefits. The more freedom...
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United Steel Workers Expresses Concerns over Health and Safety Standards
In a letter sent to chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Howard McKeon (R-CA), United Steelworkers (USW) president Leo Gerard expressed his concerns over a recent bill being brought before the U.S. House of Representatives that would eliminate many health and safety standards at all Department of Energy weapon sites. His worries revolve around the effects this act will have on the...
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When Bad Jobs Are Not Really Bad
Mona, 18, is griping about her miserable summer car wash job's low pay and high spray. Software salesman Barry is moping about how bad his sales are compared to the other guys and hates his job for that—thinks it's awful. Factory workers in Guangzhou grumble about their harsh working conditions. The problem is, they all think, "bad jobs". But, not so fast—what makes them so sure their...
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Got a Gift for Gab? Consider these Positions that work to your Strengths as a Socializer
As someone who loves talking and interacting with others, you probably aren't wild over the idea of sitting behind a desk working quietly at a computer all day. And while talkers don't necessarily need to be constantly part of a conversation in order remain engaged in their jobs, positions with important social aspects tend to generate more success for socializers since their can tap into...
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Forecast Predicts Continued Economic Growth Through 2012
Indicators in both the manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors have led to predictions of continued economic growth by the nation's purchasing and supply executives. Predictions were gathered in the first of this year's Semiannual Economic Forecast reports issued by the Business Survey Committee of the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). Regarding the manufacturing sector, 66...
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Google and Apple Top the List of Ideal Employers
Universum, a global company focused on employment branding, has released its updated 2012 list of ideal employers. The list is culled from a sample of almost 60,000 undergraduates and attempts to quantify which companies are the most attractive prospective employers. Being recognized as an ideal employer would indicate that prospective candidates perceive a company to have satisfied employees,...
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Adecco Reveals Best Cities for Job Seekers in 2012
As the national unemployment rate ticks slowly downward and companies regain confidence in their need for more talent, the skills of well-qualified workers is on the increase. With the economic situation slowly returning to pre-recession levels, HR solutions firm Adecco Staffing US has developed its list of top 10 cities to find jobs in the U.S. Using data collected from the company's...
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Misclassification of Employees Creates Giant Losses
Cases of wage-and-hour complaints are on the rise leading to increased costs to employers struggling to shore up their HR procedures and policies. In 2011, employers settled over 100 wage-and-hour cases; about 2.5 times the number of cases in 2007 and 2008. What's more, most of these settlements were between $1 and $2.5 million, according to the National Economic Research Associates. Also,...
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New Teaching App Uses Gaming to Help Businesses be more Social Media Savvy
A new gaming app by The Borenstein Group has received a "Boss-Approval" rating for its attempt to help employees recognize the importance of social media marketing tools. The free app, entitled "Turtle or Soup: Survival of the Smartest," is racing game featuring characters ranging from Roi, the All-American Small Business Turtle and his nemesis Biggie the Rabbit. Winners of the game...
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Appreciation is an Everyday Thing
As I write this it is Mother's Day in the US. And that's one day where you don't hear very much complaining. Oh sure you hear tales of manufactured holidays some Valentine's and well, pretty much every holiday. But Mother's Day has a special place in the hearts of many. But those who rail against the holiday make a valid point. They say that saving all your appreciation for one day misses the...
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Fiduciary Plan Governance Releases New Regulations Process
Plan assessment firm Fiduciary Plan Governance, LLC (FPG) has released its 408(b)(2) and 404(a)(5) management process, FeeSource, in order to add 401K fee transparency. Edward Lynch, Founderand CEO of FPG, said "Plan sponsors will soon face a deluge of fee-related data that will do almost nothing to clarify whether they are actually getting a good value for their 401(k) dollars. FeeSource is...
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How to Enjoy a Successful Recruiting Career
Good recruiters, who can develop effective recruitment strategies and quickly build a pipeline of top talent for their employees, are becoming hot commodities. If you could trade in professional staff, then the share price for recruiters would be high and climbing for the foreseeable future. This is because of the impact of the well documented global talent shortages of US businesses –...
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Manufacturing Jobs are Transforming into Higher Skilled and Higher Paying Careers
In its new report "The Benefits of Manufacturing Jobs," the U.S. Commerce Department's Economics and Statistics Administration has concluded that manufacturing workers are receiving a total hourly wage 17 percent higher than non-manufacturing workers. The report also found that the number of workers in manufacturing jobs with a high school diploma increased along with the number of workers...
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New Tool Allows Disability Benefits Plan Comparison
A new tool (found here) created by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is allowing companies to compare their disability benefits plan with other companies in order to determine competitiveness and discover industry trends. The online tool, called the Disability Benefits Benchmarking Survey, consists of ten multiple choice questions that delve into the details of a...
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Retail Turnover Rates Increase
A Hays Group report has found that turnover levels in the retail industry has slowly risen during Q1 as the job market and retail sales improve. For the first quarter of 2012, retailers reported a median turnover rate of 67 percent for part-timers, rising 33 percent over 2011. About 20 percent of retailers have reported experiencing a jump in first quarter employee turnover. "Higher...
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IRS Announces the Latest HSA Limits for 2013
The IRS has just announced new limits for health savings accounts (HSA) which have been recently adjusted for inflation. Limits that are to go into effect beginning in calendar year 2013 include: Annual Contribution Limits For individual coverage, the maximum deductible that may be required under high-deductible health plans is $3,250; an increase of $150 over 2012. For family-coverage...
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How Not to Answer Interview Questions
A job interview is an interesting dish consisting of equal parts terror, elation, relief, and uncertainty. And like the process of concocting any gourmet meal, it takes a lot of preparation to get an interview just right. As such, an excellent way to calm wayward nerves is to try and anticipate questions that may be asked of you during the interrogation. By and large, employers aren't out to...
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7 Cool Mobile Recruiting Apps
Change is ever-present in today's world of recruitment. First, it was the paperless office, then it was Internet jobs boards, and, just as we got used to that, along came social recruitment. And, while many of us are still catching our breath with social media recruitment, along comes the next big transformational event in recruiting: Mobile Recruitment. And, just in case any of you think that...
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EEOC Investigates a Common FMLA Policy which may Spell Trouble for Unaware Employers
The EEOC has made it known that it will be seeking out companies maintaining automatic termination policies for absentee employees missing periods of work beyond their FMLA allotment. This new trend is becoming more prevalent because many FMLA leave cases are being automatically transitioned over to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) cases once an employee remains unable to return to work...
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Slight Gain in Hiring Trends for Small Businesses in April
The CBIZ Small Business Employment Index (SBEI), showing small business hiring trends, rose a mere 0.5 percent in April 2012 on the tail of a 1.66 percent increase in March. The marginal growth is blamed on predictions of a sluggish economy and flagging private sector job growth. ADP recently reported that the private sector added just 119,000 jobs in April, coming in below...
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Executive Recruitment Experiencing Declining Revenues
Data collected by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) indicate a small increase in new executive searches for the first quarter of 2012 but reveal an overall downward trend in revenue both from Q4 2011 to Q1 2012 and over the year (down 6.3 percent and 7 percent, respectively). Most major industry groups reported drops in demand with only the technology and consumer industries...
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Developing a Measurable Corporate Recruiting Model
There was a time a few years back when HR – or Personnel as it was referred to then – was able to sit happily within the corporate business model as a cost center; there was little controversy and it did not need to justify it's presence or exhibit a return on investment. But, the game has changed since then, due to increased competition on every level, which has forced businesses to become...
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Making Intermittent FMLA Less of a Pain through Smart Policy Additions
Easing the pain and frustration of rampant intermittent leave may seem like a sort of Holy Grail for HR professionals but there are a number of policy additions that can work to alleviate some of the suffering. And while you can't openly ban the practice of using FMLA for valid recurrent leave time, you can help put a stop to its abuse. Recently speaking at the 2012 Labor Employment Law...
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TeamHealth Purchases Exigence to Offer Enhanced Medical Staffing and Management Solutions
Physician and clinical staffing giant TeamHealth Holdings, Inc. has announced its acquisition of healthcare management provider The Exigence Group; supplier of management and staffing for twelve emergency departments, three hospital medicine programs, and eight urgent care centers (under the name Immediate Care Centers) in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Speaking in representation of...
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Should Recruiting Operate More Like Casinos?
What would it be like if HR departments, recruiting agencies and client corporations operated more like casinos or the casino-like restaurant (in no way associated with or near a real casino) I ate at for the second and last time today? Can a successful casino-business model be applied to recruiting and to ordinary restaurants? Dining Roulette I say the restaurant was like a casino...
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Officescape's Office Search Tool Allows Search and Reserve On-Demand Office Space
Officescape has released its new office search tool that allows users to locate and reserve offices and meeting rooms using its Office on Demand network. The workplace tool is available for full and mobile browsers and helps simplify the process of reserving work-ready space at a growing number of places around the world. Users simply entire addresses into the search engine, select the type of...
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SHRM: More Employers Increased Benefits to Improve Employees' Health
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has determined that more employers increased the availability of benefits to employees who improve their health in 2012. Over the last five years, the percentage of employers offering health coaching has spiked from 33 percent in 2008 to 45 percent in 2012 while those offering rewards for reaching wellness and health goals increased from 23 percent...
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Medicare Supplement Memberships Continue to Grow
According to health-plan data aggregator Mark Farrah Associates' new Healthcare Business Strategy Report, the number Medicare Supplement polities issued over the last three years rose 7.5 percent during 2011, over the year. According to data aggregated from financial statement filed with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, as of December 31, 2011, 9.9 million seniors had...
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New Document Security Vault Created
While the dream of a completely paperless office may never fully die, the reality is that it is virtually impossible to avoid having at least some amount of required paperwork building up around the office. And while electronic documentation continues to develop at a brisk pace, ensuring the security of confidential paper documents and HR information remains a primary business concern. Enter...
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Resume Formatting Tips For New Professionals
Believe it or not, there are people who pay hundreds of dollars to have their resumes written by a professional. The truth is though, that if a resume is not structured and formatted correctly, all of the experience and education in the world will not land you the job. Many a resume has met its end with the shredder because of formatting and technical errors, even though their experience and...
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5 Tips For Creating An Impressive Cover Letter
You can have the most innovative resume, complete with professional looking font and fabulous stationary, but believe it or not, it might not be what gets you in the door. Many people overlook the value of a good cover letter and what it can do to increase your chances for landing yourself an interview. Cover letters gives applicants the opportunity to strut their stuff in half a page or...
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Interview Question Tip: How To Answer Why You Want To Leave
It is no secret that the job market these days is incredibly difficult to break through. In fact, a recent analysis of government data determined that half of college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed. What this means for applicants is that not only do they need to find new and innovative ways to breakthrough the candidate pool, but they also need to shine during the interview...
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New Behavioral Emotional Intelligence Quotient Model Released
Individual and organizational performance specialists TRACOM Group have released the next-generation of Emotional Intelligence Quotient assessment and training use to improve workplace productivity through the measurement and development of the workforce Behavioral Emotional Intelligence Quotient (BEQ). Multiple studies have found BEQ is a determining factor when identifying workers who will be...
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Most Gen Y Workers Lack Financial Safety Net
MetLife's 10th Annual Study of Employee Benefits Trends has revealed that upwards of two out of every three employees aged 21 to 31 are distressed about their financial security if unable to work due to illness or injury. What's more, almost half of Gen Y workers report that they are only one paycheck away from living in poverty. Compounding this issue is the fact that only about half of...
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The Best Interview Questions Ever
Studies have shown that structured interviewing is more than twice as reliable a predictor of future performance than unstructured interviewing. That is why most of you today use structured interviews as the key assessment tool within your selection processes. The trouble with this systematic style of interviewing is that the interview questions, while originally taxing, have been continuously...
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A Multitude of Hope
The 2001 recession was the first economic downturn in history during which the sale of job search and career books went down. They've stayed down ever since. Why? Because there's no lack of career and job search advice available online. Why bother to wade through something that has the look and feel of a school textbook when we can get everything we need in a couple of paragraphs on...
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Mass Layoffs Summary: March 2012
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported that 1,273 mass layoff events occurred in March 2012. The layoffs affected 121,310 employees nationwide. The number of March events slipped down 20 under February 2012 and but initial unemployment claims increased by 1,847 over the month. Each mass layoff event affected at least 50 employees at a single employer. The national unemployment rate...
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How To Negotiate Salary For Your First Job
All applicants and interviewees dread questions about salary. It is difficult to put a price on your unique talents, education and background (or lack thereof!), but candidates must come to terms with the fact that all hiring managers can use this question as a good indicator of quite a few things: Are the candidate's expectations realistic? Are the candidate's expectations in line...
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New Mobile Recruiting and Job Matching App Launched
ACareerJob's most recent mobile release is a new and comprehensive mobile job matching app that allows job seekers and employers receive real-time matches on their smartphones. The job matching mobile app offers a sophisticated search engine which filters out applicants whose credentials do not match an employer's criteria and ensures the most qualified candidates are quickly connected...
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Job Openings Decrease
The popular job search engine SimplyHired.com has reported in its May 2012 Employment Outlook report that job openings are down 5.4 percent across the nation, over-the-month and down 6.9 percent over-the-year. Job competition remained flat for April 2012 resting at three unemployed persons for each job opening. "Although job openings decreased from last month, this isn't unusual for...
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The New LinkedIn Profile Improvement Tool
On LinkedIn profiles, 100% isn't complete anymore. With several new sections added, just filling out your basics is no longer good enough. LinkedIn has recently rolled out the new Improve Your Profile Tool, which takes its users beyond the well-known profile elements to have a much richer display of professional information. Of the new sections to your profile, pay particular attention to...
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Where is Henry Ford's 'Wage Motive' in the 'Not-So-Great' Today?
We've all heard of the "profit motive" as the spark plug of our free-enterprise economy. But what about the "wage motive" or the "salary motive"? In the mantras of capitalism, no phrase is more piously and fervently intoned than "the profit motive". We are told, "Unleash entrepreneurs and job creators so they can have the incentive to (generate the profits needed) to...
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5 Places to Go for Resume Templates
With many of America's major cities, facing 8-9 applicants per post, the competition for jobs is officially 'fierce', and job seekers must prepare a professional standard resume if they are to even get an interview, let alone get a job. Jobseekers with enough financial resources may choose to hire a professional resume writer to ensure that they are in possession of a first class resume. But,...
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Employers Confident about Workforce Negotiations
The release of the 27th annual Bloomberg BNA Employer Bargaining Objectives survey has given details into the employer wish list for bargaining issues such as employee compensation, healthcare, life insurance, retirement benefits, and paid leave. The report also revealed that employers have generally high confidence in attaining their goals with the renewals of their expiring labor contracts. In...
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