Gov't Helps Spur The Green Economy
In recent years, there's been a lot of talk of a green economy, that mythical time in the future when investment in environmentally friendly industries will lead to the next economic boom. But the reality is that the predicted green economic boom has been slow to get off the ground. The U.S. Department of Labor is now trying to move the process along with grants and investments in the growing...
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Required Reading for Startups
When you're running a startup business, time moves at a blistering pace. The work week goes by in a blink with very little time for reflection. Last week on Friday, we were talking about some new development and when I asked Ashley to check something out, he said, "Ok, next week." I think my email back was "Next Week!?!" By next week I'm a dinosaur, next week is when we need to go live... But...
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Meeting Candidates...A Must or Bust?
Over the years, you may have heard people exhorting you to meet your candidates in person. A boss here, a boss there, a Client here, a Client there. Meeting a candidate in person is an excellent way to get a read on them from a very different point of view than simply taking a look at their resumes or references. Indeed, it's often when meeting someone in person that we find that...
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A U.S. Trade Surplus?
For some time now we've been hearing the near panicked sound of economists and pundits decrying our high trade deficit and the horror it shall reap upon our teetering and fragile economy. And things just got worse this week, as high oil price have led to an even higher U.S. trade deficit. However, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economics and Statistics...
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Flying the Less Frustrating Skies
A couple of years ago, reports of tarmac delays of eleven or twelve hours, filled people with dread about the next time they had to fly. For business travelers, who depend upon the airlines for their livelihood, these reports hit even closer to home. Last year, in response to these incidents, the U.S. Department of Transportation put into place new rules concerning tarmac delays. As reported...
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Why Product Marketing Management is a Good Career Choice
A career in project marketing management is often overlooked by a lot of college graduates or professionals looking for a new career, but the job can be a great opportunity for professional and person growth for the right person. The role of a product marketing manager (PMM) is to define and execute the Go-To-Market or GTM plan for a product. A product marketing manager's responsibilities...
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Beware of Tax Fraud
When placing job candidates in jobs as independent contractors or consultants, recruiters might want to spend some time discussing the tax ramifications of this type of position, or even develop relationships with reputable accountants and tax preparers that they can recommend. Especially since the IRS and Department of Justice are serious about prosecuting tax fraud. Job candidates should be...
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The Recruiter Code of Ethics: Moses vs. Socrates
"Hey, I'm just doing my job!"—remark of paparazzo arrested, fined and released in 2007 for trespassing to take nude photos of an unnamed star "The professional arsonist builds vacant lots for money."—Jimmy Breslin If you, as a recruiter, are asked, "Are you a professional?", you are virtually certain to not only say "yes" but to say it proudly. But if you are...
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3 Signs that your IT Recruiter is Lying
If you're a software developer, technology professional, or computer programmer working with an IT recruiter, trust is a critical component to finding the right position and ensuring that you aren't mislead. In this highly technical area, it's very important to distinguish a qualified recruiter from a hack. It's a difficult area, because technical competence is not what you are really evaluating,...
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Longer Job Search, No Matter What the Outcome
Whether a person's job search ends in victory or defeat, the recession has made it longer. In a hard fought battle on Capital Hill last December, unemployment benefits were extended to a maximum of 99 weeks. Of course, 99 weeks is the upper limit, and many people will find a job before their benefit run out. How long does the typical person remain unemployed? According to a report released...
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A New (Somewhat Scary) World for Lawyers
There was a time when going to law school meant a virtual guarantee to a good job and a stable life. That is no longer the case. And it's important for recruiters who deal with the legal profession to understand the changes in the industry, and make sure clients they are trying to place have realistic expectations. Even as law schools are sending more lawyers into the work force, much of...
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What Makes a Great Marketing Manager?
The effectiveness of a company's marketing efforts determines its success--or failure. The marketing manager has the most critical role in a company. There are some qualities that successful marketing managers possess. Depending on the size, nature and stage of the company, all of these qualities may not be necessary, but they certainly wouldn't hurt. Being a vision creator. A great marketing...
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More Jobs, Yet Higher Unemployment
Despite an encouraging increase in jobs in April (244,000 nonfarm payroll jobs) the unemployment rate actually ticked up in April. That's still 0.8 percent lower than November 2010, but an uptick in unemployment at first seems disconcerting. If we've added so many jobs, why isn't unemployment going down? According to Jacob Goldstein of NPR's Planet Money Blog (May 6), the two numbers are...
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Job Growth vs. Risk – States Loosen Insurance Regs
States desperate to create jobs and stimulate their economies may be taking on more future risk than is reasonable in the name of short term gains. As reported in The New York Times on Sunday on May 8 (in an article by Mary Williams Walsh and Louise Story), several states have enacted legislation to allow companies to set up special insurance subsidiaries called captives. These subsidiaries...
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Does High-Speed Rail Mean High-Speed Job Growth?
Yes it does, according to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. Earlier this week LaHood announced $2 billion in high-speed rail awards providing an unprecedented investment to speed up trains in the Northeast Corridor, expand service in the Midwest and provide new, state-of-the-art locomotives and rail cars as part of the Administration's plan to transform travel in America. Other...
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Microsoft to Acquire Skype
As ubiquitous as Microsoft is, in recent years it was starting to feel like it was losing it's edge to a resurgent Apple and such newer, younger corporate upstarts like Google and Facebook. And, of course, Skype, the leader in internet communications. But Microsoft announced today that it will acquire Skype, a move that should position the company to be better able to compete in this...
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Career Goals: Road Mapping Your Future
So you are out of college, or soon to graduate with your prestigious degree, or perhaps thinking it's time to make a career move. How do you make certain that you make the best choices in the interest of your long-term career goals? The answer is simple; create a road map to success. It may sound like a challenging task, but it only takes a bit of forward thinking and can save you a lot of...
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Where Do I Go From Here? Agency versus Corporate Recruiting
Like most people out there, sometimes Recruiters are looking for a change themselves. It can come upon us slowly with a build-up of frustrations. It can come upon us suddenly out of a simple desire for change. Or still like others, it can come upon us when we are presented with an opportunity we weren't quite looking for. So now you have to make a choice...are you an Agency Recruiter or...
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How to Get a Recruiter to Notice You
When looking for a job, it's easy to discount having a personal relationship with a recruiter, but nothing could be further from the truth. Having a recruiter notice you and look out for your interest can be the fastest and most effective way to network your way into a new position. Filling out a job application is required, but in no way should it be your first step with a recruiter. Get in...
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Emotions for Hire: The Role of "Emotional Labor" in the Workplace
"Ironically, those employed in assembly-line manufacturing jobs like these, which are generally regarded as the most regimented, have an enviable freedom that most white-collar professionals do not: the freedom of emotional non-expression..." When you place staff, your obligation is, of course, to ensure that they can do the job and perform as well as, or better than expected. But are you...
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Apple Involved in Salary-Fixing Lawsuit
A lawsuit filed in California alleges that Google, Apple, Intel, Adobe Systems, Intuit, Pixar and Lucasfilm entered into a web of agreements to eliminate competition for skilled labor, violating antitrust laws by effectively fixing employee pay. These same companies settled a civil suit and Department of Justice investigation in September 2010 by agreeing to stop using "do not cold call"...
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Is a Public Linkedin Positioned Against Recruiting Firms?
Linkedin today formalized and detailed their IPO plans with an amendment to their Registration Statement filed with the SEC. The public stock offering would value the popular social networking site at over $3 Billion. The shares of Linkedin will be offered to the public at between $32 and $35 a share. The Linkedin IPO is the first major public offering of a pure-play social networking company....
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To Friend or Not to Friend....The Dangers of Social Networks
In an age when Recruiters have more options to them than ever before, we can consider ourselves lucky for the LinkedIn, Twitters and Facebooks of the world. Where professional networking used to be confined to conferences, professional development events and User Groups, we Recruiters find ourselves in a golden age of networking. Indeed, professional networking is taking place at all the old...
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New Timesheet App
For employees who are paid by the hour (no matter how high or low that hourly wage is), discrepancies in record keeping of the number of hours worked can be frustrating. While most employers don't purposely try to defraud their employees, this sort of record keeping often isn't a priority (unless they think the employees are taking advantage). It is important, therefore, for employees to keep...
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Employment Changes by Industry
As reported earlier this week, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 244,000 in April, and the private sector added 268,000 jobs. But all jobs are not create equal. The jobs being created now may give us a window into what the employment landscape will be in the future. The biggest jobs boost came in the retail sector, which added 57,000 jobs in April. Over the years pundits have...
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Job Creation That's Working
Statistics released last week by the U.S. Department of Labor showed that the economy gained 244,000 jobs in April. Where did these jobs come from? Are the cries for more job creation legislation finally being heeded? And are there job creation programs that are actually paying off? Job creation legislation is a tricky thing. When most people in the U.S. demand the government do...
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Interview with Ty Abernethy of ZuzuHire
Today, Recruiter.com sits down with Ty Abernethy of ZuzuHire. Like many other recruiting technology startups, his inspiration comes from trying to solve a real world recruiting problem. Can you tell our audience a little bit about yourself? My background is in 3rd party recruiting. In fact, I grew up in the business. My dad started a staffing agency back in 1979 that's grown to...
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Career Development Centers: Job Seeking Resources in Your Backyard
Almost every city and town in the United States has a career development center within its limits. Most commonly, these offices are part of your town's local Department of Labor or unemployment office. Some community colleges, trade schools and universities also have career development centers that community members may utilize, but some may be for alumni only so it's best to call ahead...
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Emergency Grant Brings Temp Jobs to Mississippi
The storms and flooding that have devastated Mississippi recently have only added to the economic problems in that state. With an unemployment rate of 10.2 percent (more than a percentage point higher than the national average), the economic recovery slowly taking hold in other parts of the country was already having trouble finding it's way to Mississippi even before the storms hit. In...
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Secretary of Labor Breaks Down the Numbers
On Friday, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis released a statement in which she gave her interpretation of April's employment statistics. April's numbers included an increase in the number of jobs added to the economy from the previous month, but unemployment also went up slightly. Nonfarm payroll employment added 244,000 jobs and the private sector had a net increase of 268,000 jobs. These...
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Moms and Jobs
When the economy picks up, one group that may come flowing into the work force are mothers who chose to stay home as much due to the lack of jobs as to spend time with their children. For many working women, having children is just a break in their career (though a very tiring and rewarding one). New mothers may take maternity leave from their jobs, or may leave the workforce for a number of...
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Social Media and Self Discovery
Social media (remember when it was called social networking?) gives everyone the opportunity to connect, share, and participate with other people. Social media has gathered so much attention that it has transformed the way that we communicate, discover news, and in some cases, perform our jobs. Entire professions and departments of companies are devoted to researching methods and improving use...
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Don't Call Me, I'll Call You... Getting the Call Back
So you've found the perfect candidate, a coup in and of itself. But now that candidate isn't calling you back. There have been a few calls, a few voice-mails and at least one or two emails. So why aren't you hearing back after that first recruiting call? There could be a few reasons...perhaps the candidate is a passive searcher and isn't really interested in looking at new...
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Mobius Recruiting Bets
"There are two sides to every question: my side and the wrong side." –Oscar Levant, American pianist, composer, author, comedian, and actor Whenever you bet on a candidate, you assume that, of course, there are two and only two distinct outcomes: Either the candidate you've just placed will be right for the job, or not—which usually entails that she is or isn't is what she...
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Herding (Rabid) Cats....The Art of Managing Consultants
A lot of the online recruiting tricks and tips target the day to day of recruiting; finding and placing your rockstar candidate. But what about the weeks and months after? If you spend any of your time in the temp recruiting and staffing industry world, you know that your hard work doesn't stop there. In fact sometimes, that's where the real work truly begins. Managing consultants...
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What is Your Competitive Edge? Strategic Planning for Your Brand
Do you have a competitive edge over your competition? Do you have a clear vision for your brand? Do you know the difference between the two, and is there really a difference? What is Your Brand? Your brand is the essence or soul of your business. Every action you take impacts your brand. Ideally, you want a brand that is memorable, has a great reputation and clearly explains to potential...
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New Social Recruiting Company Receives Major Investment
As the economy improves and interest in social media continues to surge, social recruiting is receiving the attention of many major investors. A new startup recruiting software company called "The Resumator" has received a major investment of $700,000. The company cites the product as serving the needs of both applicant tracking and social distribution and job referrals. You can share jobs...
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Career International Lauds New Campaign to Improve Recruiting in China
Which jobs that are part of your industry have been outsourced to other countries? While you might think of the reliance of foreign labor for technological services and manufacturing, recent changes have opened up new areas of labor in China. Recently, Career International Consulting Ltd ("Career International"), one of the leading total recruitment solutions providers in Asia, officially...
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Health Insurance Help for Georgia's Unemployed
Government subsidized health insurance has become quite the polarizing issue. But even as debate rages on about mandates and public options, the U.S. Department of Labor has side stepped the whole process, at least for some of Georgia's unemployed. The U.S. Department of Labor has announced a $280,000 National Emergency Grant to provide 263 jobless workers in Georgia with partial premium...
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Recruiter Ethics: "But What If Everybody Did That?"
How Not to Think About Recruiter Ethics Virtually all the rules in any code of ethics, including recruitment ethics, seem to make sense from at least one perspective: consideration of the adverse consequences of not following them. Example: "Thou shalt not lie to candidates or clients"—of course, thou shalt not. It's a no-brainer. Look at what would happen if everyone did...
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A Small Silver Lining in 2010 Employment Stats
As you might expect, employment statistics released yesterday for the third quarter of last year show an economy still healing from the wounds of the financial crisis that began in 2008. Private sector job gains were up significantly from the lows of early 2009, but showed a dip from earlier in the year. Gross job gains for the third quarter of 2010 came to 6.6 million. The quarter before,...
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Federal Grant Provides Training to Wisconsin Workers
"This is a dynamic atmosphere where you don't just hear about the changes going on – you are helping to create and shape them. It is our goal to work with you to develop your strengths, bolster your weaknesses, and take you further in a career than even you knew you were looking for. We are committed to creating a culture of Values for our employees, guided by our Vision to be the...
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Marketing with Social Media: Twitter Tools
As a modern marketing professional, you already understand the power of Web 2.0 marketing and social media marketing. But how can you make your new Twitter marketing campaign shine? To make your social media marketing campaigns really successful, you should take advantage of all the free tools out there that drive traffic to websites via the most popular social media sites like Twitter. You can...
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Vast Majority of Top Marketing Professionals Feel Underpaid
"As the job market recovers, recruiting, retaining, and developing a high-performing team of people can be a challenge," said Marcia Pellicone, founder and president of Marketing Resources Solutions. "Understanding why employees are dissatisfied and what they are seeking in the workplace can help companies retain and attract highly skilled marketers." When you're in touch with the...
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It's Not You...It's Me? Breaking Bad News to Candidates
As an agency recruiter, more than likely, you're extremely busy and crunched for time. Not only are you juggling a multitude of clients and open job orders, but you're also juggling an abundance of candidates and expectations. The clock is ticking; you're manning calls from clients, candidates and a string of emails...not to mention your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. You...
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Professional Growth, or Equilibrium?
- Climbing career ladders vs. skating career ponds Breathing Again vs. Breathing Better Imagine two very different recruiters: Recruiter A is always on the go, striving to make progress, to do better today than yesterday, to set himself or herself challenges, records and goals that will push the performance envelope, while filling the pay envelope, and to climb higher and faster,...
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International Leader Chooses HRSG to Develop Competencies-Based Tools
There can be a lot of information to synthesize when you're working in human resources. A lot of time disappears spent assessing employees and planning staff development. And then there's the hiring part where recruiters can sometimes help. As the hours chug by, it's hard to figure out how much time all of this work demands. There is a new product that claims to be able to integrate...
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The Benefits of Online Accounting
These days, it seems like everything is happening online, and accounting is no exception. While many financial bookkeeping practices have been computerized for some time, online accounting and bookkeeping is still relatively new. Not all businesses have become comfortable with accessing financial records online, but there are many different benefits for adopting online accounting practices....
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