Here is a trend I have not heard of recently (emphasis mine): The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports about 45 percent of U.S. job openings through 2014 will be in the hidden middle-level job sector, most of them technical jobs that cannot be outsourced. Mid-level means middle management, right? Ok, maybe not. Nonetheless, I still have not heard of this trend until reading this short excerpt from The Career News newsletter. And one last piece of information to offset a popular misnomer: Charted on a graph, the image of a robust technician economy belies a popular misconception. Most assume the job market is heaviest on the low-end of the spectrum… Read More
Continue Reading2 Jobs In 1
The Wall Street Journal offers an article about companies combining 2 jobs into 1 and then hiring based on the lower level job. The author explains it better than me: Some job hunters have been encountering a new kind of downsizing: companies that aren’t eliminating positions entirely, but are combining a mid-level position with a more junior one — then advertising it as a junior slot and offering a lower salary. I’m not sure this is the best approach to hiring in that you often get what you pay for. One of my suggestions would be to assess the candidates if you go this route. There are many talented, young… Read More
Continue ReadingA Candidate Shortage
CNNMoney.com reports on a specific area that is experiencing a hiring problem – lack of candidates: Despite the slump at lowlier levels of the job market, there’s currently a war for senior management talent. In fact, 70% of executive recruiters surveyed by networking organization ExecuNet (www.execunet.com), say there’s a shortage of people who can step in and run things. We’ve seen this shortage first-hand in the sales arena. Strong sales leaders are in demand right now, especially in one corporate segment (emphasis mine): Companies doing the most executive hiring aren’t necessarily the biggest, the ExecuNet study found. Employers with revenues between $51 million and $200 million are expanding their senior-level… Read More
Continue ReadingVideo Resume Reticence
I’m a fan of the video resume concept for sales positions. Salespeople have to interact with clients in a manner that best represents your company. The video resume provides a glimpse into this presentation ability. Yet, according to RecruitingTrends.com, the majority of companies are not accepting these forms of resumes (emphasis mine): Indeed, just one in four (24%) senior executives polled claim that their companies accept video resumes from candidates reveals the survey, developed by Robert Half International, a staffing services firm specializing in accounting and finance and conducted by an independent research firm. When asked whether their company accepts video resumes from job seekers, 58% of responding executives state… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring Stats Should Be Localized
You ever notice what a mixed bag of economic news we receive these days? Here is one that caught my eye from CNNMoney.com (my editing): The private sector gained 9,000 jobs in July, primarily among small businesses and the service sector, according to a report payroll manager ADP released Wednesday. A consensus of economists surveyed by Briefing.com had expected a loss of 60,000 non-farm jobs. Can you imagine if the “consensus of economists” bet on football games? They would be making their predictions from the poor house. Nonetheless, I heard a very interesting talk from John Sumser last week in which he discussed that national employment statistics are grossly overrated… Read More
Continue ReadingCountercyclical Market Segments Are Hiring
The Career News (sorry, no link) references an article regarding job market growth in 3 specific sectors (my bold): While hiring in the financial and consumer discretionary sectors has clearly been impacted by the continued fall-out from the mortgage market collapse, the technology, healthcare and defense sectors are all adding to their executive-level ranks nationwide. There were 12,000 more $100,000+ jobs posted on TheLadders in the first quarter of 2008 than there were in the first quarter of 2007. The recession is grabbing the headlines, but there are always countercyclical segments of the market that thrive in a down economy. The reports are showing a lot of reliance in this… Read More
Continue ReadingOutside Managers Running HR
Here is a trend I have not heard of – managers without human resources backgrounds being moved into HR Manager roles. From the Wall Street Journal online: Of the 15 large-company chief HR officer changes that consultant Brian Wilkerson has tracked in the past five years, about one-third have been filled by non-HR executives, he says. That compares with maybe 10% of such appointments before… The driver behind this increasing approach is fairly simple: The shift reflects the increased importance that chief executives and boards place on recruiting, retaining and grooming employees. It also reflects a perception that some traditional HR professionals lack the deep understanding of business and financial… Read More
Continue ReadingOnline Ads Down Again
I’m not sure the implications of this information, but Inc.com reported that the sheer number of online ads has decreased from last month and last year. The number of new jobs posted online in June was unchanged from May, marking the fourth straight month of year-over-year declines, the Conference Board reported this week. Some 3.8 million job openings were advertised online last month, or about 2.5 vacancies for every 100 persons in the labor force, according to data compiled from 1,200 Web-based job boards. That’s down from 2.9 vacancies per 100 persons in May, and 11.2 percent below a year ago, the report said. I’m not certain what data is… Read More
Continue ReadingFourth Quarter Comeback
We have been talking to many of our customers and have seen a consistent trend among our small sample size – Q4 is going to be a good quarter. Of course, that doesn’t do much for the last few days of this quarter and Q3, but it is a good sign. Now CNNMoney.com has an article that may have a significantly larger sample size: The Business Roundtable is an association of CEOs of major corporations, representing a combined work force of more than 10 million employees and $4.5 trillion in annual revenues. Here is the takeaway from this group (my bold): At the same time, a survey by the Business… Read More
Continue ReadingHiring On The Rebound
The hiring outlook from the Manpower survey looks far better than a year ago which is a good sign. Although there is weakness in areas, the hiring trend is still positive: “While overall softness continues in the third quarter, employers are generally not reacting with large-scale payroll reductions,” said Jeffrey A. Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower Inc. “The gradual slowdown suggests that employers have become sophisticated at anticipating their hiring needs.” Of the 14,000 U.S. employers surveyed, 26% expect to increase their workforces during the July – September period, while 10% expect to scale back their payrolls for a net employment outlook of 16% (seasonally adjusted 12%). Fifty-eight percent… Read More
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