Tattoos & piercings are a growing phenomenon in our society especially as the younger generation embraces this body art. The Rock Star posted on this topic last year and it spurred much debate. And a worthy debate it is as seen in a Pioneer Press’ Body art on the job: Nearly half of Americans between 21 and 32 have at least one tattoo or piercing other than in an ear, according to a 2006 study by the University of Chicago and Northwestern University. Men and women alike say their tattoos make them feel sexy and rebellious, a 2003 Harris Poll found, while the unadorned of both genders see body art… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Aging Labor Pool
Time for some simple Friday stats: According to the US Census Bureau the projected percentage of the population represented by each age group, from the 2000 census projected out to the year 2050.
Continue Reading50 Best Small And Medium Companies
The 50 best small & medium-sized companies to work for were selected and ranked by the Great Place to Work Institute Inc., a global workplace research and consulting firm headquartered in San Francisco. The institute also selects Fortune magazine€™s annual list of the €œ100 Best Companies to Work For,€ recognizing companies with more than 1,000 employees, as well as similar lists in 29 countries. Here are the top 25 small companies with 50 to 250 U.S.-based full- and part-time employees: Badger Mining Corp., Berlin, Wis., Mining & Quarrying InsureMe, Englewood, Colo., Financial Services & Insurance Analytical Graphics Inc., Exton, Pa., Information Technology Heinfeld, Meech & Co. PC, Tucson, Ariz., Financial… Read More
Continue ReadingGreat Cover Email Line
One guy closes with this line: P.S. – I haven’t taken a sick day in years – I don’t get sick. I don’t know why, but that line caught my attention and made me laugh. Not a bad technique to stand out in a crowd.
Continue ReadingSales Traits Series – Surrendering Control
This week we focus on a trait that is strongly needed in a team-based sale. The salesperson needs to be the lead on a team-based sale, but they have to have the ability to let the other team members do their part. If the salesperson struggles in this area, they will be less efficient and more dictatorial in their interaction. A bad mix in today’s market. Surrendering ControlThe ability of a salesperson to surrender control of a given situation, or outcome, to another person or group of people. The ability to be comfortable in a situation where a significant portion of the responsibility for achieving a goal lies in the… Read More
Continue ReadingSummer Is Here – Ads Are Down
From Inc.com’s Online Job Ads Down: The number of new job ads posted online fell by 94,000 to 4,280,400 in June, the Conference Board reported on Monday. Despite the decline, online job ads were up 24 percent in the past 12 months, the report said. One word – summer. The 12 month numbers certainly show a significant shift towards online job boards which is either indicative of increased overall hiring and/or a move away from newspaper classifieds.
Continue ReadingToo Early For References
From a sales ad I read this morning: For more information on this position or to apply please forward your resume and a list of references to… The ad is far too early for references and, quite frankly, I would be a bit surprised if any candidate provided references when simply responding to the ad. References are highly valued by candidates and no matter what they say, a reference check is always an interruption to the reference person’s day. Why would an applicant want to share that information without having any discussion about the position first? References are the last step in the hiring process before the offer. Do not expect… Read More
Continue ReadingLazy Ad Writing
First let me say, I read through a business development job ad today that was fairly well-written. The ad did use many second person questions – Do you enjoy closing deals…? I’m not a huge fan of that approach, but I suspect it engages the readers at some level. The part I wanted to call out was towards the end of the ad when the author calls out the requirements for this position: To be a successful candidate for the BDM position, you should: · Hold a Bachelor€™s Degree, preferably in Packaging · Have 8 years sales-related packaging experience First, the B.A. degree should be a preference and not a… Read More
Continue ReadingGen Y And Self-Fulfillment At Work
We work sparingly with Gen Y-level salespeople but we do track the articles regarding this generation. BusinessWeek.com offers an informative read in their article Careers: The Goods on Generation Y. The takeaway information for me: Indeed, twentysomethings don’t view work as merely a way to make a living, says Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, author of Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road from the Late Teens through the Twenties (Oxford University Press, 2004) and research professor at Clark University in Worcester, Mass. “They expect work to be a form of self-fulfillment€”they don’t want to take a job that pays well but is boring or annoying,” he says. Money is important to twentysomethings, he… Read More
Continue ReadingSnap Judgments Rule The World
I thought this was interesting from the StarTribune’s Old-Time Job Search: In 1937, Elmer Wheeler published the advertising classic, “Tested Sentences That Sell.” He wrote it after testing 105,000 word combinations on 19 million people over 10 years, to find the phrases and communications techniques that sold the most goods and services. Wheeler included a chapter on tested ways to get hired, and here’s his number one rule for getting a job: “Watch your ten-second approach. Our case histories showed that many employers judge the applicant during the first ten seconds. He catches a flash of the man’s appearance, his personality, and is or is not impressed by his first… Read More
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