This may be a topic that only interests me, but here is the link to the annual Fortune 500 list (h/t JustSell.com). You can sort the list on a myriad of criteria. I sorted the data by state and found that Minnesota came in with a respectable 20 F500 companies with an impressive 5 companies in the F100 (based on revenue): 21. UnitedHealth Group 33. Target 72. Best Buy 89. Travelers Cos. 97. 3M
Continue ReadingTeam Selling Today
We are experiencing a seismic shift of the sales process as it moves from a single salesperson calling on prospects to to a team-based approach. A recent article at Selling Power lays out the roles the varies team members should play. The article comes from The Fisherman’s Guide to Selling: Reel in the Sale €“ Hook, Line and Sinker, authored by Joe DiMisa. Here are the 6 basic roles as defined by him: The Leader: This ONE person pilots the meeting or discussions. Color commentator: This person will add “color” or important facts or statistics relevant to key issues. Note taker: This person records comments, decisions, agreements, needs, and action… Read More
Continue ReadingA Thorough Verification
We are strong proponents of candidate assessments as you know from reading our blog. There is another aspect of successful hiring that we advocate and that is thorough background verifications. We have numerous customers who conduct employment, education, credit and drug verifications. In case you wondered why, Foxnews.com offers this statistic-driven headline – 1 in 12 Workers in U.S. Admit Using Drugs in Past Month: Nineteen percent of workers age 18 to 25 said they used illegal drugs during the past month, compared with 10.3 percent among those age 26 to 34; 7 percent among those age 35 to 49; and 2.6 percent among those age 50 to 64. That… Read More
Continue ReadingGen Y’s Definition Of Loyalty
Interesting post on The Big Time blog regarding Spherion’s Emerging Workforce Study (emphasis mine): Emerging workers (ed.-of which Gen Y makes up the largest percentage), as defined by Spherion’s research, are employees who possess certain qualities and traits that differ from past worker attitudes. For example, Emerging workers believe loyalty is defined by one’s contribution to their employer and not tenure, and they want employers to reward them based on their performance. Amen to that. We see many sales departments, especially in large corporations, where tenure is the defining factor for retention. The old guard is almost untouchable and they actively defend their status. This culture is not conducive to… Read More
Continue Reading3 Years And A Cloud Of Dust
If you have been sourcing salespeople recently, you have probably noticed some short tenures among the Gen Y candidates. We are sourcing for an intermediate-level sales position that has garnered a noticeable response from Gen Y (or young Gen X) candidates. The remarkable trend is that many of the candidates have 2-4 years in each position before they move on to the next opportunity. Many of our Baby Boomer managers are questioning that “job-hopping” history. This concern is valid but it is also systemic in the younger generations. They are looking to move up in their career and loyalty to one employer is far less frequent than just 20 years… Read More
Continue ReadingTattoos And Body Art
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 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 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
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