Finally, some positive press for a slightly overlooked generation. From Foxnews.com’s Research Shows Generation Xers Get a Bum Rap, But They’re No Bums: The new 30-somethings do face some challenges that others didn’t. They’re making less than their parents were at the same age. According to U.S. Census estimates, the median income for men between 25 and 34 in 2005 was $31,161. In 1975, adjusted for inflation, it was $35,296. The comparable data for female workers was $22,815 in 2005 and $16,247 in 1975. And, they have much bigger bills. It’s not just the school loans, it’s the generally bigger lifestyle that hurts their bottom line. Think about the computer,… Read More
Continue ReadingWho Needs A Landline?
From our local Pioneer Press: More than a quarter of young adults have only cell phones, making them the leading edge of a strengthening move away from traditional landline telephones, a federal survey showed Monday. Overall, the portion of adults with only cell phones grew by more than 2 percentage points in the latter half of last year to nearly 12 percent, an expansion rate that began in the first part of 2006 and was double earlier rates of growth. One in four people age 18 to 24 had only cell phones, as did 29 percent of those age 25 to 29, the study showed. The percentages declined with age… Read More
Continue ReadingUndergrad’s Top 25 Most-Desirable Employers
From BusinessWeek’s Undergrads’ 25 Most Wanted Employers: Public service or stock price: These were the two features undergraduates overwhelmingly gravitated toward in naming their ideal entry-level employer, according to newly released results of Universum Communications’ 2007 Most Desirable Undergraduate Employer ranking. Not to ruin the surprise, but here are the top 5 companies: 1. Google2. Walt Disney3. Apple4. State Department5. Peace Corps Click here to view a slide show of all 25. And yes, I know – the State Dept. and the Peace Corps? There is nothing like the idealism of a young, college graduate!
Continue ReadingFocus On Your Selling System
SellingPower.com offers up an interesting article in their CRM newsletter – Is CRM Really Improving Sales Productivity? The short answer is no for a handful of reasons. One item resonated with me: Mike Bosworth, author of the bestseller CustomerCentric Selling (Wiley, 2005) argues that the sales process must be adapted to customer buying processes prior to being automated. But that€™s not what€™s happening. Instead, when sales managers see sales productivity dropping, they€™re likely to turn to CRM in an attempt to make their existing, traditional process more efficient. That€™s like stepping on the accelerator when you€™re heading for a cliff. He’s right – there is no reason to automate a… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Toughest Positions To Hire
CareerBuilder.com’s article Today’s Hardest-to-Fill Jobs lists the top 10 hardest-to-fill jobs. First, a little background: According to a recent survey by recruitment firm Manpower Inc., the answer is no. The survey says 41 percent of U.S. employers are struggling to find qualified job candidates because of a lack of available talent. And then the top 10 positions: 1. Sales Representative2. Teacher3. Mechanic4. Technician5. Management/Executive6. Truck Driver7. Driver/Delivery8. Accountant9. Laborer10. Machine Operator Yes, sales rep is the most difficult position to hire. There are always sales candidates available, but it is far more difficult to identify the right salesperson. We can help.
Continue ReadingThe Mature Hiring Trend
We’ve been talking about the talent shortage topic for some time and it is only going to become more prominent over the next decade. The Christian Science Monitor offers this story – ‘Age friendly’ workplaces on the rise – that defines a growing strategy – making your company culture more “age friendly.” Here’s why that approach is so important: Already, 10,000 baby boomers are turning 50 every day, a trend the US Census Bureau says will continue for the next decade. As the age for collecting full Social Security benefits climbs to 67, and as some pensions become less secure, more people will need to keep working. But many employers… Read More
Continue Reading5 Futuristic Jobs
This is fascinating – CNNMoney.com has a short slide show presentation in their article 5 Dream jobs of the future. They are: Disease Mapper Robot Programmer Information Engineer Radiosurgeon Second Life Lawyer Yes, that last one is correct. Here is part of the description: Count Stevan Lieberman among the virtual world’s earning elite. Instead of trying to practice purely virtual law–which few if any lawyers have turned into real money–Lieberman has taken a hybrid approach, using Second Life as a meet-and-greet area for new clients, who then take their real-world legal needs offline. And since he took in $7,000 in fees in the first two weeks after hanging up his… Read More
Continue ReadingWhere The Jobs Are
In small businesses according to Inc.com’s short article Small Businesses Driving Job Growth. Private-sector payrolls rose by 64,000 jobs in April, including 45,000 new jobs at small businesses, according to the ADP National Employment Report. By contrast, jobs at larger firms dropped by 10,000, the fourth straight month of declines, the report said. Nothing wrong with that fact. We have been working with a wide variety of companies lately and there definitely seems to be hiring momentum in the “smaller” businesses.
Continue ReadingWhere The Ads Are
Newspaper circulation continues its precipitous decline. However, online employment ads have increased 24% from last April according to this Inc.com article. Surprisingly, I talked to a company last month that did not believe online job ads were the way to go. Their plan – post sales ads in the printed newspaper. Some stats: Online job ads totaled 4,365,000 in April 2007, an increase of 16 percent from the previous month, and represented approximately 2.9 vacancies for every 100 persons in the labor force in April, the report said. That is a significant number of ads especially compared to the number of people in the labor force (ever wonder how they… Read More
Continue ReadingThe Enabling Freedom Of Accessibility
We’ve posted about no-email Fridays and those companies that want to encourage face-to-face meetings and phone calls that day. Now ManageSmarter.com offers a different perspective on being accessible – Office Vs. The Field: Accessibility. The premise of their article is to pit one sales manager’s opinion against one salesperson’s opinion on a specific topic. This time the question is: Should salespeople be accessible 24 hours a day? Both manager and salesperson agree that they should be available. I concur. Technology today allows for salespeople to be responsive in ways that solidify the customer relationship. I particularly like the sales manager’s take on technology: It€™s a salesperson’s responsibility to keep on… Read More
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