Read the December Prosperity at Work E-Tip

US Employers See Hires in Year Ahead
Ellen Wulfhorst  |  reuters.com

More than half the employers in a new poll say they plan to hire full-time employees in the next 12 months, according to research released on Tuesday that could spell relief for unemployed U.S. workers.

Four in 10 employers plan to hire contract, temporary or project workers, and another four in 10 will be hiring part-time employees, according to the survey conducted for Robert Half International (RHI.N), a staffing company, and CareerBuilder.com, an online career site.

The study found 53 percent of employers said they expect to hire full-time employees over the next 12 months.

Some 14.5 million U.S. workers are unemployed, according to recent U.S. government statistics.

Despite the high number of potential job applicants, six in 10 employers said they would be willing to negotiate higher pay with qualified candidates.

Many employers also reported difficulty finding skilled people to fill openings and said on average, 44 percent of the resumes they receive are from unqualified candidates.

The areas most likely to be adding jobs are technology, customer service and sales, the research found. Asked what characteristics they seek most in applicants, employers said they want multi-taskers, self-starters with initiative and creative problem solvers.

When the economy improves, 28 percent of employers said they were most likely to fill entry-level jobs, and 32 percent said they would fill staff-level jobs. Only 7 percent said they would fill management jobs, only 2 percent said they would fill director jobs and 1 percent would fill executive jobs.

Forty percent of hiring managers said when the economy improves, pay raises will be their primary method for keeping their top employees.

Among employees, 49 percent said after the economy improves, the most effective way to keep them in their jobs will be pay increases, and 28 percent said they plan to ask for raises.

The survey, the fifth annual Employment Dynamics and Growth Expectations report, was conducted by telephone of 501 hiring managers and 505 workers for Robert Half International and CareerBuilder.com by International Communications Research from April 30 to May 31, 2009. The survey’s overall margin of error was 4.4 percentage points.
 

Workers’ Comp Rates Poised to Plunge
Triangle Jobs  |  trianglejobs.com

Workers’ compensation insurance rates paid by employers are set to decline significantly this year — an average of at least 9.6 percent.

The lower rate requested by the N.C. Rate Bureau, which represents companies that offer workers’ comp policies in the state, would save businesses more than $119 million, according to the state Insurance Department. The request is for rates that go into effect in April.

Final rates, which must be approved by state regulators, haven’t yet been set. But the N.C. Rate Bureau, which represents companies that offer workers’ comp policies in the state, requested the nearly 10 percent decrease in a filing today.

 Last year the Rate Bureau requested a 4.4 percent decrease, which also is the rate that won final approval. That marked the first decline in workers’ comp premiums since 2004.

Insurance Department staffers have 60 days to review the request. Failure to agree on a rate would lead to a hearing presided over by state Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin, who would establish a rate. The commissioner’s decision would be appealable in the courts.

Workers’ comp premiums are paid by employers. The 9.6 percent decrease sought by the industry is an average rate; rates paid by individual employers vary significantly based on claims experience and the type of workers they have.

Companies that have problems obtaining insurance are assigned to a pool of insurers. The Rate Bureau has requested a 1.3 percent increase for those companies, which represent less than 10 percent of the market.
Resume, Meet Technology: Making Your Resume Format Machine Friendly
Lisa Vaas  |  theladders.com

How to format a resume so that the software recruiters use to store resumes doesn’t garble your document - and your chances.

You’ve probably heard this advice for making your resume stand out: Sprinkle in plenty of juicy keywords so recruiters will pluck your document out of the pile.

But these days, the first review of your resume is more likely to be a software program, known as an applicant tracking system (ATS), than a human being interested in the quality of your paper stock and the power of your prose. While those qualities will be important in subsequent rounds, your first challenge will be to win over a very sophisticated machine that plays by its own complex rules.

In these competitive times, is a grab-bag of keywords really enough to ensure your resume rises out of that mysterious electronic swamp? If not, what else do you need to know about the processes that happen inside these ATSes - systems that are, in fact, fueled by sophisticated data-warehousing technologies - to stand the best chance of getting your resume in front of human eyeballs?

To answer this question, TheLadders talked to ATS vendors to find out what makes the technology tick, and to the recruiters who use these systems to separate resume wheat from chaff. Here’s what they had to say about how the systems work, what those systems can tell about you, what mistakes job applicants typically make when submitting their resume electronically and how to avoid unwittingly e-annoying the professionals who handle your resume.

Keywords: Laundry lists don’t cut it

The advice to simply fill your resume with appropriate keywords may soon be outdated, experts say. Lisa Rowan, program director of HR, Learning and Talent Strategies for Framingham, Mass.-based analyst firm IDC, said there’s a lot more to searching and matching than ever before.

“It’s not your father’s Oldsmobile, where if you put in ‘Java’ (as a keyword search, an ATS) would automatically apply you to Java jobs,” she said.

Older ATS software relied on semantic search technology, that essentially counted keywords. Using a targeted keyword multiple times could be interpreted by the ATS as a positive resume for a certain position, said Matt Sigelman, CEO of Burning Glass, which makes resume-parsing software used to run contextualized searches in many of the leading ATS programs. (Rowan describes Burning Glass as state of the art for contextualized resume scanning, a software technique that weighs keywords in the context of the whole resume.)

Contextualization goes much deeper and examines factors such as how dated is a given set of skills and where in the applicants career path did they acquire experience in a subject area, he said.

State-of-the-art ATS technology relies on contextualization, not on simple keyword matches, she said. “It goes much further, (with the technology looking) at descriptive materials, and (the ATS) parsing things out like a human would when reading it.”

With the next wave of ATS technology coming soon to an HR department near you, a keyword such as “Java” had “better be framed by descriptive material that demonstrates experience and familiarity with the subject,” Rowan said. This next-generation ATS software will examine the entire passage as if it were a human reading your resume: closely, and with an understanding of the subject matter.

Resume contextualization analyzes not just a keyword but its relation to elements, including relevant and related terms, the depth of the experience and how recent the experience was in a candidate’s career path.

“Understanding that there’s a difference between somebody who took a class in Java eight years ago and somebody who’s been programming in Java every day for the last three years, (and understanding that) those are fundamentally different candidates,” is an example of how contextualized resume parsing works, Sigelman said.

Burning Glass’ resume-parsing tools seek out far more than keywords or even word strings. For example, instead of just recognizing an employer’s name on your resume, Burning Glass technology analyzes the job description to determine your role and what skills correspond to that role.

The keyword laundry list will no longer carry the day, but keywords remain important to the resume and must be included, Sigelman said. “Some candidates (for the Java engineering position example) might not write the word ‘Java’ in their resume, believe it or not,” he said. “I (examined) one job description looking for a geologist. (The candidate’s resume listed terms including) water modeling, etc. — all sorts of hydrology (-related terms) and things like that, but never once mentioned the word ‘geology’ on the resume. The recruiter may have missed this person.”

Contextualized resume parsing works to overcome such glaring omissions by understanding the terminology that should surround a word such as “geology.” But don’t take a chance, Sigelman said. There are employers still using primitive semantic search ATSes, so don’t skip keywords entirely–just make sure they’re positioned in job descriptions that show you can walk the talk.

Don’t choke the ATS

Overly formatted resumes and resumes embedded with pictures, graphics and logos can be incompatible with most ATS software.

Recruiters and human-resources professionals call it “choking the system”: An applicant fills his resume with pictures, graphics and logos; headers and footers; and formats that make it difficult for the software to read and sort the text into categories or cause it to crash altogether. It’s a sure way to ensure your resume never makes it to a recruiter, said Laura Michnya, the project manager of recruiting systems and process for BAE Systems. She recently implemented the Hodes iQ ATS at BAE and in the past has worked with PeopleSoft and several homegrown ATS programs.

Some of the resumes she’s seen will leave the Hodes iQ system gasping. “Those highly formatted resumes aren’t always very compatible with standard ATS systems.”

Hodes iQ is typical of ATSes, which use software to sift contact information and other chunks of data from uploaded resumes. This makes candidates’ resume-uploading experience a little easier, as it pulls that data into a profile instead of forcing them to cut and paste.

But for such parsing software to work properly, a resume needs to be formatted simply, Michnya said. She sees many overly formatted resumes, especially with very senior-level candidates. “A lot of the time, they have so much experience, and they do like to get a little fancy,” she said. “And a lot of the time, ATSes don’t bring it over cleanly into our system.”

In some cases, locating contact information in a footer will also cause an ATS to glitch, given that the systems aren’t necessarily prepared to expect unusual placement. If that same contact information is included in the text, centered at the top of a resume but not in the header, it should come in fine, Michnya said. “As long as it’s in the body, it will get parsed in fine. But a lot of times people put it just in the header or footer.”

The result of a highly formatted resume being classified improperly: a garbled mess.

As with graphics, so too with cut-and-pasted text when uploading a resume to a Web site: It’s often the cause of ATS choking. That’s why Michnya has gone to pains to induce candidates to upload resumes, even switching the order of options on the company’s careers site so that the “Upload” option comes first, in big, red text, with the “Cut and Paste” option moved to the bottom of the page.

“If you’re on an ATS that gives you the option to either upload or cut and paste into a text box, it’s better to upload,” she said. “A lot of times that upload feature will parse information for you and will save it in (the optimal) format. It often can save in rich text. If it cuts and pastes, it only does so in plain text, and often people have (their resume) in Word or something that’s not plain text,” which will lead to ATS choking and a garbled resume, she said. “With my career site, I find so many candidates do the cut and paste option. They think it’s faster. But it causes their resume to not look as nice. And hiring managers do notice that.”

Michnya herself goes out of her way to contact job seekers, advising them to upload their resumes properly to avoid getting garbled. If, that is, candidates are qualified. “If not, I’ll leave the (garbled) resume as is,” she said. “And that could hurt the candidate in the future.”

At BAE Systems a recruiter reviews every resume submitted by an applicant, but that isn’t the norm, Michnya said. Not all recruiters will take the time that she and her colleagues spend helping applicants fix a garbled resume, even if they’re well-qualified.

How to e-annoy recruiters
It might seem obvious that capitalization, punctuation and grammar matter.

But in the age of shorthand and text messages, the mistakes make their way into the resume, said David Freeman, a talent-management consultant at Sonic Recruit that is a division of Emeryville, Calif.-based Cytiva Software Inc.

“Especially for Gen Y or Gen X, it’s common for people to type in all lowercase,” he said. “They’re so used to texting. They’re not used to capitalizing anything when texting.”

It goes beyond proper etiquette, Freemans said. ATS software uses mail merge to populate fields for e-mails on the applicant to human resources and ultimately to the applicant for follow-up communication. Poor punctuation and capitalization can confuse the software about where to end and begin a field. It also forces the recruiter to enter fields manually, which might lead them to toss your resume.

Another e-annoyance is lag time in responding. Respond swiftly — within 24 hours — to a company that contacts you. Because of the volume of resumes now coming in to recruiters, they’re not waiting long to hear back from a candidate, Freeman said.

It’s also a good idea to keep an eye on your spam-folder settings. Filters are so sensitive today that they can recognize e-mail that’s automatically generated — a category into which both spam and follow-up e-mail generated from ATSes fall.

To spam or not to spam

We all know better than to call a hiring manager again and again. But what about pinging the ATS robot accepting your resume again and again? Do duplicate resume submissions hurt your cause? Can it get you noticed?

It hurts your cause, said Jeremy Shapiro, senior vice president of Hodes iQ, the hosted ATS software used by BAE and others. If he could tell applicants one thing, he said, it would be this: “We can see you.”

“Recruiters are aware of candidates that send in three different resumes, 10 different resumes,” he said.

In fact, Shapiro has seen instances of extreme resume spamming, where candidates submit up to 70 to 100 different resumes, all of which are on record in the ATS. “The employer can see it,” Shapiro said, and “this does not reflect positively upon (job seekers).”

Applying to multiple positions in the same company

This is true even in large corporate environments where job seekers may be applying to several different subsidiaries, Shapiro said. Even if each division and subsidiary has its own ATS, those systems are usually all linked into one system. But applying for multiple jobs at the same employer is not spamming. Just be careful that each resume tells the same story, he said.

“There’s nothing wrong with catering a resume to the system,” Shapiro said. “Just know that we’ll have visibility to it. At that point, if I’m the recruiter, I’ll actively look for discrepancies. For example, in one resume, (a candidate) might claim five years of experience in something and seven years of experience in another resume. A red flag goes off immediately. You’re asking to make mistakes with multiple versions of your resume.”

“Recruiters can pick up on discrepancies,” said BAE’s Michnya. “To apply to one job and then send another resume for another, a lot of times (such resumes are) tweaked or tailored, and that’s acceptable. But if information in the application seems to be contradictory, we could notice, and it would raise a red flag. If they say they’re looking for $50,000 on one and $80,000 on another, or if their educational information is different.”

Consider your resume’s entry point to gain an advantage

It’s common to ask if you have a better chance at a job if an employee submits your resume. The answer is yes, IDC’s Rowan said - not only because it influences human screeners but how ATS software follows your resume.

Depending on a given ATS vendor’s feature set and how an employer has chosen to set it up, the ATS may track the source of your resume - how it was submitted - and can be designed to attach different values to different sources.

An ATS set up to track how resumes come into the system will typically have a source note attached to a resume.

Resumes involved in employee referrals tend to flow into an ATS internally, passed along as a forwarded attachment from the candidate to the referring employee to the recruiter. Even in these circumstances, however, the employer is likely to require that a candidate also fill out an online application. Most ATSes are sophisticated enough to query how a candidate found out about a job requisition and to discern that a resume came from TheLadders or another job board or whether the candidate is applying at the suggestion of an employee. 

Employee referrals are one example of applicant sourcing that most employers rank very highly, Rowan noted. If an ATS has ranked Candidate A as being 80 percent qualified for a given job requisition, a source note that flags that candidate as also being an employee referral will raise that candidate’s ranking.

“If I’m an employee, I’m not going to recommend poor candidates, generally. So they’re thought to be higher quality,” Rowan said.

Other examples are Web sites, job boards and recruiters. Was the candidate’s resume found on a niche job board, for example, that features the resumes of minorities? Some employers, such as one requesting federal contract work, might program the ATS to assign a higher value to such a resume. Job boards and recruiters with a particularly good reputation with an employer might also earn a few extra points for a submitted resume.
The lesson is simple: If you are in fact being referred by an employee, make sure the ATS knows it - because it’s smart enough to care.

The bottom line

Insights into ATS technology can help you avoid missing keywords and choking the software, but there is no way to game the systems. Best practice simply ensures you won’t be disqualified for a technical error. But resumes still touch human hands and must be optimized for the reader as well, said Shapiro of Hodes iQ.

The human element still carries the day, particularly when it comes to the importance of letting peers review your resume before it ever reaches an ATS, he said.

“A great person may not have a great resume,” Shapiro said. “Circulate your resume to peers, and to friends, before you send it off. Make sure little mistakes are gone. And make sure it’s pleasant to look through. While machines store and help search it, humans have still got to look at it.”

At the end of the day, Shapiro said, your resume is the first writing sample an employer ever sees. Keeping it simple, concise and clear will not only help it pass through the ATS gauntlet - it will provide your prospective employer its first chance to evaluate what you’re made of, regardless of whether it’s being read by parsing or by human eyes. 
Human Capital Solutions Chosen for Kennedy Book

Human Capital Solutions, Inc.,  headquartered in Wilmington, NC (www.humancs.com), was recently selected to be featured and listed in the prestigious Kennedy Book also known as the “Red Book.”

Founded in 1970 by James Kennedy, Kennedy Information is a leading source of research, events, and information for professionals in the Management and IT Consulting, Executive Recruiting, and Investor Relations professions. Additionally, the company provides a variety of career services for job seekers at the professional and executive level.

Kennedy annually produces dozens of proprietary research reports that provide market analysis, trends, and firm operational assessments within Management Consulting, IT Consulting, and Executive Recruiting. The company also publishes newsletters in each of its areas of interest plus Consulting magazine. In addition, Kennedy hosts executive career oriented websites, produces conferences both live and online, and provides advisory services in each of its specialty areas.

Kennedy Information is a BNA business. BNA is a leading publisher of specialized news and analysis products for professionals in business and government. Kennedy is based in Peterborough, New Hampshire with offices in New York, London, and Washington, D.C. with a news bureau in Atlanta.

Human Capital Solutions, Inc. is a business consulting firm specializing in Executive Search, Human Resources Consulting, Leadership, Learning and Employee Development, Business Strategy, Lean Manufacturing, Quality Systems, and Personal Coaching. HCS has created the Prosperity at Work proposition which focuses on creating prosperous relationships between companies and their employees (associates). HCS assists companies in improving bottom line profitability by efficiently planning, organizing, and implementing optimized, practical, and value-added solutions.
Looking for a job?  See if you are a fit for one of the available opportunities at humancs.com.

1437 Military Cutoff Road  |  Suite 201  |  Wilmington, NC 28403
o. 910.338.2790 |  f. 910.509.9833  |  www.humancs.com|  info@humancs.com
Prosperity at Work

Launching
  
 
Landing

Problem Action Result Statements (PAR - used to prepare resume)
What is a PAR Statement?
Nursing Student PAR Statements

Cover Letters
Writing a Cover Letter
Cover Letter Applying for Known Nursing Position
Nursing Cover Letter Known with Table

Resumes
Writing a Resume
Student Nursing Resume Trauma
Student Nursing Resume Pediatriac-Gyn
Ineffective Resume Example

Infomercials
Creating an Infomercial
30 Second Infomercials for New Nurse
90 Second Infomercials New Nurses

Read the July 2009 Prosperity at Work E-Tip

10 Cities with the Most Job Postings Per Capita
Liz Wolgemuth |  U.S. News & World Report

Among the 50 largest cities in the U.S., one stands out for having the most abundant job postings per capita: Washington, D.C. The nation’s capital boasted 133 postings per 1,000 residents in the second quarter of 2009, according to a report by Indeed.com, a broad job search engine that combs company and association websites, job boards, newspapers, and blogs for postings. That Washington took the top spot is no great surprise, as government hiring has held up during the recession.

The runner up is Baltimore, Md., which is aided by its close proximity to Washington, but also boasts an economy fueled by recession-hearty industries like healthcare and higher education. Baltimore’s unemployment rate was 7.2 percent in May, well below the 9.4 percent national average that month.

San Jose ranked no. 3 for job postings per capita in the second quarter, despite a regionally high unemployment rate in May, and continued fallout from the housing collapse. Still, the tech industry is resilient, and Alan Berube, co-author of a recent Brookings report on metro area economies, has said the Bay Area economy may recover more quickly than the rest of the nation. The metropolitan San Jose economy has remained one of the strongest through the recession, according to the Brookings report.

Here’s the top 10 list–pulled from Indeed’s list of 50 largest metro areas ranked according to job postings per capita in the second quarter of this year (last quarter’s ranking is in parentheses):

1. (1) Washington, D.C.
2. (2) Baltimore
3. (3) San Jose, Calif.
4. (7) Austin
5. (6) Hartford, Conn.
6. (9) Seattle, Wash.
7. (8) Salt Lake City
8. (11) Denver
9. (5) Boston
10. (4) Las Vegas (Note: Charlotte, N.C. shared the same number of postings per capita as Las Vegas)

The city capturing the bottom spot on Indeed’s list is Detroit. See the full list of 50 here.
One thing to keep in mind about this list is commuter populations–some metro areas may have high volumes of job openings per capita in part because their resident population is small compared to the total workforce employers draw from. In other words–lots of commuters.

According to Census Bureau data on “daytime populations,” based on the 2000 census, Washington and Salt Lake City’s expanded the most by percentage on the list. Hartford, Seattle and Boston also rank high for commuters. However, this doesn’t seem to skew the data too much: Portland, San Francisco, Charlotte, Houston, Atlanta, Tampa, Pittsburgh and Nashville had among the highest percent changes in daytime populations.

HCS Places the National Sales Leader for Global Medical Device Company

HCS is pleased to announce that one of the nation’s leading electroencephalography (EEG) research companies has selected new talent and ended their search for a new National Sales Director.  HCS received the search opportunity a few months ago after successfully completing several other talent searches for this client.  HCS continues to be well positioned and well networked in the global medical device space, neuroscience and imaging product talent acquisition, states Bo Burch, Chief Principal and Founder of HCS.

Human Capital Solutions Places Key Compensation Executive for Global CRO / Pharmaceutical Client

Human Capital Solutions, Inc. successfully recruited a Compensation Manager for the worldwide headquarters in North Carolina as they expand their Compensation Department.  HCS continues to partner with this client with workforce development, talent acquisition, and other critical human capital needs. 

Surviving the Reduction in Force
Bo Burch  |  Chief Principal  |  Human Capital Solutions

 A change in career status is a major life transition, and it naturally brings with it many conflicting emotions. When an individual faces a period of unemployment, whether it is due to reorganization, downsizing in a tough economic environment, mergers and acquisitions, a performance issue, or even a retirement, he or she is likely to experience many strong feelings.

Immediately after hearing the news of termination, most people experience shock, numbness, or disbelief. This is the mind’s way of helping deal with what is too painful to be fully experienced at that moment and is usually a healthy coping mechanism. Other people will be angry with the company or with managers or with co-workers. Whether the angry feelings are justified is not the issue. The feeling is real and as long as it does not result in damage to self or others, it is also a healthy coping mechanism. Some individuals may actually feel relief. The rumors may have been circulating for weeks. The pressures of the job may have seemed overwhelming. It can be a relief to finally have the question settled or to be able to walk away from a very stressful situation.

Perhaps most people will feel some degree of shame or embarrassment, especially when they think about how they will tell family, friends, and colleagues the news. Fear and confusion are also common reactions. It may be impossible to see what lies ahead. This in itself can cause anxiety. If one has extraordinary financial or family responsibilities, the anxiety will be intensified. Work also structures time. When one is without a job, knowing what to do can be somewhat confusing. You may have experienced one or more of these reactions when you heard the news about the change in your job status. As the days and weeks continue, people normally experience a grieving process. After all, they have just experienced a major loss. The grieving process usually consists of periods of denial, in which it seems impossible that the loss could really have happened. Another form that denial can take is an unfounded feeling that everything is just wonderful and couldn’t possibly be better.

Most individuals will experience some level of anger. After all, change is uncomfortable. Who wouldn’t be angry when his or her life changes radically? Anger can be very healthy. It releases an energy which is then available to be used in other ways, for example, to get on the phone and make those networking calls. It is common for people to experience periods of mental bargaining. They may go over and over what has happened to try to figure out what they should have done to avert the job loss. Or they may try to figure out what they can do to convince the company or their boss to hire them back.

Individuals who have lost their jobs may also experience periods of depression. These can be periods of low energy or lethargy that last from a few hours to days or weeks. When one is depressed, he or she finds that both appetite and sleeping patterns are likely to change. One person suffers insomnia, while another begins sleeping around the clock. Both are depressed. Periods of depression are common following any loss and are usually not a cause for concern so long as they alternate with other feeling states. However, if one gets stuck in feelings of depression, transitional counseling can often be helpful. Your career counselor can help you decide whether or not you could benefit from personal counseling and will help you locate resources if necessary.

One of the most satisfying aspects of our work at Human Capital Solutions, Inc. is seeing people move into the acceptance phase. It doesn’t happen overnight, but people gradually begin to feel better about their situation. They feel empowered to control their response to the loss of their job and to take control of their career and job search. A career counselor can help you learn job search skills that work. Together, you will establish an action plan designed to help you move forward and attract the career opportunities you are seeking. One initial key objective is to move out of the grief zone and into the acceptance zone. It is crucial that this take place prior to any networking activity.
 

Human Capital Solutions Welcomes Cynthia Simpson

Cindy, a graduate of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana and a Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS), was born in Texas and  has lived and worked in Louisiana, Oklahoma, and the Washington, D.C. area.  She has extensive experience in human resources and benefits management with both public and private organizations.  This experience has given her a deep appreciation for the relationship between good human resources practices and the success of an organization.  Well-designed job descriptions, performance evaluations, reward systems, and benefit and leave programs create an environment for employees to add value because there is clarity of purpose and responsibility which fosters a sense of partnership and commitment.  Whether it is construction, retail, professional or trade associations, or public entities, when there is value placed on human resources, the organization succeeds.

 
Human Capital Solutions Invests in Their Career Advancement Solutions Division

Are you getting frustrated or down with how your job search is going? Do you need help with your job search campaign and could you use some pointers from the pros?  HCS has added the following resources to their library and is working directly with companies and individuals to aid advancement to their next career.

Introduction
- Career Transition Project Plan
- The Career Planning Process

Job Loss / Transition
- Surviving the Layoff
- Process for Making Your Personal Transition
- Support Groups

Self Assessment 
- Personal Skills and Competencies
- Transferable Skills
- Work Specific Skills

Resume Writing
- Resumes
- PARs (Problem Action Results)
- Constructing Your Resume
- “The Rules of the Resume Game” - William S. Frank
- Reference Checks
- “How to Select References” -Paul W. Barada
- Cover Letters
- Follow Up Letters

Networking
- Why Network?
- Networking Spreadsheet
- Networking – Measure Yourself
- How to Increase Your People Power
- Creating an Infomercial
- Cold Calling
- Networking Timeline
- Participation at a Networking Event
- Tips to Ponder
- Networking Scenarios
- FAQ’s
- “Get the Most Out of Your Network” - Kevin Donlin
- “Neat Networking” - Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
- “Why Network?” - wetfeet.com 

Interviewing Skills
- Preparation 
- What to Do When Nothing Happens - Kevin Donlin

Salary Negotiations
- What’s Your Salary I.Q.?
- Salary Negotiations — Do’s and Don’ts
- Salary vs. Total Compensation
- Have You Gotten What You Wanted?

Email or call for an appointment to review your search strategy, and take a look at what you need to do to become more attractive in the marketplace.

Human Capital Solutions Streamlines and Spins off TWG

On April 1st, HCS assisted TWG, LLC in forming a recruiting practice to be located in the Raleigh, NC area. “This is a great opportunity for HCS to streamline our operating costs and focus on our core divisions and key customers,” says Chief Principal and Founder Bo Burch.     “This transaction will strengthen the HCS brand and position our firm to gain market share as the economy improves,” adds Burch.

1437 Military Cutoff  |  Suite 201  |  Wilmington, NC 28403
o. 910.338.2790 |  f. 910.509.9833  |  www.humancs.com|  info@humancs.com
Prosperity at Work

Read the February Prosperity at Work E-Tip

Making a Real Difference Starts with Knowing Your Candidates
Greg Miller  |  Executive Recruiter  |  Human Capital Solutions, Inc.

At Human Capital Solutions (HCS), we do two things as far as the rest of the world is concerned: we identify clients that need to fill particular jobs, and then we find great people for those jobs. The end result is: the client is very happy, the candidate (i.e. new employee) is very happy, and of course, HCS is very happy.

This article is focused solely on the candidates we serve. The list of candidates grows week by week across our entire country, which is so unfortunate. This is a huge topic and will not be completely covered here by any means (a separate conversation has to be held later about the responsibility we have to our clients). These are thoughts I have each time I work with a candidate, and right now you are invited to listen in as I direct my thoughts to those candidates. At times, in fact, I will direct these thoughts to my particular niche: IT and Scientific professionals, but these apply in so many ways to everyone.

Dear Candidate……Well, here you are, wondering what just hit you, or perhaps it happened weeks or months ago, and you still can’t believe it. So many questions, like:

•    I’m only good at one thing, and I’ve been doing that pretty well all these years. At least that’s what everybody told me all this time.
•    I just got this job a few months ago and made plans based on that…..now that it’s gone, what am I supposed to do?
•    This is really going to look bad on my resume. How will I explain this when I interview for a new job?
•    Where can I find another job where I can keep doing the same thing?
•    How am I supposed to tell my spouse, my kids, my neighbor, my friends, the folks at church? And exactly what am I supposed to tell all those people? This is embarrassing!
•    Where do I start?

These are common questions that really need to be answered, although each case really is different. For now, we’ll just talk about the first bullet point listed above:

I’m only good at one thing, and I’ve been doing that pretty well all these years. At least that’s what everybody told me all this time.

Everything happens for a reason (don’t hit me….go with me on this). I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but I believe it is true. You are actually good at more than one thing….you’ll see. Sure, you did it for years, but you will discover that you have other skills not yet uncovered because they weren’t needed until now. If you only had your job for a few weeks or months, maybe it wasn’t a good choice in the first place. Maybe the hiring company didn’t do the right thing saying the job even needed to be filled.  Who knows? The point is, you are multi-faceted and you will end up OK….different, but OK. Wiser, but OK.

So, who to talk to…ask people you worked with to provide references for you. See if your company provides transition services. Check local churches about job-seeking services. The avenues are endless, and are another completely different conversation.

Here is another way to elaborate on this all-too-common theme of employment or lack thereof. These are similar concerns but they delve into the more advanced stages of job-seeking and securing, such as resume tips and what to do when interviews begin to take place.  Remember, each of these bullet points and questions are subjects unto themselves, so they won’t be completely covered here, but will simply scratch the surface. Let’s take a look:

In today’s swirling employment world, unfortunately, it is not uncommon to experience job loss multiple times during one’s career. In fact, some people find themselves in the position of having to seriously consider changing not only their job but their career.

The goal here is to share ideas with you about what do to, who to talk to, where to go, how to begin, and so forth. There are topics such as:

•    You just lost your job (or it was taken from you)….and you are in shock.

o    Now what? I’ve been doing one thing all these years, mentioned above.
o    What (and how) do I tell my family and friends?
o    Who can I talk to about this? I don’t have many connections.

•    I have been out of work for longer than I expected.

o    What can I do about it?
o    How long will my money last?

•    I haven’t updated my resume for years.

o    Where do I start?
o    Is my current resume any good, or too short or too long or too technical?
o    Who can I ask about re-doing my resume?

•    I am scheduled for a phone interview!

o    How can I make it a good one?

•    I am scheduled for a face-to-face interview!

o    It’s getting serious now. We will talk about dangers to avoid at this stage, and ways to increase odds of success.

•    I was offered the job, but …..

One thing is “for sure and for certain”: if you lost your job due to any number of circumstances (lay-off, “restructuring”, “down-sizing”, outsourcing of your job to a foreign country, the list can go on and on…), it doesn’t help very much to hear that other people are in the same boat as you are. It might seem like it should help, but it doesn’t. The bottom line is that you don’t have a job now.

People who suddenly find themselves without a place to call “work” are generally smart, hard-working, loyal, creative professionals who had been doing what they had been asked to do for several years….believing that they were secure. That is a belief that quickly fades after a layoff happens to you. “Fair” is not a word used in these cases.

There is rarely a sense of calm or patience or understanding that accompanies this worrisome event. You have so many questions, and very few answers, it seems. You ask “Why?” but then realize that it really doesn’t matter….the job is gone, and you have to find another one, and quickly.

GOOD NEWS!

The good news (yes, there is actually good news!) is that there are plenty of companies in the U.S. that still have to do business, and they need smart, energetic, articulate professionals just like you to help them get it done. Some of the very companies that laid people off in the past are realizing that the company’s work simply isn’t getting done, and it really has to get done. Even though their off-shore idea seemed good at the time because it saved lots of money, either the quality wasn’t as good as it used to be, or the communications angle just didn’t set well with their strong customer base, or call-center training wasn’t as comprehensive as desired, and therefore they start hiring people again…in the U.S.

Your resume: On the subject of resume writing, let’s say that you are an IT or Scientific professional who may need to write or update your resume. There are many things to consider.

Regardless of whether you are starting to build your resume for the first time, or are simply updating it, you really do face some unique challenges (due to your type of work) which I believe are based primarily in the difference between “pride” and “praise.”

Too many times, I see resumes of IT and Scientific professionals that are 6-15 pages long, and that is just the resume itself! Then, I get many more pages of publications, patents, papers, presentations, etc. It is basically a very detailed accounting of every professional move that ever occurred. I completely understand how this happens, but it really hurts you in the job-hunting process. All of this is really disconcerting to talk about, because everything you put on your resume is a part of you…part of your pride in your work, and the desire to praise and highlight yourself in written form, so as to impress potential employers.

Pride in your work is great, but not to the point of listing everything that you have ever done on your resume. The whole point of the resume is to convince the HR manager or hiring manager that you are a very good candidate for their open job, and that decision will be made in a matter of seconds…not minutes. Therefore, use this as the chance to praise yourself for work well done! Highlight your accomplishments in terms of profits made, money saved, processes stream-lined, errors eliminated, and so forth. Don’t get into the minutia of how it was done…just say it and move on.

What to avoid: First and foremost, I recommend that you avoid a detailed resume that shows everything you did starting with your first job, unless you are relatively new to the workforce. The hiring manager will not be interested in what you did in 1993 (that was 15 years ago!) or 1988 (20 years ago!).

I know, your past is what made you what you are today, and it all flows in logical professional growth progression, but in the final analysis, potential employers will typically only look at the past 5-10 years. Don’t tell them that you play chess, ride your dirt bike on the weekends, and read in your spare time. The only exception to this might be if you have done some reliable research on your potential new boss, and can mention some of your personal information that matches with his/hers (he/she was an Eagle Scout, or plays hockey for a local club like you do, etc). There may even be civic involvement on the part of your potential new company that you are likewise involved with, and there is nothing wrong with that showing up on your resume discretely.

Don’t hide anything, of course. It will eventually come out in the phone interview or subsequent face-to-face interview. If you were out of work for personal reasons (birth of a baby, family member or even parent in a situation that required your personal care for a while, etc.) mention that on the resume. If you had to take a strange job for a little while in the job-hunting process, list it unless it was only a few months. Any more, most employers either have been in that situation themselves or know something close to them who has, so they are no longer shocked and amazed that you took a job or two that weren’t directly related to your “real” work, just so you could make ends meet. They are more interested in knowing that you are resourceful and a fighter, and are anxious to get back to your real expertise, perhaps as an IT or Scientific professional, which I mentioned earlier as an example.

I mentioned that it is really hard to know what to include in your resume. I happen to focus on the IT and Scientific world….a world that is very specific and detailed in terms of education and particular areas of expertise.  Both of these worlds are vast!

For new resumes, please keep it to two pages, and if you absolutely must due to longevity in the workforce, three. For revised resumes, the same rule applies…2-3 pages. I have sat down with so many IT folks who live in a world of alphabet soup listings on their resumes: Operating Systems, hardware, software, proprietary applications, and various versions and Service Packs of any number of these, each particular to their specialty. Likewise, for scientific resumes, I see a wide range of entries including: GMP, GLP, QA, QC, LIMS, IND submissions, in-vitro assays, and much more.  Unfortunately, that is only helpful later on in the interview process. What is crucial is to get the interview in the first place! Hiring managers really don’t and won’t wade through 8-14 page resumes. They simply don’t have time for that. They need a quick look – a fast summary that highlights your experience. They need to determine in less than one minute that your credentials look like a strong match with their job description.

What to include: make sure you highlight the basics: where you worked (company name, city, state), the dates you were there, your title(s), major responsibilities, and accomplishments. I recommend that you not go into much detail for anything in the ‘90s. After all, that was over 8 years ago! Employers really want to see that your skills are current. You may have used what they need 7 years ago, but they can likely find someone else more current than that.

Don’t sell yourself short on accomplishments, but do remember to keep the total resume to 2-3 pages at the most. I normally don’t recommend listing your hobbies and such, but including some items just might be helpful, such as Eagle Scout, local volunteer roles, etc. You never know who might decide that these things make you just a little different and desirable. Your armed forces background is a personal call.  For those jobs prior to 2000, list them, of course, but only give 1-2 bullets about what you did there. That way, you can show persistent skill usage, but not bore them with every single thing you did.

Resume writing can be intimidating at times. Don’t be afraid to seek help. It is well worth the advice and cost.

Well, those are my cursory thoughts on this huge topic, and I realize that the topics were not completely covered, and that books are written about so many of these individual topics. My point, hopefully made, is that this attention to detail makes the difference in the business of matching clients with candidates. It isn’t just about throwing resumes at the client and hoping something looks good. Rather, it is about completely understanding the situation that our candidates fine themselves in, and exploring (albeit quickly!) the best avenues for those people, and matching their skills with the needs of our clients.

We are very proud of our professional approach to executive staffing, and hope these thoughts shed some light on the thoughts about candidates that pervade our actions every day at Human Capital Solutions!

Hire for Who They Are Not Only What They Know
Rhoberta Shaler, PhD  |  www.optimizeinstitute.com |  www.workplacepeopleskills.com |  www.tamingtenseteams.com

As a psychologist and business consultant, one of the biggest general problems that I see in the hiring process is that a natural tendency is to hire:

1. People we like, or
2. People who are like us

Certainly we want to work with people who we think would be easy to get along with. We are unlikely to go looking for perceived conflict. What is problematic is our lack of understanding that we often NEED people who are not like us and that we may not particularly like in order to create effectiveness, productivity and profit!

At one firm I consulted with, they had an internal policy of bringing a candidate to the team to “interview” to see if they felt they were a good addition. The result of this process—and, when well informed, it can be useful—in this case was that the particular department was filled with folks whose primary interest was each other! They could talk for hours about things that had no bearing on the mission of the company or the tasks at hand. They really liked each other! But, work was left waiting and money was left on the table—repeatedly.

We come into this world with tendencies and preferences in our make-up. They are innate. Great news because there will always be someone who loves to do what you hate doing. When creating high-performance teams, this is essential information. Thinking of the average small business or team, here are some thoughts on what attributes we require, keeping in mind that the focus of the business will skew this somewhat. We need at least one someone who:

• Likes to talk to people and put a pleasant face on the company
• Can sell
• Builds systems
• Problem solves and troubleshoots
• Maintains systems
• Holds the long-term vision
• Manages people
• Is vigilant about finance
• Builds and maintains customer relations
• Is very detailed
• Sees the big picture
• Sparks new ideas
• Recognizes and/or creates opportunities
• Can make a decision in a timely manner
• Brings projects in on time and budget
• Motivates people
• Holds the history of the company to refer to

And, that is not a definitive list. So, you can clearly see that it is impossible to find those qualities in a single candidate. In fact, you will likely need at least four people to optimize these qualities…and they may not necessarily ever become friends!

HIRE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE

Think of the way people advertise openings. Would you ever expect to read this ad?

Wanted: Person who likes financial detail, is vigilant to a fault (persistent and picky even), is not particularly interested in people or relationships, can always find things in a heartbeat, and is willing to work long hours in a windowless room alone for minimum wage.

Not likely. Yet, there are people who fit that bill perfectly and will be superb for that set of tasks you have in mind.

No, it is more likely that you want that person and write this ad:

Wanted: Bright person, self-motivated, experienced with accounting practices and reports, team-player, highly disciplined, responsible and looking for an entry level position.

Sounds good, doesn’t it? The number of nebulous terms in the second ad—and, of course, that’s the one that would be placed—leads to the requirement for a very strong interview and testing process. Why? Because we’re really looking for the person in the first ad—except, due to the problem at the top of the article, we also think we have to like them!

This is the crazy-making world of hiring. It’s crazy-making for both the human resources side and the candidate side. Both sides have agendas and both are trying to ferret out what is really wanted. This leads to hiring mistakes that everyone regrets. Couple this with the “putting the best foot forward” and “tell them what they want to hear” and we’ve got a pervasive issue that consumes thousands of dollars with a poor result.

That is why it is essential to HIRE PEOPLE FOR WHO THEY ARE AS WELL AS FOR WHAT THEY DO.

As a psychologist, I’ve used many instruments, assessments, tools and inventories to assist in the hiring process, as well as in the personal development and mediation processes. Most have value for increasing self-awareness and can be personally instructive. Not many are valuable in the workplace to build teams, predict suitability, fit and success. Some ask you to think about yourself in a certain situation, say, at work. Then, the result suggests that you are somehow bifurcated—you’re one person at work and another elsewhere. That’s problematic because what if that person you are somewhere else escapes into the workplace. And, that’s not the person they hired!

People have innate preferences for tasks. They approach those tasks differently. We have varying degrees of willingness to engage in certain ways. Some like people, others like papers. Some make decisions, some run from them. Some contribute, others withhold. Some are best on teams, others independent. Some create, some practical. The list of discrepancies is very long.

When we use an accurate instrument with high validity that was created in and for the workplace, we begin to bring the wisdom of our understanding of individual differences into our hiring and team-building processes. Understanding is the key word. When an employee understands themselves in new, deeper and helpful ways, he or she can speak with clarity about what they can bring to the workplace…and, what is difficult for them, too. When a manager can understand their team with this valuable information, they can do what managers do best: capitalize on the strengths of their individual team members. It allows for seeing where the gaps are for adding team-members or hiring in general. As well, it clearly shows where team composition may be working against team mission.

WE ARE SO MUCH MORE THAN OUR EXPERIENCE AND EXPERTISE

Hiring people for who they are increases job satisfaction and retention. When a person feels valued at that level—seen, heard and appreciated—they give their best to the position and the company. When we hire for expertise and experience, it becomes an auction. “I’ll sell you my skills because you give me the highest bid in terms of salary, benefits and perks. But, beware, if I get a better offer, I’m out of here.” Hiring on the basis of skills and experience alone can create a revolving door. You know how costly that is.

Recently I was invited to consult with a company who had hired an executive for what they thought were all the right reasons. He had done good things for other firms, had a sparkling resume with important key words, and, he was available. Seemed a good fit. But, it wasn’t working. My task was to assess the situation and make recommendations regarding his retaining his position, or, finding a way to move the team towards greater collaboration, productivity and profitability with his leadership.

Frankly, he was burning bridges far faster than I could put out fires! Using the instrument that I have come to rely on for team-building, hiring and conflict management, it became clear why the issues were arising. As much time, energy and money had been invested in this person, and he now had history with clients and projects, we did our best to ameliorate the situation and massage tasks and team to see if it could possible work. It couldn’t. That process took three months. Without that process, the company could have ground to a halt with staff fleeing like rats on the Titanic! It was a very cost-effective step and a lot of learning resulted for the staff once he was released. We all know of companies where everyone is pussy-footing around a few rhinos* and, they’ve been doing it for years.

Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to hire an assistant or a web designer, or, a high-level HR person looking for a way to optimize your hiring and team-building, it is imperative to know much more about a person than their resume offers. Our intuition and experience may be very helpful, however, we do like to hire folks we like, or folks like us. Using an instrument that cuts through that to get you the optimal candidate with the greatest chance of succeeding and getting you the results you want makes sense and saves time, talent, tears and money.

The instrument I use is the Core Values Profile™ www.CoreValuesProfile.com

Despite Economic Recession, Executive Jobs in Several Sectors Expected to Grow in 2009
AESC Marketing  |  members.aesc.org

According the latest semi-annual AESC Member Outlook Survey conducted by the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) in December of last year, several market sectors are expected to strengthen despite the state of the world economy. Search consultants anticipate executive job opportunities to increase in healthcare (32%), government (30%), pharmaceuticals/biotech (26%) and natural resources (26%).

While the overall outlook of search consultants for 2009 is negative, recruiting demand in several industries is expected to remain stable throughout the year, including non-profit (52%), education (48%), professional services (39%), media/entertainment (34%) and information technology (30%). AESC members surveyed expect the global executive job market to rebound in the second half of 2009.

The survey findings reveal that search consultants expect to see the greatest scarcity of talent in finance and accounting positions, as well as in executive management/board positions and engineering posts. Globally, China is expected to see the greatest need for executive talent in 2009 (66%), followed by India (43%) and Eastern Europe (30%).

According to AESC President Peter Felix, “Despite the current state of the global economy our members still see several bright spots for executive hiring in 2009. Other sectors will begin to step up their executive hiring as the current uncertainty dissipates and greater optimism begins to work its way into boardrooms. Typically executive search is an early indicator of renewed strength in the economy as organizations either upgrade or begin to invest in new executive talent. Given the extreme talent shortage which was being experienced in many sectors globally until the end of the third quarter last year, our members are optimistic that strategic recruiting will pick up by the second half of the year.”

Human Capital Solutions Welcomes Mary Wood

Wilmington, NC (February 18, 2009)—Human Capital Solutions, Inc., (HCS) is pleased to announce that Mary Wood, Executive Recruiter, has recently joined its growing team.  Mary will be operating out of Wilmington, NC, expanding HCS’s main office presence.
Mary is a native of North Carolina who comes to HCS with extensive sales experience.  She is a graduate of North Carolina State University with a degree in Speech Communications and Public Relations.  While in college she worked in broadcasting and also enjoyed writing for several publications in her free time.  After college she had a successful career in the telecommunications industry selling for an International long distance company and then a National Cellular provider where she consistently won awards for being a top producer. She has spent the last few years volunteering for causes to help children and the homeless as well as fundraising for various organizations.

“There are many reasons I decided to take this new role at Human Capital Solutions, but the greatest motivating factor was their innovative thinking and their client-driven attitude.  I am very excited about devoting my energy and time to making a difference in people’s lives by bringing together organizations and individuals with a need,” speaks Mary of her new role.

Human Capital Solutions, Inc. is a business consulting firm specializing in Executive Search, Human Resources Consulting, Leadership, Learning and Employee Development, Business Strategy, Lean Manufacturing and Quality Systems, and Personal Coaching.  HCS has created the Prosperity at Work proposition which focuses on creating prosperous relationships between companies and their employees (associates). HCS assists companies in improving bottom line profitability by efficiently planning, organizing and implementing optimized, practical and value-added solutions.

Survey Results: Hiring Needs within Your Company

Where do you see the greatest potential for hiring needs within your company?

Sales - 36%
Engineering - 29%
Finance and Accounting - 29%
IT - 7%

Looking for a job?  See if you are a fit for one of the available opportunities at humancs.com.

6317 Oleander Drive  |  Suite A  |  Wilmington, NC 28403
o. 910.332.3535 |  f. 910.332.3536  |  www.humancs.com|  info@humancs.com
Prosperity at Work

Read the January Prosperity at Work E-Tip

Survey Results: How Likely Are You to Change Jobs in 2009?

Looking for the right job - 55%
Will change - 36%
No change - 6%
Unsure - 3%

Thank you to all of you who took part in our survey.  Be sure to take part in January’s survey at www.humancs.com!

Five Things to Consider When Working With a Headhunter
Lauren Covello  |  www.foxbusiness.com

Opportunity usually knocks when least expected.

For those in the workplace, that knock may come in the form of a headhunter’s phone call. And, contrary to what may seem logical, it’s often those not actively in the job market who are targeted first.

So how do you make sure you’re not hanging up on your next career move? Experts offer the following advice about building a good recruiter relationship.

Understand why you’re being contacted

If you’re happy at your job and aren’t looking for a new one, it may seem odd that a recruiter is calling you. But think again. According to the experts, those qualities make you exactly the type of candidate a headhunter is looking for.

“Recruiters and executive searchers are always after the people who are gainfully employed or happy in their jobs. Otherwise, with the help of the Internet, recruiters are simply an online career service,” said Wendy Murphy, a managing partner at C-suite level executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles. “Remember, this is ‘search’ not ‘find.’”

And recruiters are creative in identifying potential candidates, especially when it comes to using the Internet. Headhunters can now access your job history through professional social networking sites and blogs. They are also trained to maximize Google and Yahoo searches, said Jeanne Sturges, editor of monthly industry periodical Executive Recruiter News.

Realize where they’re coming from

There is often a perception that headhunters are just trying to get jobs filled quickly, without much regard for who fills them. A vice president at a big financial services firm in New York (who asked not to be identified because she remains in contact with recruiters) said the headhunter that helped her get her current job was good about sending her relevant leads, but that she’s worked with others who mismatched her entirely.

“Some [recruiters] are just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing if it sticks,” she said. “These are not the type of people you want to work with.”

What’s all the rush about? Well, some recruiters need to fill jobs to get paid.

There are typically two kinds of recruiters: retained and contingency. In simple terms, retained recruiters are paid regardless of whether they fill positions, while contingency recruiters are paid only when they place someone. Though both types of recruiters have an obligation to the employers that hire them to find quality workers, recruiters who work on contingency may be more inclined to push jobs on the wrong people just to make a placement and get their fee, experts said.

Still, good headhunters–retained or contingency–should make the effort to get to know the people they seek out.

“Whenever possible, we like to meet our candidates. A resume only tells you so much,” said Richard Vickers, a managing director at recruitment consultancy Michael Page International.

Be honest

The best advice is to be truthful when dealing with a headhunter, especially when discussing job history and compensation.

“Honesty and transparency make the whole process a lot easier,” said Murphy at Heidrick & Struggles. “It’s ok to have been fired – people get fired for various reasons. Just be honest,” she said.

A major responsibility of job recruiters is negotiating salaries on behalf of the employees they’re trying to place, so providing a recruiter with accurate information is critical. And accuracy is taken seriously: At Murphy’s firm, recruiters now require W-2 forms as proof of job candidates’ current income.

Make the most of it

It’s important to remember that job seekers have no financial obligation to headhunters, whose pay comes directly from the employer that hired them. Therefore, job candidates should not feel pressured to accept a job just because a headhunter offers one, said Debra Wheatman, manager of career and admission services at Vault, a career information Web site.

Even if no job comes of it, a headhunter can be a valuable resource in showing someone the job opportunities available, and also in providing skill-building insight. A good recruiter will follow up after sending a candidate on an interview and use that feedback to offer honest, constructive advice – whether or not the placement is even made, said Vickers at Michael Page International.

Stay in touch

Your relationship with a headhunter doesn’t have to end once you’ve snagged the job of your dreams. The financial services vice president mentioned earlier, for instance, admits to staying in touch with several recruiters who send her job pitches constantly.

According to the experts, it’s all about building and developing long-term relationships.

“Establishing trust takes time,” said Wheatman of Vault. “Sometimes those relationships can last a whole career.”

Recession Survival Guide
12 tactics for surviving the economic storm — and even coming out ahead.
www.bnet.com

1. Refinance Your Debt
Renegotiate debt terms or exchange debt for equity in order to conserve cash — or even grow.

2. Prioritize Your Debt
Follow the “absolute priority rule” and pay off debts in order of importance.

3. Land a Private Placement to Fund Critical Investments
Seeking out private investors doesn’t just promise more control over the process than a public offering — it often leads to bigger payouts, too.

4. Exploit Revolving Credit
If you’ve got good credit, use it. Pull cash from revolvers to make other payments or pursue growth.

5. Raise Cash Through “Factoring”
Sell unpaid accounts receivable to a factoring company that will trade them for immediate cash.

6. Sell Off Non-Critical Assets to Raise Cash
Keep the parts of the business that will help the company grow; get rid of what won’t.

7. Take Advantage of Training Programs
Invest wisely in programs that will help you hang onto A players.

8. Cherry Pick Top Talent Away from Rivals
Employ savvy recruiting tactics to poach high-caliber workers from competitors.

9. Rebalance Compensation from Top to Bottom
When morale flags, sacrifice executive pay and reward those further down the ladder to send a unifying message.

10. Price Optimize for Your Best Customers
Segment your core customers from the deal seekers — and offer goods that will appeal to each.

11. Double Down on Strategic Advertising
Show customers how your product can ease the difficulties they’re facing.

12. Capitalize on Affordable Luxuries
Consumers have less disposable income right now, but history suggests they’ll open their wallets for the right stuff.

Relationships and Timing       
Bo Burch  |  CEO  |  Human Capital Solutions
 
Do you know what companies are currently hiring? Who do you know that may be looking for talent? Who do you know that knows someone who is in a hiring position and is looking for hard to find talent? Well, your sphere of influence is your ticket! Yes, have you documented everyone you know and do you know where they work and are they in your data base in an organized fashion? You friends and family, your school relationships and your previous work relationships all have great potential to help you grow your business. How about everyone they know and they know. You can quickly see the compound effect of relationships. That’s why I say, you may never have to make cold calls  if you call from your relationships and do the work above,  you will have success! Remember, if the relationship is not mature, just be patient and continue to offer value added items your new relationship view as beneficial. Just don’t assume you know what they need ask them and then articulate your value proposition and how you have met and exceeded the needs of similar clients recently.
 
Then there’s timing. Why not call your relationships that are in a hiring mode - healthcare, Pharma, med device, Biotech, energy, utilities, IT and Turnaround / Corporate Recovery Talent (Consultants)?
 
Remember over 93 percent of the American workforce is employed. Why waste your time calling companies that are in a workforce reduction mode? Ask the candidates you are talking with as to where are they getting interviews, whose is hiring, what are they hearing from the market place?
 
Then, make the calls. Leave a message if they don’t answer. You should be spending at least 80 percent of your time on the phone. Be careful not to allow your email to kill your relationship building on the phone. It will kill  your results and you will not make it in this business if are spending more that 20 percent of your day on email. Schedule one hour in before lunch to check your email. Then schedule one hour before 7pm to check your email. The rest of your day should be building relationships with candidates and clients on the phone. In this market the majority of your day should be client development. The only thing better than lots of telephone time, is to schedule face to face meetings.
 
Consider using and documenting scripts like “I am working within your industry and I have discovered our company is not one of your preferred providers of  talent.” I am available from 2 to 5pm this Tuesday the 13th and also from 9am to 11:30 this Wednesday the 14th. I’d like to discuss how we may be able to free up your time and get you the talent you need with a high sense of urgency. Who is it within your organization that selects your talent vendors? Would you consider making the introduction?
 
If you do not get responses, keep at  it and keep at it. Many other recruiters give up way too easy and the ones that have determination, good organization skills and resilience get the work and take market share from others.
 
In my 25 years of work, I have many positive testimonials of seeking out relationships and attempting to predict the market timing with great success. In these times and any times, you can look to your relationships and listen to the marketplace as you strive to develop new business and new client relationships that will propel you in your  business.
 
Reach out to more and more business’ and help them realize NOW IS THE TIME TO BUILD THEIR TEAMS AND HIRE THE BEST TALENT!!!

Looking for a job?  See if you are a fit for one of the available opportunities at humancs.com.

6317 Oleander Drive  |  Suite A  |  Wilmington, NC 28405
o. 910.332.3535 |  f. 910.332.3536  |  www.humancs.com|  info@humancs.com
Prosperity at Work

Read the December Prosperity at Work E-Tip

Are You Ready for an Interview?
Here are the Top Ten first round questions you need to be ready to answer.
Melissa Lyons | Women In Leadership Development Association | www.wildamania.com

This week I asked several of my recruiting colleagues from across the country about their first round interview process. Here is what they had to say … and what you need to be ready for:

First, what are the top FIVE to TEN questions you ask every candidate?

All recruiters agree that they start out with a phone interview armed with a round of elimination questions, or as Bo Burch’s group, Human Capital Solutions affectionately terms them “knock out questions”.

1. Are you still in the market for a new job? If you are not, do you have anyone with a similar background you would recommend? This may be kind of a no-brainer, because first round interview questions are used to rule-in or rule-out candidates –but be ready for this question. You never know when you may be in the market for a new position, especially in our current economic climate, and building strong relationships with recruiters (a.k.a. headhunters) is always a good idea. Never allow yourself to become invisible.

2. What are your career goals and what you are honestly looking for in a position within a new organization? This question is designed to help the recruiter understand what you value in a new employer. As you prepare for your job search, think about how you would answer this and other questions. What size organization do you thrive in, do you like a “family” feel, are you numbers driven, do you like a lot of energy, is the company’s involvement in the community important to you? Know what you want, and what you have to offer. A mismatch will only lead to your own disengagement and a new employer who is disappointed with their new hire.

3. Walk me through your job history. Gloria Blue comments, that asking the questions this way feels so much nicer to her than … “so tell me why you left your last job”…

Recruiters are looking for answers that pertain to gaps in employment history as well as a record of longevity with past employers. New companies are looking for people who are engaged. By definition, employee engagement is intellectual and emotional commitment to an organization, which is also measured by three primary behaviors:

• Saying: The employee consistently speaks positively about the organization to co-workers and refers potential employees and customers.
• Staying: The employee has an intense desire to be a member of the organization, despite opportunities to work elsewhere.
• Striving: The employee exerts extra effort and exhibits behaviors that contribute to business success.

Source: SHRM Whitepapers, Employee Engagement July 2005 written by, Nancy R. Lockwood, SPHR, GPHR and Employee Engagement Higher at Double-Digit Growth Companies (2004), www.hewitt.com.

4. What are you salary expectations? What is your bottom line? Depending on the job, are you willing to negotiate? Let’s face it, everyone has financial obligations, and no matter what job an individual is applying for, all have salary expectations they are not willing to go below. Make sure this issue is discussed effectively when it is asked – no need to waste time on an interview process when compensation is unacceptable to either party. Tip to candidates: be sure to investigate business reality in your geographic location to make sure your expectations are in line with what jobs pay in the vicinity. I know countless people who have relocated without due diligence in this area … much to their disappointment. AND, if you are a dual income family, keep an eye open for what kind of opportunities are available for your trailing spouse or partner.

5. What kind of professional qualities do you think you have that would make you competent for the position as described? “It is amazing how many people are unrealistic about what they want to do, and their ability to do it.” Says Vangie Grave of The Oasis Group – which makes Gloria Blue’s comment to the next question no surprise.

6. What are or were your day to day responsibilities in your current or last position(s) and what do or did they entail? Gloria comments that this line of questioning makes the potential candidate walk you through what they’ve done and how they’ve contributed. “It’s pretty interesting what kind of responses you get, I’ve actually had people tell me they’ve made up some of the content on their resumes.” Oooh … “knocked-out”, definitely, “knocked-out”.

7. If we make a commitment to you would you be able to make a commitment to us for at least one year in this role? Non-commitment to a question like this can be a deal killer. With the cost of turnover running companies between 100% and 400% of a candidates first years’ salary (depending upon job level), employers are more and more concerned about job dedication and loyalty.

8. Are you able to provide professional references from your last 3 positions? If a candidate can’t provide these, it is a major red flag by sending a message that your co-workers and past managers don’t have positive things to say about your past performance. Make sure you have solid references, and know what they plan to say when they are called.

9. Is the candidate interested in relocating, and if so, is there willingness to do it at their own expense? According to long-time recruiter Vangie Graves, companies aren’t forking over big relocation packages any longer, and if they do, there is typically a pay-back clause in the offer letter if employment separation occurs within a certain time period.

10. Also, while not an actual question, each recruiter is keeping an ear open for communication skills and your likability factor – pay attention to things like “ums”, long pauses and your level of enthusiasm.

For recruiters at Human Capital Solutions, if a candidate isn’t “knocked out” of the interview process, a full interview is set up with an Account Executive. This round of questions focuses on behavioral interviewing where inquiries are made into the candidates past responses to challenges, opportunities and other business situations. Sample behavioral questions include responses about how specific problems were solved, ideas were brought to fruition, and the kinds of actions a candidate took in the past to ensure business success, followed with tangible financial results that benefited the organization. Corporate recruiters will either set up a face-to-face interview, or continue with a few behavioral and/or tactical skills related questions. All this is done before moving forward with management and team member interviews.

When it comes to professional advancement, knowing your story (as well as you know your favorite joke) is one of the BEST things you can do for yourself.

In my blog article about “Top Ten Interview Errors and How to Avoid Them”, I talked about knowing your challenges, actions and results. Recruiters, whether they are headhunters who are hired by corporations to find top talent, or corporate recruiters who work within big organizations, are looking for what kind of contributions you have made – with the theory that past performance is indicative of what you will accomplish in the future.

As a tip to those of you who are transitioning into a different career altogether, know how what you have done in the past, translates into what you can do in a new environment. Have experience- based examples ready to discuss including how those experiences relate in the new career path; prepare yourself by reading articles, participating in mastermind groups, other professional groups and volunteer activities in your new “field of dreams”.

When it comes to questions about problems encountered with co-workers, especially when that person is someone to whom an employee reports, what are recruiters looking for … and not looking for in a response?

Everyone had similar answers to this question, but Vangie Graves puts it this way, “I am looking for the truth, no matter what the situation was, and I also want to know how they dealt with that situation. This helps me know what type of environment they will work well in and what is not for them. It also helps me know how they respond to stress or adversity. “ Bo Burch adds that this is where he looks for a candidates’ diversity factor. In this context, “diversity” is a different opinion or idea, an area that is often the cause of employee conflict. Long-time recruiter, Gloria Blue looks for hostility in the candidates’ response. Hostility, resentment or disgust will make for a shorter interview if they “go off” on the subject. “On the other hand,” she continues, “if the candidate is sincere and states a genuine lack of leadership and frustration with honest and thorough answers via their responses I will continue forward and feel that there might be true issues within the organization that they came from.”

A tip for all candidates, learn to be committed to effectiveness rather than the desire to be “right”. Being known as a collaborator is definitely an attribute of an “A Player”.

GET READY. GET SET. GET INTERVIEWED.

Get out a piece of paper, or your computer.
Write down and answer all these questions.
Familiarize yourself with your responses.
Have a friend or family member work through a mock interview process with you, using these questions.
Network … the unpublished job market is huge!
Check out Wilda’s upcoming Group Coaching teleconferences on our calendar at www.wildamania.com.

Wilda! Women In Leadership Development Association™
Copyright 2008 © All Rights Reserved Reprinted with Permission

Leaders Seeking Compensation Philosophy Highly Linked to Business Plan
Bo Burch | Chief Principal | Human Capital Solutions, Inc.

Successful business leaders recognize that a compensation philosophy mirroring the mission of their company is a key element in developing a strategy that ensures competitiveness in the marketplace. Such a philosophy must simultaneously advance the financial health of the organization, link up the work that is desired to be done with the number of resources needed to effectively complete the work, and provide the necessary incentives to employees to buy into the company’s success. To these ends, the trick is to effectively reward and compensate employees within a performance-based pay plan that is understandable. This must be well-supported by both management and line positions, and directly link employee contributions to the success of the company.

To establish the basis for this performance-based pay plan, and its link to the business plan, the organization must be sure to articulate its vision and mission to its workforce. To be the most effective, objectives and initiatives for each division and/or department of the organization should be developed. This supports efforts to achieve the organization’s mission. Further, in developing these objectives and initiatives, the decision-making process should include an analysis of the number of exempt and non-exempt positions needed to successfully accomplish these objectives, and implement the identified initiatives.

Valuing the Position

In determining the market values for these exempt and non-exempt positions, the organization can plausibly rely on small regional and/or locally driven salaries for its non-exempt positions, and a larger regional or national geography for its exempt positions. Further, the market value, and range of key positions might reflect the pay philosophy. The organization may choose to meet 60% to 85% of market value. The value or impact particular positions have within the organization to obtain its objectives and succeed in its mission (i.e., impact on the organization’s “bottom line”) must also be critically analyzed to ensure the internal equity among positions. Positions, whether exempt or non-exempt, are classified high or low within the pay plan based on these (i.e., external and internal) analyses. Bear in mind, the internal equity analysis is an evaluation of the positions, not the people occupying them. Evaluations of both external and internal equity must be reexamined and revised periodically by the organization to assure employees their compensation is competitive in the market, and is maintaining the proper value and the impact positions have on the organization’s business plan. This better ensures that the organization’s investment in compensation of its human capital motivates its workforce, positively impacts retention, and thus advances its business plan.

Evaluating Performance

An element of an effective performance-based pay plan ensures employees are meeting or exceeding expectations for their positions, and that the evaluation system of the plan accurately reflects and documents personal performance. There are several keys to the effectiveness of the pay plan. Foremost is the proper training of supervisory personnel to conduct such performance evaluations. Success or failure hinges on the ability of supervisory personnel to effectively perform their roles as evaluators and on the confidence employees have that the supervisors can do this competently. Moving up in the position’s compensation range is based on continued and improved competency in meeting job expectations. Movement to the higher end of the range can be based on exceeding expectations. Providing an effective feedback mechanism for the employees is another important aspect of the performance evaluation.

Investing in Human Capital

Lastly, a determination of the financial health of the organization is necessary to decide how much of a human capital investment the organization can afford to invest in the performance-based pay plan. For purposes of this brief, an approach might be to examine receipts over expenses in order to establish a health baseline measurement of 0 – 3 over, say, the past three years, with three as the highest measure. What is the projection for the coming year? What might the organization expect its ongoing medical insurance costs to be for the coming year, as well as other key components of its benefits package? With this analysis, the organization can then decide where to establish its percentage increase pool for its pay plan. For example, the financial health of the organization might warrant a target 5.0% wage and benefit increase for the coming year. Within this targeted 5.0% pool, personal performance might be rewarded with varying percentage increases based on not meeting, meeting or exceeding expectations (example: does not meet = 0, meets = 2%, exceeds = 4% to 6%). Documented, concrete examples of not meeting, or exceeding expectations, are critical in regards to rewarding or not rewarding performance.

So many leaders are searching for a compensation philosophy that is equitable and fair; the best place to start is from a supply and demand perspective relating human capital to the strategic needs of their organizations. Today organizations are heavily competing for talent and skills to effectively accomplish their business plans and create shareholder value. Making sure the talent and skills are performance and market based, along with being dedicated to the mission of the organization secures its “bottom line” success and demonstrates an effective compensation philosophy.

Inclusion and Diversity Placement

HCS is pleased to announce that one of the world’s largest utility companies has just selected and hired their Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity. HCS was awarded the search after the company upgraded the position from Director to Vice President in September. The client interviewed five candidates before making an offer and receiving acceptance in early November.

“Human Capital Solutions, Inc. (HCS) is seeing a number of global organizations recognize value in hiring an executive or appointing an officer to head up Inclusion and Diversity (I & D),” states Bo Burch, founder of HCS. “A pattern we have noticed as many of our clients pursue an I & D initiative, is they are seeking to cultivate diversity and inclusion to develop world-class, high-performing teams. They want to ignite change and inspire critical conversations around diversity, inclusion, and innovation” Burch concludes, “Strategic, dedicated I & D resources create venues and environments for open dialogue, diverse opinions, and a multitude of perspectives that generate real intellectual capital.”

To develop a unified vision of what diversity and inclusion means to generating shareholder value, HCS believes in a four-pronged business case for diversity:

• Diversity drives the recruitment of the best dynamic talent.
• Diversity enriches the creativity and innovation that shapes and sharpens the brand.
• Diversity grows and enhances competitive advantage.
• Diversity heightens stature and belief in the company within the consumer base.

The Open House at Human Capital Solutions

Last Friday’s Open House and holiday gathering at the new offices of Human Capital Solutions, Inc. at 6317 Oleander Drive was a rousing success with lots of great food, an art show, entertainment, and stimulating conversation for the many who were in attendance. It was the best holiday bash we’ve ever hosted, so for those who missed it, we hope you’ll be available to join us May first for our spring version. To those of you who were here to celebrate with us, thank you!

All of us at Human Capital Solutions, Inc. would like to thank you for your contributions to making 2008 another banner year. Please accept our heartfelt wishes for a safe and Merry Christmas along with the entire holiday season, AND may the New Year bring you great prosperity among the people most important to you.

Enhancements to www.humancs.com

Be sure to take advantage of the improvements to our website!
• Updated candidate tab – search career opportunities, upload your resume, browse our resources, or take our candidate satisfaction survey
• New client tab – view our industries, disciplines, and positions filled; submit a job; read or submit a testimonial, or take our client satisfaction survey
• Monthly poll on our home page – participate in the poll, then view the results in next month’s Prosperity at Work E-Tip

Looking for a job? See if you are a fit for one of the available opportunities at humancs.com.

6317 Oleander Drive | Suite A | Wilmington, NC 28405
o. 910.332.3535 | f. 910.332.3536 | www.humancs.com| info@humancs.com
Prosperity at Work