The Employment Guru

by Jessica Whitta  

Jessica Whitta is President and CEO of Whitta & Associates, an executive search firm. Visit www.whittaassociates.com or e-mail jessica@whittaassociates.com.

5/08/08

Finding a career after college graduation

With graduation quickly approaching, many college students may be wondering how to transition into the workforce. Finding a position can be difficult but with proper preparation, graduates will find work in no time.

First, discover your strengths. Many new job seekers make the mistake of trying to compensate for their weaknesses. Instead, focus on improving your strengths. Areas in which you naturally excel will allow you further growth than areas in which you struggle. Graduates should explore these areas in order to properly market themselves to employers. Since they are new to the workforce, students should gravitate toward positions that focus on their strengths. Workers often struggle during the beginning of their careers because they lack a position that reinforces their natural gifts. Jobs that support your strong suit will allow you to build a solid career foundation. Weaknesses can be addressed later as you become accustomed to your career over time.

Second, create an outstanding resumé. Resumés can prove difficult when one lacks a solid employment history. In order to maximize results, college graduates should highlight other experience such as internships or volunteer work. This type of experience is easily relatable to the working world. After all, the positions are actual jobs; they simply lack a paycheck. Internships and volunteer work require focus, commitment, responsibility and determination. By playing up these types of positions, graduates can show they are ready for mainstream work.

Third, solicit help. Graduates should be sure to make people aware they are looking for work. Parents can be a great resource. Many times, parents have friends and colleagues who can assist in the job search process. They may be able to alert you to new openings or possibly hire you at their own businesses. In addition, placement firms and staffing agencies can help. They can pair your skills with the most suitable employer, offer interview tips and career advice and do the job search work for you.

Last, dress to impress. Looking great for an interview is important for everyone, but it is essential for graduates who often lack sufficient work experience. A well-tailored suit conveys professionalism and will show the employer that you are eager to be selected. In addition, studies show that workers display more professional attitudes and body language when dressed for business. Simply put, the more casual the clothes, the more casual the attitude.

Recent graduates often struggle when transitioning to the working world. The process can be easy and pain free, however, with the proper preparation.

4/24/08

How to hire the best

Most business owners say they want to hire the best employees possible; few of them actually do, however. Instead of finding a stellar candidate, they settle for an employee who is merely acceptable in order to quickly fill a position.

The problem is that these businesses are not fully invested in actively recruiting new employees. They simply place an ad in the paper or an online job board and wait for the resumés to trickle in.

In order to hire the best, sufficient effort must be made. A great way to begin is by asking colleagues and current employees for qualified nominees before announcing the position publicly. Associates are generally willing to recommend individuals for the right position. They can even offer insight into the candidate’s work ethic, experience and qualifications that may not be uncovered during a typical interview. In addition, most colleagues will not recommend a bad candidate simply because their name and reputation is being associated with the individual.

Many managers think they have hired the best employee, only to discover otherwise. Often they make the mistake of asking a standard set of interview questions to all candidates, providing them with limited information about each individual. Questions should be open-ended, and thoroughly developed in order to obtain information that is vital to long-term success in the position. They should be vaguely worded in order to mask the characteristics being sought, as many candidates tailor their answers to match an employer’s desires. Follow up questions should specifically address each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses.

Often employers miss out on stellar employees because of low offers. In order to hire the best, business owners must be willing to make an investment. Of course, offering a competitive salary is crucial, but benefits can act as the deciding factor. Low cost insurance, longer than average paid vacation, employee discounts and attractive profit-sharing and retirement benefits can give you a distinct edge over the competition.

Managers are sometimes afraid to pass up a mediocre candidate. They hire nominal employees simply because they need to fill a position, instead of holding out for someone spectacular. Do not settle for a candidate simply to alleviate staffing issues or avoid a long vacancy. While having an adequate workforce is important, excessive turnover can be costly to a business. It is cheaper to wait for the right employee than to hire someone new if the wrong person is chosen.

If you don’t have time to seek out candidates, hire help. Many search firms and headhunters are available to assist you in hiring the best employees. They are normally contractually retained, and will handle the entire process for you. Not only will these firms advertise your opening, but also interview, check references, make the job offer, and even negotiate the salary on your behalf. In addition, they solicit individuals who may not even be looking to make a career move, allowing you access to higher quality potential employees. This can be a great option for a small business owner without a full-time human resources professional on staff.

Hiring the best can be a difficult and time-consuming process. With proper preparation, commitment, and willingness to wait on the right individual, businesses can be sure to obtain the best staff members to add to their teams.

4/10/08

Signs of an impending layoff

Given the current volatility of the economy, many companies are struggling to stay afloat. Often when there is a severe economic downturn, executives must make the decision to layoff employees. Generally the information is held in strict confidence at the highest levels, leaving workers stunned when a layoff is publicly announced. While it is impossible to avoid imminent corporate downsizing, employees can look for advance signs in order to be prepared if it occurs.

Normally a layoff is only done as a last resort. Companies try many other ways of improving the bottom line before downsizing their workforce. Workers should pay particular attention to the human resources department. Many times there are significant changes to retirement or insurance benefit plans, hiring freezes, restrictions on corporate travel and increased visits from human resources representatives and upper managers.

In addition, workers should keep abreast of the company’s performance. Publicly-held companies are required to publish annual reports. Workers should pay close attention to the profitability of the organization and regularly look for fluctuations in stock price. Many companies invest the matched portion of 401(k) contributions in corporate stock. Workers should be careful to diversify their portfolios in order to avoid large losses if the company should file for bankruptcy, as was the case in the Enron collapse.

Workers can also look for changes in behavior among managers. Often, there are increases in the number of off-site meetings or visits to headquarters, abrupt resignations among supervisors and rumors of a pending layoff. Managers may also attempt to reduce frivolous corporate spending, change commission plan structures and implement higher performance standards in an attempt to increase profits. In addition, supervisors may receive increased requests for comments from the media.

If the decision to downsize has been made, companies are required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN Act) to give employees sixty days advance notice of plant closings and mass layoffs. There are exceptions to the WARN Act, however, making it inapplicable to some instances of corporate downsizing. If notified of an impending layoff, workers should avoid procrastination and begin the search for a new position immediately.

Corporate downsizing can be a very difficult process and can take workers by surprise. If employees keep abreast of things happening within their companies by paying attention to subtle clues however, they can be prepared in advance if it should occur.