Staffing Advice

So last week I did a resume for someone who commented that she didnt want to play up the fact that she had an MBA because: Having an MBA is not as important as it was before the financial crisis.

When i probed more deeply I realized that many job seekers at her level have been coming up against the “Overqualifed” argument in their job hunts. Employers discount certain candidates citing the fact that they “may leave the job if they get a better offer”. And to that I say: DUH! No kidding.

However, as an employer, if I can get someone who can bring more expertise to the job then I would normally be able to afford, due to the economy, I am thrilled. And to those who say the employee may leave when the economy gets better, I say: not necessarilly. On that note- if the economy gets better, I may be able to reward the employee financially. Also, if an employee is HAPPY at their job, and they feel rewarded in other ways then they may Not want to leave.

So you feel you deserve a raise and realize how hard you’ve been

working, but how do you do you go about addressing this with your boss?

Well, first you need to ask yourself do I deserve a raise? How has my

work been progressing here? Have I been accomplishing goals? Am I

underpaid in my industry? These are the questions you should

prepare yourself. Make a list the things you’re done. You should be

prepared to explain to your boss the answers to these questions.

Be confident- the worst thing your boss can say is no. Some employees

just accept the minimum 2 percent raise because they are afraid to ask

for more. If you know you deserve a raise, and can back it up with

accurate information, go for it!

Knowing where you stand in the industry is important in determining

your raise. Do your research using the bureau of labor statistics.  It

has the most recent salary updates. Also know the company’s raise

policy. Is there a percentage range based on performance? Is it a fixed

cost-living raise that everyone gets?

Having the correct data is only half the battle. No one says it is

going to be easy, but you should show that you contributed in a way that

was beyond your call of duty. Remember bosses like to see results. Be

specific and detailed in your explanations so your boss can’t argue

your achievements. If you are a sales representative list figures that

you generated this year above last years.  Write the accomplishments

down think about what you did to make that positive change.

If you can’t think of anything you probably shouldn’t ask for a raise.

But if you do have some major wins you should focus on qualifying them

as if you were writing a resume.

The next step should be is to go over it with someone in the same field

but not your co-worker. Going over salaries with your co-workers is a

no-no! The point is to bounce your achievements off someone else that

knows you well and is experienced.

Getting a negative response from your boss might also be a wake-up call

that there is no room for growth at the company and that its time to

move on. Make a plan to take the last stand option: Ask for feedback on

what you need to do to get the raise you want. And schedule goals in

writing so you both can remember what you agreed on.

Then reach for the stars!

In today’s economy, it is no longer enough to have just a Bachelors or Master’s degree in order to obtain a lucrative #job. Compared to 20 years ago, almost everyone has a degree of some sort. Because today’s job market is so over saturated with so many college graduates,# employers are now less willing to train someone to do their jobs. This means having #work experience is vital in making someone a more attractive applicant.

One way to gain experience is by seeking #internships. Though most internships available are unpaid, the experience and education that you receive for your work is priceless. Internships help in making someone a more attractive applicant because you are allowed to smooth out all your rough patches so that you are less likely to make mistakes later on.

Not every internship is the right for everyone! Make sure that the internship that you are applying for relates to the industry that you are interested in entering. After all, your would be able to learn more useful things interning in a field that you will be working in later on in your life.

Volunteer work is also a great way to gain experience. In most cases, #volunteer work allows people to improve upon such #skills as communications, organization, leadership, and etc. Though you might believe that you possess all these skills and would love to list them on your resume, employers will not take you seriously if you are not able to show that you have actually put these skills to use.

Many available jobs today require that their employees have extra skills, especially specific computer skills. To keep up with the wants and needs of the employers and to keep up with your competitions, take some classes that would sharpen your skills.

Because our competition in finding that dream job is so much more advanced in this tough #economy, we must do everything possible to give ourselves an edge. Gaining more experience by finding internships, volunteering, or taking classes is a great way to build ones credibility as a potential employee.

Having conducted many #interviews over the past 15 years, one of the greatest obstacles that I have to overcome is the applicants’ nervousness. Also, very often, during an interview, a job applicant is trying to impress us as much as possible as this can mean the difference between them having and not having a #job. Therefore, it is understandable to why they can be so nervous, as they are relying on obtaining this job for financial means, etc.
It is important for us, the hiring managers, to insure that the applicant feels as comfortable as possible, as their nervousness often skews our image of the person. If we are expecting to be able to get the best read on a perspective employee, we must enable them to be as relaxed as possible so that we can find out their true personality. This way we assure ourselves that a seemingly perfect applicant did not disqualify themselves because of their inability to communicate properly because of their nerves.

Interviews are not only for the job seeker as it is also for us the hiring company who is trying our best to find the right individual for our organization. And just as we are looking for the person that best fits our company, the job seeker is, hopefully, also seeking an organization that best suits him.

It would be beneficial to us as the interviewers to attempt to make the atmosphere friendlier by offering a warm greeting and ask how they are doing to break the ice. We can further lighten the atmosphere of an interview if we were to talk in more of an informal manner and not as if we are interrogating a candidate, as this would help our applicants to lower their shields and respond more as if they are having a conversation. Having a friendlier interview atmosphere would benefit us the recruiter, because we would not only be able to find someone who actually wants the job, but we would also be able to make a better assessment to see if we would be able to find a person that is compatible with the people we already have. Because lightening the mood in an interview is so beneficial to both the applicant and us as it something that I would highly recommend it be something that all of us would add to our interview methods.

Advice to Job Seekers over 50

The job market is very competitive now. We are seeing many people who retired several years ago, believing that their pension and 401K would be sufficient to live on.  However, with the recent downturn in the economy many of those individuals are forced to try to re-enter the workforce to make their ends meet.

The job strategy for a seasoned employee re-entering the job market needs to be different because the job market has changed dramatically.  These workers have so much to offer employers, but getting a foot in the door can be a challenge.

Here are some tips for the more seasoned employee re-entering the job market:

Resumes are very important.    

-Make sure your resume does not look dated.  It should look neat and be printed on fresh, crisp paper.

-It should be no more than 2 pages- if you have more experience than fits- have a heading listing jobs prior to 1990.

-A resume should be printed on a computer- a typewritten resume is NOT acceptable.

-The skill set should be current: for example, very few companies use Word Perfect anymore- so it is not to your advantage to put that skill on your resume, because it makes you seem out of touch with the current business environment

We all have the daily pressures of every day life, however with the economic crunch and the tight job market, it is now more important than ever to not only have a job, but to EXCEL on the job. But with unemployment near record highs how does an individual get their proverbial foot in the door? And when you DO get that job, how do you shine and move ahead? What exactly are employers looking for in this ever changing job market?
With over 15 years of experience as a job placement expert, Lainie Bennett gives us the low down on how to get the career you want at the salary you deserve. As the founder and President/CEO of Millennium Personnel Corp., established in 1996, which specializes in Temporary to Permanent placements of Office Support in New York City, Lainie acts as a mentor to many job seekers in career strategies, job market forecasting and resume writing, guiding them and giving them the tools needed to obtain their dream jobs.
Join us today as Lainie Bennett shares her insider job market knowledge with Sky La Rose, Dr. Elisa and Minal Bopaiah.

As an owner of an employment agency, many times clients will place a job order with me requesting someone to work with them, but they are not exactly sure of what they REALLY need.  Recently a client asked me to set him up with interviews to meet 2 of my best applicants for a secretary job he had vacant.  I sent him two candidates as requested.  One applicant had scored in the highest percentile on all the computer tests, had worked for an executive within his industry, and although she was a seasoned professional, she was a bit curt at times and could come across as brusque. The other was a bit younger with not as much experience or skills, however, her warm and willing personality, in my opinion,  more than made up for the skills and experience.  Against my judgement, he decided to go with the more experienced applicant, rationalizing that skills and experience were the most important things to him.  After two weeks he called me and asked me if he could hire the applicant with the warm personality.  When I asked what happened with the applicant he had hired, he stated that she was speaking to an important client and spoke to him in a very dismissive manner and it nearly cost him the account.

Lainie Bennett, CEO of Millennium Personnel Corp., has been invited to be a guest speaker on the online radio show, “The Divorce Hour with Larry Bloom”, tomorrow, April 16, 2010 from 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. Don’t miss your chance to call in live and get her expert advice about the best ways to re-enter the workforce after an extended absence! Listen to us at http://www.talkingalternative.com/?p=438; the phone number is 1877-480-4120. Remember to call between 1p.m. – 2p.m. tomorrow

As the owner of an employment agency in NYC, I rarely see people moving from one city to another to follow the job growth rate.  However, we very frequently see spouses of individuals who were transferred by their current employers to NYC coming in for jobs. Or people who have relocated to take care of an ailing parent. And after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, I saw many people who relocated to be with family members in this area. What is the common bond here?
While I believe that a small percentage of people do their research and uproot themselves to move to high job growth areas, in my opinion, that is not the majority. To most, the job growth rate is immaterial. What seems to be more important is keeping close ties with family and friends and hoping that through networking and effort, they can find work in the city where they have the guidance and support of loved ones.