The weather report this June in New Jersey was rain with thunderstorms almost everyday.  I don’t remember such a cold damp June in my 57 years of living here.  Well the jobs report for June was as bad as the weather.  A net job lost of almost half a million jobs with an unemployment rate at 9.5% are numbers that are the most dismal for my 35 plus years employment career.  Rainy cold and unemployed was the New Jersey and northeast forecast for June.  The only good thing to report is that June is behind us.

 

Even in the Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) micro-world we had a RIF as a result of poor direct hire numbers and lower than expected revenues. 

 

As I search the employment numbers for some sign of recovery, I am hard pressed finding any segment looking up.  Even the temporary employment numbers that seem to bottom out in May returned to significant losses.  The only plus here is that many of the temporary jobs were with the Census Bureau so if they are removed some of this bleeding is lessened.  Next months numbers should give us a better handle on temporary employment.  Temporary employment has been the first sign or the leading indicator of a return to normal hiring cycles.  I do hope we see some growth in July.

 

Looking out on the horizon I am still optimistic that hiring will return by Q4 09 but it will take a net growth of at least 250,000 jobs per month for an extended period of time to make up for our recent losses.  Since with this month’s contraction we have returned to a total employment number from 2000 wiping out this decades new jobs.  OUCH!

 

As a community service we at Berman Larson Kane will continue to offer our free job-seeker webinars twice a month (https://www.jobsbl.com/jobs/coaching/webinars.php). Hoping that one of our tips will assist you with finding new or better employment.  “For now the only thing to do is “Hang in there”. Because we all know that “you can bet your bottom dollar that the sun will come out tomorrow”.  We are just not sure were or when Annie, Jobs and the Sun will appear.

 

Thank you for all your support.  We at Berman Larson Kane consider it a privilege to continue to offer the “Best Staffing Options”.  Our temporary and contract divisions continue on their growth path helping each of our clients cover those emerging interim skill gaps.  And of course our transition programs are available to corporations that are looking to adjust workforces.

Following are Suggestions from Linked-In Members to the above Title…feel free to add yours… 

  “I know no matter how bad the situation is it will not last forever. Eventually it will get better” C.B.

 “I am an eternal optimist. I remain focused on the things that are within my control. People want to associate themselves with winners not victims and this remains foremost in my mind. I endured 15 months of unemployment in the 2001 – 2002 time period and it was essential for me to feel engaged. I researched job boards each day and judiciously followed up every submission. I maintain a database of all submissions and every associated interaction. My goal is to interact with a human and initiate dialog and when possible elicit feedback regarding my suitability for the position. I was able to keep a pulse on the emerging marketplace, establish a short list of contacts to continuously reach out to. In this current downturn I have been unemployed since November 2008 and the aforementioned methodology has served me well uncovering 4 probable opportunities.” R.L. 

“I do not associate with anyone else who is looking for work. I am sick of playing Oprah to a bunch of whiners” JQ 

“Besides looking for a job and networking on a daily basis, I also volunteer at several organizations and I teach. This gives me a positive feedback on myself and my skills. I also spend more time on my favorite physical activites like running and garden” GN

“1) Exercise early–keep a schedule
2) Good ideas arise while burning off the stress
3) Return home and follow-up on the ideas and/or calls you thought of
4) Review your CV to try and make it more focused on the questions you may have heard at a recent telephone or F2F interview
5) Go to your library and look into self-help section
6) Take out books on tape to listen to while exercising
7) Increase your network by at least a few people each day
8) Review job postings daily
9) Apply for all appropriate positions
10) Keep in touch 1-2 times a week with key recruiters” LP

“Simply block out the negative news (don’t listen to it) and keep pressing on to the goals I have set for myself” SE“What motivates me to get moving each morning is the impact this situation is having on my immediate family. I work 8-10 hours each and every day scouring the job boards, connecting with colleagues and friends, calling recruiters and attending job fairs. I have extended my search to every area of the US and considered other occupations to apply my experience and skills.My family is relying on me and I will do everything in my power not to let them down”. RG

“Every day you’ve got to get up and Play Hard!….stay focused and be persistent in your job search regardless of the slow job market. Companies will start the hiring process for 2010 in the fall.” SF

“While I’m home, I keep busy searching for jobs, exercising, walking around the neighborhood or park, tackling special household cleaning projects that get neglected while working, staying in close contact with friends, offering help, when needed, to family, etc. I try to use this time productively to do things I would not be able to accomplish when working.We have all been through tough economic times, and I’m certain things will turn around as they always have.” PK

“I need to review my accomplishments, my health, family and work career. Remember positive feed backs from the patients, friend, family members and colleagues. Find positive friends and environment, stay and spend more time with them. If that is an obligation to work with the negative work or envorinment, then I read the resume of the people from whom I have been surrounded and then try to find way to endorse, encourage and motivate them so as to provide a breathtaking environment for myself” MAB

”I was an IT desk side support/trainer for over 8 years. When I was first laid off in February I was really gung-ho. Now it is very depressing. The only job related things that I do now are attend meet ups, webinars like yours and accept the few and far between offers that come my way from head hunters.NY State Unemployment has offered to pay for and I accepted going to technical school to get PC and Microsoft certifications. Studying is what motivates me now.”   S.N.

“1. Consulting
2. While “on the beach”, working on keeping up with technology and best practices improvements
3. Maintaining a schedule of enrichment activities
4. Networking
5. Actually getting on the beach (love the Connecticut shoreline!)” AK

“I feel somewhat fortunate in that I can take my time and try to find the right opportunity and not jump into something that I’ll regret later. I’ll admit that everyday I have the uncomfortable feeling of not having a job and not knowing what the future holds for me and my family. I fight those feelings and spend time on the job boards and try to find and apply to several jobs per week. Most of the time, I don’t hear back from the company so the feed back is not very good. I don’t know if there is an issue with me, my resume, my experience, where I live, my age, if its a bogus listing or what. But my understanding, that is not unusual. I press on and don’t take it personally and I always remind myself to be thankful for what I have. The few recruiters that I speak with indicate the my market space, mid-sized ERP software sales is unusually slow and to be patient. I have read that its a good idea not to listen to the daily news because its is depressing and can make you feel more frustrated. I take that advice.

I also keep busy in other ways. I take daily hikes to get exercise and have chores around the house that I have more time and fewer excuses not accomplish.

I don’t know if I’m answering your question but you have been so good to me allowing me to attend your webinars that I felt you deserved an answer.” BB

“I just ignore the news and go about my business.
Hope all is well with you.” NL

“Weekends are still weekends, longer breakfast and sleeping in only on Sat/Sun/Holidays. Mon-Fri up early and still eat same breakfast as when I was working. Have job search hours Mon-Fri to be determined on jobs I find and network contacts I talk with. Weekends generally are down time, no job search unless I get a good tip. Network contacts continue to lift my spirits though they may not always have the time to talk with me when they are working.” CA

“Stick to a regular morning routine PC search on sites I have made searches (Indeed. Simply Hired) If that turns up anything apply to the company thru their website or draft letters and mail them. Cultivate my Linked In contacts and their contacts (the local chapters ) and look for a way to get a communication to them.If I had to give up my cell phone or PC….it would be my cell. I have SOOOOO many emails from people I have contacted or vice versa (about 2000 emails) that they could never be reconstructed). Please let me know of your results here. Thx” CB

“For one, I don’t read or listen to the negative news. It just drags you down mentally and emotionally. Second, I make sure I’m reading, watching, etc. motivational content. Lastly, I make sure to laugh as much as possible.Organization wise, I’ve started using Google Docs (their spreadsheet equivalent) so that I can access that information from anywhere, any computer. The alternative being an Excel spreadsheet residing on my computer at home, and only accessible as such” CZ

“It is tough. I have built my job pipelines up 8 times already in the past 6 months, only to have them plucked away individually, one after the other. I’m in Marketing, so fortunately I am seeing things thaw out. Companies are no longer “spooked”. At least that is my perspective.”To your question — I have no choice. This is the 4th quarter of the longest game in my life. I am a bit cynical at times, but am certainly not going to let that on to anyone. I don’t focus on the noise, just on what companies say and do as they respond to me. That’s all that matters. If nothing else, it has taught me that I need to become more independent. Hence I should start my own business. But you need $$$ to do that!” CF

“I just work at keeping a positive mental attitude. That is not to say I don’t have my down days but fortunately they have been few and far between. One thing that helps is the knowledge that I am not unemployed due to any circumstance that I contributed to. It is just unfortunate that it happened. One other thing I do is I have a list of to do’s around the house and try to accomplish or at least get started on these things. It can give you immediate gratification and you know you have at minimum accomplished something even if it’s not finding a job. That being said you must stay focused and spend sometime each day in your job search. Currently the above is what keeps me going. Each day may be different timing I usually like to get into emails and correspondence first thing in the morning and then onto tasks but it varies by day” MH

“Steer away from negative news
Take walks for fresh air
Have the belief that there is a perfect fit somewhere for me
Have gotten a lot of responses and interest already in 5 months” BB

“Since I semi-retired, I’m probably not a good candidate to answer this question. While I would like to find some work close to home, I am resigned to what will be. If I don’t find an assignment, I still have my pension and Social Security to fall back on, as well as my wife’s. I check the major boards and work with a bevy of recruiters. Also, every two to three weeks I refresh my resume. However, it is discouraging to see how one’s worth has deteriorated. I have gone on job interviews for approximately 2/3 of what I made previously in 2008 and I still did not get the job. I was number two. I presume the “winner” was willing to work for less. I hope this has helped.” ME

“After recieving a rejection letter last week I went back through all the business cards and other materials that I received when I volunteered @ the biotechnology symposium last October and spent 5 hours going through them and looking to see if the company had any openings. (I know I should do this more often) I also go through my list of job websites on a weekly basis (some are daily) and check to see if there are any openings that might be right for me and my qualifications. In the mean time I have been substitute teaching as much as possible to keep busy along with taking 3 bike rides weekly and working in my small garden. To stay motivated I rely on my friends both on LinkedIn as well as Facebook. Without their encouragement and support I would not be as positive as I am today, knowing that it has been 6 months since I last had “full-time” employment. My goal this week is to go back through the USA Jobs website and try to apply to anything I might remotely be qualified for in hopes that maybe one or two position is real.” KA

“I keep focused on the job search. Always looking for job opening, leads, referrals, and networking.
treat the job search just like a job. Keep at it, something will turnup.
It may come from an unexpected place. Never stop looking and asking for help.” JH

“I find going to the gym for mental and physical well being is the best medicine for me to remain motivated and optimistic as well as keeping in touch with friends and making the time to network online and in person.” MP““I’ve had good feedback with my resume that has gotten me a steady flow of interviews based on job boards and through recruiters. Even though I have not gotten to the offer stage, I’ve gained confidence that I have been able to do this despite the rough economy. Thus, I’ve continued my job search with applying to job boards and continuing to network with recruiters and something is bound to happen eventually.” JM

“Good question. My answer is family support and rouite exercises.” JB“By thinking and acting like a winner instead of a loser and surrounding myself with other positive people. It’s all about attitude!”  AD

Well this past month for the first time we are experiencing some light in the employment numbers both as a nation and on the small Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) employment scale.

 

Job creation numbers although still a negative (350,000) have decreased from the prior years average of over (600,000) per month.

 

Temporary job numbers decrease by a slim (6500) almost returning to even.  My experience with prior recessions this temporary category is the first to return too normal and has lead the job creation numbers of prior recoveries.  I am guardedly optimistic!

 

We at Berman Larson Kane are trending towards normal temporary employment billing and have recently seen a small increase in new hire orders by our clients.  Although direct hire numbers still lag considerably behind 2008 totals and are at least 35% behind 2007 statistics.

 

So the light at the end of the employment tunnel darkness is within sight.  My prediction is we will get to the end of month over month job loses by September/October 2009. I hope I am right.  If this is correct, we will begin to have a net job creation increase by late Q4 09 and witness some significant job growth beginning in 2010.  This job growth will be two fold, new jobs and replacement positions because corporations are currently over cutting employment to control expenses.

 

At Berman Larson Kane we experienced a slow down of direct hire order in April & May and are seeing a return to more normal levels in June.  My predictions for Q3 is still unclear, but I hoping for the best and feel relatively confident that temp work will increase until confidence is return to our clients sales projections.

 

As for the high unemployment numbers they may still continue to rise as job functions and productivity is realigned with the new economy and stimulus spending.

 

We at Berman Larson Kane continue to be thankful to our loyal clients, dedicated staff and staffing product mix.  We will continue of offer free job-seeker webinars (https://www.jobsbl.com/jobs/coaching/webinars.php) twice a month to assist those in need. We anticipate a client need for retention services for key staff, transition assistance for those that need retooling and are excited about the prospects of introducing a corporate wellness program in September.

 

Thank you again to all for your support during these turbulent times and we look forward to assisting all as the economy returns to a modest growth pattern.

 

Saturday April 25, 2009 

Today, we at Berman Larson Kane lost the founder of our Human Resource Division, Rose Kane.  Rose and several members of her family were the victims of a fatal car crash on the NJ Turnpike.  She will be greatly missed. 

Rose was a trailblazer in the HR field. After a 16-year tenure at Tenneco, a Fortune 500 company, she founded HR Pros and Kane Associates in 1984.  Her 30 plus years in the staffing industry were captured in a feature article in Fortune Magazine in 1997.  

When Rose was ready for retirement from the staffing industry in 1999,  we at Berman & Larson excitedly purchased her firm.  During the transition her stellar reputation shined so brightly we proudly added her name and legacy to our firm’s door.  She continued guiding us at Berman Larson Kane as a consultant through a successful transition.  All will miss her abilities, knowledge, temperament and good natured sense of humor. 

More recently, Rose channeled her time, energy, and considerable talents to developing several programs for her church including feeding the homeless.   She was devoted to her native Ireland and made several trips across the Atlantic. 

We at Berman Larson Kane will always remember her dancing the Irish Jig with   bagpipers at her retirement dinner, and we wish her peace and joy in the after life.  Stay well Rose; you are the best.

If I can read between the lines with a announced 8.1% unemployment rate combined with discourage workers and those working part time but looking for full time and the reduce weekly hours of those with jobs our true unemployment rate is around or above 20%! Ouch OUCH OUCH! 

Bruce Steinberg who writes a about unemployment www.brucesteinberg.net

The “Beige Book”, so named because of the color of the cover, reports on business activity in each of the 12 district banks. Perhaps the Fed should adopt the scale used by the Department of Homeland Security, which rates the terrorist threat level by green (low), blue (guarded), yellow (elevated), orange (high), and red (severe), for the report cover color. Below is an excerpt that details developments in sectors that many of our readers have business interests in:Demand continued to fall for professional services such as business consulting and accounting services, legal services, and other professional services in various Districts. However, Dallas noted a modest increase, albeit less-than-expected, in demand for legal services due to increased bankruptcy proceedings. Providers of information technology (IT) services in the Boston District saw a drop in activity on average, although some firms have sustained strong revenue growth; activity among providers of IT services was reported as stable to up in Kansas City, and Minneapolis reported that some IT services firms have seen solid demand from companies that are intent on using the technology to reduce costs. Demand for staffing services weakened considerably. Boston reported that outcomes for providers of temporary staffing services were “dismal,” with revenue declines in the range of 20 to 50 percent compared with twelve months earlier. Chicago and Dallas also reported sizable declines in activity by staffing firms, and New York noted that activity by a major employment agency has “virtually ground to a halt.”Mr. Steinberg is correct and so is the “Beige Book” about the declines in the staffing industry.  My work at NAPS www.recruitinglife.com supports the Fed’s summary.  And our members are experience several business challenges.

We here at Berman Larson Kane www.jobsbl.com continue to see the attendance of our weekly community service project webinars for the unemployed swell. We are lucky enough to have some great clients that keep us busy with projects in their pockets of growth.  Our contracting business continues to holds its own and our corporate transition coaching (BLK version of outplacement) continues to prosper.So once again I am thankful for our wonderful experience staff, great clients and our strong work ethic in these challenging times.  I always take the message from our new president “YES WE CAN” add wonderful value to the employment picture in our small way.

A net lose of 1.9 million jobs since September 08.  If we factor in the first two weeks of 09 I am sure we are well over a net lose of over 2 million jobs in a little over 4 months…OUCH….unemployment at 7.2% … and that does not count those working part time who want full time jobs, those under employed and those who have just pain given up looking for work…..I feel save in estimating the current true unemployment rate to be in double digits.  OUCH OUCH……. And this does not factor in several employers that had mandatory furloughs…..employers that close doors without pay for the holiday’s…..OUCH  OUCH OUCH

 

President-elect Obama I hope congress passes your stimulus package quickly and make job creation the primary focus….Are you sure your target of 3 million new jobs is large enough.  Borrow Borrow Borrow job creation must be number one priority of your administration.

 

Although we at Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) are doing our best to help jobseekers locate new employment.  We remind or readers that we have over 100 job advice article on our webpage in the historical section of our newsletters and have live and on demand FREE job seeker webinars on our website to assist all job seekers. (https://jobsbl.com/jobs/coaching/webinars.php) . Put on your speakers to attend past webinars on demand or register for the next live session on January 15^th at 12 noon EST.

 

As for my predictions I am guardedly optimistic that this job recovery will be quicker that all believe.  I think the acceleration of the jobs recovery will be a reaction to the over cutting of staff that has taken place over the past 4 months.  Companies will need to add to staff with the slightest increase in capacity.  For all those that are unemployed/underemployed or discouraged employees I hope and pray that I am right this time.  Stay well and happy job hunting.

A net loss of 533,000 jobs in the month of November and this is without the auto industry closing.  And this is on top of a negative job growth number of 723,000 during the prior two months.  I am not a mathematician but that adds up to 1,256,000 jobs lost in this country in only a three-month period.  As you all know I have been in and around the employment business for over 30 years and I do not remember such a rapid slide in jobs.  And the government only just declared that we are officially in a recession.

 

Well the challenges here at BLK (www.jobsbl.com) have increased greatly with the greatest pressure being felt in our direct hire divisions.  Although the national trend is a decrease of around 14% for the temp business ours here at BLK is at a double-digit growth rate.  But the suspension of direct hires by many of our clients has lead to a few layoffs here as we unfortunately join the national averages.

 

As I lookout for a turning point our little microcosm here at BLK shows some of our client returning to a hiring mode in mid January.  Many of our other clients are waiting for sales reports and yearend closes to determine 2009 needs.  However my instincts point to some early life to the employment market in 09 once companies realize that they have over right sized staffs.

 

As a service to the recent masses of unemployed we at Berman Larson Kane will be sponsoring weekly lunch & learn webinars free of charge to the job seekers.   I am guardedly optimistic that the doom and gloom around us has been over projected.

Looking for a job? Looking for a safe investment? Looking for some positive news?

 

The Answer is “Saturday Night Live”. Some how their satires are becoming real.  Maybe Tina Fey is really the leader of our country?  Well enough silliness; let me share the job market realities from the BLK (www.bermanlarsonkane.com) world before I break into tears.

 

In our tiny universe we are experiencing a steady flow of contract and temporary assignments.  These orders are remarkably ahead of last years’ assignments by at least 10%.  The only explanation I can offer is companies need to fill certain skill shortages and temps/contractors/consultants are the solution to get the task completed without making a long-term commitment.  Budgets are tightening for new headcount, but temporary consultants help meet workflow without increasing headcount.

 

On a positive note our good clients continue to use us here at BLK for the few openings that they have and our research & recruiting staff are very proficient at finding the best sample that the market has to offer.  I thank our regular clients and we continue to find cost effective solutions to their personnel needs.

 

On the downside we are finding that although the number of job requirements placed with our firm remain constant,  that interview cycles are being extended, as the client needs to really justify every hire with a strong bottom line business need.  This has created slow down in new hires and direct placement revenue.

 

In today’s tight job market we are finding a steady demand for strong sales professionals as all clients look to increase sales and market share.  Skill shortages of mid-level accountants remain and I believe will increase as companies look for ways to save and account for every penny of expenses/revenue.  In the technology arena shortages remain for good system integrators & analysts, DBA’s, business intelligence and various programmers.  We are experiencing a cutback in administrative support, human resources and lease administrators.  The Pharma world although slowing down remains a bed of activity and competition for good clinical personnel.

 

As I look to lead BLK we remain highly focused on bringing the best and brightest talent to our clients openings.  This assures them a good return on their investment.  Since we all know human capital is the bedrock of all great companies in both good and bad times.

 

Thank you to all for your support….as a old bat this is the 4th major economic crisis I have faced in the past 30 years….the only reflection or insight I have to offer is “the crisis I am currently involve in is always the worst”.  Including prime at 20+% (1980) Stock Market crash (1987) Resolution Trust and Saving & Loan Failures (1992) and the technology storm (2000-2002) and of course the horror of 911.  We will survive and the supermarkets will have food to buy.  Thank God for Potato Chips and Saturday Night Live.

Holy Cow…How depressing are today’s job creation & unemployment numbers as reported in the New York Times

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/business/economy/06econ.html?ex=1378353600&en=fe70397b0574831f&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

 

With the political conventions completed….the stock market tanking….layoff announcements rising. …car sales almost non-existent…..earnings evaporating……back to schools sales at lows……hurricanes brewing……but gas is down to $3.50 a gallon….I can’t believe I even consider 3.50 good news…

 

So what is happening here at Berman Larson Kane (www.jobsbl.com) …. Our orders for August closed off from 07 and our sales took a corresponding dip & these job creation numbers confirm the reason…..however since the summer is behind us and we returned to full blast on September 2^nd our great clients have placed some new orders with us….interviews delayed by summer vacations have returned to normal and I am optimistic that September sales here at BLK will exceed normal ranges.  We have several recruiting assignments that will help several people return to full employment.

 

Why I remain optimistic while the rest of the world is seemingly falling around us?  I have to believe that we can do it…Although the bad news is beginning to creep into our BLK universe, the BLK staff and myself are determined to forge ahead against great odds…and if there is any team that can accomplish our mission it is the talented BLK staff.  Our recruiters, research staff, talent pool and other services are top notch and our loyal clients continue to give as much work as possible.

 

Within the employment market several skill shortages have materialized and these openings have created a need for our recruiting services…Skills that are in demand SAS Programmers, C++ developers, LIMS Administrators, Compensation Analysts, Legal Assistants, Data Warehousing programmers and developers, .net developers, junior accountants and all workers that have experience in bankruptcies (sign of the times, sorry).

 

But the bottom line our economy is in the tank and our path out will come not come from tax cuts, not from lowering the prime, not from forgiving loans, not from bailing out the investment banks, not from ending the war and definitely not from import protectionism….The turnaround will begin with our new president….we need to revamp our ways, focus on becoming a green nation, move towards oil independents, our new growth or new economy and new businesses will rise from the need to protect our most precious resource OUR ENVIRONMENT. I believe our prosperity will come from our intellectual capital that this great country has a natural abundance…..We need to focus on our future today.