Career Report September 2016 Issue 199

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Career Report September 2016 Issue 199

The Problem with Pointing Fingers

When things go wrong at work and mistakes result in a problem or even the loss of business, employees often get annoyed and want to place the blame on someone. But before pointing a finger at a fellow employee, it’s important to take a step back and look closely at the situation. In the following Q&A feature article from The New York Times, careers columnist Eilene Zimmerman provides some important insight on the subject while also offering guidance on the importance of crediting employees for their good work when credit is due.

 

  • How can you place the blame for a problem or mistake in an acceptable, professional way?

The last thing you want is a reputation for throwing co-workers under the bus, the article pointed out. Instead, it’s far more politically savvy and productive to approach the mistake as a team problem. “Recommend a post-mortem analysis of what happened, where you look at the chain of events, what occurred and what didn’t, and questions get answered in a good-faith process,” said Ben Dattner, a management consultant and author of “The Blame Game: How the Hidden Rules of Credit and Blame Determine Our Success or Failure.”

Even if it was clearly just one person who made the mistake, it’s helpful to look at ways the entire team can make sure the error isn’t repeated. Jodi Glickman, president of Great On The Job, a communications training firm in Chicago, said that little is accomplished by focusing on one person’s mistake. “It’s not about the one error,” she said. “It’s about the breakdown in communications or the lack of understanding of responsibilities.”

You can, however, speak privately to the person, letting him or her know you are aware that the mistake is their responsibility, and ask how you could help prevent it from happening again.

 

  • What if someone blames you for something that isn’t your fault? Can you protect yourself without seeming overly defensive or childish?

Avoid a knee-jerk response and take a step back instead, said Lynn Taylor, chief executive of a workplace productivity firm in Santa Monica, Calif., and author of “Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant.” She suggests putting yourself in the other person’s shoes to try to understand why he or she is blaming you. Show empathy to help defuse the tension, letting the person know you understand that there is reason for concern.

Keep your tone professional, and stick to the facts. Acknowledge that while you weren’t involved with the problem, you will be happy to help resolve it.

 

  • How does all the finger-pointing in a workplace affect its culture?

Unfortunately, finger-pointing or scape-goating is fairly common, said Jill A. Brown, an assistant professor of Management at Lehigh University. When people are insecure, they tend to shirk responsibility for their mistakes, she said. Indeed, a culture of blame can create a very difficult work environment, added Alina Tugend, who writes the Shortcuts column for The New York Times and is author of “Better By Mistake.”

Research shows that people in the workplace tend to copy blaming as a behavior, whether consciously or unconsciously, thus perpetrating the problem, Tugend told the newspaper. “Conversely,” she added, “when people see others taking responsibility for their mistakes or failures, they also copy that, creating a better overall work environment.”

 

  • Giving and receiving credit for a job well done is important, too. What’s the right way to give credit to others?

Credit motivates employees, Dattner said, and when there is a lack of it, people become demoralized and disengaged. But make sure that the amount of credit you give is commensurate with the accomplishment. “If it’s a small thing someone did, for example, don’t make it a public event,” Taylor added. Instead, thank the person privately or by e-mail – and be specific about what you’re acknowledging.

And be sure to give credit only when it’s truly deserved and then do so in a variety of ways and places – at meetings, during a lunch, in an e-mail, by text or by memo, using different language each time, she said.

 

  • Although acknowledging others is important for overall morale, does it benefit you directly in any way?

Giving credit to others publicly positions you as a leader, Brown said, because the ability to give credit is an important dimension of leadership. It also makes others want to work with you and for you. “If you share credit, are conscious of other people’s agendas and are always trying to make colleagues look good, people will love you,” Glickman added. “They will want to be on your team.”

 

  • NEWS FROM BLK

Summer is behind us and the motivation to hire excellent candidates is increasing quickly. More niches are attaining full employment greatly increasing the competition for stellar talent.  Immediately after Labor Day we have seen an increase in job requisitions from our established clients.  And with great surprise are witnessing orders from clients we have not heard from in years.

So if you are a job-seeker this is a good time to test the waters.  If you are a hiring authority be prepared for a competitive market place.

We at Berman Larson Kane  would like to thank our clients for their business.  It is truly an honor to assist with each talent acquisition challenge  that the market creates.

 

 

Career Advice Becomes a Summer Must-Read

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Bob-BLK-head-shot

BERMAN LARSON KANE 

Career Report June 2016

 Feature Story

CAREER ADVICE BECOMES A SUMMER MUST-READ

Summer is typically a time for breezy novels and thrillers. But this  season, books dishing out career advice and inspiration are making a strong showing, as people young and old, employed and not, seek an edge in the  job market.

While overall book sales were down  for the year through April,  retailers report that sales of career-burnishing books have been on the rise.

Clearly, the season will bring  fresh demand for classics like “What Color Is Your Parachute,” a comprehensive guide to job-hunting by Richard N. Bolles that has sold 10 million copies since it was first published in 1970, and “Knock em’ Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide,” by Martin Yale. Both titles are updated annually.

Moms who are returning to work can pick up “Back on the Career Track,” by Carol Fishman Cohen and Vivian Steir Rabin, while baby boomers might opt for “Finding a Job After 50,” by Jeanette Woodward.

And while there are books for most every situation, publishers are rushing out new titles to address demand from anxious consumers.

Wiley & Sons “Get the Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring,” by Ford R. Myers. Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, Calif., has career books.. One of them, “Strategies for a Successful Career Change,” by Martha E. Mangelsdorf, a journalist, grew out of her experience writing a monthly column profiling successful career changers. The other, “The Job-Hunter’s Survival Guide,” by Bolles, is a pared-down guide for job-seekers who may not have time or patience to read his 400-page “Parachute” book.

Buying a book will not magically find you a job, of course, but the best career guides offer time-tested advice, exercises to pinpoint strengths and interests, and a motivational boost.

Mark N. New, a career counselor and recruiter in Belle Mead, N.J., who has read dozens of career advice books, said job seekers can pick up useful nuggets on the mechanics of an employment search from books like “Parachute” and “Knock’ em Dead.” For those who have recently lost jobs, he suggested reading a motivational book from authors like William Bridges, a consultant who has written several books on managing change, or Stephen R. Covey, author of “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.”

“You have to emotionally be in the right place to put your best foot forward,” New said. He also urged job-seekers to become adept at social networking and personal branding. Here, he said, a book like “Me 2.0” by Dan Schawbel, can help.

NEWS FROM BLK

Although recent announced job creation numbers were the weakest seen in months, we at Berman Larson Kane are anticipating a very active summer for job-seekers.  We continue to witness a skill shortage in an increasing number of disciplines as the talent pool continues to grow shallower.

Bob Larson. CPC President of Berman Larson Kane says “I believe this will be the most favorable summer for job-seekers in the past decade”.  As I talk to clients they are all asking us to line up talent and keep the pool full so they can hire on fast and on demand.

 

OPEN PAY POLICIES COULD BECOME GROWING TREND

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Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

BERMAN LARSON KANE 

Career Report

May 2016

 Feature Story

OPEN PAY POLICIES COULD BECOME GROWING TREND

Picture this: your client company has an open pay policy — where salary bands and compensation of individuals are visible throughout the organization.  Such a proposition may be a heart-stopping notion but, according a Monster.com article, recruiters and other staffing professionals would be wise to ponder the challenges and opportunities posed by pay transparency.

Why? Among other things, the article pointed out, it provides a means to overcome a job candidate’s potential doubts, fears, and objections around compensation during the job offer process.

Elements of open pay, a widespread practice among government entities, have recently gained momentum as a legal requirement for many private-sector firms. About a dozen states, including California and New York, adopted laws in 2015 that strengthen workers’ rights to: ask their employees about compensation, discuss pay with coworkers, and disclose their salary to others.

The primary goal of these laws intends to advance pay equality. Indeed, these state measures typically expand on longstanding Federal protections for pay rights.

Indeed, companies that choose a fully open pay policy — giving every employee access to everyone else’s salary — remain rare. Still, this phenomenon may potentially become a growing trend, especially if more upstarts follow the lead of tech firms like New York-based SumAll, a data analytics company and San Francisco-based Buffer, a web-based platform that helps share social media content.

What does all this mean for recruiters selling opportunities to candidates who may see salary transparency as an ill-considered scheme?  Here, according to the Monster.com article, are some top considerations, from the mouths of open-pay experts and practitioners:

Putting chips on the table can avoid wasting everyone’s time. With open pay, compensation is typically addressed toward the beginning of the recruitment process. This means candidates can quickly learn whether a job is worth going after, says compensation consultant Jim Brennan.

“Candidates no longer have to wonder what’s real and what isn’t,” says Brennan. And hiring managers, HR people and compensation specialists may no longer have to suffer through a series of candidacies that may well result in a stalemate or counteroffer ping-pong match.

Known salary bands can make negotiation more straightforward. “Open pay lowers the stress level in the hiring process,” says Dane Atkinson, CEO of SumAll, the 28-employee firm founded in 2011. At SumAll, a team comes up with the salary offer by comparing their appraisal of the candidate’s potential with the performance of current employees and then looks for an approximate match.

An open-pay search may increase the recruiter’s workload. Open pay is not all good for recruiters. With transparency, no manager can expect a company to make an exception to its internally published pay bands for an exceptional candidate; and recruiters can’t eliminate applicants who have been underpaid — mostly women and members of minority groups.

“Pay transparency is bad for recruiters and good for candidates,” says Brennan. “It’s much easier for recruiters to use prior pay as a proxy; with open pay, recruiters may have to work harder and do more research.”

Transparent pay can reduce inequities among demographic groups. With salary out in the open, unfair pay practices tend to quickly diminish — an objective that sometimes eludes even those employers that make serious efforts to treat equally all workers’ requests for raises.

A system weighted toward equity is doubly important for aforementioned women and minorities, who often tend to be weaker salary negotiators, according to studies cited by a Penn State Law Review article. Thus, open pay can be a great selling point to candidates who are members of protected classes.

Open comp companies can speak fluently about pay for performance. When each of your employees knows what everyone is paid, it requires some transparency about compensation differences among people doing similar work.

“You can think of open pay as a call to action to organizations to communicate about how comp is derived and how it links to performance,” says Salary.com CEO Kent Plunkett. “The biggest problem I see with open pay is how you feel if you’re in the bottom third” of the pay band.

Open pay can exemplify a transparent company culture.  “Pay transparency is an opportunity for a company to communicate culture and employer brand,” says Plunkett. Open-pay companies are likely skilled in communicating their culture to recruiters and the candidates they source.

Transparent pay can reassure candidates about working for a smaller employer. Candidates may have heard horror stories from friends who went to work for an exciting small company but become mired in a low to middling pay range. Visibility into your client’s open-pay structure may help overcome such objections.

“At companies with fewer than 50 workers, it’s more likely that employees will feel that pay is not systematic and open pay can mute this concern,” says Plunkett.

Openness makes compensation systems more self-correcting. Open-pay systems tend to keep themselves honest. “Once you publish a pay rate, it becomes consistent, because there’s pressure to keep it so,” says Brennan. And pay transparency makes it harder for executives to create exceptions.

Transparency tends to help employees keep up with market pay rates. “Open pay brings vitality to the whole talent acquisition process,” says Brennan.

Clearly, the article pointed out, with company-wide visibility into pay data, changes in compensation can quickly sweep through a given employment classification, helping to boost employee morale as inequity is addressed, Brennan believes. Another possible benefit of open pay: while labor costs may tend to be higher in the short term, they will be lowered in the long term due to reduced employee attrition.

NEWS FROM BLK

“April Showers they Bring May Flowers” we are not sure of this east coast weather but we are super pleased to report that May has brought a new blossom of job orders.  Segments that are getting warmer for the hot summer are scientific, pharma, marketing, sales and information technologies.   Shortages have appear and top talent competition continues to heat up.  Hot times are on the horizon for the job-seeker.

We are also pleased to report that our infrastructure improvements continue to assist our clients in stream lining the talent acquisition cycle.  If you would like to learn more give Bob Larson, CPC a call 201-556-2887 or email him at larson@jobsbl.com.

 

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING FOR CULTURAL FIT

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Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

April 2016 Issue # 194

 Feature Story

WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN HIRING FOR CULTURAL FIT

Cultural fit is a concept that can be hard to define but, when it’s missing, everyone in an organization can clearly recognize it, an article in Business News Daily points out.

 For example, imagine a company founder who believes that an open-office plan and team projects promote creativity and progress, but whose employees are overwhelming introverts. Or think about the ambitious employee stuck in an organization that offers no training, tuition reimbursement or room for advancement.

According to the article, at its core, cultural fit means that employees’ beliefs and behaviors are in alignment with their employer’s core values and company culture. Many employers understand the importance of hiring for cultural fit, and research shows that people who fit well into their companies express greater job satisfaction, perform better and are more likely to remain with the same organization for a longer period of time.

In fact, a 2015 survey of international employers found that more than 80 percent of managers named cultural fit a top priority when hiring new staff.

“We can teach someone to do a job. We can’t teach someone to love the way we operate,” said Lauren Kolbe, a founder of brand media agency KolbeCo. “An employee who is not aligned with the culture and is not committed to living it can wreak havoc pretty quickly, even if they bring a great deal of skill and experience to their craft.”

The first step in hiring for cultural fit is to be able to articulate what values, norms and practices define your business. Once that’s in place, it should be clearly expressed in all of your communication materials, including your website and recruiting tools.

Your job ads, in particular, must reflect your business culture and connect back to your core values, said Ian Cluroe, director of global brand and marketing at Alexander Mann Solutions, which helps organizations attract, engage and retain talent.  “You can do this by emphasizing some of the qualitative things you want in a candidate,” Cluroe told Business News Daily, the publication that aims to provide solutions and inspiration to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

Any members of your organization involved in interviewing potential employees also must have a good grasp of your business culture and refer back to it throughout the hiring process, Cluroe noted. It is not sufficient to ask candidates if they will fit into the corporate culture because “a smart candidate will know what you want to hear and give you the right answer,” he added.

To dig deeper, Barnes-Hogg recommended that interviewers ask probing questions that move applicants beyond canned answers and require them to demonstrate how they deal with uncertainty, solve problems and approach new challenges. Then, interviewers must determine how a candidate’s responses align with company culture and business goals.

Additionally, the article, by contributor Paula Fernandes, pointed out that employers can assess candidates for cultural fit by asking them to take personality tests like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and arranging for them to meet with team members from a range of levels across the organization. A potential employer may even ask prospective hires to spend a day in the office to learn about the inner workings and culture of the business or invite them to join the organization for a trial period.

However, employers should avoid confusing personal similarities with cultural fit. “When cultural fit is used to hire a homogenous workforce, the resulting lack of diversity will often manifest in poor creativity and undermine a company’s competitiveness,” said Pavneet Uppal, a managing partner with law firm Fisher & Phillips that represents employers in labor and employment matters.

“Focusing on hiring based on shared background or experiences may also lead to discriminatory practices,” Uppal added. “Refusing to hire someone because of an alleged lack of cultural fit will not save an employer from legal liability if the real reason for the employment decision is that an individual is perceived to be too old, too black, or too disabled.”

Asking candidates about personal issues — such as age, citizenship status, health, family history or ethnic background — can never be justified on the basis of cultural fit, Uppal stressed in the article.

The end goal, according to the article, is to identify and hire the very best candidates whose skills and attributes match the organization’s core values. Cluroe said this objective is achievable when organizations have a “culture that’s based on positive values that are open enough to enable a diverse selection of people to embody them in their own way.”

News from BLK

The second quarter of 2016 has seen a continuing increase in competition for top talent in numerous sectors.  Leading specialties s experiencing the most competition include scientific, digital media, healthcare and engineering.

Although recent data suggests a small increase in the unemployment rate and a decrease in New Jersey job creation numbers.  The overall direction of our clients continuous with planned additions to staff.

A sign that competition is increasing are the number of counter offers has increased greatly over the past few months. Employers using VORP models are sweetening the compensation as employees resignations trigger their current market value.

 

 

 

Saying Goodbye to a Job Gracefully

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Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

Career Report

February 2016 Issue #192

 Feature Story

Saying Goodbye to a Job Gracefully

As the unemployment continues to go down and new jobs are being created it is estimated   the percentage of job-seekers will continue to increase rapidly. In fact, one recent survey, by consulting firm Right Management, revealed that as many as 60 percent of workers say they are planning to leave their jobs as the economy continues to  improve. And while it may be tempting to give the boss an earful if you do land a new job, workers need to keep in mind that the way they quit can have a long term impact on their career.

Here are some tips from the newspaper article on how to resign from a job on good terms:

  • Be prepared. Review your employee handbook or employment contract before announcing your decision, so you know what your company policy is regarding resignations, severance, return of company property, and pay for unused vacation time. Also, find out the company’s reference policy to see what information will be disclosed to a prospective employer. If you have another job lined up, be sure to have your offer in writing before you resign.
  • Use it or loose it. If you haven’t used vacation time and will lose it if you quit, you might want to use your time before leaving or link it to your resignation date. But if you don’t want to burn any bridges, don’t take vacation and announce your departure just after your return.
  • Make an appointment. “Be formal and make an appointment with your boss,” recommended Tanya Maslach, a San Diego, Calif., career expert who specializes in relationship management issues. “Be prepared and engaging—and be transparent,” Maslach said. She also recommends asking your boss how you can help make the transition easier. After the discussion, put your resignation in a hard-copy letter that includes your last day and any transitional help you’ve offered.
  • Give Two weeks Notice. Two weeks advance notice is still standard but experts recommend offering more time if you’ve worked at a company for more than five years. Importantly, though, you also need to be prepared to leave right away—some companies require it.
  • Don’t take the stapler. “It’s not worth it,” said Michael J. Goldfarb, president of Northridge, Calif.-based Holman HR. “If there are security cameras or coworkers with a grudge, stealing from the company doesn’t look good.” In some cases, you could also end up getting billed for the missing equipment—or even taken to court, he said.
  • Scrub your digital footprint. Clear your browser cache, remove passwords to Websites you use from work, such as your personal email or online bank account and delete any personal files on your work computer that aren’t relevant to work. Don’t delete anything work related if you’re required to keep it.
  • Be honest but remain positive. Be helpful during the exit interview, but keep responses simple and professional. Don’t use the session to lay blame or rant about the workplace. “Whatever you do, don’t confess about how much you disliked working there,” said Maslach.
  • Stay close. Consider joining an employee alumni association, which often serves as a networking group for former employees. It can be a good way to keep up with changes in the company and industry—and find leads to new jobs down the road. Lastly, make an effort to keep in touch with coworkers you worked with; they may end up in management roles.

News from BLK

We continue to see an increase in hiring across numerous sectors with scientific leading the charge.  Numerous clients are looking at adding to staff during the 2nd quarter.  We at Berman Larson Kane continue to be very optimistic for the remainder of 2016 and beyond.

One major observation is that contract-to-hire appears to be the preferred model by several clients.  So job-seekers should be open to various employment arrangements besides direct hire.

In our continuous cycle of quality improvement we have adjusted our ATS system to better track your career progress and service our clients needs.

 

 

 

Can an Algorithm Hire Better than a Human?

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Feature Story

Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

CAN AN ALGORITHM HIRE BETTER THAN A HUMAN?

Hiring and recruiting might seem like some of the least likely jobs to be automated, as the whole process seems to need human skills that computers lack. But people have biases and predilections when making hiring decisions and that’s one reason why researchers say traditional job searches are broken, according to an article in The New York Times.

Now a new wave of start-up companies – including Gild, Entelo, Textio, Doxa and GapJumpers — is trying various ways to automate hiring to make the process better. They say software can do the job more efficiently than people and many are beginning to buy into the idea. Established headhunting firms like Korn Ferry are incorporating algorithms into their work, too.

If they succeed, the start-ups say, hiring could become faster and less expensive, and their data could lead recruiters to more highly skilled people who are better matches for their companies. Another potential result is a more diverse workplace. The software relies on data to surface candidates from a wide variety of places and match their skills to the job requirement, free of human biases.

“Every company vets its own way, by schools or companies on resumes,” said Sheeroy Desai, co-founder and chief executive of Gild, which makes software for the entire hiring process. “It can be predictive, but the problem is it is biased. They’re dismissing tons of qualified people.”

Some people, though, doubt that an algorithm can do a better job than a human at understanding people, according to the article. “I look for passion and hustle, and there’s no data algorithm that could ever get to the bottom of that,” said Amish Shah, founder and chief executive of Millennium Search, an executive search firm in the tech industry. “It’s an intuition, gut feel, chemistry.” He compared it to first meeting his wife.

Yet some researchers say notions about chemistry and culture fit have led companies astray. That is because many interviewers take them to mean hiring people they’d like to hang out with.

Instead, researchers say, interviewers should look for collegiality and a commitment to the business’s strategy and values. “A cultural fit is an individual whose work-related values and style of work support the business strategy,” Lauren Rivera, who studies hiring at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, told The New York Times. “When you get into a lot of the demographic characteristics, you’re not only moving away from that definition but you’re also getting into discrimination.”

They recommended that companies use structured interviews, in which they ask the same questions of every candidate and assign tasks that stimulate on-the-job work – and rely on data.

Gild, for instance, uses employers’ own data and publicly available data from places like LinkedIn or GitHub to find people whose skills match those companies that are looking for. It tries to calculate the likelihood that people would be interested in a job and suggests the right time to contact them, based on the trajectory of their company and career.

The tech industry is a focus for some of the hiring start-ups in part because it has more jobs than it can fill, and tech companies are under pressure to make their work forces more diverse, the article pointed out. At Twitter, for instance, just 10 percent of technical employees are women, and at Facebook and Yahoo, it’s around 15 percent.

Some of the software sounds as touchy-feely as the most empathetic personnel director. Doxa, a new service, plans to match candidates with tech companies and even specific teams and managers based on skills, values and compatibility.

So far, Doxa has uncovered aspects of working at companies that are rarely made public to job seekers. The data, from anonymous employee surveys, includes what time employees arrive and leave, how many hours a week they spend in meetings, what percentage work nights and weekends and which departments have the biggest and smallest pay gaps.

Another service, Textio, uses machine learning and language analysis to analyze job postings for companies like Starbucks and Barclays. Textio uncovered more than 25,000 phrases that indicate gender bias, said Kieran Snyder, its co-founder and chief executive. Language like “top-tier” and “aggressive” and sports or military analogies like “mission critical” decrease the proportion of women applicants. Language like “partnerships” and passion for learning” attract more women.

So where do humans fit if recruiting and hiring become automated? According to the article, data is just one tool for recruiters to use, people who study hiring say. Human expertise is still necessary. And data is creating a need for new roles, like diversity consultants who analyze where the data shows a company is lacking and figure out how to fix it.

People will also need to make sure algorithms aren’t just codifying deep-seated biases or, by surfacing applicants who have certain attributes, making workplaces just as homogeneous as they were before. “One of the dangers of these kinds of algorithms,” Rivera said, “is people just get overconfident because they’re relying on data.”

News from BERMAN LARSON KANE 

As the month of December brings us into full holiday season we look forward to celebrating another holiday season and thank everyone for their support as we move onto our 36th year in business.  Thank you all for your continuous confidence in our ability to add value to your talent acquisition programs.

 As we review the November job creation numbers we are excited about 2015 ending on such a positive note as more candidates return to the workforce.  We look forward to witnessing continuous job growth next year.  However if you are seeking employment this might be the season for networking read https://jobsbl.com/career-report-issue-198/ enjoy the holidays.

Holiday Season for Thanksgiving & Job Networking

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Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

November 2015 Feature Story Issue 189

Holiday Season for Thanksgiving &  Job Networking

Forget the popular misconception that the holidays are a dead time for job seekers. In fact, the season offers plenty of ways to keep your job search moving forward—especially some of the best chances to network you will find all year, according to a recent workplace column in The Wall Street Journal. And with the nation’s unemployment rate 5.1% it’s no wonder more career experts are telling job seekers to treat November / December like any other month, when it comes to job hunting.

One of our candidates is taking the advice very seriously. She’s scheduled to go to three parties, thus far, this month—one with friends from the gym, another Thanksgiving celebration with former colleagues, and a third at her financial planner’s home. A former senior systems analyst, she plans to tell people she meets that she’s out of work and looking for any help they can offer. On New Year’s Day, she will attend a holiday recovery parties that in the past she always skipped and make her pitch there as well.

“I’ve got to try to get out there and meet some different people to find work,” says another 45-year old job-seeker, who hopes to take further advantage of the holidays by adding even more events to her social calendar before the year is out. Clearly, she recognizes that networking is a powerful and important job-hunting technique.

At this point of the year, though, job seekers need to take a cautiously aggressive approach when networking. At holiday parties, for example, it’s best to act casual, since the setting is meant to be informal and festive, experts say. Most advise against bringing a resume, for instance.

“The holiday party is the perfect time to build rapport, and the pressure is off,” says Diane Darling, chief executive of Effective Networking Inc., a networking-consulting firm in Boston. Her primary piece of advice is to maintain a professional image while keeping the conversation informational. “It seems like small talk, but that’s how you get to know someone,” she told The Wall Street Journal. “And that’s how people get hired. She also recommended sending holiday cards to keep personal and business contacts fresh.

Kate Wendelton, president of Five O’Clock Club, a New York career-counseling and outplacement company, said it’s okay to ask for someone’s card at a holiday party, but you don’t want to start having a meeting with them right then. “If you give them a card, write on it something memorable from the conversation that you can reference in a follow-up letter,” she said.

Wendelton added that it is totally irrelevant to ask if someone has a job opening right now. But, she said, you will have an advantage if you meet a hiring manager in December, when many hiring budgets are being approved, prior to when jobs are even advertised.

During the holidays, people are also apt to be “smitten by the tone of the season” and to give more freely of their time, added Herb Rappaport, a professor of psychology at Temple University and author of the book Holiday Blues: Rediscovering the Art of Celebration.

A.J. Lawrence, for one, is hoping the holiday spirit will make his new networking scheme a success. He told the newspaper that on behalf of himself and about 100 other unemployed people who are friends and contacts, including many he has met online, he is sending out an electronic letter that begins, “Dear Santa, help me find a job….” It will be sent via online networking groups to several thousand other contacts, who can in turn click on an Internet link to provide industry resources or offer other assistance.

The 33-year old Lawrence, a former business development director at a New York consulting company, says he got the idea when he was joking with his girlfriend and asked, “Am I too old to send a ‘Dear Santa” letter?” The answer: obviously not.

To help job seekers further in their December networking activities, here are some other tips on how to make contacts at holiday parties, according to The Wall Street Journal article:

  • Dress appropriately. No flashing holiday ties or novelty antlers. Remembering that some events are formal, find out what’s appropriate to wear so you can make a good impression.
  • Don’t drink too much. Is there alcohol in that eggnog? Just to be sure, go easy. Maintain a professional presence at all times, despite the temptation to cut loose at a holiday party.
  • Know how to introduce yourself. Even if you’re having a blue Christmas, depict your situation in an upbeat manner that’s in keeping with the holiday cheer.
  • Keep the conversation casual. You’re not going to cut a deal at a holiday party. Instead, offer to exchange business cards and continue the conversation later.

Good luck and happy holidays!

News from BLK

During this Thanksgiving Holiday let us remember the millions of good folks who continue to be adversely affected by our unemployment numbers.

Over the past decades the personal painful histories that we have witnessed, due to no job or meaningful work, continues to be heart wrenching for all of us in the employment profession.

As president of our organization I assure you that we will continue our free community out-reach programs to assist all “job-seekers” with their efforts to gain solid employment. Since beginning these program 7 years ago over 40,000 individuals have participated. My wish is by Thanksgiving 2016 that the need for this service will decrease to zero.

During this month of thanks, I encourage each of you as professionals to lend a hand, take a phone call, review a resume, coach an interview or pass on some advice to a challenged “job-seeker”.

We at Berman Larson Kane continue to thank each of you for your business support during our thirty-five year history.  Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and take a moment to please be thankful for your job.

 

 

SETTING RECORD STRAIGHT ON SWITCHING JOBS

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Bob Larson, CPC
Bob Larson, CPC

BERMAN LARSON KANE

Career Report

August 2015

 

Feature Story

 

SETTING RECORD STRAIGHT ON SWITCHING JOBS

With job seekers appearing to now hold more power than employers, the best advice that was true about switching jobs is necessarily gospel anymore, according to an article from the Harvard Business Review’s HBR.org/Blog.

Indeed, as more positions become available and fewer look for work, especially as Baby Boomers retire, many experts describe the current labor market as “candidate-driven.” So does this mean when switching jobs the job seeker is in the driver’s seat? Not necessarily so. But it does, in fact, mean you may no longer be able to rely on “age-old” guidance in your job search.

That said, the publication asked readers (and its own editors) what advice they hear most often about how to switch jobs and then talked with two experts to get their perspectives on whether long-held advice holds up in practice and against recent research and job trends. Here from the article are excerpts with insights on the topic:

  1. “Never tell your boss that you’re looking for another position.”

It may seem logical that you want to have a job in hand before you reveal you’re leaving. After all, you don’t want your boss to be mad at you or stop investing in you. But things have changed. Not only is there less risk in letting your manager know you’re looking than there used to be, but there may be upsides too, said Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, a senior advisor at executive search firm Egon Zender. Foremost among them, your boss may want to figure out how to keep you.

And if employees are intent on leaving, companies are making more effort to be sure people leave on good terms. They recognize that former employees are out there on social media, and they don’t want to “risk being disparaged on Glassdoor, Yelp, Facebook, or Twitter.” said John Sullivan, an HR expert and professor of management at San Francisco State University. Many companies now also have programs that keep the door open in case employees want to return.

  1. “Stay at a job for at least a year or two — moving around too much looks bad on a resume.”

“This is a popular piece of conventional wisdom,” said Sullivan, and it’s simply not true anymore. First of all, it’s not always realistic. “There are many times when you really need to leave your job without anything else,” said Fernández-Aráoz. For example, you may need to relocate because of your spouse’s job or quit to take care of a family member.

Second, short stints no longer hurt a resume. Sullivan said that employers have become more accepting of brief periods of employment. As many as 32% of employers expect ‘job-jumping.’ “It’s become part of life,” he added. In fact, people are most likely to leave their jobs after their first, second, or third work anniversaries, with Millennials especially prone to short stays at jobs. Sullivan’s research shows that 70% quit their jobs within two years. So the advice to stick it out at a job for the sake of your resume is just no longer valid.

Gaps in job history aren’t the sticking points they once were either, said Sullivan. You just have to show that your time off wasn’t a waste of time. Employers just want to know that you made use of the time either to gain a new skill, have a life-changing experience, or learn something new. Still, said Fernández-Aráoz, you should avoid jumping around if you can, not because of any potential damage to your future job prospects, but because of the emotional drain.

  1. “Don’t quit your job before allowing your current employer to make a counter offer.”

If you’re a valuable employee, Sullivan said that smart companies will try to convince you to stay. “If you’re on their priority list, it would be considered ‘regrettable turnover’ for them and they’ll do what they can to keep you.” Counteroffers, in fact, have become much more common, especially in industries where there’s talent scarcity, Fernández-Aráoz pointed out.

But be careful, he warned: “In my three decades of experience, I’m genuinely convinced that most counteroffers are bad for all parties.” He gives two reasons: First, there was a reason you started to look for another job and that’s unlikely to change despite your employer’s promises. Second, you’ve made a commitment to the new company and you should honor it. But, on the other hand, he added, you should analyze both alternatives and make a sound decision based on the unique situation you are in. Which opportunity will give you what you want in the future?

  1. “Never make a lateral move — a new job is your only chance of making a big leap in title and compensation.”

“That’s so last year,” said Sullivan. “Yes, the old model was that you were Assistant VP, then VP, then Senior VP. But that’s GM in the 1980s, not today’s organizations.” He said given how flat companies are today, there’s often nowhere to go in your current job or in another one. Focus instead on finding interesting work rather than worrying about lateral moves. Fernández-Aráoz agreed: “If you are going for title and compensation, think again!” More money and a better title rarely are what make you happy, he said. Instead, look for autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

  1. “You should always be looking for your next job.”

You want to be happy, not constantly searching, said Fernández-Aráoz. When you have found a job you love, looking for your next one is unnecessary. But, even if you’ve found a role that keeps you happy, you should still be learning and growing, added Sullivan. He points out that this doesn’t have to be a new role with a new company, but can be a different role or challenge in your existing job.

NEWS FROM BERMAN LARSON KANE:

July continued with a steady increase in contract hiring across several disciplines.  “It is our pleasure here at BLK to assist our clients with interim staffing augmenting skill and talent gaps” , comment Bob Larson, CPC  president BLK.

As the job creation numbers continue to improve and unemployment continues to decrease we are very optimistic about hiring projects over the last 4 months of the year.  We continue to experience an increase in talent shortages across various disciplines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 2015 Career Report Issue # 184

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Bob Larson, CPC President Berman Larson Kane
Bob Larson, CPC President Berman Larson Kane

Answering the Question You “Don’t Know”

If during the job interview you are asked a technical question you don’t know,  reply with the simple “I don’t know”.

A technical question only has tangible answers. This black and white leaves little room for the job seeker to use their creative abilities. Therefore the best way to handle the technical question you don’t know is with the following simple reply – “I DON’T KNOW.”

The reason for such a blatant admission of “not knowing” is to build a feeling of trust between you and the interviewer. If you bluff, guess at the answer, or make false claims that become more evident as the interview progresses, you will lose credibility and all additional or previous non-technical questions will become suspect. And who will make a job offer to a person they don’t trust?

However, if the opportunity exists, one technique that can be used to build trust, confidence and  give the potential job seeker an opportunity to capitalize on his/her knowledge, is to ask the interviewer for an EXPLANATION AND EXAMPLE OF HOW AN UNKNOWN TOOL IS USED. During the reply, listen very carefully, absorbing as much information as possible. After you have questioned the interviewer thoroughly and are confident – and I stress confident – that you understand the answer, relate the use of this tool to an aspect you have worked with. For example, suppose you are being questioned on a function of yahoo,   you might respond with similar concepts you’ve used with google.

The point to make to the interviewer is that you understand the unknown concept and can adjust with little difficulty. The interviewer will know that you are bright, a quick learner, and will not bluff when the heat is on. If the rapport is really flowing you might add if hired we can combine our knowledge to add value to the  employers’ challenges….

New from BLK

May was a strong month here at BLK with business continuing to improve.  Our website and facebook fan page reported increase traffic.  We renewed our membership with the NJSA and our newsletter clicks reached an all time high.  We thank all for your continuous support and look forward to an active summer for client hiring.

May 2015 Career Report Issue # 183

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BERMAN LARSON KANE

Career Report

May 2015

 Feature Story

Bob Larson, CPC President Berman Larson Kane
Bob Larson, CPC President Berman Larson Kane

7 TIPS FOR GETTING HIRED AFTER AGE 50

Finding a new job can be a lot of work for many, but it can be especially challenging for anyone in their 50s and 60s. And while the unemployment rate for older workers is lower than that of younger workers, once out of work older workers seem to have greater difficulties landing a new position than others. In fact, according to an AARP data analysis cited in a U.S. News & World Report article, the average duration of unemployment for job seekers was 55 weeks as of December 2014, compared with 28.2 weeks for younger workers.

To help older workers in their quest to find a new position, here from the U.S. News & World Report article are seven strategies to consider:

Start your job search right away. Don’t wait until your unemployment runs out to start looking for a new position. “It does seem like prospects are best for the unemployed as soon as they leave their jobs, so it might be a good idea to start job searching in earnest right at the beginning, rather than easing into job searching while on unemployment,” said Joanna Lahey, an associate professor at Texas A&M University, who studies age discrimination. A large gap on your résumé and a growing sense of frustration with the job search process can make it even more difficult to get hired aging.

Work you network. Although there are certainly many modern ways to find jobs online and through social media, having contacts at the company you would like to work for is still one of the best ways to find out about openings and get hired. “The number one way to find a job is through personal contacts,” Lahey pointed out. “You can avoid a lot of implicit discrimination if someone who knows you is willing to vouch for you.”

Reassure a younger manager. Some managers may feel uncomfortable supervising someone who is more experienced than they are. “The big thing to keep in mind is that the person supervising you or making the hiring decision may well be younger than you are, and insecure about supervising someone with more experience,” said Peter Cappelli, a management professor and director of the Center for Human Resources at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. “So it is important to let them know you are OK with the role you’re applying for, that you don’t want their job and that you are expecting to take direction from them.”

Don’t mention your age or the interviewer’s age. You don’t want to call attention to your age by listing jobs you held over 20 years ago on your résumé or mentioning age during the interview process. Equally as important, don’t comment on the age of a younger manager. “Even if the person interviewing you is no older than your children, never make any reference to their age thinly veiled or otherwise,” said Nancy Collamer, a career coach and author of  “Second-Act Careers: 50+ Ways to Profit from Your Passions During Semi-Retirement.”

Shorten your résumé. You don’t need to include every position you have ever held on your résumé. “Don’t make your résumé a history lesson. Highlight your most recent achievements and the new talents you’re acquiring,” Collander said. “In general, you should keep the spotlight on the last 10 years of relevant experience.”

Explain why you’re not overqualified. Having 20 or 30 years of work experience can make you seem overqualified for many positions. “Make sure your cover letter explains why you’re right for the job you’re applying to,” Lahey said. “Explain any gaps or why you’re applying for something for which it seems like you’re overqualified.”

Demonstrate your fluency with technology. Older workers are often perceived as being unable to effectively use technology. Make it clear to potential employers that you are tech-savvy and continuing to keep up with new developments. “I think the single most important thing you can do to overcome age bias is to demonstrate your comfort with technology and social media during the interview process,” Collamer said. “There are lots of different ways to subtly let potential employers know you’re tech-friendly: [For example] include your LinkedIn URL on your résumé, mention an interesting article you found on the employer’s Twitter feed or be a regular contributor to industry-related groups on LinkedIn.”

News from BLK:

National job creation numbers continue to disappoint analysts during March and April.  We at Berman Larson Kane continue to add contract-to-hire professionals in various disciplines.  From our limited sample clients’ seem to prefer this hiring model to allow for maximum flexibility. On the direct hire side we have witnessed an increase in engineering hiring in both the scientific and pharma specialties.

If you would like to discuss your talent acquisition requirements or have a need to fill a position with a contractor or temporary employee I welcome the opportunity to listen to your challenge and see if we at Berman Larson Kane can recommended a cost effective solution.  Bob Larson, CPC,  President Berman Larson Kane 201-556-2887 or email Larson@jobsbl.com .  Thank you for your past support.