“This is a good time to re-start the job hunt” plus 1 more

This is a good time to re-start the job hunt

Posted: 04 Mar 2011 11:47 AM PST

By Jeremy Greenfield

Strong job-growth numbers in February and a slight dip in unemployment should encourage people to restart the job search — especially in the temporary job market. The unemployment rate fell to 8.9%, as the private sector added 222,000 jobs, according to today's report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

"Today you heard a big sigh of relief in a lot of places: on Wall Street, in the Obama administration and from people who are out of work," said John Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a Chicago-based outplacement firm."If you let your job search slip a little, it's time to re-energize your efforts." Read more at the FINS.com website.

More jobs, more trade

Columnist Mary Anastasia O'Grady breaks down the latest employment report and some good news on trade.

The manufacturing and construction industries posted strong gains, a collective 66,000 new jobs. Meanwhile, government jobs dropped by 30,000 as state and local governments cut payrolls to mitigate budget woes.

William Rodgers III, a professor at Rutgers University and former chief economist of the Labor Department, was encouraged by the data.

"It's a signal that the acceleration we're seeing in other parts of the economy is starting to shift over to the job market," he said. "We're starting to get some momentum."

Temporary jobs, in particular, are a good place to gain a toehold in the workforce, experts said. Of the 222,000 private sector jobs added in February, 15,500 were temporary, according to Jodi Chavez, senior vice president for Accounting Principles, a division of Adecco, a human resources firm.

When the economy starts to bounce back, temporary staffing firms are among the first to hire, said Chavez. Many companies are still "a little gun-shy" to sign on full-time employees, she added.

A temporary post can be "almost like a job interview," said Andrew Steinerman, an analyst who covers the temporary staffing industry for JPMorgan. "Once you're on assignment, you have a chance to prove yourself for a full time job. It's a good way to get your foot in the door."

Temporary staffing has been increasing since the recession ended. Some observers are predicting that in the next few years temp workers will be a larger part of the labor force than ever before.

Chavez advises that those who want to try temporary staffing should find a temporary staffing firm that specializes in their field.

"If you're an IT worker, go to an IT temporary staffing firm. If you're in manufacturing, go to a manufacturing temporary staffing firm," she said.

Those who are hesitant to try temporary staffing because of the stigma associated should know that times have changed and such work is now the new norm, said Chavez.

Increasingly, employers are bringing in workers to see if they're a good fit and after several months, if they work out, temporary employees are being converted to full-time employees.

"Companies are increasingly looking to hire this way, a good opportunity for someone to get some experience and get some cash in the pocket," said Steinerman.

There should be other job opportunities for workers outside of temporary staffing because of the rejuvenated labor economy, said Challenger. People looking for work should check in with previous employers and with companies they have interviewed with in the past year or two. If they weren't hiring last year, they may be hiring now. "Let them know that you're very interested in working with them and you'd like to come back and see them," he said.

Companies that eliminated positions during the recession are starting to re-hire for those same positions, said Chavez. "This is the time to start to explore this opportunity," she said. "Today's numbers tell us there's some movement in the job market."

Also, check out these other career-related FINS stories:

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Job Search Strategy Myths

Posted: 24 Feb 2011 12:28 PM PST

Three men sit on a bench in front of a poster ...

Enthusiasm matters.

Here's another piece from New York City career coach Win Sheffield, on job search myths. This piece has to do with strategizing your search.

For me, the great pearl of wisdom in this piece comes from Sheffield's observation about how much enthusiasm and genuine interest count when you're looking for work. Put yourself in the employer's shoes. Would you hire the candidate who seemed lackadaisical about the opening you needed to fill, or would you choose the slightly less qualified applicant who was champing at the bit to work for you.

For a related article, check out this piece about new research showing that optimism pays off on your job search.

Now, here is Win Sheffield's wisdom:

Myth: In a tight market, my best strategies are to:

(a) Look for jobs in growing sectors whether or not they interest me.

(b) Pursue a lower-level job, because that will be easier to get.

(c) If I am moving to a new industry or function where I don't have experience, I should aim for an entry-level job.

(d) People will only want to hire me to do what I do now, so I should only look for jobs that closely match my current job description, even if I'm unhappy at work.

(e ) Take any job; beggars can't be choosers.

The thinking behind this:

(a) "Plastics." This was the career advice famously given to Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. Health care, anything to do with aging Boomers, "green," are all hot new areas. I will join the trend and increase my chances of long-term, stable employment. I see statistics that show college grads moving away from banking and toward other fields.

(b) It is easier to find a job that's one or more rungs down from my level. I increase my chances of employment by applying for jobs where I can clearly excel.

(c) If my industry is on the decline, I will move to a new industry. Since I don't have experience there, I will only qualify for an entry-level job and will move up from there.

(d) You can't get a job without experience. Employers want employees who have done the job before. Ads ask for 8-10 years of experience, so I can only do what I have done before. Unless I qualify for a job, I shouldn't bother applying. The candidate who can do the job for the least amount of money will get the offer. Besides, I don't know what I want and don't know how to discover what I want. Finding out about something new seems impossible, so I will stick with what I know.

(e) If I present myself as broadly as possible, able to do many things, the more options I give myself. Because I am too old (young, inexperienced, had a bad experience in my last job, can't get a recommendation, have been out of the job market, etc.), I am even more at the mercy of employers.

The appeal – why we want to believe it:

Being without a job tends to undermine if not destroy our self-esteem. We are not inclined, having been burned once, to pursue a job that might be a stretch and may lead to us being burned again. In a situation where jobs seem scarce, we figure it is best to go for jobs that we assume are more plentiful or easier to get.

The real deal:

The deciding factor in the hiring decision is very often the candidate's enthusiasm for the job. Recruiters say it again and again. While current job market realities are an essential consideration, they are not the primary driver. People change fields all the time. Today's graduates will work in jobs and even in industries that do not exist today. The job market is complex and nuanced. Employers need employees who not only can do the job, but who want to do it. If there are two qualified candidates and one is clearly interested in the job, the interested one is clearly going to offer more to the employer than the one who is just putting in time.

The assumption that we have to do what we don't want to is based on our idea of what the job market looks like. If ads reflected the full job marketplace, it would be easy to assume that we need to be something that we are not. Most jobs are not advertised, however, so job ads are really not a good indication of all the jobs out there.

You are not going for a job that is like everyone else's. If that were going to work, it would have by now.

Unintended consequences:

Pursuing jobs because they are popular or seem easy to get can backfire if you're indifferent about the opportunity. You are competing with people who have a real interest in the job and who are therefore more likely to be hired. Even if you do get a job you don't really want, there's a good chance you'll wind up feeling bored or uninterested.

What this means for you:

You increase your chances of getting the job when you pursue an opportunity that truly interests you. In addition, going after something that excites you will make the whole process less painful.

Many of you will say, "that is fine for people who know what they want, but I don't." I say to you: OK. I have been there. I understand. Start where you are. Take a look at things you have enjoyed in the past. Look at industries that interest you. Among the people you've known, have any had jobs that interest you? What are you curious about?

By pursuing your interests, you learn about jobs you never thought existed and you open up new avenues. When I finished business school I briefly considered being a consultant. I rejected the idea because of the travel involved. I didn't want to stay in hotels in strange cities throughout the week. It wasn't until years later that I discovered that consulting firms sometimes organize themselves around industries and that by joining a practice focused on investment banking, my clients would largely be in New York City, where I live. I took a job in a consulting firm where I took short trips daily, and spent every night in my own bed. I never knew that was possible until I explored.

Job Search

Friday, March 4, 2011