The EPG Connection

So let’s face it… by almost all accounts 2009 was a very tough business year. When speaking with fellow business owners the conversation is full of stories about layoffs, reduced office square footage, disappearing profit margins and a dramatic lack of business regardless of the industry. Of course, in a sluggish business environment there are always a few niche areas that will thrive. For example, attorneys specializing in bankruptcy and business liquidations seemed to stay relatively busy as did collection agencies and personal storage businesses. However, aside from these examples and a few others I think we can all agree that we will not miss 2009 even a little bit.

Now, those who know me will always describe me as a silver lining kind of guy, and with that in mind I’d like to propose that there were lessons to be learned from the brutal year we just put to bed. First, I believe many businesses learned a great deal about the advantages of running lean and mean. Excessive and/or unnecessary budget items were quickly rooted out with the result being a higher level of efficiency. Second, people I have spoken to became much more skilled at time management and tried to work smarter with specific goals in mind. And third, the whole concept of accountability took on new levels of significance and importance. These three factors/lessons will go a long way in contributing to the fruitful 2010 we are all looking forward to.

That’s right, you heard me correctly… I said the fruitful 2010. Believe me, this is not just wishful thinking. As I’ve written before, the staffing/recruiting industry has historically been a very accurate barometer for the economy as a whole. Very reliable data has shown that as the economy emerges from a recession one of the first areas of improvement occurs in the placement of temporary administrative personnel. Emerson Personnel Group has survived six documented recessions since 1971 and we have led the way to prosperity as the economy emerged from each one. It is incredibly positive news that the fourth quarter for EPG was our strongest of last year, most notably in the temporary administrative arena. The fourth quarter also saw our strongest surge in the direct hire/executive search component of the business. So, needless to say we are very excited at EPG and we have hit the ground running in 2010. Will it take the economy awhile to dig out from the past couple of years? Absolutely. However, the indicators mentioned above are all pointing in a very positive direction. EPG invites you to join us with an increased positive attitude and a long overdue heightened level of excitement for the year ahead. Let’s go!

Our November 2009 employee of the month is Laverne Fennell.  Laverne registered with Emerson Personnel Group in August of 2009.  We were impressed by her professionalism, as well as her excellent software skills. We immediately set Laverne up to do a phone screen with a client of ours that was searching for an office manager.  Laverne did a super job with her phone screen and was sent to Maryland that very next week for training.  Laverne’s work ethic is excellent and she is doing a super job. Our client is very pleased. Congratulations, Laverne!

Amy Humphries is our October 2009 employee of the month.  Amy registered with us in February 2009 and her background was in the graphic arts and web design field.  We were very impressed with her personality, presentation, and excellent software skills. We were able to get her to work on an excellent long term web design position beginning June 2009.  We are happy to report that Amy is still there and doing a wonderful job!   Congratulations Amy!

Congratulations to our September 2009 employee of the month, Barbara James!  In January of 2007, Barbara was referred to Emerson Personnel Group by her cousin, who we helped find employment in 2006. We were very impressed with Barbara, and placed her that same month in a temp to perm office opportunity.  Barbara became permanent with this client and stayed there until this year.  She then returned to us and we proudly sent her out again on a long term assignment.  Barbara’s pleasant, upbeat disposition makes her a pleasure to work with.   Congratulations Barbara!!

By Yaffa Klugerman

Temporary hires increased significantly last month, prompting speculation that permanent hiring will soon be on the rise as well.

The Labor Department reported last week that 44,000 temporary jobs were added since July, including 34,000 last month alone. The number is precisely the same amount of temp jobs lost between January 2008 and July 2009.

“Most companies have cut their head count back so far that they don’t have extra help,” explained Tom Darrow of Talent Connections in Atlanta, who was interviewed by 11 Alive. “And all of a sudden some projects are coming along, they’re starting to ramp back up and they need the help.”

Darrow told 11 Alive that employers are hiring temporary workers because they are being cautious about offering permanent positions. “It saves them money in the long term,” he noted. “They don’t have to pay benefits for contractors or temporaries. They can try them out before they hire them full time.”

The Wall Street Journal points out another benefit of hiring temps: If their employment ends, it’s less devastating to staff than laying off permanent workers. “It has a much smaller effect on the morale of your permanent staff,” noted Jeffrey Wenger, associate professor of public administration and policy at the University of Georgia, who was quoted in the Journal.

Economists noted that a rise in temporary hires could signal the beginning of an increase in overall employment. “This is a way for companies to dip their toes in the water,” explained Neal Soss, chief economist at Credit Suisse in New York, who was quoted by Bloomberg.com. “If firms are willing to do that, it tells you that they’re feeling a little better about their business prospects, and that’s the beginning of something.”

But temporary jobs can be demanding, reports the Chicago Tribune: Because budgets are so tight at companies, temps are often required to perform the duties of several different employees.

“They want a receptionist who’s also an administrator and answering the phone and making the coffee,” said Daphne Dolan, managing partner at City Staffing, who was interviewed by the Tribune. “They want hybrid people.”

According to Joy Moore, a career coach in Albuquerque, New Mexico who was interviewed by the Journal, many job seekers don’t consider temporary work because they are determined to find permanent positions. They also falsely assume that temporary jobs are for low level work.

But such assumptions are untrue, said Moore, and temporary work is “definitely an area people should be looking at.”

presented by Dynamic Résumés
www.dynamicresumesofNJ.com
Many job seekers are exploring new careers right now because they need a change or the economy is forcing that change. This is a scary thought for most people. What are your options? What else are you good at? Where do you start?Why is change so scary? Well, first of all, change means going into the unknown. You know your job, your expertise, your contacts, processes, and more. Now you will have to be the “newbie” and that’s always stressful. It also means rocking the boat – staying where you are is much more comfortable than delving into new waters. On the other hand, change can be exhilarating and can lift you out of a stagnant situation. When we have many years left in the workplace, there’s no reason to remain stuck in a job or industry that is personally unrewarding.So, take a deep breath! Before undertaking any ambitious goal, it’s a good idea to do some research, some exploration, and some reflection to help fine-tune a goal that you will be comfortable going after. Be realistic about whether the goal is attainable for you and what the financial impact of any change might be.Assessment – If you have absolutely no idea, you might want to start with a skills / career assessment. Some are available online but I recommend working with a trusted career counselor to guide you in the use and interpretation of these tools. Assessments should be viewed only as a starting point to do further research on the careers suggested. Another idea is to be creative about turning a hobby or other passion into a possible career. For example, do you like dogs? How about a dog sitting service?.Research – It can be very helpful to research potential careers. Look up information on sites such as www.online.onetcenter.org, www.careeroverview.com, or www.careers.org. Look at current job boards such as monster and hotjobs to see if there is hiring going on in those careers. Use www.salary.com to help you ballpark compensation ranges. Find people who do these careers to see what they think of their chosen field – do they like it? What is a typical day / week like for them? What is the potential for growth? What type of training or education do you need to succeed in this field?

Action – Now it’s time to make a decision about direction. Be realistic about your choice. Would enjoy doing this job? Is it attainable? Do you have the appropriate credentials? If needed, check out programs that offer these. Perhaps you can work a part-time or temporary position while you earn these credentials. Maybe you can find a position that will give you some entry level experience in your new field of interest. Perhaps you can volunteer somewhere to gain insight and experience. Once you are prepared, the final step will be to begin an active job search in your new field.

Success – Network with people in your new chosen field to develop relationships and to learn everything you can about your new area. Create a resume that repositions you for the new career. You must highlight the skills, experience, and any credentials that relate to the new career. Write a cover letter that gives a compelling reason to consider you as a great candidate. Above all, be sure that everything you state is honest. Then be sure to be persistent and positive. I’ve seen enough successful career transitions to know that it can be done. Wishing you the best of success in your search!

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www.dynamicresumesofNJ.comAccording to the website www.itsyoursmartgrid.com, green jobs are paying 10% to 20% more than other jobs. They also report that the U.S. government is putting billions of dollars into the creation of green jobs and a greener environment. Consider these facts reported by the site: The President recently designated $500 million dollars to green job training and $20 billion to creating a greener economy. The federal government has pledged hundreds of billions of dollars on energy related projects.Try googling “green jobs” and you will come across a ton of info and links to green careers, green education, and green job sites. Green jobs focus on renewable energy, conserving resources, and helping the environment. So, this all adds up to more jobs, money, public support, and good outcomes for the future of our planet, our retirement, our health, and our children. It sure seems like a good place to start looking for opportunities if you are not yet doing so.Here are some places you can start:

50Green.com

Greenjobs.com

Greenbiz.com

Greenjobs.net

Sustaninablebusiness.com

Ecotraining.com

Greenjobsnow.com

Greenjobsconference.org

EcoEmploy.com

Okay, now that baseball season is finally officially over I can get down to the business at hand, which is writing these words of wisdom for our much overdue newsletter, so here goes… If you’re like me, you attend a lot of networking events, spend a lot of time on the telephone and are generally in constant contact with many different people on any given business day. Perhaps the most commonly asked question at the beginning of these interactions is “how’s business?” I believe that many times a question is asked almost as a greeting as in “how are you doing?” or “how was your weekend?” However, over the past year or two as the economy has weathered an extremely tough recession the question “how’s business?” has taken on a whole new flavor and meaning. People ask the question with a whole new level of sincerity and concern, and people think long and hard before they answer the question, in fact the answer usually comes after a long and heavy sigh. And then the answer itself can range anywhere from “great” to “brutal”.

Although Emerson Personnel Group is exposed to many different types of industry and literally hundreds of companies producing various services and products what we know best is staffing and recruiting. So when someone asks me “how’s business?” it is primarily staffing and recruiting that I feel most qualified to comment on. And fortunately, over the past 4 to 6 months I’ve been able to answer the question with an unqualified “better, and steadily improving”. This should be very exciting news for the economy as a whole since, historically, the staffing and recruiting industry has served as an excellent early indicator for economic conditions whether they be improving or declining. Typically, an improvement in the staffing and recruiting industry has a lead time of approximately 6 months for the overall economic climate. This is good news!

As we emerge from the recession, which by the way has been the longest and deepest since the founding of Emerson Personnel Group in 1971, we initially see companies calling for temporary administrative personnel. Over time the staffing needs begin to morph into temp to hire opportunities and contract positions. Finally, toward the tail end of the recession we have documented previously an increased demand for executive search and direct hire positions. At this point, here at EPG we have noticed a significant increase from our client companies for high-quality temporary administrative personnel. So, if history repeats itself we should be on track for an overall, albeit slow improvement across industries. It may be a little rocky, with a few ups and downs but at least we will be on the right track.

I think I wrote in a previous column how much we love the South Jersey business community, and how impressed we continue to be with the toughness and resilience of the people we work with everyday of the week. It has been very difficult to see companies and people for whom we have the highest respect going through such tough times and being forced to make extremely difficult decisions such as laying off good people and cutting their resources to the bone. We’ve seen a lot of good companies go out of business over the past couple of years and there are lot of excellent people out of work. So you can imagine how good it feels for me to be able to write about some light at the end of the tunnel. At this point it may just be a flashlight at the end of the tunnel but I firmly believe that the light will grow into an eventual sunburst of activity and prosperity. So the next time someone asks you “how’s business?” hopefully you’ll be able to answer the way I have been lately… “better, and steadily improving”.

Emerson Personnel is proud to announce that our August 2009 employee of the month was Lorraine Conlin. Lorraine registered with Emerson Personnel Group in May looking for either temporary or temporary to permanent office employment.  We were able to send Lorraine out that same month on a long term temporary position in Pennsauken.  Lorraine is still working with our client to this day~ Lorraine is enjoying her position very much and our client is just as pleased!!  Congratulations Lorraine!

Congratulations to our July 2009 employee of the month, Michelle Williamson.  Michelle registered with Emerson Personnel Group in March of 2009.  Her computer software and keyboarding scores were superb. We immediately placed Michelle with one of our Center City Philadelphia clients in April of 2009 and she is still there!  Our client is extremely pleased with Michelle.  Thank you, Michelle, for a job well done!