The EPG Connection

Greetings, and welcome to the second edition of The EPG Connection! As I stated in my introduction to this publication, I would like to personally thank all of you who participated in our campaign to collect phone cards for the troops. Our sales & marketing coordinator, Amy Steelman, did a fantastic job and the results were terrific. Not that giving back to the community is anything new here at EPG. In fact, giving back is a huge part of who we are and why we are in business to begin with.

Sure, we are in business to carry out our mission of helping our clients and candidates reach new levels of success, and yes, we work hard to turn a profit in order to support our families. We love coming to work because this is a fun, energetic, and exciting place to be. But beyond that, we know it is one of our core values to do whatever we can to strengthen the communities in which we live, to help those who may be less fortunate, and to help wherever help is needed. Thus, our recent phone card campaign is merely one event in a 37 year continuum of giving back. Donating to various charities, sponsoring countless youth sports teams, volunteering thousands of hours to worthy causes, and helping to organize many community-based events have all been building blocks in the creation of who Emerson Personnel Group is.

Although we are proud of our giving heritage please do not view these words as an attempt to blow our own horn. Rather, I would prefer that your interpretation be that of an invitation or challenge to continue to join with us in our efforts to strengthen our community through giving. Over the course of this holiday season, and on throughout the coming year(s), EPG will be providing many ways for you, personally or through your company, to help where you can. Stay tuned via this newsletter and our website for information on our ongoing giving efforts. Together, we can truly make a huge difference in the lives of so many who may be in need.

Emerson Personnel Group would like to thank everyone who donated to our phone card campaign. The phone cards collected have been donated to American servicemen and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, and will arrive in time for the holidays. Emerson Personnel Group promoted the event to clients, other area businesses, our temporary employee roster, and other organizations and individuals who wished to participate in this worthy cause.

The team at Emerson Personnel Group considers it an honor and a privilege to have undertaken this effort to support our men and women serving overseas. Hopefully, providing our troops with long distance phone cards will enable them to reach out half-way around the world to touch base with loved ones who miss them and are praying for their safe return during the holiday season. Emerson Personnel Group was able to raise over 10,000 minutes worth of phone cards during the campaign and we thank everyone who contributed so generously. ~ Steve Emerson, CEO Emerson Personnel Group

For the holidays, Emerson Personnel Group and their children will be collecting blankets and coats for the less fortunate. Emerson Personnel wishes to support our community by reaching out to others in need and send out a message of caring during this holiday season.

Beginning Novemeber 26th, Emerson Personnel Group will collect gently used and/or new coats and blankets which will be donated to the homeless and disadvantaged in our community as the weather turns colder. If you wish to participate, please bring your contribution to our office anytime during business hours. If you have any questions, please contact Amy Steelman at (800) 875-9180 or at asteelman@emersonpersonnel.com

Findings from a recent study show that permanent and temporary employees have similar quality of life-but temporary employees report lower levels of job-related stress.

The survey, conducted by research company Zogby International, compared the family time, stress, eating, and healthy living habits of more than 3,000 temporary and permanent employees. It found that the behavior of each group was similar to the other-for better or worse. Temporary workers, for instance, reported “eating as healthily (or unhealthily) as their permanent counterparts,” according to the survey.

One difference, however, was in the level of job-related stress each group reported. Temporary employees have less work-related stress because they have “greater flexibility and more control over their employment decisions,” the study said. Furthermore, 40% of the temporary workers polled by Zogby reported that their work does not cause stress in their personal life, compared to 36% of permanent employees.

A less-stressful employment arrangement is one reason job seekers choose temporary and contract work, according to the staffing employee survey conducted by the American Staffing Association in 2006: 56% of respondents cited “less stress” as an important factor in their decision to become a staffing employee. “One in five participants in the ASA survey said that flexible work time, choice of assignments, or having time for family were extremely important factors in their decisions to become a temporary or contract employee,” the report stated.

Both temporary and permanent employees “desire to balance lucrative careers and lifestyle priorities,” the Zogby study concluded. “Temporary employment affords individuals many options.” ~ Reem El-Khatib.

From: ASA Staffing Week Issue Nov. 5, 2007

Many job seekers are not as committed to a job search as they are to a job. On a “real job”, people set goals, make “to do” lists, etc., which aid in achieving those goals and ensure that one is accountable for getting that work done. To be truly successful in a job search, you must make your job search into your “job”. You need to set goals and have a “to do” list. Having an organized system is critical for pushing you forward and for identifying next steps needed to succeed. The easiest approach is to break the job search up into manageable components. Establish a 30-day and 60-day plan, including weekly goals that are posted where you can see them. Create a way to organize and track your contacts, companies you’ved interviewed with, and the status of anything to do with your search. (One free resource for tracking this info can be found with www.jibberjobber.com). So, get organized, establish goals, and get that search in motion again!! ~ Diane Irwin

Diane Irwin is President of Dynamic Résumés and helps individuals impact the job market through effective résumés, job search skills, and interview skills. She has almost 15 years experience in Human Resources, specializing in Résumé-writing, recruitment, and outplacement. She is an active member of the National Résumé Writers Association, The Career Management Alliance , and Tri-State Human Resources, Management Association.

Personal Information

Name: Jill Kraus

Title: Vice President

What you do for EPG: I manage the accounting division for EPG.

Education: BS Finance-University of Maryland

First Job: Assistant Department Manager-Macy’s.

Little-known fact about you: I love to cook and I am in a gourmet club.

Home: Cherry Hill, NJ

Business Philsophy

Essential business philosophy: I believe there are four criteria: Communication, Honesty, Persistence, and Dedication.

Yardstick of success: Looking forward to coming to work each day to a job that you enjoy.

Goal yet to be achieved: To bill $500,000 in a single year.

Mentors: Skip and Annette Emerson

True Confessions

Word that best describes you: Honest

Like best about your job: The reward of making people happier in their life.

Like least about your job: The situations that are out of my control.

The most important lesson you’ve learned: To be optimistic- “The cup is always half full”

Life motto: “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff”

Pet Peeve: When someone is late- I just don’t understand that.

Person(s) most interested in meeting and why: My grandfathers because I never had the opportunity to meet either one and they are a part of who I am.

First choice in a new career: None- I’m already doing it.

Greatest extravagance: Clothes or shoes- it’s a tie.

Et Cetera

Favorite television show: Damages

Favorite food: Lobster

Favorite restaurant: Il Mulino in NYC

Favorite room in the house and why: That’s easy- the kitchen because it’s a great gathering spot and is surrounded with food of course!

Favorite way to spend free time: Free time????

In what may be a long-awaited reversal of months of slow erosion in staffing industry employment, data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed marked improvement in several numbers for temporary help services: employment increased in October, and estimates for previous months were revised up.

Staffing industry employment increased by more than 20,000 jobs from September to October, seasonally adjusted, according to BLS. That was the biggest month-to-month increase-by a wide margin- since December 2005. More-over, BLS revised its August and Septemeber estimates upward. The agency routinely revises its preliminary estimates, but this was the first time all year that the revisions increased the job count in the staffing industry. Of the previous 19 months, 15 had been revised down. BLS still estimates temporary help employment fell by some 19,000 jobs in September, but the revised loss was less than originally estimated, and October job growth more than offset September’s decline. The net growth with the two months combined, plus a slight increase in temporary jobs in August, along with the upward revisions of recent months, suggest staffing’s sluggishness may be coming to an end.

Staffing employment has slowly eroded over the last two years, according to BLS. October’s seasonally adjusted job count for temporary help services was about 79,000- or 3%- lower than the industry’s most recent peak in December 2005, and 1.6% les than October of last year. The industry has never experienced so long a period of sluggishness. Previous declines have featured precipitious drops immediately preceding a recession. The current pattern looks nothing like a recession.

Historically, staffing industry employment tends to peak in October. Actual employment in temporary help services (not  seasonally adjusted), as reported by BLS last week, reached its highest level since October of last year, but it was still 1.9% lower than last October. The ASA Staffing Index, which is not seasonally adjusted, reached a new high of 109 in October.

As for total nonfarm employment, BLS reported an increase of 166,000 jobs last month. That was more than double the 80,000 consensus estimate of economists, according to The Wall Street Journal, and the biggest increase in five months. “Job gains occurred in professional and business services, health care, and leisure and hospitality,” BLS reported. BLS also reported that the unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.7% last month. ~ Steve Berchem.

From: ASA Staffing Week Issue Nov. 5, 2007

Barbara White is our October Employee of the Month!

Barbara has been assignment with Emerson Personnel Group since June 6, 2007. She has been an excellent employee. Our client has praised her work ethic as well as her work abilities. Congratulations Barbara!

Barbara has been rewarded with a gift basket from Jest Notes and Baskets!