The EPG Connection

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!

presented by Dynamic Resumes
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!

Congratulations to our June, 2009 employee of the month, Kimberley Murray.  Kim registered with Emerson Personnel looking for administrative work on either a temp or direct hire basis. She tested wonderfully on our software evaluations and presented herself very professionally.  We were happy to send Kim to one of our best clients.  Following is what this client said about Kim. “I wanted to tell you just how much Kim Murray was fabulous.  She was very thorough, pleasant and a joy to work with.  I wish her the best in her future endeavors.”   Kim is now working on a maternity leave for Emerson Personnel and she has made another client very happy!  Congratulations Kim!!

By Denise Kersten, USATODAY.com As the jobless rate continues to rise, few are exempt from layoff jitters. Downsizing, re-organization, a shift in strategy — whatever you want to call it — can make going to work seem like a game of musical chairs. But there are some proactive measures you can take to ensure you’re not left standing at the end of the round. Companies rarely select employees for layoffs randomly.Performance is the number one factor employers use to determine who to shed and who to hang onto, according to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Other major considerations: job function and skills. Unlike length of tenure with your company, these are areas where you can exercise some control by making yourself indispensable. No plan of attack is layoff-proof, but the sooner you start your offensive, the greater your odds will be.

“You can’t just turn the switch on and say, ‘Okay, I’ll be good now,’” warns Debra Cohen, Director of Research at SHRM. What you can do is start working right now to convince your boss that the company can’t afford to lose you. Here’s how:

Keep Your Chin Up
“When word starts getting out [that there will be layoffs], people tend to feel less motivated to help the company,” says Chris Jones, owner of PoliTemps, a staffing agency in Washington, D.C. But as bad news circulates, it becomes more important than ever to resist a workplace slump in performance.

Managers are looking for people willing to tackle extra responsibilities after staff reductions. Pitching in and working beyond your job description shows you’re competent, efficient and flexible.

Find a Safe Haven
Look around you. See any new faces? If so, you may want to join them. Many companies hire in areas that are bringing in revenue while they trim staff in departments that aren’t meeting the bottom line.

“Try to migrate to the area of the company where there’s growth,” says Richard Bayer, Chief Operating Officer of the Five O’Clock Club, a career counseling and outplacement firm. If you can identify the organization’s prioritized operations you may be able to follow the company resources to a safe zone. To anticipate the company’s shifting directions, track industry trends, talk to the firm’s leaders about their goals, sit in on meetings and read about the company. Of course, simply locating safer waters isn’t enough.

“Take a look at where the organization does have needs, and determine if you have some talent or skill that they could use,” Cohen says. To get the ball rolling, ask questions about new initiatives, discuss your related skills or experience and volunteer your extra time.

Brush Up
Sharpening your skills could also save you. “Once the axe is falling it can be too late. Before that time, if you see trouble on the horizon, make sure your skills are on the cutting edge,” says Bayer. Enhance your expertise by taking classes at night, utilizing on-the-job training opportunities or volunteering for new projects. Joining professional associations can also keep you current. Plus, it’s great for networking — in case your preemptive strike fails to protect your position.

Create Buzz
“You have to manage your internal PR,” Bayer says. “Take control of the way people see you.” Consider this scenario: You meet the head honcho in the elevator and he or she politely asks how things are going. What do you say? ‘Fine’ is the wrong answer. Instead, use the opportunity to mention a project you’re working on or a recent accomplishment. Don’t talk the boss’s ear off, but exude enthusiasm and give them a concrete reason to remember who you are.

“Project an image of someone who’s up-to-date in their career,” Bayer says. “You’re respected in your profession. You’re a member of associations. You bring outside information into the company. You’re a person who takes initiative.”

Behave Yourself
Managers may use layoffs to rid themselves of staff with personality problems — those with whom they have conflicts, or who have trouble getting along with others. Don’t remake your entire personality, but pay extra attention to your workplace manner. Remember the basics: “Try to be collegial, don’t take credit for other people’s work and be known as someone who supports other people,” Bayer says. And most importantly, amid layoff pressure and stress, keep your temper in check.

presented by Dynamic Resumes
www.dynamicresumesofNJ.comHow do you calculate what you NEED when you negotiate salary? And what do you SAY in response to the salary question? Back in my recruiting days, I would sometimes hear candidates tell me that they figured out that they NEED to make $X dollars in their next job. But to be brutally and completely honest, I know for a fact that the employers do not CARE what you “need” to make. In general, it is not that they are heartless…but they do have a different point of view. It is a business point of you and you NEED to understand this if you are going to negotiate effectively for a position.

When employers hear candidates describe what they NEED, it is a real turn-off. The candidate has not addressed the items that the employer cares about. In order to successfully close an offer, you must address the employer’s needs and what they care about. What does the employer care about? They care that they have found someone who is good at what they do, that the candidate is going to help them (with efficiency, professionalism, product development, customer service, etc.) to impact the bottom line in some way. They care that the individual is a good “fit” with others in the department, that they are on board with the company culture, and that the salary offered will be within their budget and within the range of what the position can pay.

What if their range does not match your NEEDS? After all, we really do have NEEDS, right? And you certainly must calculate your needs to know if a job is worthwhile for you to accept. But do yourself a favor - keep that information to yourself, please! What should you do? First, figure out if you want the job and if you want to work for that company. If so, find out what their range is, research market pricing for comparable positions in that geographic area (try www.salary.com), and yes, of course, calculate your true NEEDS, not just your wants. Use the knowledge of what you can DO for the employer to show your value and give them compelling reasons to WANT you. Keep in mind that salary is one portion of a total compensation package. Where are you willing to be flexible? If the salary is not the best, maybe you can get more vacation time, a better health package, a better pension plan, a car allowance, a sign-on bonus, etc. Think outside the box people! And, if you have given the employer those compelling reasons to WANT you, you never know what creative options they will come up with to be sure that you will say yes to them!