Employment Digest

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Companies get flexible to keep mature workers

With an estimated 64 million Baby Boomers due to retire by 2010, U.S. companies–whether they want to or not–are looking at possible solutions for the retention of these valued workers.

Especially employees whose skills are difficult to replace immediately.

And one of the ways smart employers are dealing with the challenge is by developing flexible work arrangements, according to a recent study by The Conference Board, a global business research organization based in New York.

In its report, titled, “Managing the Mature Workforce,” the list of industries “feeling the greatest pain in terms of skills shortages” include oil, gas, energy, health care and government.
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Trends in Pre-Employment Assessment — What to look for in 2006

It has been a very interesting year for those of us who follow the pre-employment assessment industry. The past year has seen quite a bit of movement in this space. Much of this movement has come in 2 inter-related areas. The first of these is an increased interest in the use of pre-employment assessment from the consumer side. In other words more and more organizations are using pre-employment assessments. The second area of movement is in increased interest in product development amongst vendors of pre-employment assessment tools. These two areas are obviously highly dependent upon one another and both are essential for moving the industry forward. It is the interest in the use of assessment tools and the increasing number of success stories related to their use that have led assessment companies to feel comfortable investing in product development. This is an excellent situation as increased investment in new products will help the industry move forward past what I feel has been a plateau. This plateau has been caused by a lack of innovation in assessment content as well as a failure to find new and interesting ways to integrate assessments into the hiring process. To help the reader better understand what I am getting at here, I have identified 6 trends which I feel will help move assessment into a new era in terms of its value to the hiring process. These trends are as follows:

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Bad Breeds of Bosses

Do you work for a Wannabe, Suppressor, Pretender, Confounder, Dumbfounder, Propagator, Player, Bully, Manipulator, Cult Maker, Pilferer, Saboteur, or a Combination Type?

Bad bosses are a fact of working life. No matter what career you choose, chances are you’re going to have to deal with people who steal your ideas, criticize your work constantly, and flake out just when you need them most.

It’s not illegal to be a jerk. But that doesn’t mean you have to silently accept this bad behavior and the damage it can do to your career.
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GRAYING WORK FORCE

Joseph Louro might be the picture of what retirement will look like in New Jersey.

A builder for almost 40 years, the 70-year-old Louro continues to work three days a week for Cohen Schatz Associates in Shrewsbury, selling land to developers.

Could he call it quits altogether instead?

“The answer is, yes. But not if I wanted to maintain the lifestyle to which I was accustomed,” Louro, of Freehold Township, said. “It’s expensive in New Jersey. And I would not have been able to clip coupons and live happily ever after.”

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Switching jobs is huge step:

Getting a job offer can boost your sense of self-worth, give you an opportunity to beef up your resume, and make you tingle with excitement. But if you already have a good job, that enticing offer can also make you sick.

Why sick? Because if you decide to jump ship, there’s always a chance that the change could be a disaster. Your new boss could turn out to be a jerk.

Or — worst of all — the boss could tell you it’s just not working out.

On the other hand, life is all about taking chances. If you shy away from every risk, your career could become stagnant.

Taking the leap is probably easier for younger workers, said longtime employment counselor Arlene T. Dyer. But even older workers shouldn’t become complacent.

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Too many temp jobs can spoil your résumé

If you hold several temporary jobs for more than a few months, you can run into a problem when submitting your résumé: How to account for all those short stints.

Temping can be a great way to get your foot in the door, test out multiple companies to find a good fit or pay bills while you’re looking for a more permanent gig.

It can also make a mess of your résumé.

If you temp for more than a few months at several different jobs, you can run into a problem: how to account for all those short stints.

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CEO’s role, not attractive enough

As aspiring chief executives compete for their ‘‘dream jobs’’ on television shows such as ‘‘The Apprentice,’’ in real life few workers actually want to rise to the top of their company’s ranks, according to a recent study.

The research, conducted by Burson-Marsteller, a New York public relations firm, and the Economist Intelligence Unit, a business research and analysis firm, found that 54% of current corporate executives don’t want to lead their companies.
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Don’t let recruiter talk you into a low-ball offer

After recently changing jobs, I now realize I was low-balled on the salary offer by nearly 20 percent. Yes, I know, I should have checked the market before accepting the job. But the recruiter was a spellbinder who kept emphasizing this is a growth opportunity with lots of training, and I believed him. Behind the curtain, that promise, as well as the job description, turned out to be hype and hooey. Advice for next time?

B.C.

Recruiters are salespeople, not your new best friends. When a client gives a recruiter a limited compensation budget to offer candidates, it is the recruiter’s job and livelihood to persuade you to take the “downpay” by pointing out collateral benefits the job may or may not offer.
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Is Your Job Search Too Passive?
Is Your Job Search Too Passive?

Gail has sent out two hundred resumes within the past three months, but only landed one job interview. Is this happening to you?

Passively sending out resumes – regardless of how well-written they are – to employers or recruiters won’t necessarily get you an interview or job. You must get your resume to the right person, which requires creativity and work. Try the following.

Know the type of job you want. Identify the industry, title, function and organizational level, specialty area, type of company and location.
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Taking time with your resume could pay off with an offer

A few years ago, it seemed there were more jobs than people to fill them. Now, as the job market has tightened, job hunters must be more creative and focused when seeking a new career. Some simple search and resume tips can help secure that elusive job.

Register with a staffing agency: Staffing services have all sorts of contacts and requests for employees that might not be widely published. Additionally, going through a staffing service allows you to “try before you buy,” ensuring the company is one you want to work for.
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