September Unemployment Rate Remains the Same, 103,000 Jobs Added to Economy

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October 7th, 2011

The U.S. Department of Labor released its September jobs numbers today and announced that 103,000 jobs were added to the economy last month and that the nation’s unemployment rate remains at 9.1%.  While the report was clearly better than feared, it also showed the economy is not gaining much momentum.  Read more about it here.  Historically, Massachusetts has fared better than the rest of the nation and has experienced a lower unemployment rate each month during the past couple of years.  We’ll see if that trend continues.

PSG Named to Best of Staffing List for Second Consecutive Year

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October 3rd, 2011

PSG is pleased to be recognized on the 2011 Best of Staffing Talent list by Inavero and CareerBuilder.  The 2011 Best of Staffing™ Talent Award is the nation’s only talent satisfaction award that recognizes exceptional talent service within the staffing and recruiting industry.  PSG has always prided itself on placing great candidates in great jobs and now we have the proof!  In an independent survey of its candidates, Professional Staffing Group received satisfaction ratings that placed it in the top one percent of all firms in the country.  PSG is the only Massachusetts staffing firm to make the list two years in a row, for having both the best Talent and the best Client satisfaction ratings. Even more importantly, we are now able to use the feedback we received to continue to provide you with qualified talent who best fit and represent your company.

Ask A Recruiter: Performance Reviews

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Q:  How can I make sure my next performance review goes well and I get a raise or promotion?

A:  You’re demonstrating initiative by asking this question and it’s important to be pro-active about performance reviews. Remember that no one cares about your career as much as you do.  It’s also typically the case that many managers see the performance review as added work to their already busy schedule.  Rather than leaving all the work in your manager’s hands, take some control of the process.

First, make sure you understand the standard review process at your firm, e.g. how often performance reviews are done, whether they always include salary reviews and the standard salary increase for good performance.  Then consider your situation, your goals, and what you hope to achieve through the performance review.  Before you sit down with your manager to discuss your performance, you’ll need to schedule the review, set expectations and prepare for the meeting.

Educate yourself about the market: are people in the same position equally compensated?  Know the value you bring to your organization. Try to get insight and broad perspective from your boss and others in organization.  But be realistic.  Some people have a tendency to look at their strong points and overlook negatives.

After you set up the review with your manager, you should spend time preparing for the meeting.  Many companies have standard forms to use for the review, but, again, I recommend being proactive.  Present proof of your performance and show off your accomplishments, especially when it comes to how you have differentiated yourself from your peers or how you benefited the company through your actions.  For instance, if you work in accounting or finance, think about processes that you may have streamlined, e.g. closed the books in 3 or 4 days instead of a week, or money that you may have saved the company money by shopping around for a more efficient vendor.  Focus on work you did during the review period that went above and beyond your job’s requirements.  If you feel your accomplishments merit an increase in compensation or another benefit, let your manager know about your goals ahead of the meeting as it will make the conversation more valuable during your review.

Finally, remember that your review isn’t a once-a-year event; it’s something you can work on throughout the year. You should leave each review with goals for the next review period.  It’s a good idea to reference these goals throughout the period.  Also, let your boss know of your accomplishments as they happen and call attention to your work (in a good way) throughout the year.  Perhaps you even put your goals/accomplishments into a calendar format, such as setting certain goals for the quarter or season and track your achievements.  For perspective on the annual review process, and how some companies are changing their performance review policies, take a look at this recent Wall Street Journal article.

 

About the Recruiter
greg-menzone-pic1Greg Menzone is a 10-year veteran of the staffing industry who has made hundreds of successful placements. Greg and the team he manages specialize in direct hire placement of accounting and finance professionals.

 

 

 

Planning Tips for Staffing a Contingent Workforce

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Reports on contingent staffing show that up to a quarter of jobs in many organizations are filled with contingent staff, and that nearly 90 percent of employers have either maintained or increased the size of their contingent workforce since September 2008, the beginning of the economic crisis.

Contingent staff includes a wide range of employee types, including:  temporary employees hired through an agency or directly by the employer, part-time employees, outsourced jobs and job functions, retirees who return to work, consultants, freelancers, independent contractors and on-call workers.

Why is contingent staffing an attractive workforce option right now?  In times of economic uncertainty many employers are wary of investing in full-time hires but see contingent staff as a way to mitigate risk. As I wrote previously, contingent staffing is also attractive because it offers employers flexibility (for bringing in skills only when needed), cost savings (by not carrying a worker’s salary during slow periods) and the opportunity to “try before you buy” with a new employee.

Whether you’re considering contingent staffing or already employing flexible staff, here are some tips for incorporating it effectively and determining the right mix for your organization:

Consider factors that impact contingent staffing – most often this means considering financial factors, such as salary, benefits, cost of training, and determining if it’s beneficial to have the same work done by contingent staff. Your ability to predict staffing needs 6 months or more into the future is also an indicator – if you don’t have certainty around your medium-term staffing needs, short-term contingent staff could be a good option. Other factors include the type of work involved and whether the talent pool for that type of work job is deep.

Ask yourself if this is the right time to bring on contingent staff – Are you gearing up for a big project, production cycle or seasonal demand? Do you need certain skills, but only for a finite time period? Do you want to make long-term staff increases, but prefer to take baby steps first?

Determine the right mix of contingent staffing for your firm – The “right” mix varies by industry, it varies by company, and it even varies over time for individual companies.  You should look at your particular circumstances and assess the right mix for your organization.

Consider the impact of contingent staffing on permanent hiring – Contingent staffing provides a great opportunity to try out people before you hire them permanently.  You may want to consider some level of contingent staffing as a recruiting source.

Ask a professional – it may make sense to bring in a workforce planning expert to help you determine the right staffing strategy, particularly if you don’t have many in-house HR resources or if you find there a great number of variables to consider in your planning process.

Employers have numerous options when it comes to contingent staffing and how to fit those options into their workforces. With smart utilization of contingent staffing, employers can better meet their product and service demands while mitigating certain financial risks relating to hiring permanent staff.

 

Aaron Green is founder and president of Boston-based Professional Staffing Group and PSG Global Solutions. He is also the Treasurer of the American Staffing Association. He can be reached at Aaron.Green@psgstaffing.com or (617) 250-1000.

Massachusetts unemployment drops again, to 7.4% in August

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The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported today that the August total unemployment rate decreased to 7.4 percent, down from 7.6 percent in July, and remaining well below the national rate of 9.1 percent. The August unemployment rate is the state’s lowest monthly rate since February 2009.

However, after adding jobs to the economy in June and July, Massachusetts saw a decrease in the number of jobs reported in August.  Two-thirds of the jobs decrease for August is attributed to the Verizon workers strike that month.

Over the past year (August 2010 to August 2011),Massachusetts  jobs are up 48,000, for a growth rate of 1.5 percent. Massachusetts Private sector jobs are up 52,900, for a growth rate of 1.9 percent with gains in eight of the ten sectors.

Ask A Recruiter: Talking About Telecommuting

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Q:  Is it OK to mention a preference for telecommuting when I’m interviewing?

A:  It depends on your situation and whether telecommuting is a preference, as you say, or a necessity.  The company’s culture and the nature of the work you’re interviewing for are also considerations.

For people who need a schedule where they can work from home, or for those who wouldn’t take a job unless it allowed telecommuting, I recommend bringing the subject up early in the interviewing process.

However, if telecommuting is more of a “want” than a “need”, you’ll want to be careful about how you ask the question and when you ask it.  In general, I recommend waiting until the interview process is further along and you have a better sense of the job, the company and whether there is a good match between you and the organization.

If you have highly in-demand skills then you can put the telecommuting benefit on the table for negotiation. When you do, try to put a positive spin on how your telecommuting would benefit the company, e.g. eliminating the commute would make you more productive, and explain how you plan to make it work — such as providing status reports.

If you don’t have high-demand skills and are interviewing for a position along with lots of other qualified candidates, it’s probably not beneficial to bring it up until you’ve worked in the position for awhile and earned the telecommuting benefit.

After 8 years of working at PSG, I started working from home when my first child was born, and I modify my work schedule to fit client needs or to fit personal commitments.  I’ve found it’s also important to have a backup plan in place in case company or client needs change and your telecommuting schedule has to be altered. A successful telecommuting arrangement must work both ways!

About the Recruiter
Laurie-F-photoLaurie Fiumara has 10+ years of experience in the staffing and recruiting industry. As a director and member of the management team at Professional Staffing Group (PSG), she oversees PSG’s major client relationships.

Boston employment market better than national average

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Despite gloomy news and forecasts nationally about the jobs market, the jobs market in Boston is faring much better than the rest of the country.  An August Business Journals’ report of 100 major metropolitan job markets ranked Boston as the #1 metro for jobs and said, “Boston is one of just 13 markets that have more private-sector jobs now than five years ago. Its growth rate in the past 12 months has been an impressive 2.7 percent, and its unemployment rate is a relatively low 7.1 percent.”

Another recently released report ranked Boston as one of the top cities for recent college grads who are looking for work:  an annual list of the top 10 best cities for recent college grads, compiled by CareerRookie.com and Apartments.com and based on the job market and cost of living in cities across the country, ranks Boston as #3.

Boston is one of top cities for recent college grads

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An annual list of the top 10 best cities for recent college grads ranks Boston as #3.  The survey was compiled by CareerRookie.com, CareerBuilder’s college job search site, and Apartments.com and the list is based on the job market and cost of living in cities across the country.  Boston follows Hartford/New Haven (#1) and Cleveland (#2).  More good news for job-seeking college grads: CareerBuilder reports that 46 percent of employers plan to hire recent college graduates this year – up from 44 percent in 2010.

Recruiting: Knowing your sources

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Knowing what sources bring prospects to your organization is quite important to companies with ongoing hiring needs. If you know what is working, you can direct more resources toward these successful sources and/or save money by reducing expenditures on low-yielding sources.
Unfortunately Source of Hire Data is Typically Wrong

Most HR professionals I speak with feel their source of hire data is inaccurate and they want to know how to improve their system to capture the correct information. In getting to the solution, we first need to understand why the data is wrong; some of the typical reasons include:

  • Recruiter apathy –Not all recruiters value the source of hire information, therefore coding applicants accurately is just not important to them. For instance: maybe coding activity is done inconsistently, maybe it is not done at all, maybe the first drop-down selection for source of hire is picked.
  • Incentives/conflict of interest – If management values a particular source over another, recruiters may provide biased responses. Some recruiters even think the information will be used against them, or to make them seem less necessary.
  • Inconsistent system – If the way the question is posed to candidates is inconsistent, the results will be less reliable. Who is asked (recruiter vs. applicant) and when it is asked matters.
  • Applicant bias – Applicants may tell you the answer they think best positions themself to get the job. If you record the response at the wrong time you run this risk. For instance, the applicant that has been desperately calling for weeks and applying to multiple corporate website postings might think they have a better chance of landing the job if they say a recruiter called them.

An Easy and Effective Solution = Ask the New Employee Post-Hire

New employees will respond more thoroughly to questions because they often want to help their new employer. Furthermore you are getting the information straight from the source without any recruiter bias or apathy.

I would suggest asking the new employee during onboarding. First explain why you want the information to get maximum cooperation. I recommend not limiting possible responses to just one answer. Instead, provide choices of multiple factors based on responses from past hires and also leave a blank field. If the new hire does have multiple responses, ask for the responses to be ranked.

Two questions on source are necessary:
1. What source originally made you aware of our company?
2. What source made you aware that we had a current opening in your field? Or, if you were not aware of an opening, what source made you think to contact us? Or if we contacted you, what was the source of contact?

Lastly, don’t forget to ask for referrals. The best time to ask is when a new hire starts employment. Correction, the best time to ask is anytime, but it is really effective to ask new hires.

Aaron Green is founder and president of Boston-based Professional Staffing Group and PSG Global Solutions. He is also the vice chairman of the American Staffing Association. He can be reached at Aaron.Green@psgstaffing.com or (617) 250-1000.