Carlyn Burns - Independent Recruiter

BeKnown - a mix of LinkedIn and Facebook

2011-12-01T09:52:00.004-05:00

Check out BeKnown...a facebook application that allows you to network professionally with those you also know personally. I have not dug into researching this site too heavily...but the concept seems to be a mixture of facebook and Linked In..although the app states that it allows you to network. It is sponsored by Monster and allows you to set up a profile.

I have personally seen some amazing networking lately on a personal level in my own life with a family friend of ours who has a child battling cancer. The sveen degrees of separation theory comes to mind, as it is true that everyone knows somebody and we all connect to each other pretty easily with who we know.

In any event, the be known app has job listings, an opportunity to also post jobs if you are in a hiring position or recruiter. I have yet to link into anyone else or really check it out, but will do so shortly. Please let me know what you think fo the app.

Here's the link: https://apps.facebook.com/beknown/jobs

Phone Interviews: Five Tricks for Standing Out

2011-11-10T17:15:00.004-05:00

I talked to a candidate today who faced the challenge of acing the telephone interview. Many think they are masters at phone interviews...but you would be surprised how many peopel are truly bad at it! Since it si typically the first impression you are giving the hiring authority or teh HR employee who will either give you the thumbs up or down...beefing up on your telephone skills never hurts! This article, courtesy of Monster, covered some pretty basic, but good reminders for interviewing on the phone. Enjoy!

Phone interviews are a useful tool for potential employers -- the conversations help screen candidates quickly and determine who’s worth a face-to-face meeting. So when you’ve sent out and uploaded your resume online, it’s essential to be ready to kick booty when the phone rings. Here’s how:

Know what you speak of: Make sure you have a copy of your resume, the cover letter you sent and the original job description in a folder near your phone. It’s also nice to add information about the company, the person who may be calling to interview you and any potential questions you know you’ll want to ask. Be sure to be armed with a pencil and paper for taking notes.

Rehearse your responses: Prep for the conversation by thinking about the job and the qualities a candidate must have. How do your strengths match up? What are your weaknesses? Anticipate questions you might be asked and consider how you’ll answer them. Bounce ideas off a friend if you’re concerned about a particular aspect of the job description or use Monster’s Advice Forums to gain information from others in that industry.

Watch your language: In a phone interview, it is important to speak slowly and clearly. Remember, the quality of your conversation and your ability to answer questions is all the interviewer has to go on over the phone. Keep the “ums,” “ahs” and “you knows” to a minimum (think about the Caroline Kennedy debacle. Don’t use slang or other informal language.

Think before you speak: Take the time you need to answer the interview questions completely and thoughtfully. Be sure not to interrupt or begin answering the question before the interviewer has finished speaking; there may be more to the question than you realize. If the interviewer calls at a time that is inconvenient for you, while you’re at work or in a noisy environment, arrange another phone meeting in the near future.

Ask for a meeting: If you feel the interview has gone well, be confident and direct enough to request a face-to-face by saying, “Would it be possible for us to meet in person and continue our conversation? I’d really like to have the opportunity to meet you.” If the interviewer says no, or shies away from making a commitment, be sure you understand what the next step will be. Will they call if they want to meet you? E-mail? If you are out of the running, will they let you know? Taking the time to close the deal proves your competence once again. Understanding the next step will help you sleep easier at night -- always a good thing when you are on the job hunt.

Email Address

2011-11-10T13:52:00.007-05:00

I am consolidating email addresses and websites and also eliminating the use of the Prolyn name. Being an independent recruiter, I figured it makes more sense to brand my name versus a company name since "I" am the company. I have done this with a new business venture of mine and have found that it makes sense for people to remember my name versis some company name that doesn't necessarily reflect what the company is all about. Many of you know that I am veering away from Building Materials due to the hardships the industry has faced with the downturn of the economy. It has been sad to see so many great and talented people leave this industry, but also understandable! While my focus career wise has me doing a few different things myself right now in roles I probably never would have imagined, I can honestly say it's a nice reminder to be doing things that I enjoy amd that offer me a diverse job roles in a few completely diofferent arenas. Recruiting will always be one of my passions and as such one of my focuses. I am just not sure in what capacity and all the details of that yet. The fun part is figuring that all out! Please use my caburns@comporium.net address from this point forward. I will have email forwarding on from the old email address for quite some time, but want you all to get used to teh new emails address. Telephone number stays the same. Website is down already and will probably be using none other than my name as my domain for website. There is nothing posted there yet however. : )

Hope everyone is enjoying the Fall and hopefully what will soon be the start of a great new year with lots of new jobs opening up for many of you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! : )

106 Excuses that prevent you from ever becoming great

2011-10-26T08:05:00.005-04:00

Just saw this posted on Linked In...A great read and one of the best articles I have read in a long time!!
Not sure if the embedded link below will show, as I always have trouble with that...so here is the copy and pasted version...long I know, but worth teh extra two seconds to selct, copy and paste...and read! Enjoy!

http://www.linkedin.com/share?viewLink=&sid=s660708856&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Echrisbrogan%2Ecom%2F106%2F%3Futm_source%3Dfeedburner%26utm_medium%3Dfeed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed%253A%2Bchrisbrogandotcom%2B%2528%255Bchrisbrogan%2Ecom%255D%2529&urlhash=0krv&pk=member-home&pp=&poster=17746473&uid=5534621797305036800&trk=NUS_UNIU_SHARE-title

How to Find a Seasonal Job

2011-10-26T07:56:00.003-04:00

With teh Holidays fast aproaching, many are starting to look for additional income and employment in taking in a second job. Many others are still just looking for work, having been unemployed for long periods of time. Here are some tips that will help you find seasonal work... (article courtesy of Hotjobs)

As soon as the calendar turns over to September, retailers will know how much help they'll need to handle the holidays. John Challenger, CEO of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, states that retailers are facing an uphill battle. "Consumers are tapped, and credit is increasingly harder to come by," he says. "Meanwhile, retailers' shipping costs are ballooning thanks to gas prices, and the weak dollar is raising the price of imported goods. With profits already getting squeezed, most retailers are going to be reluctant to take on the additional cost of extra staffing."

There will be some holiday hiring, he assures job seekers. However, Challenger points out, "The labor pool is flush with qualified candidates who undoubtedly would be eager to earn some extra holiday spending money and take advantage of employee discounts." If you want to get a distinct advantage over other would-be seasonal workers, plan your job search carefully using these tips.

Know Where to Look

"The best opportunities for seasonal job seekers will be at the large discounters like Target and Wal-Mart, which will be heavily favored by cost-conscious consumers this holiday season," Challenger says. But be prepared to look past retail sales jobs for other opportunities.

"The big-box stores need extra workers on the floor, but they also need extra workers in their shipping facilities and overnight stocking positions," he says. "Opportunities also exist outside of retail, in areas like catering and with shipping companies such as UPS and FedEx."

Start Early

Employers already know how many people they'll need, so start searching today. Even if a job doesn't begin for another month, it's best to lock in an opportunity sooner rather than later.

Dress the Part

When you're looking for any kind of job, show up dressed in business-casual attire, at the very least. Even if the seasonal work for which you're applying is outdoors (think Christmas trees), wear neat slacks, polished shoes and a collared shirt.

Be Prepared

If you're stopping into an establishment to shop for seasonal work, be prepared to fill out an application and participate in an impromptu interview. Bring your own pen, necessary documentation to prove you can work in the US legally, a resume if you have one and all contact information for your professional references. Be sure you block off enough time to meet with a few supervisors should the opportunity arise.

Know What You Want

If you're applying for seasonal work, know precisely what you offer to a potential employee -- and what you want in return. Determine what hourly rate is acceptable to you, what hours and days you're available, if you've got the wherewithal for a particular position (some may involve lifting heavy boxes or standing for the greater part of your shift), and if the location is viable in terms of fuel costs and transportation options. (Will you always have access to a reliable car or a convenient subway or bus line?) You don't want to make a commitment only to leave an employer in the lurch during the hectic holidays.

Be Flexible

The best way to make sure you stand out from other seasonal talent is to present yourself as flexible -- but only if you really are. A hiring manager revealed that demanding a specific schedule from prospective employers is a sure way to jettison your chances at landing a job.

Five Ways to Proactively Protect and Present Your Online Reputation

2011-08-30T11:53:00.010-04:00

A great article from the undercover recruiter with some good reminders and tips on what not to do with your online activities and self branding efforts. Enjoy!

Job hunters must keep in mind that countless employers and human resources personnel are utilizing the web and, in particular, social networks to get additional information on prospective employees. This growing method of gaining information on applicants has provoked many job seekers to “get off the grid.” But it’s important to note that information gleaned from the web can be what wins you a position as much as it can be what disqualifies you from one. Because of this, aspiring professionals should consider the following when attempting to perform their own online reputation management:

1. Clean Up Your Social Networking Act This one is a given, but the ever-evolving nature of social networking has made it more of a meticulous task than merely removing raunchy images or references to dirty deeds. It’s important to always be aware of your privacy settings, as the activity of friends can affect your profile through image tagging and wall posting. Whenever you’re informed of “updates” by-way of an automatic email from your preferred social network, examine privacy settings for signs of change. You may not be aware of it, but updates could include a reformatting of such settings and introducing new options that are defaulted to whatever the social network decides.

2. Expand Your Social Networking Act Becoming a listed member of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and now Google+ does more than just make you look like a go-getter, it means that so long as you keep these accounts relatively active you help eliminate the possibility of undesirable uncontrolled information about you from making its way to the top of a Google search. These sites are such incredibly popular results that they’ll always sit at the top. That way any unauthorized content related to you, if in existence, is less likely to make an appearance to a possible employer.

3. Buy Your Own Website If you have a popular name like Robert Smith this one might be impossible, but acquiring a yourname.com resume website is a great way to influence your online reputation massively in one single step. Buying the domain of your full name allows you to make that URL the destination of your online resume and additional personal information you wish to disclose to the public and potential employers. It also keeps someone else from buying it and making your name associated with who-knows-what.

4. Perform a Positive Google Bomb

It’s a primitive measure, but if you have some time to kill, simply do repeated Google searches of your own name with added words that highlight achievements. This is especially effective if these searches lead to information about achievements you otherwise wouldn’t put on a resume for the sake of space. Athletic achievements are a good example of such facts that are good to lead employers to.

5. Send Employers to These Sites Yourself

Employers might still go ahead and do their own search engine snooping but a good way to curb the intensity of their research is to go ahead and provide them with links to these sites through your resume or cover letter. You want to show you have an established online presence you’re happy to share. It’s also an easy way to look confident when making a first impression.

Employers and human resource personnel expect for potential employees to exist online. Your mission is as much to present your Internet image as ideally as possible as it is to protect it from negativity. Don’t fear Facebook and other social sites, but instead, utilize them to increase the odds of getting hired. It requires the proper balance of activity and alertness, but there’s nothing about managing an online reputation that’s outside the realm of possibility of those eager to get hired.

Happy Summer! Summer Job Search Tips!

2011-06-06T17:20:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe that Summer is already here!! This year has really flown by already. I have to say that over the past few weeks especially I have never heard a better and more encouraging buzz about so many of you landing new career opportunities and even several selling their homes and relocating successfully! It honestly seems like ages since I can remember talking to even just a few people relocating in the same week, versus what has been lots lately. Great news and congrats to those of you who have landed great new jobs!

On that note, please don't forget to update me on your search status or with an updated resume. I have started another business which involves another passion of mine, but continue to recruit part time and as much as I can as it will always be something I enjoy. Once the economy rebounds more, and it is warranted, I will return to full time recruiting, yet will most likely continue recruitment focusing on a broader scope of building materials industry...and am even considering branching out with a potential company name change or new division of with an entirely different scope of industry focus. I think that windows and door industry will always be a part or division of my company, but that it is also time for a change of scenery. As so many of you already know and have experienced yourself with having moved on and out of the industry, a change of scenery - or rather an addition to that scenery seems fitting and much needed. More on all that later...for now it is just brainstorming. Hope you are all enjoying the start to what looks like a very promising and wonderful summer! This article seemed appropriate with summer hitting and so many of you still actively in job search mode...article courtesy of Monster...enjoy! : )

Are you taking a break from the job search and surrendering to the lazy days of summer? The conventional wisdom is that almost everyone is in vacation mode from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Consequently, many postpone job searching until September.

Is this a mistake? Could you be missing opportunities if you take the summer off? We asked the career experts to find out.

Summer Job Searching -- Worthwhile or Waste of Time?

"I often hear job seekers say that they want to take the summer off," says Wendy Terwelp, career coach and president of Mequon, Wisconsin-based career management firm Opportunity Knocks. Terwelp says that by the time the summer ends, job seekers who took the summer off will be competing against even more job seekers who have followed the same strategy. Anne-Marie Ditta, president of MyCareerCoach.net, agrees. "A fair number of job seekers think that recruiters and hiring managers are unavailable during the summer," Ditta says. Therefore, many believe it's a waste of time to job search from June through August.

Debunking the Summer Vacation Myth

"Few people take long vacations anymore, so for the corporate world it's business as usual in the summer," says Laura Berman Fortgang, a pioneer in the personal coaching field who has appeared on “Oprah” and “The CBS Early Show” and wrote Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction. "It may take a little longer to get internal consensus on a hire because of staggered vacations, but why waste three months when you can move things forward during that time?" suggests Fortgang, who says that summertime can offer advantages to job seekers. "Sometimes, summer's quieter pace gives hiring managers a bit more 'brain space,' so they are more attentive to employment applications," she says. Summer can be a prime hiring season for some employers. "Many projects hit the ground running in the fall, and employers want new people in place," Fortgang says.

Six Summer Job Search Tips

How do you keep your search moving forward in the summer? Our experts offer these tips: Capitalize on Seasonal Events: "Summer is a terrific time to network," says Terwelp. "There are festivals, barbeques, weddings and other gatherings that can be a perfect time to connect." Fortgang says that using personal and social gatherings to let people know you are looking is an excellent strategy.

Don't Get Discouraged: Summer vacations may make reaching the right people more challenging, but don't use this as a reason to back off, Fortgang says. "Be patient and consistent, leave polite messages and continue due diligence," she says. Keep in mind that receptionists and other gatekeepers take vacations, too. "You might connect with that otherwise hard-to-reach hiring manager while your competitors are lolling around waiting until September," says Ditta.

Keep a Job Search Schedule: Yes, it's summer, but don't be lulled into laziness. "Even if it is just an hour a day, put structure in place to keep you going,” says Fortgang.

Build a Network: "Form a group of like-minded job seekers to keep your summer job search on track," Fortgang suggests. Meet regularly to share information on who's hiring. A job opportunity not right for you may be perfect for someone in your network, and vice versa.

Take Stock of Your Resume and Skills: Summer is the perfect time to assess and update your resume and skills. "Review your resume and add any new accomplishments or training," Terwelp says. Also, brush up on any skills that may be lagging. "Take a class or two in the summer. Not only will you be improving your skills, but you can network with your classmates."

Get Outside: Warm weather is the prime time for outdoor home improvement projects, and by helping your neighbors you can help your career at the same time. Walk around your neighborhood and offer to give someone a hand. While you're helping that neighbor, you can share that you're job hunting and tap into someone else's network. "This can lead to more connections, informational interviews and maybe even a new job," says Terwelp.

When it comes to your job search, summer doesn't have to mean slow. While that perfect swimsuit may remain elusive, you can use the summer months to find an ideal career fit. Your time and effort can reap big rewards and even land you a new job before autumn.

Commuting impacts job satisfaction

2011-04-25T12:46:00.003-04:00

Thsi recent article/poll was somewhat crazy timing for me to stumble across it as I have talked to several people over the past few weeks who have listed a long commute as one of the three reasons they were looking for a new job.

Commuting might not make you unwell but a new survey of U.S. employees showed that four percent, or 5 million people, have called in sick because they could not face the trek to work. The Harris Interactive poll commissioned by The Workforce Institute also revealed that 48 percent of people said commuting has a significant impact on their job satisfaction and 32 percent considered the commute when they chose their current job.

"Where possible, putting policies in place to allow employees to travel during non-peak hours or work from home can increase employee satisfaction, without a negative impact on the bottom line," said Joyce Maroney, the director of the institute, a workplace issues think tank, said is a statement.

Eighty three percent of workers questioned in the survey said they drove to work alone and nine percent used a carpool.

Only 11 percent of workers opted for mass transit, 10 percent said they walked to work and some people used more than one mode of transport to commute.

Fifteen percent of people who took part in the online survey said they would change jobs for a shorter commute and 11 percent said the time spent commuting had a negative impact on their life-work balance.

"Managers should be mindful of the time their employees spend commuting as our survey shows it has a significant impact on job satisfaction," said Maroney. One-third of workers said their round-trip commute was between 30 minutes and an hour, while 16 percent spent between one and two hours getting back and forth to work.

Nearly everyone had a nightmare, or worst commute ever story, with seven percent saying it had taken five hours or more, and another 30 percent spending more than two hours. Only six percent of workers are paid for the time they spent commuting and just 14 percent of adults who commute have the option of working from home. If workers could spend less time commuting 50 percent said they would use the extra time to sleep, 42 percent said they would relax, 33 percent would spend more time with their family and 28 would exercise.

Your Job Search Expenses May Be Tax-Deductible

2011-04-01T08:03:00.003-04:00

Article courtesy of Monster....enjoy!

Did you spend substantial amounts of money looking for a new position last year? You may be able to succeed where Nelson Rockefeller failed and take a tax deduction for many of your job search-related costs.

When New York Governor Rockefeller was appointed vice president in the '70s, he deducted expenses incurred in connection with his congressional confirmation hearings. Years later, the courts upheld the IRS's denial of the write-off, saying it violated a key rule on job search deductions: You must be looking for a job in the same trade or business as your previous position.

But fear not: The legitimacy of these deductions rarely gets decided in court. Armed with a bit of knowledge and some individualized professional tax advice, you may be able to reap savings by writing off a variety of job search costs.

Three Major Deduction Categories

Deductible job search expenses generally fall into three categories, according to IRS Publication 529:

Outplacement and Employee Agency Fees: If you pay for job counseling or to have an agency match you with an employment opportunity, this expense is generally deductible. Of course, if you are reimbursed by an employer or anyone else, you cannot deduct these fees.

Resume Preparation, Mailing and Related Expenses: Paper, envelopes, portfolios, postage, phone calls and the like add up. To deduct them properly, you'll need to keep meticulous records, including receipts and notes on the purpose of purchases.

Travel and Transportation Expenses: Whether you take the bus to an interview or fly across the country to pound the pavement, your job search-related travel and transportation expenses may be deductible. But remember: The amount of time you spend searching for a job versus engaging in personal activities during your journeys can be a factor. In other words, a three-week trip in February with one face-to-face informational interview thrown in isn't going to cut it. These deduction rules are complex; get professional advice.

Before You Take That Deduction, Consider These Factors
Even though you now have an idea of what to deduct, you still need to jump through some hoops -- four, actually -- before plugging in those deductions:
You Must Be Looking for a Job in the Same Occupation: Career changers don't get a break from the IRS. "If a general manager of a food market goes out and looks for a job as a VP of an Internet company, that's not going to fly," says Bradford Hall, managing director of Hall & Co. CPAs. Distinctions between career fields can be arguable, so it pays to get professional advice. "I would go ahead and take the deduction if, say, you switch from journalism to marketing, because it's all communications," says Jim Dowling, senior tax manager for Weaver and Tidwell LLP.
You Can't Take a ‘Substantial Break' Between Your Previous Job and Your Search: "There's no specific time frame provided by the IRS," Hall says. "But if a teacher becomes a stay-at-home mom, then years later decides she wants to go back, that's too long" to qualify for job search deductions. "The IRS wants to encourage people to get back on the horse and get back in the labor force."
You Can't Be Looking for Your First Job: High school and college students seeking their first real-world job cannot deduct search expenses -- you must be transitioning between career positions.
Job Search and Other Miscellaneous Deductions Must Exceed 2 Percent of Adjusted Gross Income: Major caveat: You can deduct job search costs only to the extent that they -- lumped together with all other miscellaneous deductions (such as unreimbursed employee expenses) -- exceed 2 percent of your adjusted gross income.

Toll Free Number

2011-04-01T08:00:00.003-04:00

Just a quick update that I have removed Prolyn's toll free number. Turns out not many, if any were using it. Other than the many calls I received about beauty supply orders that people had placed. Turns out Prolyn's toll free number was very close to the number of a beauty supply company. :)

Tips for Job Hunting in a Slowed Economy

2011-03-06T09:43:00.009-05:00

This article form Monster....enjoy! :)

The global credit crisis and flat-lining domestic economy have turned this into one of the most challenging times to be looking for a job in recent history. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, approximately 14 million people are currently unemployed, about twice as many since the recession started in December 2007. And while the January 2011 unemployment rate fell to 9 percent -- the lowest level in nearly two years -- that rate is still high by historical standards. To be a successful job seeker in this climate, you have to be calm, patient and proactive -- and try any (or all) of these tips.

Pick and Choose Your Targets

When Jack Hinson was laid off in mid-2008 from his job at a large Internet content company in Austin, he prioritized his search. “It’s important to put your time and energy into opportunities that you’re the most interested in and that have the best chance of coming to fruition,” he says. “Pick a few companies you’re interested in and pursue them, whether they have current openings or not.”

Concentrate on Growth Industries

Brent Berger, a Las Vegas-based scenario planning and strategy consultant, suggests focusing on growth industries and areas. “Look at energy,” he says. “With oil costs where they are, the need for cheap fuel and cheap heat is ever-mounting. And any job that alleviates pain is recession-proof. Similarly, the National Guard, Border Patrol, homeland security and the defense industry in general will continue to thrive as the next stage in the war on terror continues.”

Work Your Network

Hinson’s new gig came from an old connection. “I’d spoken to the company’s founders about a year ago and stayed in touch,” he says. “Then I ran into one of them at a networking function.” So flip through your Rolodex or business social media contacts and let them know you’re looking.

Sell Yourself

San Francisco PR account executive Samantha Rubenstein launched a job search just as the economy began to flag. After three months, she got a great offer from Atomic PR. She attributes her success to doing more than learning about the company. “Preparation [includes] learning how to talk about yourself in a meaningful and powerful way,” she says. “I created a list of potential interview questions and typed up bulleted answers to create speaking points.”

Consider Freelancing

Russ Carr, a designer and writer in St. Louis, has twice had a line on a job only to see it slip away when the employer lost a key account or decided to distribute the duties among current employees. To keep some money coming in, Carr started freelancing. “I haven’t stopped trying to shop myself for a full-time gig again, but freelancing certainly has kept food on the table,” he says. “If you’re in a field that supports it, don’t think twice -- just do it.”

Take a Temporary Position

If freelancing isn’t practical, try temping. “Consider interim staffing to fill a temporary slot for work that needs to be done despite the economy,” advises Ronald Torch, president and CEO of the Torch Group, a marketing staffing firm in Cleveland. Or temp with a company that interests you. “Many of these options pay well and can carry the burden of bill-paying until a permanent position comes along,” he says.

Sweat the Small Stuff

“Don’t forget the personal touches,” counsels Felicia Miller, assistant director of career services at the Art Institute of Las Vegas. “Don’t use a template cover letter -- make sure each letter addresses specific skills or qualities the company is looking for. And always send a thank-you note or email after the interview. Use this correspondence as an opportunity to revisit weak areas of your interview.”

Stay Positive

The most important thing when searching for a job in tough economic times is to retain a positive attitude, says Carol Vecchio, founder and executive director of Centerpoint Institute for Life and Career Renewal in Seattle. “Even in a job market with 10 percent unemployment, there’s 90 percent employment,” she says. “There is an average of over 3 million jobs available in the US per month -- and each job seeker is looking for one. Those are pretty good odds.”

Struggling to find a great job in a bad economy can be a drag, but undertaking even a few of these tips will improve your chances of landing a gig. “Remember it doesn’t matter how many jobs are or aren’t out there,” Vecchio says. “You’re just looking for one -- the right one for you.”

Prolyn Update

2011-03-06T09:11:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, things are still quite sluggish in the Building Materials Industry. Jobs are few and far between and when the do come open, it is just as rare for a company to hire a recruiter to find their candidates due to the strong and large talent pools so readily available. Most of the jobs I am seeing now continue to be engineering related. When they are open, there are several recruiters vying to work on the positions leaving an oversaturated pool of hungry and often desparate recruiters vying to fill these spots. No fun for anybody! The tougher challenge from a recruiter's point of view is that most people these days won't leave their current jobs too willingly, lots of fear and uncertaintly still out there. I get that completely and quite honestly I wouldn't up and move my family for a new position either with the way the economy and housing market is.

So...am I still recruiting?? - yes, of course, and could never in a million years give it up as it will always be one of my passions. However, am not recruiting full time for a variety of rather obvious reasons and also to getting involved in some other businesses as well. I really respect several of my client company's and like the people I have forged relationships with so will probably never be one of those recruiters who calls and markets all day long to see what sticks. My focus has leaned much more towards exclusive relationships with company's and candidate's now and not working on positions or for candidates where other recruiters are not involved. And the other side of it is, having come from the HR side of things prior to recruiting, I know how time consuming and annoying it is to field recruiter sales calls all day long. Even listening to those many 1-2 minute voice mails from recruiters sucks up time, even if only pressing delete. Marketing and sales calls are a necessary evil of course to keep any business afloat however. I think I am just marketing in different ways, having adjusted my efforts along with the changes in the economy which has not only been good for me, but also far more enjoyable.

If you are actively seeking a new position, don't give up - jobs do exist in our industry, you just have to dig a bit deeper and harder to find the good ones. Chances are networking or applying yourself are the easiest ways to landing that next job. Even in a strong economy, networking far outweighs any other method (even recruiters!) to landing that next job. It always surprises me how many people resist really tapping into their contacts to do so though! While exclusives still exists with recruiters, they are much more rare these days. Please continue to keep me updated on your job searches....it helps me tons to keep you in mind for anything I see or hear about - even if I am not recruiting on that position. Most of you know me well enough by now that I am in this for the long haul and as such know that even if I am not the recruiter getting paid at the end of the day, that I will do what ever I can to help anyone get a job in this industry, even if just referring you to a position I have heard about. Don't forget to send me your updated resumes to: careers@prolyn.net And with Spring right around the corner, things already have picked up, even in the slow economy, trends ahave always been the best this time of year for hiring across the board. : )

Strangers to Friends

2011-02-23T15:38:00.004-05:00

On a personal note.....

I stumbled across a blog this morning purely by accident that totally sucked me in with interest - which is a rarity for me as I generally lose interst quick and often! As I was reading some of the blog posts, I happen to notice the author shares my first name, which is incredibly rare. It was an "almost fell out of my chair" moment for me.

I think I have met a total of 2 other "Carlyn's" in my life. So this was truly a freak/special moment for me. I reached out to her on facebook, linked in and am proud to say I am big fan of hers! Check her site out if you have time:

www.strangerstofriends.com

or on facebook at:

http://www.facebook.com/StrangerstoFriends

The Job of Finding a Job

2011-02-11T16:14:00.001-05:00

Great article from the employment digest site...enjoy!

People often feel that the desirable job to find is agonizing for its hunter. Those who have experienced continuous rejection of losing the previous job should find the new job but only after coming out from the threat of identity and rejections. It often depends upon a person’s skill and luck to find the best available and suitable job to tear down those high levels of egos. The process of job hunting should be carried very aggressively to get fruitful results. The process of job earning includes the steps taken to obtain interview with the help of resume and cover letter. The next step is to get a call for the interview and the third is the ability to negotiate for the job.

It is necessary that the job is applied with either ways proves in providing better life. It is rightly said that you can cover the bases of an aggressive search for job by using the web, making an application to various recruiters and employment agencies, search through referrals and scan the want ads. The employment recruiters prove helpful in the search for job since they have several corporate relationships at various places. The recruiters are divided into two categories, the retainer and the contingency. The retainer type of recruiters is paid their percentage in advance while the contingency type of recruiter earn only after the employee accepts the desired position. Both the types of recruiters are paid between fifteen to thirty three percent of what is paid to the newly recruited employee after acceptance of a job. The recruiters sometimes work only for highly specialized jobs.

For that desired job to find, people often visit the various recruiting internet sites which are good sources for job hunt. It is better to post the resume online only after considering the various risks attached with your personal information in general. Often it happens that the recruiter rejects a talented or experienced candidate because of a poor resume or CV. It is imperative that the resume is written in a highly professional attitude and would be better if written by a professional. The high profiled and up to the point resume often attracts the recruiters for getting that important interview call. It is good practice to post your resume to multiple recruiters or employers so that you can easily get bunch of interviews as per your desire.

Job to find is easy if you consider doing something everyday with your search. It is better to send out resumes and follow up for the update over the phone and make sure that your personal information is received in proper and safe hands. Those job seekers who are unemployed should immediately accept the first ever offer that comes on their way. It is always wiser to accept both the offered jobs and then select the one that suits and fits you best in getting utmost job satisfaction. You should always attend the interview like a jobholder and not like a job seeker because job seekers often gives the first impression that the person is dejected, needy and too willing to accept any damn offer given on the table.

Positioning for Better Times Ahead at IBS

2011-01-18T23:30:00.004-05:00

I heard some varying reports and feedback from many of you on the IBS this year...sounds like traffic was well below prior years from what the majority of you relayed. Here is the take from windowanddoor.com....Hope everyone is having a great start to the New Year!!

Orlando, Fla.–A fairly upbeat mood prevailed at last week's International Builders' Show, despite evidence that there's still plenty of caution about housing and the economy. Although the show filled only one hall of the Orange County Convention Center and attracted about half as many people as the last edition held here, window and door manufacturers exhibiting at the show seemed more focused on the longer term, with less talk about survival and more about positioning for better times ahead.

Although this year's IBS didn't see the crowds previously seen three years ago when it was held in Florida, most exhibitors were pleased with the traffic in their booths. Attendance for the National Association of Home Builders' annual trade show was estimated to be about 50,000 people. Despite a lower attendance level, most exhibitors expressed satisfaction with the traffic they were seeing. "The people who are here want to do things," said GlassCraft Door's Michael O'Shea. "We see it as a positive sign for business going forward."

One way a number of companies appear to be positioning themselves to move forward is greater emphasis on increasing sales by creating bundles of products beyond windows and doors. One example at the NAHB show was The Designed Exterior Collection, a series of nine housing-style vignettes featured in the Ply Gem booth. The manufacturer of windows, siding, decorative stone and other building products has put together different product groupings—along with guidelines for combining them—to help customers "build architecturally accurate homes with confidence," explained the company's John Stephenson. Window and door dealers benefit because the program inspires customers to look beyond white windows and basic styles toward higher-end decorative options.

Also positioning itself with a bundled product line was Therma-Tru Doors, which was emphasizing not just doors but complete entrances decorated with synthetic millwork products in numerous housing styles. Parent company Fortune Brands had brought Fypon into the Therma Tru fold as a way to save costs, but having the two companies together under one umbrella "enabled us to deliver an enhanced package that delivers real value," said David Randach, president.

Other companies looking to get more from each sale included Andersen Corp., which was highlighting new exterior trim options for its Series 200 and 400 products. Introduced last year with the company's A-Series windows and doors, the exterior trim is made from the company's Fibrex material and is offered in a variety of styles and colors. What's also appealing about the trim package, noted Andersen's Stacy Einck-Eckberg, is the ease of installation. Components can be ordered with windows and delivered cut-to-size and ready to install. "Trimming out the windows in a home typically takes a couple of days. With this package, the job can be done in as little as half a day," she notes.

You can read the rest of the article here at: http://www.windowanddoor.com/news-item/meetings-events/positioning-better-times-ibs

Happy New Year!

2010-12-30T17:56:00.003-05:00

Wishing you all a wonderful remainder of the Holiday Season and a wodnerful New Year!! Hoping 2011 brings lots of great new careers for those of you who are still searching for your next opportunity!! : )

'Tis the Season For Your Job Search

2010-11-29T17:32:00.004-05:00

Article courtesy of Hotjobs...some great points and motivation on not letting your job search sit idle during the holidays. Many recruiters and even sales people make this mistake at this time of year as well by convinving themselves that job needs, openings, budgets aren't always actively in place for the next year yet. On the contrary, it is often the best time to network or as a recruiter fill those last end of the year jobs that companies often scurry to use the last of their hiring budgets prior to the new year starting. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Many job seekers are tempted to slow down the search (or pause it altogether) during the winter holiday season. But career experts say that, if you're looking for a new job, taking a break during the holidays is a mistake--because hiring doesn't stop.

At the end of the year, some companies rush to fill job openings that might otherwise be removed from next year's budget. And other companies will be looking ahead--as career expert Kimberly Bishop, the author of "Get Down to Business and You'll Get the Job," explains: "Jobs that might have been on hold until budgets are in place will become available in January," she says.

Roy Cohen, an executive coach and the author of "The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide," agrees, saying, "There's a belief that recruiting shuts down during the holidays. That's a myth--so when other people take off from their job searching during the holidays, you're at an advantage should an opportunity surface. It's all about numbers and odds."

In fact, the holidays provide some distinct advantages and special opportunities for proactive job seekers. Here's how to make the most of your holiday-season job search:

Be flexible. Judi Perkins, of FindthePerfectJob.com, says, "When I was a recruiter, the holidays were one of my busiest times, and I was often on the phone either side of Christmas day." Conversely, this means that you should be prepared to interview at unusual times, to allow for a recruiter's or hiring manager's busy holiday schedule.

Do volunteer work. All sorts of philanthropic organizations ramp up activities during the holidays--and volunteering can be a great way to network, gain skills, and fill the gap that unemployment might otherwise leave on your resume.

Look into temporary positions. Many companies have end-of-year crunches--at the same time that many workers want to take time off--so they look to staffing agencies to fill gaps. A temporary job can be a great foot in the door at a new company.

Seek out seasonal jobs. Bishop says, "The most obvious opportunities are in retail sales or retail-related positions. There are a variety of part-time and temporary jobs that range from sales and customer service to merchandising, stocking, greeting, gift-wrapping, and playing a role in special in-store events.

Use holiday social events to network. You don't want to make every conversation about your job search--but letting people know how they can help you is crucial. Cohen advises, "Have your pitch--who you are, what you want, and why--ready and perfect."

And try to keep things positive. For instance, when you tell people that you're looking for work, also tell them how you've been productive with your time off. Reach out to your contacts. The holidays are a great reason to reach out to friends and acquaintances, as well as to reconnect with people you may have fallen out of contact with. Cohen suggests, "Send out a holiday greeting, but add a little extra in your message. Email or snail-mail the card to everyone in your job-search universe. It should be upbeat--that you continue and are committed to search for a great job and know that it is only a matter of time and timing. ... And that you're deeply grateful for all the people who have reached out along the way during your search."

And remember that the holidays are a time for giving. Find ways to help the people in your network, and they'll be likelier to help you in the future. Recommit to your job search. Start 2011 off right: make an appointment with yourself to determine your goals for the coming year; then schedule some time to revamp your resume, practice your interviewing skills, and polish up your personal brand.

Resume Cover Letter Help – It’s Been 6 Months and Still No Job Offers

2010-11-12T23:29:00.003-05:00

This one is for those of you struggling to land that next job...and there are many of you out there unfortunately. Tough times require more diligent detail to your resume, cover letter and follow ups...and often none of that helps due to the sheer anount of competition out there for very few open jobs. Seemingly, there is no better time to tweak your resume or cover letter or your overall approach to your job search to breathe some new life and energy into your efforts. This article courtesy of a link posted of one of my facebook comntacts, was written by Casey Alexander off the boomersnextstep.com website. Enjoy!

Getting hired in a tight job market isn’t easy. The best way I found to get over the tight job market was by getting some resume cover letter help. I needed it. For some reason I had been sending it out for 6 months with nothing more than just call backs and a few interviews. I knew my cover letter wasn’t stellar but I didn’t think it was that bad. After I made some very serious changes to it, I started to see a change in the results I was getting.

I figured out that the resume cover letter help I needed was for the generic letter I was using. It was too simple and didn’t read very well. It just said, thank you for the opportunity and gave a little about my experience, almost the same information that’s on my resume. To change this I had to completely forget about the cover letters I had copied from the internet. I don’t know how many people use them but I wasn’t getting much out of them. I decided to use a cover letter generator that was recommended widely on the internet. I was afraid of getting the same results but with the money back guarantee I figured I had little to lose.

Making changes to the cover letter worked. I think the structure was better than what I had been using and the language on it was far from how I usually write. It was much more professional. I noticed I got more call backs. I don’t know if it was the letter of the fact that it was easier for me to send twice the number of letters but I did get call backs.

It wasn’t the end of my dry spell by any means. To further improve my resume cover letter, help was available through a good friend of mine who shared her tactic to stand out. She told me that taking it, in person and addressing it to the person interviewing helped her a lot. I didn’t realize how well that impacted the reader. It gave them the impression that I was serious about being hired by taking the time to go and meet the person in charge or hiring.

Another thing that worked really well was to tell them on my cover letter how I want to work for a solid company like theirs that offered the opportunity to learn and grow. I often checked the company website, if it was available and checked for any signs of the company being recognized for anything. If they were a little league sponsor I would find a way to relate to that. If it was for excellence in anything I wanted to know and make a reference to it on my letter. I wanted to send the massage that I was informed about the company and had done some homework on the place I wanted to work for. I did this to have my resume cover letter shine, it did help.

In my experience, a good cover letter has made a difference between landing the interview and not. That’s the first step, right? I catch the reader with the knowledge I have of their organization and a few other key tips I learned to incorporate into my letter. I’ve helped my sister and brothers with their letter and they’ve also landed the jobs. What I picked up made the difference on how I write my resume cover letters. Get all the tips today at Resume Cover Reviews, it can help you land a better job. (c) Copyright 2010 – Casey Alexander. All Rights Reserved

Fastest growing Jobs in America

2010-10-13T11:06:00.002-04:00

This article seemed fitting to share as I have talked to several people over the last month who are in process or have changed jobs to outside of the Building Materials industry. There are also many people (some of my favorites!) who are still unemployed after one or two+ years stretches. Seemingly making sense to many fleeing our industry and either changing career paths entirely or going back to school to earn a different degree. This article from Fortune/CNN/Money by by John Bedecarre and Scott Olster

How will the job market evolve in the next decade? Fortune takes a look at some of the fastest growing professions in the U.S.

Nurses

The number of registered nurses is expected to swell to 3.2 million by 2018, accounting for approximately 581,500 new jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That's up from 2.6 million today, and it represents the largest overall growth projection out of all occupations in the U.S. economy, for good reason.

Americans aged 65 and older will make up 19% of the population in 2030, up from 12.4% in 2000. As the population ages and the growth of the working-age population slows down, there will be an increased demand for health care services in general, and home health care services in particular. In the past year, the home health care services industry has experienced sales growth of 11.2%, making it the fastest growing industry in the U.S., according to Sageworks, a financial analysis company.

Along with registered nurses, Sageworks projects that home care aids, physician assistants, pharmacists, and other medical professions will be in high demand for the foreseeable future.

Network Systems and Data Analysts

This occupation's full title is "network systems and data communication analysts." And while it's a mouthful, it is worth remembering as it's the second-fastest growing occupation in the U.S., according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In simpler terms, these analysts are the folks who design and build the systems that we use to connect to the web, from work or home.

In many ways, these are the folks that make communication possible in our Internet-centric world. So perhaps it's not so surprising that they are in high demand, and will be for the foreseeable future. BLS's latest employment outlook report estimates that the profession will grow by 53.4% to almost 448,000 workers between 2008 and 2018.

Software Engineers

What would all that planning and design by network and data analysts be worth without software? Not a whole lot, which explains why the BLS expects the cadre of software engineers and application developers to swell to 689,900 by 2018 (up from 514,800 in 2008). Whether they are building business software, constructing an operating system, developing games, or designing mobile apps, software engineers have a wide array of career avenues to consider.

And it surely does not hurt that the worldwide smartphone market grew by 50% between the second quarter of 2009 and 2010, according to the market research firm IDC. The impressive growth of the smart mobile industry over the past few years will only add fuel to the fire of the impressive job prospects for application developers, as smartphone users have come to expect increasingly advanced software applications to justify the increased expense of their phones.

Biomedical Engineers

Biomedical engineering is expected to be the fastest growing occupation, with a whopping growth project of 72% between 2008 and 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It's not much of a surprise, given that this field lies at the nexus of technology and health care, two ballooning industries within the U.S. economy.

The immense growth of biomedical engineering will be driven by the demand for new treatments for diseases and the increasingly higher expectations of aging patients to maintain an active lifestyle. Indeed, the pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing industry experienced 11.1% sales growth in the past year, according to Sageworks.

Accountants and Auditors

While number crunching and bean counting has certainly not fallen out of style in recent memory, the economic fallout of the past few years has placed renewed focus on financial regulation. And with the passage of the federal financial reform bill in June, companies will need an even larger cohort of auditors and accountants to parse through new regulations to make sure they are in compliance. The accounting profession is poised to experience 22% growth between 2008 and 2018, with an anticipated 279,400 new jobs in the field by 2018, according to the BLS.

Veterinarians

Our love for the dogs, cats, and fish in our lives truly knows no bounds. Pet care was one of the only sectors of the retail industry that grew during the recession. According to the 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey, 62% of U.S. households owned at least one pet in 2008, accounting for approximately 71 million households. And the American Pet Products Association estimates that pet owners will spend almost $48 billion on their pets. Just under $24 billion of that will be spent on medicine and veterinary care, as more Americans than ever before open their wallets to spring for treatments for an ailing animal family member. It's no surprise, then, that veterinarians are listed as one of the fastest growing professions in the U.S. -- the number of vets is expected to expand by 36% between 2008 and 2018.

After the Interview: 4 Ways to Follow Up

2010-09-02T05:52:00.005-04:00

I get this question lots...and even more so now with so many job seekers who are competing for the same jobs. It seems easy to overthink how to best follow up after an interview. Surprisingly enough, the majority of candidates who interview follow up very poorly or not at all. It is always a challenge to master the fine art of following up professionally and personably without stalking or pestering the hiring authority! This article was written by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo!/Hotjobs. Enjoy!

You had your interview, and you the way it ended left you hopeful. Now comes what is often the most agonizing part of the job hunt: waiting for the hiring manager to call. But you still have some control over the process. Experts offer the following advice on maximizing your chances for success:

Send thank-you notes. Don't stress too much over whether they're emailed or handwritten. The most important thing is to send them.

"Even if you think you've got it in the bag, there are people who expect that letter," says Laura DeCarlo, president of Career Directors International, a global professional association of resume writers and career coaches.

The kind of note to send depends on the situation. Peggy McKee, founder of career-confidential.com, prefers thank-you emails sent within a day of the interview. "A quick follow-up indicates interest," McKee said. But consider the company culture when following up. Sometimes a mailed letter will be more appropriate--for instance, if the company is an old-fashioned, traditional one. But if you're applying for something like a social media marketing position, then email your follow-up note.

Your thank-you letter should be "a typical sales letter," with three parts, DeCarlo says: Thank the interviewer, and then reiterate why you're a good fit. Close by saying you're looking forward to the next step. Even if you send the note by mail, you may prefer to type it so you have room to make your case.

Break through the silence. The interviewer said she'd let you know by Tuesday if you made it to the next round of interviews. It's now Thursday, and you haven't heard anything. What's going on? It's possible you didn't make the cut. But it's equally likely that the interviewer just got busy.

What should you do next? Call or email. If you don't get a reply in a few days, try again. Yes, you might occasionally annoy a frazzled hiring manager. But as long as your messages are polite and brief, most interviewers are more likely to be impressed by your perseverance, communication skills, and interest in the job.

The key is to keep your messages positive. Don't sound accusatory--just remind the interviewer of your conversation, say you enjoyed it, and ask where they are in the process. It may help to prepare a script ahead of time.

Go into recovery mode. Perhaps you feel that you didn't make the best impression in the interview. The follow-up is your chance to recover. "Tell them you're going to provide them with additional resources," McKee says. If you can send documentation of your abilities--or even get references to send notes on your behalf--do so. But if your reason for thinking you blew the interview is something minor, like spilling your coffee, ignore it. "If you draw attention to your embarrassment about little things, it might lead the person to think you're too insecure," DeCarlo explains.

Bounce back from rejection. When you hear from an interviewer but the news is bad, what should you do? First, "thank the person for letting you know," DeCarlo says. Then ask if the interviewer would be willing to give you any feedback that you could use for future interviews. The answer will likely be no, but it shows that you're interested in improving. Then keep networking with the interviewer, perhaps by forwarding occasional, well-chosen articles related to your industry, for example, or by joining a group on LinkedIn.

Say What!? Unbelievable candidate interview responses

2010-09-02T05:36:00.004-04:00

Thought this article/blog posting by Nanci Lamborn SPHR and BrightMove Recruiting Software was a cute/funny one to share...enjoy!

Oh, no he didn’t! Oh, yes he did!

It seems that more and more stories abound today with details of major job-seeker mistakes. So to add to the trend, I thought I would pass along some of my own more recent favorites, most of which I have actually heard personally, and a few of which were passed along by others. Feel free to add any of your own recent experiences in comments!

These are all very real comments or response from very real individuals.

“I’m sorry, are we going to be much longer? My kids are in the car.”

(“Says the candidate as he presses his Bluetooth earpiece mid-interview) “Yeah, this is The Big D, gonna have to call you back.”

““Will taking this job affect my unemployment?”

“(Says the candidate in response to a ‘Tell me about your last job’ question) “Oh boy, that was just a really awful, horrible environment, my supervisor was so mean… (pauses, starts crying quietly) … I’m sorry, it’s just so painful to think about. Do you have a tissue?”

““So, on your health benefits, if I were to, say, feel really sick and end up going to the doctor and they ended up doing a bunch of test on me and discovered I had something really bad wrong, how much would all that end up costing me?”

“(Says the candidate in response to a ‘What is your five-year plan?’ question) “To be honest I’d really like to have your job. Seems like fun.”

““I have several offers on the table as of this past week, from Morgan-Stanley Investments and Coca-Cola corporate, and let’s see, who else was it? Oh yes, from IBM and Turner Broadcasting, too, but I’m not really sure I’m all that interested in those offers.”

“(Says the candidate in response to a ‘How are you doing?’ question) “I’m doing pretty well considering I just passed a kidney stone.”

““So how exactly does your company feel about tardiness and showing up late a lot? Would that be a real problem?”

“(Says the candidate as he answers his personal cellphone during the interview) “What, man? Yeah, I’m still in here. No, man, I dunno how long I’ll be, geez! (As he hangs up) Sorry, my buddy brought me here ‘cause I don’t have a car, and he’s out in the lobby waiting. I told him not to call.”

““I’m 48 years old, I’m single with two kids, and I had to take all of last year off to take care of some serious medical problems but everything is better now.”

“(Says the candidate in response to a ‘What are your long term goals?’ question) “What, you mean besides becoming the CEO and propping my feet up in a corner office?”

““Would I be able to use the company gym showers every morning? Might save me some water.”

Prepare Your Elevator Speech

2010-08-21T19:08:00.002-04:00

Here's a worthy read that came from monster for any of you still on the job hunt...enjoy!

"I was alone in the elevator with the hiring manager for a temp-to-perm job I really needed," recalls temp Ben Whittle. "I knew I should say something -- anything -- to make the case for picking me. But I was nervous. I didn't want to sound stupid, so I opted to say nothing. I missed a great opportunity and ended up not getting the job."

How many times have you been unable to find the right words in an impromptu situation like this? Selling yourself on command can be tough, particularly when you have to do it in a short time period. This is why you should develop an elevator speech, or a sound bite that details your professional story, before you need it. Follow these pointers to craft it.

Focus on Why You Want the Job

Think about why you want this job, and write down all your reasons. Delete anything that could apply to most candidates, like "I need the money" or "I want to work in this industry." Look for personal, unique reasons why the position is right for you. If you like a company's corporate culture, be sure to mention it. If the position will enable you to achieve a professional goal, focus on that.

Consider How You Can Contribute

Again, steer clear of stock answers in favor of those that showcase your one-of-a-kind skills and attributes. Explain how you could benefit the bottom line or fill a skills gap. To tailor your responses to individual situations, be observant. For example, "I was waiting for an interview at an accounting firm when I noticed the staff was having trouble communicating with the firm's Russian-speaking clients," says contractor Marta Damien. "So during my interview, I told a story about studying Russian in college. I got the assignment."

Be Honest

You want to sound good but not too good, cautions Catherine Conant, a professional storyteller and consultant. "Don't try to make yourself bigger, braver, richer, smarter or fancier than you are. People have an incredible ability to spot a phony. Only tell stories that contain the truth about what you know about yourself."

Keep It Short and Focused

Since you'll be delivering your pitch in a compressed time frame, include only the most interesting and relevant information. Think of the amount of time you spend in an elevator -- usually no longer than a minute. "People are busy, and the last thing they want to do is listen to someone ramble on about getting a job or plum assignment," says former temp Sally Ross. "When I decided I wanted to work full-time at the law firm where I was temping, I spent some time figuring out what my bosses cared most about so I could do it quickly and effortlessly.

Practice

When you've figured out what you want to say, Conant suggests these tips to refine it:

•Say it out loud, and make some notes about what you want to improve or remove.

•Vary your tone of voice, and use natural gestures and body language. Remember, people gather much of what they know about each other from nonverbal cues.

•Rehearse so you're comfortable, but don't try to write it down and memorize it. This will make it sound forced, and if you forget something, you'll panic.

•Lastly, ask friends to critique your presentation. "That will help you discover what the listener needs to hear more of and what's too much information," Conant says. Your friends can also tell you if your gestures look natural. Proper preparation also increases your comfort level and helps calm your nerves.

This article By Margot Carmichael Lester, Monster Contributing Writer

Job Hunting Tips in a Down Economy

2010-07-26T17:50:00.004-04:00

This article courtesy of yahoo/hotjobs. Things remain sluggish in our industry and in the Building Materials and Construction industry as a whole as you all obviously know! I have spoken to several people over the past few weeks who have completely changed industries...some of those changes very surprising! Nonetheless it confirms that a good skillset whether it be sales, engineering, etc. truly is transitionable! Hopefully that is a bit encouraging for those of you who haven't been able to find new careers within our industry. Frustrating, I know! I continue to keep my eyes out for any and all possible opportunities that may interest or be a fit for those of you who have reached out to me and are looking. Jobs for recruiters are few and far between, yet they are out there. Many recruiters as well have changed industries or dropped off of the map within our industry as well. : ) Hope you are all having a wonderful Summer! For me it is going by much too fast!! Talk soon!

Job satisfaction held steady for workers in 2009, but pessimism and desperation plague many job seekers who remain grim about prospects for the job market in 2010, according to a new survey.

In an annual study of job satisfaction among U.S. workers, Yahoo! HotJobs found that 38.3% are "very satisfied" with their jobs and are not looking to change jobs, compared to 38.5% last year.

Most of the workers who said they were very unsatisfied and looking for new jobs were employees who had been hired within the last year. Those recent hires also reported applying for jobs below their qualifications (34%) or accepting a lower salary (30%).

"For employers, the news about unsatisfied recent hires is a warning sign," says Chris Merritt, general manager of Yahoo! HotJobs. "These are the people who could leave once the economy turns."

A Sluggish Recovery But nearly half of job seekers don't expect the economy to improve in 2010, according to the survey. When asked how long it would take to find a new job today, about 40% of respondents expected the process to take six months or longer. "Improvements in the job market may not be that evident in the labor market statistics until 2011 or later," says John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. "However, job seekers should not assume that simply because unemployment figures continue to hover in the nine- to 10-percent range that no one is hiring." In fact, nearly a third (32%) of managers and recruiters who took the Yahoo! HotJobs survey expected to increase hiring activity in 2010.

Staying Competitive Today To maximize your chances of landing a job this year, Challenger and other experts recommend the following tips:

Network. Join professional groups, and stay in contact with former associates. Spread the word about your job hunt. Tell everyone in your network about your situation and the type of opportunity you're seeking.

Cast a wide net. Look beyond your usual industry; many of your skills may be transferrable. Use job-listing sites like Yahoo! HotJobs, but also examine industry-specific sites or company sites for your target employers, and don't forget alumni career resource sites, if possible.

Customize each resume. Tailor your resumes to the job description, which will also provide useful key words. Take your time with each resume, as it is the first impression you make on the hiring manager. "Not tailoring a resume is a huge mistake, because employers want their particular needs and problems addressed," says Lauren Milligan of ResumeMayDay.com. "Tailoring a resume shows that you have researched the company, or at the very least, read their job posting. Not tailoring it is a huge hurdle to overcome because other candidates will have been insightful enough to do this and will gain a competitive edge over you."

Don't get overwhelmed. If unemployed, commit to action every day. Your job search should be like full-time job. Carve out a specific time every day to focus on doing it well. Set small goals for yourself and measure your progress.

Reach out to your support systems. A lengthy job search can take a toll on your self-esteem and increase a sense of pessimism. To combat this, make an effort to connect with the people you care about. Their support will help you maintain a positive attitude.

Engineering Manager Position!

2010-07-05T15:17:00.003-04:00

Hot opportunity for experienced Engineering Manager with window industry experience. Highly confidential search...company looking to hire ASAP! Excellent salary, location & company! Lots of opportunity to step into this role and conrtibute to successful company, helping to integrate new ideas to enable engineering department to run smoothly. Looking for a strong and personable leader in thie role! Must have window industry experience and be able to relocate. Excellent relocation package! Solid company who has not just remained stabke through the downturn in industry, but has also grown! Please email me for details and will set up a time to discuss confidentially!

Seven Reasons Employers Will Hire You

2010-07-05T15:12:00.002-04:00

Great article from the undercover recruiter site/link on FB. Enjoy!

To secure that dream job, you have to think like the person making the final decision. What is going through the manager's head when they select candidates? This is a list containing the 7 most common reasons people get hired. Use it wisely now and do let me know if you have any questions on any of the reasons.

1. A great resume

Sometimes an average candidate can be hired thanks to a brilliant resume. Your resume is your first impression and you only get one shot at this. Pick a template relevant to your industry, look at other people’s resumes, have them look at yours, get help from experts etc before you send anything out. Remember that your resume has to be updated consistently and it is a living document.

2. Your online personal brand

Personal branding is my personal favorite. Social media and networking has quickly become the preferred method of communication, and you will be found online by your potential new employer. By tailoring what information is available, you can turn social media into a positive when looking for a new job. Make sure your public profiles are employee friendly and up to date. Establish yourself as an authority online by either starting a blog, moderating a forum or jut being active in a Linkedin group for instance. Get recommendations on your prolife and these will serve as the old school resume references. Social media and online branding will take you a fair bit of time and effort but you don’t really have a choice so my best advice is to embrace it.

3. The right skills and experience

In this economy, you will struggle to find someone willing to hire a candidate that needs training. Think about it, would you want somebody shadowing your work and asking questions for the first 6 months? Or would you want somebody that knows the score and gets busy contributing to your targets from day one? Having the right skills and experience is more important than ever and unfortunately not something you can work on overnight.

4. Staying power with the business

This is crucial as employers want people that stay in their company and work their way up the corporate ladder. This makes them useful (and useful means hard working). Employers will look for people who have multi-dimensional personalities, meaning they can work in different departments, projects or even locations one day. Your longevity with the business and personal characteristics will be the deciding factors here.

5. You get on with people

This is significant as the employer will want you to enjoy spending time at work, thus you won’t mind the occasional/weekly/everyday late night. By having a sense of belonging to the people at work, you are likely to enjoy it more and be less susceptible to other job offers. And in general our ability to work well with lots of different people is a critical key to your success over time within any company.

6. You can bring home the bacon

A classic WIIFM case where you either make money or save money for the company. Any manager has a budget and they want a way to either increase sales or reduce costs. You being able to do one of these will be music to their ears. If you can demonstrate and project how much you will put on his or her bottom line, they will be very tempted to hire you. So your job will be to present your exact plan for doing this and leave it with them. In the end you would be doing them a favor and helping them hit their numbers.

7. Positive attitude and enthusiasm

The business world is full of moaners and the last thing a hiring manager wants is another union card wielding sinker on their team. If you are able to lift the moods of your intervierwers by way of charisma, humor or any other magic, you stand a lot better chance of being considered for the next round. Everyone is attracted to happy and positive people and if you lack experience and skills, this could be your trump card. By staying positive and radiating enthusiasm long after you landed the job, you can inspire others and demonstrate that you are promotion material.

5 Ways to Finding a New Job after Being Laid Off

2010-06-09T07:32:00.002-04:00

This article comes from a posting by undercoverrecruiter.com, written by Simon North/Position Ignition. Enjoy!

If you have just lost your job or have been out of work for a while – don’t worry – this is actually an exciting opportunity for you even though it may not feel like it. If you’ve been made redundant and haven’t been working for a while it can be easy to get discouraged by the tough job market. However, if you get smart about what you do and how to target what you’re after – you will succeed.

If approached in the right way, the situation you are in now - can be a blessing in disguise. Why not use it and take this time to ensure that what you do next is what you really want and what will make you happy.

Here are some tips to help along the way:

Don’t rush into your job search

Unless you are really clear about where you want to be and what will work for you – do not rush it. Take some time out to reflect, to think and evaluate. Make a plan. Identify the things that are important to you and which are of significant value to you. Don’t just rush out there filling in application forms anywhere you can get hold of one.

Spending each day on the Internet or at the Job Centre could be good if done in a focused manner but not if you are desperately trying to get out there. Job hunting without being focused can waste good energy, effort and time. It can also be demoralizing when you get rejected. The less clear you are about your direction, the more likely you will be scattered and rushed in your approach, the more likely you are to get rejections.

Evaluate your options creatively

Read up and find out about the areas that interest you. Get out and about and get talking and get experimenting. Talk to your friends, your relatives – anyone you can get hold of and whom you can learn from.

Think about what you are good at and focus on all your strengths and skills. Get to know yourself, your values, your talents and think about how you might like to use them. Do not neglect your passions. What you are enthusiastic about is really important. Finding ways to mould your talents into a future role can be really exciting and rewarding. Try not to restrict yourself and remember that you do not need to follow or mirror what your friends and peers may be doing. Everyone is unique and has the right to find what is right for them. You will have your own options and your own set of possibilities. Exploring them can really help you get it right.

Don’t accept the first job offer you get

If you are good and you are clear about what you want, there will be more offers. If it’s the perfect role for you then fine – otherwise don’t accept second best. It is more important that you find the right role than simply taking the first thing that comes your way as you may regret it later. It might help you in the very short term but ultimately you will be unhappy and will probably find yourself back at square one again pretty soon.

You can save a lot of time and energy if you stop that cycle from occurring again. Be brave. To say ‘no’ to a job offer is ok. It’s totally fine and is a good idea if you feel it wouldn’t be the right type of job or place to work for you. Perhaps the next one is the right one – but if you had accepted the first offer, there would be no chance for that right one to get to you and be found.

Don’t give in to fear

Almost all of us are afraid of something. We might be afraid of failing or afraid of not being able to pay the bills. This is completely understandable but if we give in to our fears, we end up being driven by them. It can prevent us from really going after what we want and what we should be doing. Be aware of your fears for sure.

It is no good to ignore them or avoid them. However, do not let them take over your life and end up guiding you in the wrong direction. Being out of work can be a great time to confront your fears and deal with them. With some good support you can confront these challenges.

Stay Positive

This can be easier said than done. If you are angry, bruised, frustrated or depressed- whatever your low feelings may be – that is ok but do not dwell on them. You are not working and sure, that can be tough and be a challenge – but see it as something that you will overcome. You can take control of the situation and be the one who decides where you will go next.

Where you end up, how you handle the challenge, and where you will ultimately be is all up to you. Being made redundant or having lost a job can be the beginning not the end. It is in your hands to make the most of this and to turn it into an amazing opportunity. If it is too tough to face alone that’s fine – work with someone – a friend, a professional. That is what we do here at Position Ignition all the time. Help people to figure out what they want to do next, where they want to be and exactly how to get there. We see it through until they are at their destination. If you are positive and you keep moving forwards, there will be great progress in the right direction and you can land that dream job!

Conclusion

So, if you are out of work – do not let being laid off or having lost a job get you down - seize this opportunity and why not use the time wisely to get yourself where perhaps you may never have thought you could have been!

100 Job Search Tips

2010-05-13T15:58:00.003-04:00

A good article/collection of tips from other recruiters/staffing profesionals on job search tips...pdf file which was far too large to post, but offers some basic but also out of the box more creative type tips on your job search:
http://www.emc.com/collateral/article/100-job-search-tips.pdf

Recovery Act in Action: A Window into a Change of Heart

2010-04-02T18:20:00.003-04:00

Article from The Huffington post, by Jared Bernstein. Thanks David for sending me this article...it is always encouraging to hear some of the good news out there!

For this week's episode of Recovery Act in action, I spoke to a business owner who started out skeptical about the benefits of the Recovery Act. In fact, he was so concerned that the Act wouldn't help the economy, he worried that the Recovery Act was "mortgaging the future."

Fast forward to the present, where the Recovery Act has created a wave of new demand for the energy efficient windows his company makes. Based on that demand, his sales have picked up such that he's added 100 new workers, in occupations ranging from line workers to managers. "He" is Alan Levin, owner and CEO of Northeast Building Products, a Philadelphia-based manufacturer of energy-efficient windows. When the Recovery Act was passed last February, he figured it was another government program that was going to bypass the little guy. A small business like his would never see any of the benefits.

"I was skeptical," Alan told me when I reached him this week. "These numbers people were throwing around -- hundreds of billions of dollars -- they're unfathomable. We see ourselves as just a little mom and pop operation and I never imagined a program like this would reach down and help the way it has."

Yet just a few months after the Act went into effect, he was getting calls for new orders generated by two different measures in the Recovery Act. One is a grant program for cities and states to do energy-efficient retrofits of public housing. The other is a program that gives homeowners a tax credit for putting in high-efficiency windows and making other energy-saving improvements to their own homes.

That tax credit can put up to $1,500 straight into a homeowner's pocket, not to mention the savings on energy bills from the windows themselves. The way Alan tells the story, the credit has had a dramatic impact on his industry. "It used to be the contractors wanted to know, 'What's your cheapest window?' Now they're asking, 'What's the most energy efficient window at the best price? They're looking at value in a way they never have before."

In other words, not only are these programs providing jobs for Alan's new hires and income for their families, they're "greening" the market while lowering energy bills for his customers. For middle-class families feeling squeezed, those lower bills provide some much-needed relief to their budgets. In fact, this tax credit is still available, so it's not too late to take advantage of it yourself (check out this new tool to learn about this and other Recovery Act tax benefits). You can get up to $1,500 to make your home more energy efficient, save yourself some money by cutting down on your energy bills, and maybe even put someone back to work at a business like Alan's.

How to handle job search rejections

2010-03-25T08:03:00.003-04:00

This article seemed fitting of sharing as with so many of you out of work and so many people vying for the same jobs. I have talked to so many of you who have had great interviews and even great feedback, yet were not the candidate of choice when the final decision was made. It is definately different time for recruiting and for anyone that is in job search mode! This article is by Charles Purdy, Yahoo!

You had high hopes for this job: The job requirements matched your skill set perfectly. You aced your interviews. And you imagined hearing those sweet words so many of us long to hear: "You're hired."

Instead, you got another rejection letter. According to recent U.S. Labor Department data, 5.5 unemployed Americans, on average, are vying for each job opening--so most interviews will end in rejection. And that can be a crushing blow--but it can also be a career-making moment. When you don't get the job, what should your next steps be?

Don't beat yourself up about it.

John Kador, the author of "301 Best Questions to Ask on Your Interview," second edition (McGraw-Hill), recommends that you try to learn from each rejection--while understanding that it may not be your fault. "Sometimes you didn't do anything wrong," he says. "Someone else was more qualified or more connected. Companies sometimes go through the motions of interviewing applicants when they've already selected a candidate. While the experience is still fresh in your mind, writing down what you've learned may help you put a positive spin on the experience--and give you something to refer to later, according to Lewis Lin, of SeattleInterviewCoach.com.

Be gracious in defeat.

How you conduct yourself after a rejection letter can determine whether that recruiter will consider you again--or perhaps refer you to another recruiter. Liz Lynch, the author of "Smart Networking" (McGraw-Hill), says, "Send a handwritten card thanking them again for their time, reiterating your interest in the company, and expressing your hope that they'll keep you in mind for future positions. And whatever you do, do not diss them on your blog!"

Ask for feedback.

Kador advises saying that you accept the recruiter's decision before you ask for feedback: "No one will talk to you if they think you're going to argue or appeal." If you don't trust yourself to keep your cool, you may want to skip asking for feedback. If you do ask, email is the best medium. "Telephoning is probably too intrusive," says Lynch. "And whatever feedback you hear, don't be defensive." Lin cautions that "you'll get canned responses most of the time" due to fears about legal issues, but he recommends phrasing your request for feedback like this: "If you don't mind me asking, do you have any feedback on how I can improve for future interviews?" He adds, "You want to keep the conversation as professional as possible. Who knows? You could be their backup candidate."

Keep trying.

In most cases, you should actively pursue new openings at the company. The phrase "we'll keep your resume on file" is usually an attempt to soften the rejection, according to Kador, who says you should keep applying for relevant jobs and staying in touch with the recruiters you've met. "If a posting says no calls,' I wouldn't call," he says. "But that doesn't mean you can't write."

Bring the recruiter into your professional network.

If, down the road, you can help the interviewer or recruiter by recommending a candidate, for instance, or forwarding a relevant article, Kador says you should "go for it--make yourself known as a resource." Lynch, too, recommends keeping in touch with the hiring manager in a "low-key way" and says that, when you do land a position, you should write him or her a note and include your new business card. Then you can send the manager an invitation to connect on LinkedIn so you can easily stay in touch.

Twitter..Facebook...Linked in & More!

2010-03-05T02:46:00.007-05:00

I got into a great and lengthy conversation with a colleague of mine recently about the value (or lack of!) with social media and professional networking internet sites.

While sites like Twitter, Facebook. Myspace, Linked In, etc. can be extremely useful...they can also be your downfall for a variety of reasons! All I ever hear from fellow recruiters and canidates is how vital it is to use these sites as a means for branding and self promotion. For me personally, I can barely manage to get through returning everynes phone calls, let alone find time to post and update so many different sites. I just don't have time!

Of the many sites out there, I personally use Facebook (for personal) and Linked In (for profesional) the most, and it is often sporadic and infrequent that I even use them. I don't use these sites too frequently as far as using it to stay in touch with candidates/clients. My personal opinion is that it becomes way too time consuming (almost addictive in many cases), it can seem somewhat self serving in many ways to utilize these sites in that way and also because it is not private. I am however signed up for many, if not most of these sites. However, if you are looking to stay in touch with me..call me! Please don't rely on my twitter, facebook or linked in or blog updates. They are far too impersonal and time consuming for me to utilize too frequently.

On the flip side, how else do you reach out and stay in touch with so many people all at once? In that instance, I do see the value these sites hold, yet think they have gotten out of hand with so many people trying to "brand" themselves, while in the process have done nothing but oversaturate themselves in a big old sea of other recruiter or job seekers or industry experts. Take recruiters for instance...many recruiters use these sites to try and brand themselves, yet I think it potentially and often comes off as more self serving/self righteous and creates other problems as a result.

It is incredibly easy to get lost amidst the 100th recruiter that posted or retweeted something on twitter... Afterall, if a good, busy recruiter is really that busy, how can they possibly have time to update their facebook and twitter and other feeds so often?! That being said, I do and have gotten some very good recruiting tips and links from other postings, but get them more when on downtime and catching up with friends/family on Facebook updates - like at 2 in the morning when I can't sleep! : ) I am on facebook more for a personal aspect to put a face with a name for so many of you that I would otherwise not meet unless we happened to be at the same trade show or industry event. I use this Blog as a resource to share an occassional interesting article or announcement and can often go for months without posting anything at all. I use emails or email distribution lists to send news or job announcements ad netwoking As most of you know, I have a hard time keeping up with managing those results and phone calls as I am only one person! Send out an email to a few hundred people about an exciting job and chances are a good percentage of those people will call you back. That is probably my biggest struggle currently in trying to manage contact with everyone that calls me or returns my call. Most of you know, I have always had that problem though... : )

Many sites are becoming more and more popular as a means to stay in touch and also reconnect with former colleagues or to be found by prospective employers. However, in my opinion the best way (fo me anyway!) is good old fashioned telephone as the best means of not only staying in touch, but also keeping information private!

Don't come off as desparate in your job search

2010-03-05T02:06:00.004-05:00

Felt this article from undercoverrecrtuier.com was worth sharing with so many of you out of work currently and seemingly getting and feeling desparate in your job search!

One of my clients told me the other day that they posted as ad and were inundated with resumes and phone calls almost immediately. The VP at this company said his secretary received numerous phone calls, many desparate to try and get in front of him for this job opening...a few even lied and claimed to be a long lost friend and in one case family (!!) to try and get through! His comment was that it was more irritating than impressive to be hounded and felt almost harrassed by the response by not only job seekers but also recruiters.

Recruiters are often as bad as a desparate candidate, if not worse. Sadly, the majority do not know how to market effectively and as such make every call a cold call. That is often how sending your resume or calling over and over again to the same company or recruiter can be seen. While you may think you are getting your name out there...getting your name out there by using tactics of despration and oversaturation of your name/resume just doesn't work. In fact it is a huge turn off and people will remember and sssociate your name with those unfavorable tactics for a long time coming! My client has since pulled the ad and hired me exclusively to fill the position! Certainly a good thing for recruiters with so many people out of work and often coming off as so deparate in their job search as the potential for ticking off employers is high if you stray from a level of professionalism in your job search efforts. Enjoy the article from undercoverrecruiter's blog below!

Just like in the world of dating, looking desperate is not going to get you anywhere in your job search. When someone sees the glint of desperation in your eye, they question your motives and you lose credibility in an instant. Sure, there is a correlation of number of job applications and number of interviews you land but what if you could get the ratio down to one interview per application? Or even better, how about getting interviews without applying?

The old school way of applying for jobs is not really working in today’s economy. Employers are inundated with resumes from hopeful jobseekers, sometimes receiving hundreds of applicants for one single position. Employers also tend to get a great deal of open applications that are not related to any particular jobs. This indicates that the applicant is on the desperate side and just wants the employer's brand on their resume.

Recruiters constantly have adverts out for various positions in their field. These adverts will render a number of applications on a daily basis, mainly from candidates adhering to the ‘spray and pray’ methodology. Anyone that sends the same resume and cover letter email to 20 positions in one day will have to be classified as desperate and recruiters run to the hills when they see it. Simply applying for any job that is out there and even for jobs that aren't out there is not going to be the way forward. All it does is putting the desperate stamp on your resume and yourself.

The typical 'expert' advice in a tough market would be to call up the recruiter and/or employer and make sure they read your resume and put you at the top of the pile. In this day and age, this won’t make you stand out and if anything you will only come across as desperate and ascertain your resume goes either to the bottom of the pile or in the trash can. A hiring manager wants enthusiasm from a new employee, not desperation.

Of course you should try everything, but you only get one chance with each company and you want to make it count. Instead of you applying, imagine being headhunted or even contacted direct by a hiring manager. This would put you you in a much stronger bargaining position which you can leverage from, especially if get a job offer.

Have high standards and only agree to look at jobs that you really want. An interviewer can spot an opportunist jobseeker a mile away. By only applying for the right roles for you, you will save time and effort for the ones that really count. Furthermore, recruiters and employers will respect your integrity and remember you for the next opportunity they have that is more relevant to your preferences.

Do whatever it takes for the recruiter or employer to contact you instead of vice versa. There are a number of methods to achieving this, one is to get yourself referred to a recruiter via somebody else. Another way is to work away on your personal branding, start getting active online, give talks in your field and raise your profile.

Take a long-term approach to your career and work on your personal brand today. Start writing blog posts about your industry, zeroing in on a few companies with the help of social networking, get active in online groups and forums, grow your professional and social network, keep a dialogue going with your favorite recruiters, head up industry events, the list goes on and on…

The point I am making is that you want to turn the table and be different to other jobseekers. You don’t want to be pushy, if anything you should be pushed into an interview. Just like the dating game, the hard-to-gets seem to get lots of offers and can pick and choose. Avoid looking desperate, keep your high standards and dignity when looking for the next position and I am convinced you will fare better than ever.

Do your research on a company before accepting offer!

2010-02-21T21:39:00.008-05:00

Aside from googling or asking around within your network in your industry, there is a useful website to use when researching a potential employer that you may be considering going to work for. It can even help you prepare for interviews! The concept is quite simple and one much like any social media website, in that it consists of real people writing reviews and their own experiences and opinions on company's, the interview process, interview questions and experience and even salary info if company's they have interviewed and/or worked for.

I got drawn into the site rather easily and found myself plugging in not only company's I had worked for in the past but also company's that I recruit for and of course recruit away from as well. The results were interesting!

As with any review or public opinion posted on the internet, we all know anyone can write just about anything they want on any company out there. Lots of disgruntled employees or employees who just didn't have an overall positive experience with an employer may find it incredibly eays and obviously tempting to leave a bad review. For all you know a bad review was written by someone from that companys competitor. The internet is...well, the internet. You never truly know who you are dealing with and whether what they say is truly valid and reliable.

The benefit I think is that what is reliable is that there are often truth in numbers. If a company has consistantly gotten negative posts from several people...chances are there is a common theme going on. However, most people are more apt to go out of their way to leave a negative comment than a positive one (unfortunately!). Your own common sense should easily prevail in making a partial judgement on a company by utilizing the array of resources there are out there to dig up any dirt that may be out there. Worse case scenerio, you may be able to get some good interview tips or hints on questions that are asked during interview process for specific company's and mamy tips unspecified to a compamny that may assist in your interview skills also!

Bottom line is do your due diligence...you wouldn't buy a house without getting it inspected...or buy a car without test driving it (I did that once - huge mistake!). Take advantage of the many resources, most importantly your own contacts to research any company you may consider going to work for. Afterall, most company's now will research you whether it be on google, facebook, myspace, twitter searches and background checks.

So, having said all that...The website is: www.glassdoor.com The site allows you a free preview for a few searches, then will require that you register (it's free!) and leave your own positive or negative review of a company whether it be their interview process, salary info or comments on company in general. Many company's I searched had no reviews...so assuing as with anything, only a matter of time until more and more people learn anout and utilize this site.

Enjoy!!

The top 30 Job Boards for 2010

2010-02-19T20:00:00.004-05:00

I still say the best jobs are never found on job boards or advertised at all for that matter. Yet due to many, if not most recruiters utilizing job boards to automate and post the searches they are working on and also spend countless hours searching for candidates on job boards, this list was worth sharing. This post came from one of my favorite and informational blogs....reCareered (posts some amazingly great tips and useful job links...also on Facebook, if you are on there and want to stay informed of job related news.

Weddles.com recently published its 2010 User's Choice Awards, based on year long surveys of recruiters and candidates.“We believe customers count most,” says Weddle’s Publisher and CEO, Peter Weddle. “While pundits can make their own picks, it’s the people who use the sites who really know which are most helpful.”

When considering these top sites, it’s especially relevant to remember that job boards are just over a dozen years old. Twelve years ago, candidates had just a couple of choices other than Monster. These are the thirty best sites of the over 50,000 job boards now in existence, and only Monster existed a dozen years ago.

For the category of general job boards (in alphabetical order):

CareerBuilder.com

DirectEmployers.com

Indeed.com

Job.com

JobFox.com

Monster.com

SimplyHired.com

Yahoo! HotJobs

EmploymentGuide.com

GetTheJob.com

TopUSAJobs.com

And let’s not forget the niche job boards:

Absolutely Health Care

AfterCollege.com

AllHealthcareJobs.com

AllRetailJobs.com

CollegeGrad.com

CollegeRecruiter.com

Dice.com

DiversityJobs.com

Execunet.com

Hcareers.com

HealthCareerWeb.com

HEALTHeCAREERS Network

Jobbing.com

JobsinLogistics.com

TheLadders.com

Net-Temps.com

6FigureJobs.com

SnagAJob.com

VetJobs.com

The top websites were from a number of different industry segments. Health Care was represented by Absolutely Health Care, AllHealthCareJobs.com, HeathCareerWeb.com, and HealthECareers.com . Dice was the only technology job board on the list. Hcareers.com for hospitality jobs made the top 30. AllRetailJobs.com focuses on the retail industry. Weddle’s recognized JobsinLogistics.com for excellence in the logistics vertical.

Additionally, a few job boards focus on the type of companies recruiting. DiversityJobs.com targets companies who seek to actively improve their diversity initiatives in their hiring process. Companies looking for a top site to target Veterans for hiring can look towards VetJobs.com to help find candidates.

Jobbing.com was the only firm with a regional focus to be named in the top 30. Jobing has 48 city or regional sites focused on jobs in a specific geographic area.

Eleven sites were general purpose job sites. The largest sites (Monster, CareerBuilder, HotJobs all made the list. The aggregators Indeed, SimplyHired, and TopUSAJobs also were awarded with spots on the top 30. Other general purpose sites include DirectEmployers, Job.com, EmploymentGuide, and GetTheJob.com.

Personally, I don’t recommend you use all 30 job boards … that’s just too much for a candidate to keep track of. Plus, many companies and recruiters advertise the same job on multiple sites. I recommend you choose 3 major boards to follow and 2 additional ones. I’d choose one of the aggregators, one niche board for either industry or demographic, and one niche board for either geography or company type. Use the tools that a job board gives you to make your search easier and more automated. Most job boards will send emails or RSS feeds for all jobs that meet your specific search criteria. This makes your search more manageable, so you can spend more time customizing your responses, and less time searching the job boards.

Even the top 30 job boards are not the end-all be-all for your job search. I don’t suggest ignoring job boards, nor do I suggest that they should be your only source of job leads. They are just one opportunity channel, and a competitive one at that. Don’t forget about the other opportunity channels that can help you: Networking, social networking, recruiters, government career centers, and inbound marketing (social branding) are all opportunity channels that I recommend today’s job seekers explore.

Job Hunters, Beware!

2010-02-02T17:38:00.007-05:00

Here's a fantastic article from Wall Street Journal - Career Journal - by Stephanie Needleman. This article held so many truths and great reminders that I felt were definately worth sharing.

Often when in job search mode, and especially in this tough economy it is difficult to not "over do" your job search. Afterall, no one enjoys being out of a job and in this uncertain economy it is a scary and often desparate time for many. As such, it is quite easy to ake a few, if not many of the online job seeker mistakes as outlined in article below. In my recruiting career there are certain candidates that I will probably never forget (and not in a good way!) that have made many of the mistakes highlighted below. I along with many other recruiters and employers often check facebook or google a candidate's name to see what we can find out on social media sites or the internet in general. You'd be surprised what is out there often! Enjoy the read!

There's been no shortage of warnings about the career dangers of posting racy content on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Yet many job hunters still don't heed that advice, and others don't realize they're doing just as much damage by doing things like bending the truth or spamming their résumés. Recruiters say such faux-pas can result in immediate and lasting career damage.

"You're going to be remembered—and not in a positive way," says Colleen McCreary, chief people officer for Zynga Game Network Inc., a San Francisco developer of social games including FarmVille. "Recruiters move around a lot from company to company, and that can carry on with them for a long period of time."

You won't get off the ground floor with these job hunting mistakes. Ms. McCreary says candidates consistently damage their reputations by sending cover letters that disingenuously claim a specific position at the company is their dream job. With a check of Zynga's applicant-tracking system, she can see that those people submitted the same letter for several other openings, too. "They've now lost all their integrity," she says. As an alternative, she recommends that job hunters write about the two or three positions they're most qualified for in a single letter.

Job hunters also regularly flub by submitting their résumés to multiple recruiters and hiring managers at a single firm. "What they're doing is a huge turn off because it sucks up a lot of time for people," says Ms. McCreary.

Likewise, job hunters repeatedly derail their chances by applying for positions for which they don't even meet the basic requirements. "There are a few people out there who seem to see it fit to apply to every job we ever post," says Dan Goldsmith, a managing partner at AC Lion, an executive-search firm in New York. "Those people just go right in the trash folder."

There are also job hunters who repeatedly send the same recruiters their résumés year after year, which can give the impression that they're desperate or a job hopper, adds Mr. Goldsmith. Liars make up another category of memorable job hunters. "People will say they graduated from [a] school and you find out from looking online that... they just took a course," says Ms. McCreary.

Executive recruiter Russ Riendeau says he checks candidates' résumés against their LinkedIn profiles and often discovers discrepancies. "It's helping me assess whether candidate is indeed who they say they are," says Mr. Riendeau, a partner at East Wing Group, a search firm in Barrington, Ill. Résumés should tell a candidate's full story, he says. Meanwhile, many job hunters are also continuing to overlook the dangers of posting provocative photos and other dubious content on social-media sites. Case in point: Recruiter Lori Fenstermaker says she lost interest in a recent candidate for a legal-assistant job after finding her raunchy MySpace profile. "She represented herself in a way that would not align with the company's philosophy and ethics," says Ms. Fenstermaker, founder of Automatic LLC, a search firm in Grand Rapids, Mich. "Anything someone publishes online could knock a person out of the running per se."

There are also some job hunters who are unwittingly going out of their way to spoil their prospects. Last year, a candidate for a senior client-services position invited Mr. Goldsmith to be part of his Facebook network. After accepting, the recruiter found a semi-nude photo of the candidate, prompting Mr. Goldsmith to withdraw this person from consideration. "It was so horribly inappropriate," the recruiter recalls. "To flaunt that with such a lack of sensitivity to professional decorum is very disquieting."

Here's to the New Year!

2010-01-25T17:38:00.004-05:00

With the new year kicking in, I find myself always analyzing and redefining current processes and recruiting methods and even personal habits and methods in my life too! Over the past year, due to the economy not yielding as much business as usual, I've had more time to redefine my business and recruitment focus. Many of you know that my recruiting focus has expanded beyond just windows and I've branched out into some other business focuses too. With the window industry being my niche market and passion, I have found some industry products and segments to compliment my recruiting focus. While I will never not recruit in the window industry, expanding that focus has been a wonderful experience for me in many ways.

One of my newer approaches that fell into place almost by accident last year was not advertising. No jobs, no online pay resources...no nothing! Down to the bare bones and basic good old recruiting. It was a great lesson for me and as tough as the past year has been economically for many of us, it has also yielded many strong business and also personal lessons for me. I know many of you have echoed that same experience when we have spoken. The craziest thing about not beinga fan of advertising now is that I used to be such a proponent of one! Thinking that candidates and companies would only find me or use me if I had an ad out there all the time. I strongly believe by not advertising it has helped gain in so many areas. Who knew?! lol!

I just think it's amazing to learn and grow during what seems like a down and negative time! In my personal life, one of the biggest personal successes I had came from quitting smoking. No better feeling in the world to have finally kicked the habit...one that I never thought I would let go of or succeed at. And one that came much easier than I had anticipated! After that, the sky was the limit and I discovered a newfound zest for recruiting and so many other things as well - both professionally and personally. Having a success when you need one, especially in down economic times can be inspirational and incredibly motivating!

Sharing all this with you all, as chances are if you read this blog you have followed me for the past several years and probably know me fairly well. As such, most of you know that I like to get to know the people I work with so every so often I like to share something of a personal nature with you all. So, having said all that...here's to a great new year...one that many of us anticipate being stronger and better than the year that has passed...and one that will be even better going forward! To all our personal and professional successes (and of course and almost more inportantly failures too!) that we have learned from and to all those that we will experience going forward! Here's to a great and successful year!

Review of the International Builders Show 2010

2010-01-25T17:28:00.003-05:00

Having spoken to many of you who attended he International Builders Show, it was interesting to get the mixed reviews from those who attended this year. I had particular interest in hearing first hand about all the new tech type products and new products. Having expanded my recruiting focus into building materials and with a special interest in home automation products, it was great to get your reviews on all the new tech products that premiered at the IBS! Other good news is with as slow as hiring has been this past year, I have noticed a more than welcome incline in job needs from employers over the past few weeks. It is always a great sign when company's are contacing and hiring recruiters to hire talent!

Here is an article that summed up some reviews of the overall tone and products of the IBS this year - source: on the house website...enjoy!

Builders Show Off Product and Progress.

We recently attended the annual International Builders Show presented by the National Association of Home Builders. We were among more than 100,000 attendees from around the world who converged on Orlando, Fla., for a peek at the latest in building products, technology and allied services.

Billed as the world's largest building industry event, there were some 1,600 exhibitors who came out to showcase their wares in more than one-and-one-half million square feet of exhibit space. Appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting, cabinets, counters, decking, windows, doors, siding, roofing, fireplaces, building materials and tools are just a small sampling of the more than 300 product and service categories represented.

Chances are if it has to do with building, it could be found at this event. Missing from this year's show, however, was the obvious leap in new product development and technology that had been featured at the exhibition event for the last several years. As far as we are concerned, that's a good thing. We suspect that manufacturers are offering builders and consumers a bit of a breather, an opportunity to catch up with the major advancements that have been made over the last several years.

Rather than launching new product, manufacturer focus has shifted to making good product better. They want it to look better, last longer, be easier to install (for both the builder and consumer), and require less maintenance -- all with an eye toward comfort and convenience.

No less visible this year is the emphasis toward the production of "green" building materials designed to reduce demand on natural resources and as a means of improving indoor air quality and family health. Building products are getting better in this regard. Arsenic has been replaced by a less toxic compound as the active ingredient in pressure-treated lumber and a leading insulation manufacturer has omitted formaldehyde from the product and in turn added a compound to prevent the growth of toxic mold.

Speaking of mold, it's no secret that it thrives on moisture -- the same moisture that is produced from cooking, bathing, doing laundry or just plain breathing. Ventilation fan manufacturers have come to the rescue with products that move more air yet make less noise. They are more attractive than ever and some models contain space heaters and energy efficient fluorescent lighting.

To further combat indoor air quality and mold problems, comfort system manufacturers are turning out systems that "sanitize" indoor air, using electronic and ultraviolet air cleaning systems. Dehumidification systems and central vacuum systems are gaining momentum as effective ways to improve indoor air quality.

Super energy efficient building materials and products that reduce demand on natural resources and improve home comfort, lower utility bills and help save the Earth generated lots of interest at the show. A new generation of expanding foam sealants, super caulks, radiant barriers, insulated foundation systems, windows, doors and insulation are contributing to the most energy efficient homes in the history of construction.

Helping fuel the energy efficient trend are appliances that use less water and power and that carry the Energy Star label. Home automation systems are hot. They control lighting, heating and air conditioning, home entertainment and security. A couple of products that no "hip" home should be without are a combination oven-refrigerator and a refrigerator with a built-in computer. With the refrigerator-oven combo, a meal can be prepared in the morning and placed in the refrigerated oven, which will keep it cool until the oven is activated at a predetermined time. Change in plans? Need to work late, stuck in traffic or decide that you want to eat out? Simply log on via the Internet or dial up with your cell phone and keep things cool or change the cooking program.

Thought that your new low-profile, side-by-side fridge with ice and water in the door was as good as it gets? You apparently haven't seen the refrigerator with a built-in computer monitor. Now, while you're waiting and filling your glass with ice and water you can check your e-mail or surf the Net. You also can scan your groceries to create a shopping list, order online and have them delivered to your home.

Home safety and security products continue to be big at the builder's show. They are less complex, more affordable and easier to use. Windows with unbreakable glass, exterior doors with multi-point locking systems, keyless door locks, and remote controlled lighting, and security-minded home automation systems are a sampling of this steadily growing category.

Home automation systems aren't just for controlling lighting and entertainment anymore. These state-of-the-art systems now permit homeowners to control interior and exterior lighting and monitor their home by using strategically placed video cameras via the Internet from virtually anywhere in the world. Now, in addition to notifying a contracted security monitoring company, a "smart" security system can digitally record unexpected activity and immediately fire you off an e-mail with an embedded video attachment.

Some systems will also detect smoke and fire and notify local authorities or call you on your cell phone. Still other systems will detect plumbing leaks, running water and allow you to adjust the thermostat.

Composite building materials have been the rage for the last several years. What's different now is that manufacturers are perfecting the process and turning out products that look more realistic, last longer and require less maintenance. Such is the case with a new vinyl siding product that has fade resistant properties, a wider lap profile and comes with a foam backing for a stronger, more energy efficient installation. Even the trim is more realistic.

The same holds true for fiberglass doors. Fiberglass is more stable than wood. It won't expand, contract, twist or crack. The new generation of fiberglass door looks every bit as real as natural wood with none of the maintenance woes. It can be stained or painted and will stand up to tough weather.

Builders' Show Expects a Better Year - Boosts Expectations

2010-01-19T10:46:00.003-05:00

Article courtesy of window and door.net

With the housing market expected to begin a tepid recovery in 2010, exhibitors and attendees alike will be looking for signs of life when they gather for the International Builders’ Show. The National Association of Home Builders' annual show runs January 19-22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Attendance itself will serve as a barometer. Last year’s event drew about 60,000 people, down from 90,000 in 2008. The decrease came as no surprise, however. During the show itself, the government announcing that housing starts had hit a 50-year low, and most expected the numbers to go down further. With the housing market now bottoming, NAHB is looking for some improvement in attendance, hoping that more builders will be coming to help position themselves for the recovery.

While traffic was down last year, attendees still made their way to window and door manufacturers' exhibits. The downturn in attendance was matched with a downturn in the number of exhibitors at the 2009 show as many building product suppliers looked to cut costs. Down from highs of more than 2,000 companies during the boom years, last year’s show featured only 1,600 exhibitors. Among those not coming were numerous window and door manufacturers—including some that previously were among the show’s largest exhibitors. Jeld-Wen, Therma-Tru, Loewen, MI and Atrium passed and are not on the 2010 list (as of press time). They will be joined this year by Semco and Weather Shield, two more traditional large exhibitors that are not on this year’s list.

IBS remains a huge show, however, and the industry will still be well represented in Las Vegas. More than 100 window and door manufacturers and suppliers of related products scheduled to be on hand. Among the large manufacturers, Andersen, Kolbe & Kolbe, Marvin, Masonite, Milgard, Pella, Plastpro, Ply Gem and Velux will be exhibiting at the show.

The list of industry exhibitors, available for download, also includes numerous regional manufacturers, such as Cascade and PGT. Once again, a strong Canadian contingent will be on hand, including Allsco, Inline Fiberglass, Innotech Windows, Mastergrain, and Omniglass. Hardware suppliers, including Centor, Emtek, G-U, Hoppe, Schlage, Siegenia-Aubi and Winkhaus, will be well represented as well.

Product Trends

Despite the subdued nature of last year’s show, the event did highlight some product trends. Wide-opening door systems gained new prominence, as they were showcased by both established manufacturers bringing out new designs and new manufacturers entering the business making their way to the event as well. Pella, Kolbe & Kolbe, Andersen’s Eagle Window, Windsor Windows and Weather Shield were among the large wood window and door makers showcasing new lift-and-slide systems, including pocket systems in which the panels could retract into the walls. Showing even larger doors, including both folding and sliding systems, were numerous companies specializing in these products, including Fleetwood, Nana Wall, Panda and Weiland and a handful of other producers, most of which appear to be returning for this year’s show.

Another trend evident last year was an uptick in composite and fiberglass products. Andersen Windows featured its 100 Series builder line, manufactured with the same Fibrex wood plastic composite used in the company’s Renewal line. On the fiberglass window front, manufacturers were highlighting more new options, reporting that demand for these products continues to grow. Milgard Windows was showing a new mahogany veneer option on its Woodclad line of products. Marvin was highlighting expanded SDL options, as well as a new black exterior for its Integrity line. Weather Shield also officially introduced its new fiberglass window and door line last year.

National Sales Manager Needed!

2010-01-12T18:13:00.002-05:00

Fantastic opportunity for an experienced W&D National Sales Manager! Must be able to relocate! I have several of you in mind to start calling this week to run the opportunity by, but wanted to post this quickly here too in case any of you know anyone with this experience looking at this level. If you are interested in discussing this opportunity, please be sure to get me your most recent resume so I have it when we talk! Thanks!!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-04T20:34:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year and best wishes to you all for a successful and spectacular 2010!!! : ) We'll be sending out candidate update forms via email over the next few months. With many of you still unemployed and actively seeking a new career opportunity, we want to ensure we have the most current updates on your job search status. This helps us match you with any new opportunities we receive to work on that may interest and fit what you are seeking. Things remain a bit slow, but there are jobs out there to be filled! Hang in there! : )

Feel Like Giving Up On Your Job Search - 5 Ways to Shake Things Up

2010-01-04T20:25:00.003-05:00

Article worthy of sharing...from CareeBuilder by Rachel Zupek, CareerBuilder.com Enjoy! Happy New Year! : )

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 36 percent of unemployed people -- or 5.4 million -- had been without a job for 27 weeks or more in September 2009. Whether you're out of work for five days, five weeks, five months or five years, any period of unexpected unemployment can be frustrating -- especially when it seems to go on forever. Although the economy seems to be showing signs of recovery, any job seeker who has been out of work for a long time will tell you: It's still not easy to find a job.

"Even though there are positive indicators, companies aren't adding jobs now at the rate they cut jobs over the last year," says Noah Blumenthal, best-selling author of "Be the Hero: Three Powerful Ways to Overcome Challenges in Work and Life." Despite that, Blumenthal reminds us that economic activities are cyclical. "Every boom feels like it will last forever and so does every bust. But none of them do. Know that things will turn around. The jobs will come back."

Laura Torres, a 28-year-old development associate in Boston, knows firsthand about being frustrated with a job search. She was laid off in December 2008 and didn't find a job for about nine months. "The most frustrating aspect was not feeling totally in control of the process -- particularly once you started interviewing at a job," she recalls. "Obviously you can play the game and even play it well, but your fate is still up to a small group of people. The agonizing wait between the interview and the follow-up is eerily reminiscent of trying to date someone who 'just isn't that into you.'"

If you do reach a breaking point, Blumenthal says it's important to switch things up and try something new in your job search. Doing so will reinvigorate you and help you stay motivated. "When you've been searching [for a job] for a long time, it can wear you out. You need to do things to keep you excited about your job search so that you keep going," he says. "The most important thing you can do is keep yourself eager, motivated and energized to continue the search."

If you (and your job search) are stuck in a rut, here are five ways Blumenthal suggests to rejuvenate your job search and mix things up a bit:

1. Go online
"You've sent out more résumés than you can count. But have you tweeted? It's a social networking world. Build your online connections on services like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Then use that platform to make value-added observations about your line of work and job searching. You never know where your electronic connections can lead," he says.

2. Separate yourself

"Hiring managers and recruiters receive tons of résumés. Some are better than others, but frankly, none of them stand out. You need something else," he says. "Try writing an article or two about your field. Print them up on glossy paper with a nice graphic design. Add a professional bio, and put it all together in a nice folder. Now, instead of sending a résumé, you're sending a press kit on you. That stands out."

3. Have fun
"I know a woman who once sent her résumé folded up and stuffed inside of a baby sneaker. Her note said she was sure to be a 'shoe-in' for the job," he recalls. "If you are bored with your job search, it will show in your materials, your applications and your interviews. So have some fun." (And yes, the 'shoe-in' did get the job.)

4. Set a big goal

"You've already met 100, 200, 500 people? Set a goal to meet and have one-on-one conversations with 100 new people this month. Is it possible? Can you do it? Use Facebook. Go to professional meetings. Ask 10 friends to introduce you to 10 new people. It doesn't matter if they are in your field. This is the "Six Degrees of Separation" game. Meet up and let the new connections take you where they will," he says.

5. Go to work
"Volunteer at a local charity or political organization. You have the time, and this helps you in so many ways," he says. How? It feels good to help; you're using your skills; you're meeting new people; you're getting off the couch and out of the house; and you will build your stockpile of stories. "When you meet people or interview, the connections you make are through your stories. What better story to tell than something that happened while you were helping make the world a better place?"

Ultimately, Blumenthal reminds job seekers to treat their job search like a job, and like a project that has a long-term objective. "Do what you would do if this were such a project. Celebrate milestones and accomplishments along the way. Appreciate what you love about this job. After all, you can work in your pajamas, set your own hours, work from Starbucks and pick your kids up from school."

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-09T18:56:00.004-05:00

Happy Holidays to you all! Wishing you and your families a wonderful Holiday season!

Prolyn will be making a small donation in lieu of our annual Holiday card contest and sending holiday cards out this year. Charity yet to be determined...if you want to throw your suggestion in, please let us know! Have a safe and Happy Holiday! : )

White House Sees More Jobs in Windows

2009-12-09T18:52:00.001-05:00

Some encouraging news...

Indicating he didn't want to tip his hand too much, President Obama told attendees at last week's White House job summit that the administration was looking aggressively at programs to encourage investment in energy efficiency upgrades and weatherization as part of its efforts to stimulate job creation.

His remarks came in response to comments from Ron Saxton, executive vice president of Jeld-Wen Inc., a participant at the forum, who highlighted the potentnial energy savings offered by replacing the billion-plus single-pane windows in American homes today. Saxton also emphasized the potential for job growth offered by windows. In addition to jobs involved in installation, he noted that nearly all windows bought in America are made in American factories using parts that are also produced in America. With the downturn in new construction, these factories are ready and could bring workers back and get up and running immediately.

President Obama listening to Jeld-Wen's Ron Saxton make the case for efforts to encourage more replacement window activity. The conversation took place as part of a session focusing on innovation and green jobs, where Saxton also urged passage of bills before the House and Senate that would tie tax credits for windows to the new 2010 Energy Star criteria rather than the current .30/.30 requirements set as part of the stimulus package.

Other attendees at the session included Frank Blake, CEO of the Home Depot, who urged for a broadening of the current energy efficiency tax credits to include more categories of products, as well as installation and labor. Jeld-Wen's Saxton also commented on the success of the tax credits, noting that his company had sold a quarter million windows under that program and others had also, enabling many jobs to be created and saved.

While there was much agreement at the session that windows and other energy efficient upgrades can pay for themselves over the long run, financing such projects remains a major hurdle. Secretary of Energy Stephen Chu told the group that "numerous ideas are on the drawing board" to address the issue to make retrofit activity more cost effective and "really scale it up."

"We are completely sold," said Obama, speaking about the long-term economic benefits, as well as environmental benefits, of renewable energy and energy efficiency. Noting the current fiscal restraints on the government, as well as the sense of urgency to create new jobs, he told attendees that his administration sees programs to upgrade energy efficiency of homes and buildings offering the most potential in the short term.

The meeting concluded with a promise to develop proposals on this front and bring them back to attendees for more input. The hour-plus session can be viewed below on the window and door.net website

Obama followed the December 3 jobs forum with a speech on jobs and the economy, in which he called on Congress "to consider a new program to provide incentives for consumers who retrofit their homes to become more energy-efficient, which we know creates jobs, saves money for families, and reduces the pollution that threatens our environment." The president also proposed the expansion of select Recovery Act initiatives to promote energy efficiency and clean energy jobs "which have been proven to be particularly popular and effective."

GlassBuild America Opens in Atlanta

2009-09-30T12:32:00.004-04:00

Atlanta–Industry suppliers are showcasing new ways for window and door manufacturers to upgrade energy efficiency and expand color and finish offerings, as GlassBuild America: The Glass, Window & Door Expo opens today. Despite weak market conditions, some 6,300 industry professionals pre-registered for the event, being held here at the Georgia World Congress Center.

"We're confident we're going to have a solid show," says Phil James, CEO of the National Glass Association, which organizes GlassBuild America. "We may not have the same numbers as last year, but we are hearing from exhibitors that they have customers coming. Exhibitors are also expecting that the companies that are here are the ones in a position to start growing their business again. They are here because they are ready to innovate. They are here because they want to differentiate their product lines. They are here to do business."

Almost 400 exhibitors have gathered for the annual event. Among those targeting the residential window and door market are equipment suppliers, vinyl extruders, producers of IG components, hardware suppliers and software producers. Among the notable introductions to be made at the show are Bystronic's new automated line for producing Sashlite integrated sash windows, Mikron's EnergyCore vinyl window system and a new system for producing color window products being featured by GED Integrated Solutions.

The amount of equipment on display at this year's event is down somewhat from past events, but a sizeable number of companies are featuring machines. In the vinyl arena, Stürtz Machinery is highlighting its new LinealPro fabrication saw, and Urban Machinery is featuring a number of machines also. CNC machining centers targeted at manufacturers of aluminum fenestration products, as well as vinyl, are being shown by Elumatec, Emmegi, Fom, Joseph and Tekna, among others.

IG equipment and components are prominent throughout the show floor as well. Glasslam is showcasing its warm-edge spacer system, as well as its products for manufacturing laminated glass. Other companies showing warm-edge products include Truseal Technologies, Technoform, and Edgetech, which returns this year with its Edgetech University booth, focusing on education on such topics as testing, IG certification, and green. "It was very popular last year in Vegas," reports the company's Larry Johnson. "With all the changes taking place in the industry, we know the demand for information is still there."

He notes that manufacturers have been adjusting to new developments, such as the 30/30 tax credit minimums and the revised Energy Star qualification requirements, making "intermediate" changes in their product lines to meet the new market demands. "They know new requirements are coming, and that they may have to make a bigger change in the next couple of years," he adds. "We think a lot of customers are coming to learn more about their options."

Sashlite's Bob Hornung sees window and door manufacturers looking at big changes also. "We're really excited about the show," he states. The economy may prevent companies from making a move right away, but, he adds, "We have companies flying in just to see this line," pointing to the new Bystronic line designed to produce integrated sash units.

Vinyl extruders are highlighting a variety of products at this year's show, but most appear to be featuring expanded color and woodgrain options. American Renolit plans to demonstrate application procedures for its decorative laminates. In addition to standard residential lines, a number of companies are featuring European tilt-and-turn systems targeted largely at commercial applications.

Most hardware producers are showing new style and finish options. Also of note, Truth Hardware is featuring some of its electronic hardware options, while Vision Industries is showing new hardware developed to meet the new ASTM standard for window opening control devices. Making its GlassBuild debut is Paddock Fabrications, an English producer of multipoint hardware systems, which is showing its new North American product line.

In addition to a busy trade show, GlassBuild America will feature a number of other events, including an Energy Efficiency Town Hall Forum, sponsored by Edgetech Inc., and a panel presentation on the outlook for the solar industry. More information on the event is available at www.glassbuildamerica.com. An online preview on WindowandDoor.com also offers a detailed look at new products to be featured by exhibitors in Atlanta. (article posted from windowanddoor.com)

Myths about job hunting in a recession

2009-06-08T14:04:00.002-04:00

Another worthwhile read I came across this morning that was worth sharing about job hunting during a down economy. Article is from payscale.com, written by Cherie Berkley. Enjoy!
Just when you thought the job market couldn't get worse, there is more news about company pink slips, hiring freezes, and benefit slashes. If you are one of the thousands tasked to find a job in these dire economic times, all is not lost. Hopefully, you can move more quickly from the unemployment line to a job offer once you get past these six common myths about job-hunting during a recession.

Myth 1: No one is hiring. Layoffs are coming in every direction, but some employers -- even those laying off workers -- are still hiring. Companies often eliminate full-time employees with budget-busting benefits only to replace them with contractors or consultants to save costs. Additionally, "green" jobs, and health care jobs are among those still actively populating want ads. And, the pay is respectable. For instance, Payscale.com shows the median annual salary of an environmental engineer with 3-5 years experience is $60,672.

Myth 2: The Internet is the best place to find jobs. The Internet is an efficient way to survey jobs among many companies, but personal interaction is still key to job search success. Truth is, employers are bombarded with thousands of resumes from the Internet -- especially in a recession. Therefore, the chance that your new boss will choose your resume out of a pile of prospects is slimmer than ever. Instead, focus on finding a position, apply for it, and then do some research and connect personally with a hiring manager in the company to follow-up. Social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, also offer a great way to connect with targeted employees on your company dream list. These connections are golden because they can give you insider info about unpublished positions and help you sail past HR "blockers." Personal recommendations go much farther in landing a job than random resumes.

Myth 3: Searching companies in hiring freezes is a waste of time. Like many situations in life, hiring freezes are not absolute. Savvy networking, the right face-to-face meeting, and the ability to sell skills critical to the prospective company can be the perfect formula for lighting a fire under an employer in a hiring freeze. Behind closed doors, hiring managers are told to make exceptions for spectacular candidates that can show them the money, especially in a recession when every dollar counts.

Myth 4: Expect a salary cut. In hard times, companies value astute problem-solvers more than ever. While employers may trim the fat elsewhere, there is always room in the budget for top-tier talent. However, during a competitive job market, there is a bigger burden to prove you are worth a higher salary, says John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Ultimately, companies want their talent investments to pay off -- and stick around. "If an employer goes to the expense, time, and effort to find a qualified candidate, it wants the person to stay, " Challenger adds. The last thing an employer wants is for a prized candidate to temporarily accept a lower salary than her previous salary and say "hasta la vista" once the job market recovers.

Myth 5: Companies are not interested in hiring people over age 55. There are several reasons Challenger, Gray & Christmas disputes the adage that older employees are unemployable. In a struggling economy, employers value seasoned workers' shorter learning curves (aka: less money invested in employee training) and their ability to do the work of several younger, less-seasoned workers. Separately, like a fine wine, experienced employees who are surgeons, accountants, attorneys, engineers, and IT professionals get better with time. Clients gravitate to more experienced employees in these professions. This adds up to more cha-ching for employers.

Myth 6: Experience and advanced degrees guarantee a job. While experience and education have their plusses, they aren't guarantees to landing a job. In a deep recession, experienced and degreed people come a dime a dozen. "It is very important to sell your world experience, your concrete accomplishments, and expertise; things that make an impact on the company rather than just your knowledge," Challenger says. Research what skills the employer values most in order to tailor your sales pitch accordingly, Challenger adds. And, because the market is so tight, though you are experienced, someone with more experience is likely applying for the same job. Take time to create your brand image and sell, sell, sell!

Recruiters Biggest Pet Peeves

2009-06-08T11:33:00.006-04:00

An interesting and timely article on recruiters pet peeves from yahoo.com. I can personally say that with the huge influx of resumes that I am receiving now with the poor economy and os mnay out of work that I have seen many of these items listed below occur much more frequently with many of the job seekers I talk to! Enjoy!

The Recruiter Roundtable is a recurring feature that collects career and job-seeking advice from a group of recruiting experts throughout the United States. The question we put before our panel this month is:

What is your biggest pet peeve about job seekers today?

The Price of 'Perfection'
My biggest pet peeve is perfect candidates. They only had successes, are perfect and can't see any improvement to make on themselves -- except maybe to "work a little less." People who are too insecure to admit their shortcomings or even their mistakes make me feel that they lack good emotional intelligence. In all the reference checks we reviewed at Checkster, none were 100% positive, so be realistic. If not, you will be seen as either not daring enough to perform difficult things, or stuck in a myopic belief that you are perfect. -- Yves Lermusi, CEO, Checkster

Clueless Candidates
As a recruiter, there have been countless times when job seekers have asked, "What position is this for?" Job seekers shouldn't just apply to any job. They need to spend their time effectively finding jobs that are a match for their skills and interest. -- Nga Nguyen, Technology & Operations Group Recruiter at Wells Fargo

Short-Cut Introductions
With more people looking for work in today's economy, I've been seeing an increase in what I call "lazy introductions" come across my desk. It goes something like this: "I'm writing you to introduce myself. I live in New York and I'm looking for a job," and in the signature is a link to a LinkedIn profile or possibly a resume. A brief introduction should come with a background, highlights, and reason for connecting. A job search is a job in itself and requires some personalization and effort for each and every introduction. -- Lindsay Olson, partner, Paradigm Staffing

Can't Connect the Dots?
My biggest pet peeve is receiving resumes or applications that describe background and work experience wholly unrelated to the position being applied for. Also there is either no supporting material or a generic cover letter that fails to connect the dots between what's on the application and what's in the posted job listing. -- Noah Apodaca, lead recruiter for staff at the University of California, Irvine

Don't Go Generic
Job seekers hurt their own cause when they don't focus on specific ways they can help potential employers and instead simply mass distribute their resume. Individuals need to show hiring managers what they can do for the organization, not the reverse. Thoroughly research companies where you want to apply, customize your resume and cover letter for each opportunity, and in your communications with employers highlight your accomplishments and skills that demonstrate how you can positively impact the firm's bottom line.

In process of updating our files and information we have on file for you

2009-05-31T21:47:00.002-04:00

In an effort to stay current with each of your information, over the course of the next few weeks we will be sending emails out to you all to update the information we have on file for you.

Mentioning this here as I know receiving a somewhat generic email at times can feel quite impersonal...probably because it is! : )

As things continue to be somewhat sluggish in our industry and across the board due to the economy, it seemed like a great time to update our records and your information so we have it ready to go as things pick up and in the event a job match comes our way to pair you up with! We are also networking heavily with many other recruiters and contacts nationally outside the industry in an effort to find potential opportunities for you!

Congrats to those of you who I have spoken to recently who have landed new careers...semingly most are out of the window and door industry.

Getting the Right People in Key Seats

2009-05-31T21:42:00.003-04:00

An interesting article that originated form Business Week...yet was posted by one of my contacts on Facebook. Enjoy!

The specifics can vary, even within companies, but our research delivered six important traits that identify "the right people"

The right people fit the company's core values Great companies build cultures in which those who don't share the institution's values are surrounded by anti-bodies and ejected like viruses. People ask: "How do we get people to share our core values?" The answer: Hire people already predisposed to them—and keep them.

The right people don't need to be tightly managed When you feel the need to tightly manage someone, you may have made a hiring mistake. You need not spend a lot of time "motivating" or "managing" the right people. It's in their DNA to be productively neurotic, self-motivated, self-disciplined, and compulsively driven to excel.

The right people understand that they do not have "jobs"—they have responsibilities They grasp the difference between their task list and their true responsibilities. The right people can complete the statement, "I am the one person ultimately responsible for…".

The right people fulfill their commitments In a culture of discipline, people view commitments as sacred—they do what they say they'll do, without complaint. Equally, this means that they take great care in saying what they will do, careful never to overcommit or to promise what they cannot deliver.

The right people are passionate about the company and its work Nothing great happens without passion. The right people display remarkable intensity.

The right people display window-and-mirror maturity When things go well, the right people point out the window, giving credit to factors other than themselves; they shine a light on others who contributed. Yet when things go awry, they do not blame circumstances or other people; they look in the mirror and say: "I'm responsible."

Join us on Twitter!

2009-04-07T11:46:00.002-04:00

We have officialy caved and are testing out Twitter! Look for us by our user name "prolyn". With the many different social networking sites out there, it is truly difficult to determine which one or ones to utilize. My best recomendation is to try the mainstream sites out and see if you like them for yourself. You can always delete your account if the site is not a worthwhile investment of your time. I have to say so far so good with Twitter. It has proven to be a great source of networking for me in many people I would have probably never found, based on some of the limits and search restrictions you get with other sites. I have also gotten a multitude of good tips, sources and news bits that have been worthwhile for me personally. Whether you are a company on the hunt for potential candidates or a job seeker searching for that next job...networking is always teh way to go and you never know who will open the door to the next job opportunity yo may be seeking! If you decide to join, please link in to us. I can't promise that I'll post there often, but will try to do so occasionally. For now I am giving it a test run and will see wher it goes from there.

Extreme Job Hunting

2009-04-07T11:37:00.002-04:00

Thought this article from yahoo was interesting and worthy of sharing! If you have had success with creative job hunting efforts, please let me know, I would love to share them! : )

People like Robin Stearns and Mark Heuer have taken job hunting to a new level in today's troubled economy. To help find work for her husband, Stearns started the site myhusbandneedsajob.com. The homepage shows her near San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge holding a handmade sign: "Hire my husband." The rest of site focuses on the resume and accomplishments of Mike, who earned an MBA from Georgetown last year.

"This site was born out of frustration with the job market," Robin wrote on the site. "After almost ten months of watching my wonderful husband work tirelessly to find a job, I decided to take matters into my own hands and help him stand out in a sea of unemployed."

Mark Heuer, an unemployed management professional, rented a large billboard along a Milwaukee highway in March. His face appears next to the words "Results Driven Sales & Operations Manager. Mark4hire.com." Both Stearns and Heuer received international media coverage and thousands of messages, but relevant job leads were scarce.

"There are no job offers yet," said Stearns two weeks after her site went up, but her husband had lined up some interviews in the San Francisco area as a result.

These approaches are just two creative examples of extreme job hunting. With the unemployment rate above 8% nationally and 5 million people looking for work, some job seekers are buying display ads on social networking sites, posting elaborate video resumes, and wearing sandwich boards or custom-made T-shirts with a cover letter printed on the back.

While the tactics can make you stand out, some experts caution about getting too creative. "Even in today's market, it's excelling at the fundamentals that helps job seekers stand out," says Andy Denka, executive director of financial staffing firm Accountemps. "Individuals should focus their efforts first and foremost on creative top-notch resumes, networking with everyone they know, and honing their interview skills."

Networking efforts actually led Heuer to the billboard idea, he says. "I thought, 'How can I get in front of more people?' Highway 45 in Milwaukee captures 100,000+ cars a day."

If you want to go beyond the basics and try more risky job-hunting tactics, consider these suggestions:

Treat the job search like a courtship, and make the first move. "Don't wait for a company to post a job ad," says Denka. "If there are businesses you are interested in working for, research how you can contribute to their success and contact them directly."

Work for free. Approach a company that interests you and offer to work for free for a set number of hours each week, over a period of two months, says Katy Piotrowski, author of "The Career Coward's Guide to Job Searching." "This is a great way to get your foot in the door, prove your worth, and assist the company to get to a place where they can actually hire you," she says. "This method results in long-term employment about 50% of the time."

Volunteer or take a lead role in a professional association. "If you're in finance, you take on a treasury position with a local community group," says Denka. "In the process, you'll enhance your resume, meet potential business contacts and keep your abilities current."

Kentucky resident Larry Dinsmore is proprietor of the site DamnINeedaJob.com, which sells T-shirts emblazoned with custom cover letters. He started the site while he was out of work, hoping it would inspire others. "These times require some creativity, and when you think you've done everything, there's always something else," Dinsmore says. "Don't just sit back and wait on responses to resumes. Be proactive and make things happen!"

Finally a bit of good news!

2009-03-17T17:53:00.005-04:00

I received a handful of phone calls on this one today from both family and candidates. It is certainly a relief to hear some good news amidst all the dismal news we have heard over the past many months! Fingers crossed things start to lok up for everyone!

Wall Street resumes rally following housing report

Investors restarted Wall Street's rally Tuesday, buying financial and homebuilder stocks following a surprisingly upbeat report on home construction.

Major market indicators jumped more than 2 percent, including the Dow Jones industrial average, which added 179 points. The technology-heavy Nasdaq surged more than 4 percent after sliding Monday. Stocks have risen five out of the past six sessions.

The government's report that housing starts rose unexpectedly in February more than offset news that Alcoa Inc. is slashing its dividend.

The upbeat construction report provided the latest glimmer of hope for Wall Street and revived interest in the long-suffering housing industry. Stocks began rallying a week ago after Citigroup Inc. said it operated at a profit in the first two months of the year.

Similarly upbeat assessments from other troubled banks and better-than-expected readings on retail sales have led some investors to believe the market has been too pessimistic about the economy.

Stocks surged last week in a four-session rally that left market barometers up about 10 percent — the type of gains they might normally take a year to assemble. Buyers stepped in again Tuesday after stocks posted moderate declines on Monday.

Brett D'Arcy, chief investment officer at CBIZ Wealth Management, said relatively quiet trading the past two days is "a great sign" because it means investors are holding on to gains from week and aren't trying to grab quick profits. He said that indicates a base could be forming in the market. A week ago the Dow jumped 379 points in one session.

According to preliminary calculations, the Dow rose 178.73, or 2.5 percent, to 7,395.70.

Broader stock indicators also advanced. The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 24.23, or 3.2 percent, to 778.12, while the Nasdaq composite index rose 58.09, or 4.1 percent, to 1,462.11. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 17.23, or 4.5 percent, to 403.59. Four stocks rose for every one that fell on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume came to a light 1.49 billion shares. Light volume indicates less conviction behind the market's moves.

D'Arcy said technology companies got an extra boost as investors moved back into those stocks after they fell sharply Monday.

The market has established a clear shift in tone over the past week. Jittery traders had blown apart earlier rallies this year by selling just as stocks managed to advance. A 20 percent run-up from late November until the start of the year fizzled as worries grew about the tattered balance sheets at large banks and signs that consumers will pulling back on their spending.

Renewed signs of balance in the economy since then have led investors to become more comfortable owning shares again.

Analysts caution that risks remain but investors embraced the data on home construction that came in well ahead of what economists had been expecting. Building permit applications, a key measure of future activity, also rose unexpectedly.

Tim Courtney, the chief investment officer at Burns Advisory Group, said the report was encouraging and could be part of an initial recovery in the housing market.

"We could be in the very early stages of some kind of normalization" in housing, he said. Many analysts say home prices have to stabilize before worried consumers will begin to increase their spending and the economy will begin to pick up speed.

In a rare burst of enthusiasm for anything related to the housing market, traders snapped up homebuilder stocks following the report. Pulte Homes Inc. rose 64 cents, or 6.7 percent, to $10.16, while Lennar Corp. jumped 68 cents, or 8.7 percent, to $8.52. Toll Brothers Inc. advanced 95 cents, or 5.9 percent, to $17.06.

Stocks of home supply retailers like Home Depot Inc. and Lowes Cos. rose more than 6 percent.

Traders looked past much of the day's bad news and also awaited the outcome of a two-day meeting of the Federal Reserve's interest rate committee that ends Wednesday. The central bank is widely expected to leave rates at their current historically low level, but the market will be keen to see how the Fed sizes up the economy in its statement that accompanies the decision on rates.

Craig Peckham, a market strategist at Jefferies & Co. Peckham, said he was encouraged that the decision by aluminum producer Alcoa to reduce its payout didn't send "shockwaves" through the market as he contends it would have just weeks ago.

Alcoa became the latest of the 30 companies that make up the Dow Jones industrial average to lower its dividend to conserve cash. The company said it was cutting its quarterly dividend 82 percent to 3 cents. It also said it plans to sell stock and debt to help reduce annual costs by more than $2.4 billion. Alcoa fell 53 cents, or 8.7 percent, to $5.59 and was one of only three stocks in the Dow to lose ground.

Creative Ways to Conduct Your Job Search

2009-02-27T13:32:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite contacts in the industry just mentioned to me how rarely that I post on my Blog anymore. As such, it triggered me to make the time to write a quick post.

As so many of you know all too well, things have been incredibly tough out there in the industry with so many amazing people out of work. It's a frustrating and scary time for all! I have been working much less...not due to choice...but out of how tight our industry is right now. I can only think and agree with so many of you who believe that things will come back strong here soon enough!

With so many of you in job search mode, I thought it might be helpful to provide a few of my favorite sources and suggestions for tapping into versus the same old traditional methods of just posting your resume on one of the major job boards. I will try to focus on being better about posting more frequently and also focusing my posts on job search tips over the next several weeks. While I can't promise that I'll offer any new or earth shattering tips...I am hopeful perhaps one or two of the things I mention may hekp at least a few of you!

Worth sharing with you all, is that above and beyond knowing so many of you in the industry who are out of work right now, that several of my friends and family members have also been hit by the dismal economy. We had a gathering at my house a month or so ago and 4 of the 10 people had just been laid off from their jobs which seemed crazy to me! Both my sister and brother in law are unemployed. Mentioning this to you, as my brother in law ended up posting his resume on a variety of job boards. One of those ended up being craigslist.com While most people think of craigslist as a site to sell or buy items, there is indeed a huge presence of resumes, job postings and also many recruiters and companies who now surf the site in hopes of picking up their next employee. In this case, a local newspaper reporter spotted my brother in laws resume and called him to conduct an interview for a several week series of articles on people in our community who have been affected by the economy and had lost their jobs. After interviewing my borther in law, the reporter also interviewing my sister in law and did a large front page article and pictures on their family. While it has been too recent (just last week) to have any possible job offers or leads come of it, I thought it was worth sharing as you never know who or where your next job lead will come from. More than anything, it provided them a bright spot in both of their job searches with teh never ending process of sending resumes and not hearing back from those they applied to.

More next week...I will be putting some thought into other creative, out of the box type tips that I can come up with to try and asist you in your search efforts. Hang in there with your job searches and hope you all enjoy the weekend! : )

Project Managers, Estimators and skilled Drafters in high demand!

2009-01-26T09:41:00.004-05:00

The steady demand for the need of commercial Project Managers, Estimators and skilled Drafters has increased tremendously over recent weeks. I have several opportunities across the country for these positions right now. If you are an experienced PM, Estimator, Drafter, etc. please send us your updated resume and we will call you to discuss current opportunities we are recruiting for in further detail! The residential side seems to remains bit stagnant right now...yet, there are a handful of really great companies still hiring! I am keeping an eye out for all of you in my network in case a potential fit arises. As always, please keep me updated on any changes at your end as well as letting me know if there are opprotunities you come across that you want me to call and represent you for prior to sending your resume into a company. Thanks!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T12:34:00.004-05:00

Happy New Year! And...Wow! Seems like ages since I have posted anything here! Sorry for my lag...it seems the holidays easily took over! Thanks to those of you who have continued to email to check in and also send me your updated resumes. It has been a pretty frustrating past several months with lots of discouraging news in our industry and a struggle for many! The bright spot is that so many of you sound so optimistic and hopeful for a better start to 2009 - hiring authorities and candidates included! I love to hear that and we all know how good news travels fast...so truly feel it is only a matter of time that things will turn around and we'll see an increase of jobs to get so many of you back to work in fantastic careers! I have refrained and will continue to do so from posting any of the multitude of negative news regarding economy and our industry in particular here, as I too am optimistic and incredibly excited about the start of the new year ahead. Many of the companies I work with and communicate with had stellar years in 2008. I am hearing from many companies that they have no plans on hiring now, but do anticipating doing so more towards the tail end of first quarter/beginning of second quarter. Please continue to keep me posted on your job searches! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and wishing you a successful and happy 2009! : )

For Companies - New Prolyn Fee Menu

2008-11-17T10:43:00.003-05:00

In upcoming weeks we will be mailing Prolyn's new innovative pricing menu to you. Our new fee menu was designed with all companies in mind and in an effort to be able to provide services at a variety of levels for any company's hiring needs. Some of you have already seen this menu and we appreciate all yoru input and feedback in helping us perfect it! It was really a lot of fun developing our pricing menu on what many of you hlped us understand was most important to you! We realize not all companies will require all of the services of a full recruitment search. Our fee menu was designed to in an effort to assist all companies regardless of their hiring needs and to assist in meeting any hiring budget. We realize tough economic times require creative and innovative alternatives to your recruitment costs without sacrificing the superior service from your recruiter. Keep an eye out for our mailing...or feel free to email or call us for additional information! Enjoy your Holidays!

Have you picked up employees from struggling industry companies?

2008-09-24T11:54:00.003-04:00

As a follow up from my post last week, I wanted to share with you all the follow up from John Swanson (Editor at W&D) from the weekly email newsletter. I had emailed John my thoughts after reading last weeks issue, and he was kind enough to share my thoughts in his follow up along with their poll results - which were rather interesting! As always, would love to get your thoughts, input and opinion on this topic and any others that are important to you!

John G. Swanson
September 24, 2008
THE TALK... | Management

Survey Results for 09/17/2008:

We have:

Kept things pretty tight in our own company, so we're not hiring. 69%

Looked at possibility, but not found right people 15%

Picked up a few key people from struggling industry companies 13%

Hired many people from struggling industry companies 3%

The results from this week's poll make clear that most industry companies are in a "hold tight" phase. That's not too surprising--given the industry headlines we've seen lately. Some respondents indicate they are looking at picking up talent, however. Thirteen percent have taken the plunge and added a couple of people and 3 percent indicate that strengthened their workforces more substantially.

She admits it may not be easy to do, but Carlyn Burns, a recruiter in the industry with Prolyn Executive Search, emailed me to wrote to say "now is a better time than ever to hire people if you can afford it. It is beyond amazing how much great talent is out there for the taking right now. One company's layoffs or downsizing is another company's dream come true to often pick up a caliber of candidate that they would otherwise never get the opportunity to hire or even find."

Burns also reports, however, there's been a change in the past year, with more companies hiring outside the industry. The main reason behind this, she says, is that many companies are finding it harder to relocate candidates--"as in getting candidates that are willing to take the risk to sell their house and/or take a huge hit on the sale of their house to pick up and move."

She also suggests that "many companies are almost dissuaded by hiring industry experienced folks because they are so negative in attitude about prior window companies they have worked for and may potentially bring that negativity to their next company. " Burns goes on to note: "As I am sure you know all too well, many life long employee in this industry have given up total hope of the industry recovering and the industry being sustained and of course bad news travels quicker than good news. I think it is personally crazy and the industry will be just fine, if not better here soon. Yet, the majority of candidates I speak with are so down in the dumps and negative about the down turn in the industry that many of them are fleeing to other industries as well. That is the scary part to me."

Interestingly, and perhaps somewhat surprisingly, Burns reports that despite the struggles in the industry, "I have never been busier. It is baffling to many, as this year has most definitely been the one year within my involvement in the industry that I have seen so much distress and struggle with many companies in the industry, with layoffs, continual plant closings, etc. In any event, I remain busy…companies in the industry continue to hire me to find them people to fill their open jobs."

In light of the poll results, my take on her last observation is that more than a few companies are positioning themselves for the future. They have the resources--and probably don't carry the debt that other companies have--to invest for the long term. One thing I do know is that we have a lot of private companies in this business--family owned--that don't have to focus on the quarterly numbers and how financial analysts and other third parties will react. These companies have always focused on the long term and I suspect they're doing it now too.

Hire now if you can!

2008-09-17T08:55:00.002-04:00

While I am sure many of you have already read the W&D weekly email newsletter, thought this snippet from John Swanson, Editor/Assocuate Publisher of W&D was worth repeating. His point makes great sense and I have personally seen many industry companies doing exactly this right now as there has never been a better time to pick up great industry talent.

A manufacturer contacted me not too long ago to see if I had heard any news about one its local competitors. The reason he inquired is that he was seeing an influx of people from this competitor looking for jobs at his operation.

While I hadn’t heard any news in this particular case, and I wasn’t much help, it reminded me of something said to me not too long ago. “If you can afford to do it, it’s a great time to hire people,” an industry supplier told me. “With some companies cutting back, there’s a lot of talent and knowledge available.”

September 11th Anniversary

2008-09-11T06:31:00.000-04:00

We wanted to take a moment to honor and remember the 7 year anniversary of the traumatic terrorist attacks of 9/11. Our hearts, thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragic day!

Reasons to Run From a Job Interview

2008-09-04T16:12:00.004-04:00

Here's an excerpt from a great article on interview flags from Business Week (written by Liz Ryan). It is often difficult to gauge when to walk away from a job opportunity after a company has wooed you and put you through the interview wringer...hopefully the tips in this article will help provide some clarity on when to run and when to stick the process out! Enjoy!

When a prospective employer makes unreasonable demands on you before things start to get serious, it's a strong signal to hit the road.

Here's our list of Six Reasons to Run:

1) Your employment references are requested before a strong mutual interest is established. Any employer who values a job candidate also values his or her time and relationships. When a headhunter or company recruiter tells you "We'll need to call your references" too early in the game, they're sending a signal that the valuable time of your reference-givers is not nearly as valuable as the time that the company would waste in interviewing you before checking up on you. Your cue to bail.

2) The employer asks for your Social Security number or your approval for a credit or background check before strong mutual interest is established.

When a company says, "We need to check on you before we can spare the time to talk with you," it's time to get out of Dodge. A talent-focused employer will call you for a phone interview (at a minimum) before bothering you for personal information that they won't require if they don't make you a job offer. This type of batch processing shouts, "Get in line to genuflect." Keep looking.

3) You're sent a questionnaire (not a job application) or online test to complete before you've had any human contact with the employer, including a phone call. When a company makes its selection process more efficient by shoving tests in your face before so much as chatting with you, they're sharing their views on reciprocity. "Prove to us that you're worth our time" is not the message that a talent-aware employer sends to the talented people applying to use their talents on its behalf. Reciprocity works in the same that permission-based marketing does; you give something to get something at every step in the process. A smarter company will chat with you, answer your questions about the job, and then ask, "Would you mind filling out our questionnaire, as the next step in the process? Can I answer any questions for you, to help you feel comfortable investing more time in our company?"

4) Unreasonable or short notice to travel for interview. The Vortex becomes more powerful over time, and many a job seeker has called me excitedly to report, "They're flying me to New York City, tomorrow," without stopping to think: "Wait a second, they didn't ask me whether it was convenient for me to fly to New York City, now that I think about it." I know of one situation in which a candidate was pressured to fly to the company's headquarters on his wife's birthday. He was told, "If this isn't a priority for you, it isn't a priority for us, either." He wavered for an hour or two before telling them: "If my personal life and my most important relationship isn't important to you, I don't want to work for you." If they really want you, they can wait a day or two.

5) You're told you can't meet the team, or see the employee handbook, or meet clients (if appropriate) before an offer is extended. This is a big, neon red flag that plenty of job seekers miss in the swirling colors of The Vortex. You need to meet your co-workers. Period. You need to see the employee handbook, which you'll be expected to adhere to during your tenure with the company and which will govern your working relationship. If you will work closely with a client at a senior level, it could make sense for you to meet with someone from the client's team before accepting the job. Ask yourself: Why wouldn't they let me meet the team or read the handbook? What is this employer afraid of?

6) All communication is funneled through the HR rep or the headhunter. Practical matters, like interview times and paperwork flying back and forth, doesn't need to take up a hiring manager's time. It makes sense to have an HR point person or third-party recruiter handling communication with a candidate over these "mechanical" issues. But if you're really interested in a job and have a question for your prospective manager, the manager absolutely needs to take that call. If you can't get the manager's attention now, what makes you think you'll be able to when you work there?

Leave any of these six scary Vortex situations behind and don't look back—you'll have dodged a bullet. You have a lot to offer, and if an employer can't see it as the selection process unfolds, your talents are better used elsewhere.

Using Voice Mail to make a great first impression

2008-08-07T20:17:00.004-04:00

Here's a great article my older brother sent me that provides some great tips on leaving impressionable voice mails during your career search. Enjoy!

Job seekers know there is more to a job search than want ads and e-mails. But when it comes time to make that phone call, are you really prepared? You might think leaving a message isn't a big deal, but it really is. Look at it this way; first impressions are always important, and sometimes a phone call is the first impression people have of you. So make the most of the phone calls you make. Job searching is a process, so take every aspect of it seriously. You never know what just might seal the deal.

Speak With Confidence There's not a lot you can do on the phone to sell yourself, so set out to perfect the basics. To start with, prepare what you're going to say and then make sure you feel confident saying it. The phone call should be brief but factual. You want to leave the most informational message possible without talking their ear off. If they're bored of you on the phone, they probably won't want to wait to see what you're like in person. Be clear and concise and tell them what they need to know. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

Leave a message for a specific person. Anyone can call and say they're simply calling about a job or possible opening. If you do a little research to find out who you should speak to, it will only pay off. It will show that you have a sincere interest in the job and you're not afraid to go the extra mile to get what you want

Always know your employer. Find out about the company you're applying for so you can communicate to them how compatible you are as a candidate.

Practice what you're going to say. You don't want to sound like you're reading a script, but the more prepared you are, the more confident you will sound. Not to mention, if you're prepared to leave a message and you get a person instead, your delivery will be that much better.

Don't let an answering machine or voicemail scare you. You may be eager to get the ball rolling, but don't think of it as a blockade. Instead, consider yourself lucky. If you don't get a "live" person, you'll have more time to prepare what you want to say. This will give you time to get all your thoughts in order and make little or no mistakes.

My personal advice is to be cautious in who and how many sites you post your resume to as ther are uos and downs to utiliaing a resume blasting service. Downside is that your resume gets overstaurated and possibly sent out numerous times to teh same person making you look somewhat desparate...Upside is that the more it is out there, the more accesibility recruiters and hiring managers will have to be able to find you. If you decide to go this route, here are a few sites that may help:

If you're not getting as many leads as you think you should, try using the ResumeDirector service. It lets you get your resume posted on over 90 job sites at once, including Monster, HotJobs, CareerBuilder, etc. To find out more, visit: http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/rd.htm

To find out about ResumeArrow, a service that can get your resume sent instantly to thousands of recruiters specializing in your industry and geographical location, visit this web address: http://www.jobsearchinfo.com/dist.htm
Good luck!!!

Join me on Facebook!

2008-08-02T14:30:00.006-04:00

Hi everyone!! I hope your summer is going well! Hard to believe how quickly it has flown by.

I have started to become more involved in different venues and resources in my recruitment focus and wanted to share with all of you what a possitive and powerful experience Facebook has been for me thus far. Not only is it completely addicting in reconnecting with old classmates or friends...but as you all know networking is the number one way to land that next dream job you are searching for! I have networked and tapped into so many amazing people thus far!

If you are already on Facebook or decide to join...please visit Prolyn's page at: (you will have to copy and paste the link!)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prolyn-Executive-Search/41805329304?ref=nf

And also feel free to link into my personal profile that has both hints of my personal life (lots of pictures of my beautiful daughter) and also hints of Prolyn throughout as well! To link into my personal profile, you will have to send me an invite through Facebook asking me to be your friend (sounds funny I know!! - it is just Facebook terminology!) as with Facebook one of the benefits is having to approve anyone that wants to link into your profile.

Look forward to linking in with you all and helping you all find your dream jobs...or candidates for that next hard to fill search!

Finding a Job Using Uncommon Search Tactics

2008-07-31T23:22:00.004-04:00

Thought this was a great article as it focuses on out of the box thinking in relation to your career search. There are definately some worthwhile tips in here and seemed timely as tough times require more inventive and creative tactics in your job search. Article courtesy of msn careers.com Enjoy!

Rules are meant to be broken. Think outside the box. Be original. These are all clichés meant to inspire and remind you that creativity can often be rewarded in life.

Yet, even the most adventurous of us can't overcome our reservations when it comes to job hunting. Everything you've been told about the application and interview processes emphasizes being professional. Don't try to be funny in your cover letter. Wear a conservative business suit. Show how you'll fit in as one of the team. In other words, do what everyone else is doing. For some people, that just won't do.

Tony Beshara, author of "Acing the Interview," has seen his share of unusual job search methods over the years, ranging from quirky to bold. And several of them have been successful. "For a marketing job, the candidate bought a pair of baby shoes, wrapped one in a box along with her résumé and sent it directly to the hiring authority," Beshara remembers. "The box had a tag that said 'Let me get my foot in the door and you will be pleased.' When she went to the interview, she took the other shoe with her, which was a great way to start the interview."

Another job candidate who was hoping to land a sales position sent his résumé to the hiring manager with miniature star tickets that fell out when you opened it up. Across the top he had written "Hire a Star."

Quiet and clever tactics don't work for everybody, though. Beshara recalls another job seeker who decided to wear a sandwich board that read, "Brand new, hardworking MBA needs work." He then stood at one of Dallas' busiest intersections during the morning rush hour. "He had a job by noon."

Other tactics aren't as premeditated or elaborate.
When marketing and management expert Mark Stevens met with a candidate whose credentials showed great promise, he was disappointed when the interview didn't go well. The applicant wasn't engaged in the interview and as soon as he left he threw away his résumé. "The next day, I received a FedEx package from him, with a book of poetry on human loss and a loving letter about how his mother had died that week," Stevens remembers. He knew he hadn't made a good impression and asked for a second chance. Stevens gave it to him and ended up hiring him.

When you're hunting for a job, keep in mind that these unorthodox methods worked for these job seekers. Not only did they have the guts to try them out, but they also encountered hiring managers who were willing to take their efforts seriously.

Although wearing a sandwich board on a highway isn't the most reliable way to land a job, that job seeker did set himself apart from the thousands of other new MBAs fresh out of school. In a competitive job market, look for any opportunity, big or little, to give yourself an edge over the other applicants.

How to get hired by a 'Best' company

2008-07-06T15:26:00.003-04:00

This article caught my eye from cnn.com. Although the focus of the article is providing tips on how to get your foot in the door with the top ranked fortune 100 companies...many, if not all of the tips translate well to targeting any company you are trying to go to work for. Enjoy!

Even during economic downturns, Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For are constantly scouting for talent. Here's how to get your foot in the door.

It helps to know someone. Almost all of the 100 Best rely heavily on employee referrals. Principal Financial Group and many others get about 40% of their new hires this way. At Wegmans it's a family thing: About one in five employees is related to at least one other staffer.

Play up volunteer work on your résumé. These companies are enthusiastic about community outreach, and they prefer to hire people who are too.

Get ready to interview and interview... and interview. The process varies wildly from one company to another, but you could be facing a series of 12 to 15 one-on-one chats or one long interview with a panel of up to 50 current employees.

Unleash your inner storyteller. By far the most popular interview style is what's known as behavioral, meaning that you will be asked to describe troublesome situations in past jobs and tell exactly how you handled them.

Do creative research. A proven way to stand out from the hordes of other candidates is to know more about the place and the industry than your rivals. A Google search won't do it. Says Jay Jones, recruiting manager at Alcon Laboratories: "Detailed research, including talking to our customers, is so rare it will almost guarantee you get hired."

No lone rangers need apply. By and large, the 100 Best want team players. "I actually count the number of times a candidate says 'I' in an interview," says Adobe's recruiting director Jeff Vijungco. "We'd much rather hear 'we.'"

If you've moved around a lot, be ready to explain why. A checkered past won't disqualify you, but most of these companies are looking for people who want to build a career over the long haul. Be persuasive about why you're ready to settle down here.

Be open to learning new things. Showing passion is a must, and most of the 100 Best pride themselves on creating "learning environments," so talk about the skills you'd like to acquire or polish. A turnoff: declaring that you're already the best at what you do.

If at first you don't succeed, don't give up. Almost every Best Company keeps track of what FedEx calls "silver medalists" - people who barely missed getting hired - and alerts them to new openings. If possible, register on the company's website. Four Seasons, for one, has hired people seven or eight years after an initial meeting.

Don't coast on their reputation. One final tip: Don't apply for a job just because the company is on our list. In the words of Mike Gallagher, HR director at SAS Institute, "We know we have a reputation as a great place to work. But if the reason you want to work here is that you want subsidized day care or a great gym, you won't last." Or, for that matter, make it through the first round of interviews.

Alternatives to Salary Negotiations

2008-06-13T11:01:00.004-04:00

This article on alternatives to salary negotiations caught my eye that may be of interest to some of you. It seems that now more than ever many companies are focusing and offering alternatives and other perks to compliment salaries in many creative ways and to also build stronger employee loyalty. This article was from hotjobs, by Todd Anten. Enjoy!

You think interviews are scary? There's one part of getting a job that can be even more intimidating: Negotiating a salary.

But what happens when a prospective employer just won't meet your salary request? Should you tuck your tail between your legs and accept the job anyway? Or should you politely turn down the job, even if you really need it?

Fortunately, you have a third alternative: You can ask for other benefits that can adequately replace an instant salary boost.

For instance: Consider requesting that you can get a performance review six months after you start. This request will show that you're willing to stand behind your work and prove yourself to the company. Then, in six months, you can request a salary increase.

Here are other things you can ask for at the negotiating table OTHER than money.

An Extra Day Away Don't think you can ask for more money? Then consider asking for a few more days of paid vacation time instead. Even though asking for a few extra vacation days seems like a small request, those days can make a big difference in your happiness in the long run. And from the hiring manager's perspective, granting extra vacation time is much cheaper than a salary bump.

You'll Like Doing This Homework One of the biggest trends to hit U.S. workplaces: Working from home. As technology improves -- from cell phones to home DSL connections -- your home may already resemble your office. So when negotiating a job offer, instead of asking for more money, consider asking if you can work from home once in a while. Think about if you would prefer a structured work-from-home schedule (e.g., every Tuesday) or a looser arrangement (e.g., twice a month).

Moving Money If you're planning to move to a new city or state for a job, you should consider negotiating for some extra money for your relocation costs. Companies realize that moving can be expensive and they are often willing to offset some of the expenses.

Would a Job by Any Other Title? ... If a company doesn't want to offer you more money, perhaps it would be willing to offer you a snazzier job title. While some companies have strict policies regarding job titles, others can be quite flexible. Changing "administrative assistant" to "executive assistant" costs the company nothing, but it might make you feel better. And it could help make your resume more impressive.

One last thing to remember: No matter what extra perks or benefits you score when negotiating a job offer, be sure to get them all in writing.

Tips for job hunting in an unsteady economy

2008-04-30T08:02:00.001-04:00

Although there continues to be some pretty dismal and negative news within our industry and others as well with continual news of lay offs, pending closings, etc., there are still many jobs out there that are open and waiting to be filled! As I always remind you all...if a recruiter in this industry remains to be be busy...things truly are not that bad. I remain to be busy - which is a great sign and underlying strength in our industry regardless of the downturn and recent chaos in the housing market!

Nonetheless, these are indeed different times and many of you have expressed concern and also frustration to me in your job search efforts. Here are some tips from an article I read recently on how to best go about your job search in an uncertain economy. Hope it helps some of you...enjoy and hope you all have a great day!

Experts recommend the following actions to increase your job-search success in an uncertain economic climate.

Tailor your presentations; don't be generic. "In developing a resume and other promotions materials, think about how your current skills and talents apply directly to the responsibilities you'll hold in the new job.

Create a target list of companies," says career coach Julie Jansen, author of "You Want Me to Work with Who?" She suggests sending the list to 25 people, asking them if they can put you in touch with an employee at one of the listed companies.

Make yourself and your skills more visible. Post and refreshing your resume in more places, such as online job boards, and going to job fairs.

"Create an advisory board of smart and empathetic people and confer with them regularly about your job search," says Jansen.

Hone and utilize your 'elevator pitch' as often as possible, referring to a 30-second summary of your professional assets.

Keep your spirits high. Don't let the process overwhelm you or weigh you down. Jansen advises, "Make a list of your five favorite things to do, and do them!"

Make an effort daily. "Do one thing each day -- like emailing a new contact or attending a networking event -- that moves your job search forward. Your worst enemy is inertia.

Interview Follow Up Do's & Dont's

2008-04-21T12:27:00.003-04:00

Having seen my fair share of interview follow up blunders throughout my recruiting career and have also made some myself over the years when I have been in job search and interviewing mode. This article below provided some good tips and reminders on what to do and most importantly not to do when you follow up after an interview. Enjoy!

Do ask at the end of the interview when the employer expects to make the hiring decision.

Do be proactive and consider follow-up a strategic part of your job search process. Follow-up can give you just the edge you need to get the job offer over others who interviewed for the position.

Do use these follow-up techniques to continue to show your enthusiasm and desire for the position, but don’t make it seem as though you are desperate.

Do obtain the correct titles and names of all the people who interviewed you. Get business cards of everyone you met with!

Do write individual thank you notes or letters to each person who interviewed you -- within two business days. Each letter can be essentially the same, but try to vary each a bit in case recipients compare notes.

Don't ever have any errors (misspellings or typos) in your thank you letters.

Don't worry so much about hand-written versus typed thank you letters, but don’t make a mistake by sending it through the wrong medium; make sure you know the best method of reaching the employer, whether by regular mail, email, or fax.

In your thank you letter, do show appreciation for the employer’s interest in you and do remind the employer about why you are the perfect person for the position.

Do alert your references -- if you have not done so already -- that they may be getting a phone call from the employer.

Don't stop job-hunting, even if you feel confident that you will get a job offer. Do continue to interview and attempt to find other opportunities.

Do follow-up with a telephone call to the employer within a week to ten days (or sooner, if the employer had a shorter timetable) to ask about the position. And do continue to build rapport and sell your strengths during the phone call.

Do be patient. The hiring process often takes longer than the employer expects.

Do continue following-up, especially if the employer asks you to. Just don’t go overboard and annoy or bother the employer.

Don't burn any bridges if you do not get a job offer. And do try and turn the situation into a positive by bringing the interviewer(s) into your network, possibly even asking them for referrals to other contacts.

Job Hopping Pros and Cons

2008-04-14T08:08:00.007-04:00

Many people that I speak with often express concern over how having changed jobs so frequently may affect the way they may be viewed as a job hopper by a new potential employer. Quite honestly, most people I speak with these days have resumes that include changing jobs every few years or so and do so for a wide variety of reasons. It is a rarity to see someone that stays with a company 5-10+ years. As such, here is a portion from an article I saw on yahoo this morning that I thought may interest some of you...enjoy!

Job-Hopping Pros & Cons

Ultimately, it's important to plan carefully when evaluating a job change and not switch too often, experts say, citing the following pros and cons

*Pro: Pay increases. "The way you make a large jump in your pay scale is when you leave a company and go to another one. It's proven time and time again.

*Pro: Networking. Different gigs expose you to new networks of people, which can be a real asset.

*Pro: Learning new skills. New environments sometimes teach workers new skills and how to function more quickly, says Kathy Jeffery, vice president of human resources at WhittmanHart Consulting in Chicago.

*Con: Landing in a worse situation. "You might jump into a new job that's worse than your old job," Gee explains.

*Con: Moving too soon. "If you're really leaving places rather quickly you may not be extracting the full value from what that particular workplace has to offer you,

Leave this info out of your interview!

2008-04-02T18:01:00.012-04:00

I recently read a great article on things to leave out of an interview. I would even take it a step further and suggest that much of the below items be left out of most workplace conversations. I think we have al had "that co worker" who shared a bit too much, a bit too freely! Going in line with my last post about bad interviews and ways to improve your interviews, I thought some of these rules of thumb on what not to discuss may help some of you ace those interviews! This article was courtesy of msn careers written by Rachel Zupak. Enjoy!

Everyone knows someone privy to sharing too much information – the TMI, if you will. TMIs have no boundaries and no shame. They will tell you any and every piece of personal information, whether it's filling you in on her latest try at the fertility doctor or the dream he had about your boss last night.

Sharing too much information with your co-workers is an office no-no; sharing too much personal information during the interview is an entirely different ballgame.

Need help deciding what information crosses the line and what doesn't? Here's a list of what personal information Lopeke says is safe, borderline and absolutely forbidden in your interview.

Green light: Go ahead with the following personal info.

Goals. It's OK to talk about what you want in your next assignment and what inspired you to apply for the position. "This is the 'what you want, why now, why them' conversation," Lopeke says.

Growth. You can and should talk about the things you've done up to this point to invest in yourself and your professional development.

Highlights. "Relate the highlights of your greatest professional achievements to date without exaggerating or pontificating," she says.

Motivations. Talk about what motivates you, excites you, what brought you to that particular industry and what attracted you to that specific employment opportunity.

Yellow light: Discuss with caution.

Vacations. If you can chat about a past vacation in relation to the company, it might be OK for your interview.

"For example, if you know the prospective employer is a big supporter of Habitat for Humanity and you vacationed in the same spot where a new housing initiative was just built, it could work for you," Lopeke says. But, if you're bragging about the six month trip around the world you took during your unemployment, you should probably refrain.

Allergies. "If the interviewer is suffering from allergies and you do too, it could be a bonding moment," Lopeke says. But, "if you use the moment to declare you're allergic to stupid people, you'll get tagged as arrogant."

Pets. Talking about your furry friends at home can work for or against you. Dogs and cats shouldn't get you into too much trouble, but exotic or high-maintenance companions can be perceived as an issue.

All skills. It's not necessary to possess every quality the employer has put on its wish list. If you mention only a couple of skills, it shows you have both initiative and growth potential.

Red light: Do not delve into these personal topics during your interview.

Lifestyle choices, politics, religion or family plans. "Controversial topics may make for stimulating conversation but an attractive employee does not stimulate water-cooler frenzy among the masses," Lopeke advises.

Endless name dropping. You can establish that you know some of the same people as the interviewer to build rapport, but don't think you're upping the ante by upping the volume. "While you may know certain people who work for the company already, you don't always know how they are perceived by their employer," Lopeke says. "If they're on the hit list for any reason, you could be painted with that 'birds of a feather' brush instead of being evaluated on your own merit."

Health history. Stay away from your health history – mental and otherwise. "You're supposed to be positioning yourself as dependable and reliable; not as a candidate likely to spike the bell curve on benefit-related expenses," Lopeke says.

House problems, nanny drama or rehab trips. Employers don't want to know much about your life except as it relates to what you've done professionally and what you're likely able to do for them.

Bosses from hell. Simply put, no prospective boss wants to hear a litany of "boss from hell" stories. They'll hate you for it.

Four Steps to a Better Interview

2008-03-31T10:22:00.005-04:00

After reflecting on the past month that was filled with lots of interviews with candidates that I presented to many different companies, a common trend seemed to be many candidates not interviewing as well as we thought they would. As such, this article from Yahoo hot jobs (by Brad Karsh) on tips for interviewing better seemed fitting and also very timely. Have a great day!

Here's a question I often hear: What are some things I can do to prepare for a job interview?

Answer: There really aren't too many things in life more awkward than a job interview. You're dressed in formal business clothing, sitting across from a stranger. This stranger has the right to ask you anything from the most elaborate to the most mundane questions. And you have to spend an hour talking about nothing but yourself. Actually it sounds pretty similar to a blind date!

Just like a blind date, there are some definite no-no's you need to avoid if you want to make it to the next level.

Don't try to outwit or outguess the interviewer. Most candidates go into a job interview thinking it's a contest where the goal is to defeat the interviewer in some type of battle of wits.
"Aha, Brad has asked me this question. Clearly, that is some type of trick question. I just don't know what the trick is yet. Here's how I would normally answer the question, but instead I should say what he probably wants to hear." That thinking is when good interviews go bad. Sit back, relax, and pretend it is a conversation with a friend. Those are the best interviews.

Read the job description. I call the job description the "cheat sheet" for the interview. Chances are the items listed on the job description will come up in the interview. For instance, if the job description says, "looking for creative problem-solvers" one of the questions you will receive is, "Give me an example of when you creatively solved a problem."

Have reasons for everything you've done. Most companies conduct behavioral interviews. It means they are more interested in the hows and the whys as opposed to the whats. They want to know what makes you tick. An interviewer is not simply going to say, "Oh, I see that you worked as a sales rep in your last job. Cool." That interviewer may spend about 10 minutes asking questions about the job: "What did you like about the job? What were your accomplishments? What were your biggest mistakes?" And on and on. Be sure you have answers.

Ask questions. There is nothing more damaging than not having a single question at the end of an interview. It shows that you have no curiosity or interest in the organization. Almost every interviewer will leave about five minutes at the end of the interview to answer questions. Make sure you have a couple. Two or three questions is appropriate, and they can be either personal questions -- "What do you like about working here?" -- or they can be business questions -- "How has the Internet affected your business?" There you have it. Four quick ways that you can make sure you ace the interview and have the job offers rolling in. Good luck!

Urgent Positions!!!

2008-03-13T19:47:00.008-04:00

Things continue to heat up and keep us busy with a good variety of positions we are recruiting for currently! There are a few really urgent and hot positions that we could use your help with! As always, please keep an eye out on the list of current jobs we are recruiting for that are listed to the lower right side of this blog. Listed below in this post are the most urgent positions that we are seeking individuals for. If you or anyone you know of may be interested and a good fit, please let us know!

Remember, when you give us a referral name, whether it is someone you know well or someone you just know of in the industry…we will always keep the referral confidential unless you tell us you want us to let them know you referred them. We are always truly appreciative for all the help and many great referrals so many of you continue to provide us with – thank you!

Design Engineers – 3 positions! Must be able to relocate.

Outside Sales – NY (several areas) & NJ (central/southern)

Project Managers – several positions all over country! Must be able to relocate. Some great opportunities/companies here!

We have a constant and continual need for CAD specialists – all over the country!

Rules to Relocation

2008-03-10T19:22:00.006-04:00

There is no perfect formula to moving and it is true (speaking from my own experience!) that relocating can be one of the most stressful life experiences you encounter. After all, you are not just moving your stuff…you are moving your life! If you go into the relocation well planned, there are many ways to ease the potential stress of the move. Here are some tips that will help you breeze through a relocation:

Do your homework. Taking the time to research the area you are moving to will save you a lot of hassle and headache down the road. Take advantage of many free resources you can tap into such as local realtors, churches and a myriad of websites that will practically do your research for you (www.move.com, www.moving.com, http://www.usps.com/receive/changeaddress/movingtips.htm. The best resource is tapping into the people that you have met during your interview process, as these folks obviously already live in the city you are moving to and can be an instant wealth of knowledge for you to benefit from.

Get a floor plan. If possible, get a floor plan of your future residence or draw one yourself to scale on graph paper. This will help you map out your furniture to fit. If it won’t fit on paper, it won’t fit when it arrives. This rule holds true whether you are renting or buying a home.

Make the most of what you have. Whether it is buying groceries, dog food, etc.…heed caution when replenishing your pantry if you are nearing the date of your move. Frozen foods cannot be shipped and the last thing you want to do is pack boxes full of canned foods…so eat up!

If in doubt…throw it out! Get rid of anything prior to your move that you are in doubt of needing. Chances are you won’t need that riding lawnmower if you are planning in renting an apartment for a year or so. If you don’t need it or haven’t used it for a long time…get rid of it! Moving costs are typically calculated on weight so why not lose some dead weight and save some money! Not sure what to do with all your old treasures? Have a garage sale and earn a profit from your old treasures versus paying the moving truck to haul what may be a ton of junk that will just collect dust in a storage garage or attic in your new place. There are also many companies that will handle your sale or people that will ebay your items for a small percentage of the profit. An easy alternative is also to donate your things to a local charity and get a tax deduction.

Get quotes. It is always recommended to get at least 3 quotes from professional movers prior to selecting the one who will move your belongings. Get a referral for a reputable mover from friends, family…or you can call us as we are partnered with a free relocation services that can provide that as well.

Allow time for packing. Moving requires lots of organization and patience. Decide if you want to put the effort into packing yourself or paying a bit extra to have a reputable moving company pack for you. If you have the extra cash to do so, it is highly recommended to pay the movers to pack for you as it can be a big stress reliever with all else you have going on in coordinating your big move.

Make a list and check it twice. There are many free checklists out there for you to better organize your move to ensure you are not forgetting a vital task of your move. The post office has a list included in their change of address packet that is quite helpful as well. There are so many obvious tasks that you will seemingly have to tackle…so having a list may help keep you organized and a bit more stress free throughout the relocation.

Breathe! Bottom line is to take a deep breathe and tackle one task at a time. While it is always exciting to think about a new home, a new city, new friends, new surroundings and environment, relocation does come with its fair share of hassles. Staying organized and on task throughout the process will help make the move and transition into your new city and hopefully dream job much more enjoyable!

Job Interview Blunders

2008-03-06T19:20:00.005-05:00

This list of jokes has been around as I have seen it before. Yet, it is worth a quick read for a good laugh. Supposedly, this list was complied by Vice Presidents and personnel directors of the one hundred largest corporations when they were asked to describe their most unusual experience interviewing prospective employees. While some of them seem absolutely unbelievable, I have actually heard a few crazier from my own hiring managers that I have worked with over the years!

A job applicant challenged the interviewer to an arm wrestle.

Interviewee wore a Walkman, explaining that she could listen to the interviewer and the music at the same time.

Candidate fell and broke arm during interview.

Candidate announced she hadn't had lunch and proceeded to eat a hamburger and french fries in the interviewers office.

Candidate explained that her long-term goals was to replace the interviewer.

Candidate said he never finished high school because he was kidnapped and kept in a closet in Mexico.

Balding Candidate excused himself and returned to the office a few minutes later wearing a headpiece.

Applicant said if he was hired he would demonstrate his loyalty by having the corporate logo tattooed on his forearm.

Applicant interrupted interview to phone her therapist for advice on how to answer specific interview questions.

Candidate brought large dog to interview.

Applicant refused to sit down and insisted on being interviewed standing up.

Candidate dozed off during interview.

The employers were also asked to list the "most unusual" questions that have been asked by job candidates.

"What is it that you people do at this company?"

"What is the company motto?"

"Why aren't you in a more interesting business?"

"What are the zodiac signs of all the board members?"

"Why do you want references?"

"Do I have to dress for the next interview?"

"I know this is off the subject, but will you marry me?"

"Will the company move my rock collection from California to Maryland?"

"Will the company pay to relocate my horse?"

"Does your health insurance cover pets?"

"Does your company have a policy regarding concealed weapons?"

Free Resume Writing & Advice Website

2008-03-02T05:30:00.006-05:00

I stumbled across a great website the other day that is geared towards writing a winning resume. There are an overwhelming number of resume writing, critique and miscellaneous other resume related services sites out there to attempt to navigate through. However, this one by far was one of the best I have seen in a very long time. In addition to providing some great tips on resume writing, the site also provides an unbelievable amount of other great resources, such as; free samples of resumes, interview and negotiation tips, ways to overcome stumbling blocks such as gaps in employment, no degree, etc. One of the things I really thought that made the site stand out from the crowd was the site owner, Susan Ireland, has many quick tip videos posted throughout the site, by topic, giving the site a personal and very genuine type feel. I suppose the very best part of this site is that it is completely free…right down to the free resume software they let you use.

In case any of you are struggling with perfecting a resume, or just want to browse through some great interview or salary negotiation tips, here is the site for you to check out: www.susanireland.com (You will have to copy and paste the link in your browser...sorry!, for some reason it didn't copy in here as a link you can just click on).

Enjoy!

Take the Right Job/Wrong Job Quiz!

2008-02-26T12:44:00.015-05:00

A good friend of mine recently emailed me a link to a career assessment quiz. He swore to me his results were dead on. I pretty much laughed at him, as I have throughout my own career taken a myriad of these things…some simple and also some mirroring mini SAT tests. While I am not a big fan of tests of any kind, I went ahead and took the quiz. The online quiz itself was quick and painless, almost generic in nature which led me to think there was no way I would get back anything accurate or of worth. However, the results did in fact yield a few things that I thought were worthy of sharing.

As simple as this quiz was, it managed to peg me pretty perfectly with my results and also give me some good food for thought. The bonus and fun part of the results were by far the detail they give you back. The test provides your career personality type (i.e., I am a “strategic/creative”). It also elaborates to give you tips on how to improve your current work situation and some good, probing questions to ask yourself to better determine if you are in the right job. While these kinds of quizzes aren’t always 100% accurate, and aren’t necessarily rocket science, this one I felt provided some worthy feedback, so thought I’d share it with you all. I am also doing so as I promised that I would publicly admit to my friend that this fun little quiz had some worth after I laughed at his urging for me to have taken it! (Thank you and sorry JT!).

Probably worth mentioning is that I was all the more surprised to get any useful info from the site link that is entitled tickle.com…as this is the kind of site that will also provide you with silly tests to let you now what kind of superhero or cartoon character you would be, etc. : )

***Before you take the test, note that the site will require that you set up a free account (enter your name and email), right after completing the test, hit "skip all offers", then you will see a brief overview of your results. They will email you the detailed report which is free, yet when you click on the link in your email to get your results they are of course trying to sell you this report. In small letters at lower right of screen…you can click "get my free report" at the bottom of the page, then hit "skip offer" on the next 2 pages to truly get the report/results free. Quick and simple, I promise!

Here is the link if you want to try it for yourself…Right Job/Wrong Job Quiz: www.web.tickle.com/tests/rightjob/index_main.jsp

While there are many sites that offer free career tests , quizzes , and assessments these sites generally use them as a lead in for you to purchase more materials from the site. However, you can still get a lot of useful information without buying anything. And some tests are actually totally free. Here is the link to a site that lists many different career related tests and quizzes...some of these are more fun in nature versus giving you any real substance, yet there are several other interesting and ones of substance hereas well: www.zcareer.com/freecareertests.html

Enjoy!

To post or not to post...

2008-02-24T10:15:00.007-05:00

I have received many questions recently on the subject of whether or not job seekers should post a resume online. While posting your resume on a Monster, Careerbuilder or any job site for that matter may seem like a good idea, it can also thwart your job search pretty quickly if you go about this the wrong way. Yes, when you are looking for a job you want to get the word out and have your resume be accessible and readily found to help land you in your next dream job. However, it is not necessarily true that the more you put your resume out there, that the more it will benefit you in your job search. In fact, exactly the opposite may be true. I am not saying not to post, what I am saying is throw caution to the wind and be extremely careful with how and where you go about posting your resume publicly.

Things to think about when you post your resume online:

Limit and be selective of where you post your resume. Don’t over saturate the job boards with your resume. There is nothing worse than having recruiters and employers who search these boards find your resume over and over again. This lessens your value immensely. If you must post your resume, pick only one or two of the larger and reputable job boards and also post it in a more niche job site that ideally is targeted to your industry or specific job function.

The more you post your resume online, the more likely it is to spread in reach and availability. This lessens your control over who sees your resume and whose hands it may land in. A word of caution – just because you post your resume online, does NOT mean that recruiters will respect your privacy. I have heard numerous horror stories from job seekers I have worked with about them having experienced first hand a shady recruiter or two picking their resume off a job board and sending it into a company without their permission. If you put your resume out there, it could literally be ending up just about anywhere and everywhere.

Any time you post your resume, you run the risk of having your current employer or someone your current employer knows finding it. Most companies have staff dedicated to searching job boards for positions they are looking to fill…chances are that person may easily stumble across your resume while they are searching. In addition, many companies are now searching job boards by using their company name and key words in an effort to find current disloyal employees who may be out there looking for a job. I probably don’t have to tell you the horror stories I have heard about the many recruiters who use this same practice and in turn will go to the clients and unethically tell them that they saw your resume online in some twisted effort to build loyalty or gain allegiance form them. (It’s no wonder recruiters get such a bad rap and reputation from the many unethical ones that there are out there!!!).

Never ever pay someone to distribute your resume or use one of those resume blasting services. They often sound good and offer all sorts of appeal if you are a job seeker in desperate search of a job. Trust me, these sites do nothing other than distribute your resume to everyone’s email address they can find. A sure fire way for you to over saturate yourself in the marketplace. Worth mentioning is that throughout my own career as a recruiter, I have tried tapping into many different resume blasting services and have yet to ever have received one resume that matched my industry let alone a job that I was recruiting for.

My absolute best piece of advice based upon all of the above comments, is that if you are going to post your resume online, do so confidentially. Most reputable job boards will allow you to list your resume as confidential. Do not post your contact or identifying information (name, address, current employer, etc.). Where many job seekers trip up is by clicking on that option, yet then downloading their resume without remembering to remove their name, contact info and current employer from that resume they download. Trust me, this happens lots!

Don't let your resume sit out there. Many job boards sort resumes by date of submission with the newest first. Renew your resume every few weeks to keep it looking current and new. If you don't get any response to your resume within 20 or so days of posting, remove it from that location and post it elsewhere. It could be that employers are not looking for people with your skills in this particular database, but it could also be that there is too much competition between candidates with the same skills and your resume is not rising to the top.

And finally, when your job search is over, delete all resumes out there. Do not continue to "dangle the hook" and see what offers may come up. Your new employer (or those shady recruiters mentioned previously) may find you still fishing and demand an explanation.

Always remember that most job sites make their money by selling access to the resume database! Many want you to post your resume in their database, but few really work for you.

Tips to providing and getting better references

2008-02-17T11:02:00.017-05:00

Reference checking is a big part of my job. It is also one of the most frustrating areas that I and many employers have to contend with. All too often, attempting to reach a reference that a job seeker provided results in playing a seemingly never-ending game of phone tag...or endless hours of waiting for the reference to find the time to call back. This is par for the course as they are busy with their own jobs and as such, calling back to provide references is often one of the last things they have time to do in their busy schedules. Unfortunately in many instances, sluggish return calls of references holds up the process and utimately getting you an offer in hand.

Also, the ultimate worse case scenario is finally getting a hold of a reference and having it result in negative things being said about the job seeker. While this rarely happens, it does occur and can be a quick means to cutting all chances of you landing your dream job...regardless of whether the recruiter or employer is checking your references. Although recruiters work on your behalf, they also work on the behalf of and for the companies they recruit for and ethically they should divulge the good, the bad and even the ugly to the employers they are partnered with. After all, every candidate they present to their clients is a direct extension of their reputation.

Tips to ensure that you are providing and also getting stellar references:

WHEN PROVIDING REFERENCES:

Keep them current! Make sure you stay in touch with these people frequently, that their contact information is correct and up to date so they are easily reachable and accessible.

Call your references each time you hand them out! A quick phone call to give your reference a heads up that they may be receiving a call will serve you well! This lets them know to expect the call, that is important they return the call and also an idea of what position you are applying for so they can put some thought into comments they want to provide on your behalf.

Have backups! It is always best to provide 3-5 professional references to provide to the prospective employer or the recruiter you are working with. On the off chance that these references cannot be reached or found when reference checking is conducted, protect yourself with having a few backups to provide as additional security that your job offer will not get held up by references that are not reachable or are taking too long to call back.
HOW TO GET BETTER REFERENCES

Interview your references! To ensure you are providing references that will provide an honest and clear picture of your skill set and other questions they may be asked, ask them questions about yourself and your performance in a prior job. This will enable you to know how they will respond when answering those same questions to the recruiter or company that calls them to ask about you. Better to be safe than sorry! And while I don't recommend ever hiding anything as honesty is always best, should you hear anything negative from your references, this will give you a chance to learn, improve and also tackle resolving potential areas of issue that could potentially arise in a reference check.

Get it in writing! When you leave an employer, get as many letters of recommendations as you can. This will serve you well in many scenarios down the road...such as, in the event your reference changes jobs, moves or is unreachable, and also in the event whoever is checking your references cannot get a hold of one of your references. Often a letter of recommendation will suffice and be a possible substitute if this is the case. As a final note, if you are working with a recruiter who conducted your reference checks, ask them for a copy when they have completed it. Not a bad idea to have this in your files and also to be able to see first hand what and how your references responded about you.

International Builders Show - Orlando

2008-02-12T17:29:00.000-05:00

Hope you all have a successful Builders Show this year! This is the first time in several years that I will not be in attendance at the show as timing wise, my daughters birthday celebration coincided with the show. As such, me making the trip was just not a possibility - unfortunately! I do however look forward to hearing all about how the show was from each of you as I have spoken to so many of you who will be there - or are already there setting up. Should be a great show as always...Have fun!!!

Google yourself!!!

2008-02-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

I have seen many (although often really funny) completely inappropriate personal email addresses that have been listed on job seekers resumes lately. Keep in mind that when you send your resume out, it is the first impression the prospective employer or recruiter will get of you. Having your email read things like pimpdaddy@yahoo or idealdrugs@yahoo most definitely may hinder your shot at having someone take your resume seriously or even give you a second glance.

Along that note, as it has been referenced in many articles and even in the news lately…be careful what you post online at personal networking sites such as facebook, friendster, myspace, etc. You would be surprised how many employees are technically savvy enough these days to check these sites to try and get a glimpse into what they may be getting in an employee they are considering hiring. Although your personal life is indeed just that…best to make sure that you don’t let the two intertwine and possible affect getting that next interview or job of your dreams!

My best advice to you is to:

1. Set up a separate email account specifically for your job search. Use this account solely to send our resumes and communicate with recruiters or potential employers. You can get a free email just about anywhere these days (yahoo.com, gmail, com, hotmail.com, etc.). Total bonus that this will help keep you organized in your job search and keep all your correspondence in one place separately from other personal or work related emails.

2. Keep the email address simple! Restrict it to your name or you can even get a bit creative and use key words that describe your career background versus words that may border on being risqué and unprofessional. For example use windowsalesguy@yahoo or johndoe123@yahoo. Keep it simple!

3. Google yourself! It will take you seconds and will possibly save you some heartache down the road from sitting in that final interview and having an employer know a bit too much about you. I am not saying stay away from personal networking sites as they are fun and often a great way to meet new people…yet they should not interfere with your professional life. Just be careful what you post on there. Last thing in the world that you would want would be to have the person who you may soon report to find risqué photos of you on myspace or read the slang terms you write to all your friends on facebook, etc. Aside from that, there is a website out there for just about everything these days for people to publicly complain about anyone…bad neighbor, bad boyfriend, etc. The internet is a vault of information, but what you and others put out there about yourself can all too easily be found by just about anyone!

And, YES, I did google myself prior to writing this post! Ha ha! And phew! 

Network your way to a new job!

2008-02-01T15:27:00.000-05:00

There seem to be an endless and never-ending array of professional and also personal networking sites popping up these days. It can easily become all too harrowing to try and navigate through the maze of networking sites available and truly determine which ones are worthy of investing your time at. Whether you are a job seeker, an employer, a recruiter or just want to reconnect with former colleagues, there truly are some great sites and resources out there to tap into these days.

I have links to most of the sites I personally recommend here on this Blog, yet I continue to check out several of the new and also older ones occasionally as they are great sources for me as a recruiter to tap into the more passive candidate and also gain some phenomenal industry referrals from. In an effort to help you all tap into some good networking sites, here are both my recommendation of sites and also some sites that I have heard of, yet cannot vouch for as I have yet have to check into yet fully.

Good luck with your job searches and networking efforts...and while I truly hope that I am the recruiter who places you in your next dream job, I am also hopeful that some of these sites may be of use and benefit to you in your career search or just to network more extensively with industry contacts. You all continue to be so wonderful in providing me with some great references (thank you!), so I am hopeful this list may help give you ways to connect you with new industry contacts, former colleagues, etc.

Sites I recommend:

www.linkedin.com Most of you who know me and are in my network, know that I am a big fan of LinkedIn. A great and easy tool to keep in touch with your contacts and also reach out to many new contacts across just about any industry. I rank this site top of my list!

www.konnects.com This is a newer site for me and I have not diligently checked it out in great detail yet. However, as new as it is to me, it appears the site is growing rather quickly as I have received many communications or request through the site thus far.

www.xing.com This is another site that I have received several communications and requests form professionals looking to reach out to me at, ye have not researched it heavily enough to form an opinion one way or another yet.

www.naymz.com

www.spoke.com

Other sites that may be worth checking out that I have heard or seen reference to these, yet just haven't had enough time to thoroughly research and personally review all of these yet. Please let me know your experiences on any of the below listed sites and I will post a follow up here in a few months to give everyone an update:

http://www.fastcompany.com/cof/

http://www.ecademy.com/

http://www.jigsaw.com/

http://www.networkingforprofessionals.com/

http://jobs.realcontacts.com/home.asp

http://www.ziggs.com/

http://www.zoominfo.com/ (this is more of a great researching tool - much like a Hoovers, you can search for company data or by individual name - a great resource!)

Hot Positions!

2008-01-30T17:59:00.000-05:00

There are several really hot, urgent, high priority positions that I am working on right now. As always, with such a variety of searches throughout the country...some move incredibly quickly and others take a slower pace. It seems that lately most are moving forward very quickly with getting candidates in and moving along quickly through the interview process - a great sign! Things within the industry continue to be great in my opinion, based upon the high level of activity that I am continuing to see with the job requisitions that I am receiving to fill. Of course much, if not all of this focus continues to be focused on the remodeling and replacement side of the business versus new construction - for obvious reasons. I have also noticed that many of you who I have spoken with recently have gotten new career opportunities in record time - amazing! Please continue to keep an eye out on the list of jobs that I am actively recruiting for to the lower right side of this Blog. You all have been wonderful about providing me with some great referrals and I appreciate it tremendously...keep them coming!! I am really looking forward to continuing to work hard to assist each of you in your current and future job searches and am so excited at the way things are looking within the industry!

Steps to Finding Your Dream Job

2008-01-24T09:04:00.000-05:00

Life's far too short to not be doing what excites you for a profession! For the amount of time we spend working, thinking about work, stressing about work, talking about work, commuting to and from work, etc. it is truly amazing how many people are not in professions that make them happy. Easier said than done of course...as it involves taking that often much harder and rougher path to set out and follow your heart to be doing what you have a passion for. My father recently gave me an article relating to this topic - a seemingly invaluable read for me especially with having recently started my own business. The article my Dad gave me was far too long to post here, and is actually is a famous speech from a few years back...if you want a copy, just email me and I will email it to you. Because the gist of that article hit me in so many powerful and different ways, I sought out to find a briefer cliff notes version of steps to following the path to your dream job. Not anywhere as powerful as the article I referenced above, yet some good tips provided here nonetheless from forbes.com on steps to finding your dream job. Good luck!!!

Is It Time To Go?

If you're filled with dread late Sunday afternoon or if little things become big chores or unbelievably annoying at work, it may be time to think about changing careers. If you're routinely in a deep funk, a new job in the same field probably won't make much difference.

Current Job Bugaboos

Make a list of what drives you crazy at your current job. Is it your co-workers, short-sighted management, mindless repetition of the same stuff every day? Defining the cause of your dissatisfaction will help point you in a new direction.

Make A List

List the components of your dream job, including as many details as possible. But don't let fine points become deal breakers. Think: What do you really want to do? Where do you want to do it? What will it take to make the switch?

Follow Your Passion
The key to launching a new career is to match your passion with your talents. What are you good at? Can you pay the bills doing it? Are you willing to take a pay cut? If so, where do you and your family cut back financially?

Basic Research
Research your proposed new field. Does it require special training? A license? An additional college degree? Can you perform your dream job in your current location or will you have to move? Are your spouse and family willing move to a new city or even a new state?

Include Your Spouse
A successful career switch must involve your spouse, especially if the change means lower pay. You can do without the fancy car and spiffy clothes, but you've got to think about the kids' braces and college education. Everyone will be a part of your new career, so make your spouse a partner in making the right decision.

Take Notes

Talk with others in your proposed field to better understand what you're getting into. Ask a basic question: What are the joys and frustrations? Take notes to chart your progress. If you decide to look for work in a new field, make a list of all contacts and interviews. Above all, keep at it until you find what you want.

How to handle a layoff

2008-01-16T12:11:00.000-05:00

With recent news of some of the larger companies such as Pella and Peachtree shutting down plants and continual lay offs within the industry, this article seemed timely to share with you all. I will stress however, that things in the job market within the industry remain quite strong in my view. As I have referenced in many recent posts here, I am busier than ever recruiting for a variety of positions throughout the country. As the bigger companies slash their workforces in an effort to cut costs...many of the smaller to mid size companies seem to be reaping the benefits and hiring up a storm!

The below information came from a mix of an article from about.com and also msn money...as I thought they both offered some good and worthwhile tips.

What to do if you're laid off

Visit or call your state unemployment office

Ask your current employer about severance pay, accrued vacation and sick pay

Request information on continuance of health and life insurance benefits

Ask about outplacement resources

Request a reference letter for your files

Update your resume so it is ready to go when you come across opportunities that interest you and match your skill set

Research and determine career options

Create a job search action plan

Use this time as as opportunity to reassess your career goals

Treat your job search like a full-time job

Contact industry specialized recruiters to get your name thrown into the ring quick and often for opportunities that are not advertised

Other tips worth mentioning:

Try to negotiate a better severance package. Some (employers) will negotiate. The more senior the people, definitely. The more rank-and-file, it might be more difficult. It might be just based on the number of years you've worked there. If you don't ask, you won't know. The worst they can say is no.

Leave on good terms. You never know when that president or CFO goes to another company and you're looking to hire on with that company. Just don't burn bridges.

Get a recommendation. Especially if it's a mass layoff and really has nothing to do with your job performance, get a letter of recommendation explaining that so you can use it in your next job interview.

Roll over your retirement plan. Make sure you roll your money into an individual retirement account using a trustee-to-trustee transfer to avoid any penalty or tax hit. Don't take a check,or you could be subject to taxes.

If you're short of cash, tapping your retirement accounts should be "a choice of last resort," Still, he noted, such withdrawals become necessary at times. If so, check to see whether you qualify for your plan's penalty-free hardship withdrawal (though a job loss is often not covered).

Even if money's tight, resist using credit cards. Plus, if a big annual insurance payment is nearing, consider switching to smaller monthly or semiannual payments to avoid an immediate big hit to your pocketbook. And if necessary, put a hold on any automatic savings plans.

Calling all Sales Reps!!!!

2008-01-09T18:51:00.001-05:00

Wow! I cannot honestly remember a time over the past 6 years that I have recruited in this industry where there was such a surge (and sudden one) for sales reps at this time of year! While I still continue to have several operations and manufacturing positions to recruit on...it seems sales positions are hot, hot, hot right now!

I am currently looking for great sales people in Atlanta, Dallas (2 here), KY, CA, NJ (3 here, different companies!), NY (several here, different co's), Dallas/Ft. Worth (another one!), and Sales management roles in the Midwest and also west coast! The best part is that I can honestly say each and every one of these companies are ones that I am personally impressed with and excited about that have great opportunities to offer along with great company and product reputations!

Nothing could be more exciting to be swarmed with so many sales positions to fill...what a great sign for the industry especially with all the bad news we have been hearing lately! I have heard from many of the companies and also candidates that I work with that several of you anticipate a tough and rough year ahead in 2008. I am hopeful and extremely optimistc that we will all pull through it unscathed and even more hopeful that this influx and demand for sales people will start the year off great for all of us!

On the manufacturing side of things my hottest and most urgent positions currently are for a Quality Manager in TX, a Plant Manager on west coast and a Design Engineer in FL. All great companies and fantastic opportunities!!

Please remember to keep checking my list of current positions to the right side of this Blog in the event you or someone you can refer or recommend to me may be a good fit for one of them! Thanks as always for all of your support and fantastic referrals over recent months especially!

Ways to Boost Your Interview IQ

2008-01-07T17:55:00.000-05:00

It never hurts to beef up your interview skills...and as such, here is an article on tips to boost your interview skills/IQ that I thought was worthy of mentioning. Much of it seems to be basic, common sense...yet you would be surprised to know just how many people don't put many, if any of these to play when it comes time for the interview.

Ten Tips to Boost Your Interview IQ (by Carole MartinMonster Contributing Writer) Even the smartest and most qualified job seekers need to prepare for job interviews. Why, you ask? Interviewing is a learned skill, and there are no second chances to make a great first impression. So study these 10 strategies to enhance your interview IQ.

Practice Good Nonverbal Communication. It's about demonstrating confidence: standing straight, making eye contact and connecting with a good, firm handshake. That first impression can be a great beginning -- or quick ending -- to your interview.

Dress for the Job or Company. Today's casual dress codes do not give you permission to dress as "they" do when you interview. It is important to look professional and well-groomed. Whether you wear a suit or something less formal depends on the company culture and the position you are seeking. If possible, call to find out about the company dress code before the interview.

Listen. From the very beginning of the interview, your interviewer is giving you information, either directly or indirectly. If you are not hearing it, you are missing a major opportunity. Good communication skills include listening and letting the person know you heard what was said. Observe your interviewer, and match that style and pace.

Don't Talk Too Much. Telling the interviewer more than he needs to know could be a fatal mistake. When you have not prepared ahead of time, you may tend to ramble, sometimes talking yourself right out of the job. Prepare for the interview by reading through the job posting, matching your skills with the position's requirements and relating only that information.

Don't Be Too Familiar. The interview is a professional meeting to talk business. This is not about making a new friend. Your level of familiarity should mimic the interviewer's demeanor. It is important to bring energy and enthusiasm to the interview and to ask questions, but do not overstep your place as a candidate looking for a job.

Use Appropriate Language It's a given that you should use professional language during the interview. Be aware of any inappropriate slang words or references to age, race, religion, politics or sexual orientation -- these topics could send you out the door very quickly.

Don't Be Cocky Attitude plays a key role in your interview success. There is a fine balance between confidence, professionalism and modesty. Even if you're putting on a performance to demonstrate your ability, overconfidence is as bad, if not worse, as being too reserved.

Take Care to Answer the Questions When an interviewer asks for an example of a time when you did something, he is seeking a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don't answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.

Ask Questions. When asked if they have any questions, most candidates answer, "No." Wrong answer. It is extremely important to ask questions to demonstrate an interest in what goes on in the company. Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to find out if this is the right place for you. The best questions come from listening to what is asked during the interview and asking for additional information.

Don't Appear Desperate When you interview with the "please, please hire me" approach, you appear desperate and less confident. Maintain the three C's during the interview: cool, calm and confident. You know you can do the job; make sure the interviewer believes you can, too.

2008 Forecast

2008-01-07T17:45:00.001-05:00

Seems to be continually dismal news relative to the housing market and construction industry as well as another pretty bleak article/cover story on DWM this month regarding the down turn in the housing market. While true, I have to say the job market seems to be withholding relatively well based upon what I am seeing. I have mentioned in prior postings how busy I am with jobs to fill and what a good sign it is when an industry recruiter stays busy in what appears to be a fairly dismal time for many. Yet, seems worthy of mentioning again. I currently have several urgent, priority positions that I am working on so please be sure to keep an eye out on the listing of current jobs I keep updated here on this Blog. And thank you to so many of you for what have been some fantastic referrals lately! It seems when it rains it pours and I appreciate all of your help in helping me identify and find good talent for the positions I am working on!

New Years Resolutions for Job Seekers

2008-01-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday and New Years! It is certainly good to be getting back to work after the long holiday! I look forward to assisting many of you with finding new career opportunities in the coming year!

Here are some good tips that were posted on about.com in regard to job seekers new years resolutions by Alison Doyle, who writes a fantastic job searching blog. Also below is a link to some additional worthy tips from a myriad of other staffing experts that are worth checking out.

The start of a new year is always a good time to assess where you are in your job search, and to get back on track if your job search has faltered during the holiday season. That happens to the best of us, and a break can be a good thing, especially during the busy holiday season. The new year is also a good time of year to consider whether the timing is right for you to begin looking for a new job or a career change, and, if so, to get started. If you're not in job search mode, take some time to begin building or to expand your

professional brand. Branding is something every professional should be doing, even if they are not in job search mode at the moment.

This is also the time when we typically consider some resolutions for the future. Some of the top experts in job searching and career development have been kind enough to share their advice on how to effectively job search with us. (Click on link in blue text to read some additional good tips from other staffing experts). Consider adding some, or all, of them to your list of New Year's Resolutions and best wishes to you all in landing that perfect dream job in 2008!

Happy Holidays!!!

2007-12-21T08:30:00.000-05:00

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday! Hard to believe how quickly this year has passed and how much has occurred with many changes and ups and downs within the industry! Hiring continues to be strong with many new jobs coming my way to recruit for. Ironically most have been sales and sales management roles over the past few weeks which is a great sign!

I will be on vacation starting later today (Friday, 12/21) through next Wednesday enjoying the holiday with my beautiful 6 year old daughter! She is so excited for Christmas and reminds me daily how many days are left until Santa comes! I will be putting many calls out on some of the newer searches I have received to work on once I return to the office on Thursday. Please remember to check my active jobs posted to the right lower portion of the blog here to let me know if you or someone you know or can refer to me may be interested in one of the positions listed.

Enjoy your holidays and time spent with your families!!!

Establishing a Better Network

2007-12-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

This was an interesting and timely article on networking that I saw on the subject of networking. I have recently had many conversations with people who looking for work within the industry to who I always suggest tapping into their network of industry contacts to help them in their job search. All too often I hear back that many don't feel they have a strong enough network or know enough people who are decision makers to make that effort worthwhile.

Help, I don't have a network (article from Yahoo-Hotjobs/author: Liz Ryan)

I suppose it's possible for an adult to have no network at all -- if he or she has been living in the Biosphere laboratory for the last few decades. But that is unlikely. You DO have a yep; everyone has a network! You just haven't been thinking of the people you know as a network.

Who Do You Know? A useful exercise for the person who thinks "I don't know anyone" is to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and write down 100 names. Write down the names of everyone you know. Here's what happens: the first 10 names are easy. Sometimes the next 10 are pretty easy too. Then, you sit.

You wonder: Who else do I know? You think: I don't know anyone else! But that's not true. You know people at work. You know people in your neighborhood. You know people at your gym, or your place of worship, or your kids' school. You know people through your parents, your friends, and your book club. Keep writing! It may take you an hour. If you stick to it, you'll list 100 people. Most of us know more people than that.

You have never thought of these folks as your network before. But that's what they are. These are people you will tell if you're looking for a job, but don't wait until you're job-hunting to cultivate your network.

Tending Your Network. Make sure you have contact information for everyone on your list. If you don't want to use technology in your network-management, use a plain old-fashioned address book. Next, reach out to your network, one by one. Touch base with the people you don't see often, and offer a coffee date to catch up. People are aware of their networks when they need them, but that's the worst time to reach out to seldom-seen contacts and say, "It's been too long!" It's so much better to strengthen your connections when you're not in need of a favor -- like right now, for instance.

Something incredible happens when you have lunch or coffee with a colleague or friend you haven't seen in awhile. You wonder why it took you so long to re-establish contact! Networking is not just for job-seekers; keeping up your friendships and work relationships gives you moral support, fresh ideas, and the reminder that the people around us add so much to our lives, personally and professionally. The new people you meet after you develop your "network awareness" will become part of your network, too.

Renew Old Ties In reviewing your network, you may think of someone you lost touch with long ago. "Well, it's too late now," you may think, "I can't contact that person, 10 years later." Well, why the heck not! There is no statute of limitations on networking, or on friendship. That person will very likely be delighted to hear from you. Networking is not just (or even mostly) about making new contacts -- it's cultivating the trusty old ones, as well.

They say no man is an island, and I have yet to meet the person who's truly unconnected in this people-packed world. You've got a network, whether you know it or not. Your job now is to behave like a person who's got a network -- keeping up with your contacts, being a friend and a resource to them, and letting them know what they mean to you.

Lots of new jobs!

2007-12-04T18:01:00.000-05:00

Several new positions have come my way to recruit for over the past week...the majority of them are sales roles which is a good sign for the industry! The better news is that most of these are urgent with companies wanting to hire by year end! The exciting part for me is that many of these positions are with such fantastic companies that I think very highly of and will be great oportunities for some of you in the industry!

Please review the list of my open jobs that I am recruiting for to the lower right portion of this Blog and let me know if you or anyone you know may be interested and a good fit for any of these positions! Thanks as always and in advance for all of your referrals...they help me tremendously and are very much appreciated!

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs!

2007-11-29T10:21:00.001-05:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Things continue to look good within the industry as far as hiring goes, regardless of all the negative news it seems. There is nothing I like more than to be able to spread good news and it seems the tail end of the year continues to be as busy as ever with hiring needs. Always a good sign when recruiters are kept busy with having many jobs to fill!

Trend wise, I am seeing a wide array of hiring needs. In the positions I am getting to fill these days. Still lots of needs for strong engineering and engineering management candidates along with several sales positions. I have not seen as many higher level executive positions come open these days, however they are still out there and I have seen more and more companies promote from within when these vacancies arise.

Many candidates think that things slow down this time of year...but nothing could be further from the truth. Don't let the holiday season allow you to think that hiring gets put on hold until the new year! Many companies are in a full push to close out the year strong with hiring top candidates and also in an effort to utilize remaining recruiting and hiring budgets.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-18T15:06:00.000-05:00

Wishing all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving celebration! There is no better time of year to express to each of you how truly thankful I am for getting to work with you all. I am extremely appreciative of the wonderful professional relationships that have grown into close friendships with many of you in the industry!
Now more than ever with having recently started my own recruiting firm, I realize and appreciate all the more so, the incredibly amazing people that are drawn to this industry. It is an honor to work alongside each and every one of you!
Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday and Holiday season!

Tips for acing the interview

2007-11-07T08:39:00.001-05:00

We all dread that big interview...nerves get jittery and we tend to overanalyze even the smallest detail. Here are some tips to go in prepared and ace that next interview.:
Be Concise
Interviewees rambling on is one of the most common mistakes you can make. Listen to the question, and answer the question, and answer it concisely. So many candidates hear a question, begin to answer then go off on a tangent and end without provising the answer to the question at all.
Provide Examples
It's one thing to say you can do something; it's another to give examples of things you have done. You should come and anticipate the questions you are going to be asked based on the requirement of the role. Think of recent strong strategic examples of work you've done, then when the question is asked, answer with specifics, not in generalities. You should say, ‘Yes, I've done that before. Here's an example of a time I did that…,' and then come back and ask, ‘Did that answer your question?'"
Be Honest
Somehow, candidates get the impression that it's best to try to dance around difficult questions. If you don't have a skill, just state it. Don't try to cover it up by talking and giving examples that aren't relevant. You're much better off saying you don't have that skill but perhaps you do have some related skills, and you're happy to tell them about that if they like.
Keep Your Guard Up
Even as well as you may feel you may have gotten to know the hiring authority after a handful of interviews...it is always best to keep your guard up. I am not suggesting not being yourself...but I am suggesting not to give away too much. Candidates all too often get a bit too comfortable and say or do things they shouldn't have during the interview process. Remember: Always maintain your professionalism.
Ask Great Questions
Nothing impresses more than a really good question that not only shows you've researched the company in general, but the specific job you're hoping to land as well. Do your research and go in prepared armed with knowledge about the company.

Announcing...Prolyn Executive Search!

2007-10-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

Many of you already know that I have left MRI and have branched out on my own...having started my own executive recruiting firm. For those of you who do not have my current, updated information, here it is:

Email: ceb@prolyn.net

Website: www.prolyn.net

Telephone: (803) 829-8368

Toll Free: (866) 566-2372

Fax: (803) 548-3792

This Blog will stay in effect as I will continue posting industry and other staffing relevant articles here. The Blog name of "The Windmill" will remain the same. Looking forward to continuing to partner with all of you in the future!!!

Exciting News - I am going out on my own!!!

2007-10-12T17:36:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone!! It is with great excitment that I tell you all that I have resigned from MRI and have started my own recruiting firm! I am busy working on closing out all active searches through MRI...my old contact information at MRI will remain in effect through October 31st...and I will be posting my new contact information here shortly! I am just putting the finishing touches on the new website prior to unveiling it all to you!

You will all be receiving an email announcement from me here within the next few days...but figured I'd post my announcement here as well to keep you all updated.

I am beyond excited about this new venture and am looking forward to continuing to partner with all of you going forward. My industry focus will remain the same - Windows & Doors and I will be working harder than ever to help you fill positions and/or find that next dream job!

More details coming your way soon!!! Enjoy your weekend!

Follow Your Bliss

2007-09-25T10:28:00.000-04:00

This is a great article that I received in an email newsletter...it is geared or written more towards recruiters...but the tips and advice truly are transitionable to any profession. As such, I took out much fo teh bulk of the article as it just listed real life examples that a recruiter experienced in trying to follow/find his bliss...but hope that some of the below will be of us or of interest to you.
FOLLOW YOUR BLISS

"If you follow your bliss, you put yourself on a track that has been there all the while, waiting for you. When you can see that, you begin to meet people who are in your field of bliss, and they open doors to you. Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls."

How to apply this to your desk or office:

1. Follow your bliss when selecting the clients you'll work for.

2. Follow your bliss when deciding what niche or sub niche to focus on.

3. Follow your bliss when it comes to the parts of the recruiting (sales) process to focus on vs. the parts you'll outsource to others.

4. Follow your bliss when it comes to the new projects, strategic alliances or business relationships to take on.

5. Follow your bliss when deciding what terms you'll accept.

6. Follow your bliss when setting goals and deciding how large or small your business should ought to be.

7. Follow your bliss in regards to work/life balance and time off.

Career Assessment Tests

2007-09-05T09:52:00.000-04:00

Most people in general, that I have crossed paths with anyway are not huge fans of taking any sort of tests. The career assessment test, however, when used properly can be an invaluable tool...if utilizing a good solid test and taking a very open and honest approach in the way you answer your questions. The downside is that in my opinion it can also throw you of your course pretty quickly as to what your right or dream profession should be.

Using my own personal experience as an example...I will tell you that after taking a myriad of career assessment tests way back when, and even reading through the infamous "What Color is Your Parachute" book (more than once!)...my test results could not have been more off in many ways! Turns out according to my results I should have been a social worker, teacher or something relating to the arts. I will tell you that I am a sales person at heart and through my work as a recruiter have learned quickly that I thrive on the charge and often chaos of closing the deal, getting the sale, etc. I am one of the lucky ones...having found my dream job, having a strong passions for it and never in a million years being able to imagine doing anything else. As such, thought this article may be of interest to some of you who are in that state of questioning what career is right for you.

CAREER ASSESSMENT TESTS:
As a child, you were sure you were going to grow up to be a cowboy. But somewhere between waking up for Saturday morning cartoons and staying up for Conan, you traded in your cowboy hat for a briefcase.

While it's fine that you never became a cowboy, you can't say that you've ever pursued anything with the same passion you once had for life on the open range. For whatever reason, you sort of just "fell" into the job you have today, and honestly, you're less than thrilled. So why stay?

If you've ever considered changing jobs or careers, you're not alone. Results from a recent CareerBuilder.com survey indicate that three quarters of American workers have changed career paths at least once, and one third of American workers are interested in changing careers right now.

With one-in-five workers having utilized them, career assessment tests ranked among the most popular methods respondents used to research a new job (in addition to exploring Web sites and consulting with friends, family, former co-workers and others in the industry). Despite their popularity, however, how effective are career assessment tests in helping people find jobs that they're not only good at, but passionate about as well?

"An assessment can be very useful in conjunction with other activities to help a person find or create the best path," says Gayle Lantz, an organizational development consultant who specializes in leadership and career development. She says there are a variety of career assessments in the marketplace, some more helpful than others; however, the majority of the problems people encounter with career assessments is not the tests themselves, but how to apply them.

Andrea Kay, career consultant and author of "Life's a B*tch and Then You Change Careers: 9 Steps to Get Out of Your Funk" and on to Your Future, agrees. "Most people are looking for shortcuts to find just the right career and are hoping that a test will be their answer," she says. Approaching a test in this manner, however, will only lead to disappointment. In Kay's experience, tests don't give people the necessary information needed to make a wise career decision.

But while they might not be a magic bullet, Kay admits that tests can be effective in giving people ideas of possible careers that might match their skills and interests, get them thinking about how well-suited they might be for a particular career, and measure their interests, skills or values.

Steve Bohler, the director and head career coach of the career guidance program The Oxford Program, offers the following tips to help people make the best use of career assessment tests.

Don't expect a career assessment to point you to your dream job. Most career tests measure one aspect of a person, such as interests, personality or aptitude, and the results are merely suggestions based on that one area of assessment. Just because a person has an interest in marine biology doesn't mean he or she has the natural abilities for the work.

Do make sure the test meets the two primary criteria: valid and reliable. Validity indicates how well the test measures what it says it measures, and if a test is reliable, the results of the test will be consistent if taken multiple times.

Do give honest answers. If an individual consciously or subconsciously answers questions to fit an outcome he or she has in mind, the results will not be very useful.

Career assessment tests can be extremely valuable in giving people a jump start in choosing career paths that fit their interests, best utilize their skills or match their personalities. "What is most important is making sure you understand the purpose of the assessment and work with a professional who is skilled in helping interpret results," says Lantz.

If you're thinking about changing jobs but aren't sure quite how to start, try an accredited Web site like CareerPath.com, which offers resources to direct you to make career choices that fit your interests, personality and strengths.

Five Reasons to Send Thank You Letters After Interviewing

2007-08-28T08:09:00.001-04:00

You would all probably be quite surprised at how many people don't send thank yous out after having interviewed with a company as well as what a critical factor it is in the interview process! Thank you letters are an excellent self-marketing tool and a critical component of your job search strategy. The time you spend crafting a targeted thank you letter after an interview will be well spent, and it will help you create a credible and efficient search. Here are five reasons why you should incorporate thank you letters into your search strategy.

1. A thank you letter creates an opportunity to reconnect with employers.Chances are you aren't the only candidate being interviewed for an open position. Writing a follow up letter allows you to build a relationship with the interviewer and develop rapport. By expressing your gratitude for the interview and recapping the highlights of the meeting, you revisit the reasons why you are the best fit for the position.

2. Following up keeps your candidacy top of mind.Candidates often make the mistake of putting too much control in the interviewer's hands. They believe that, if they're the best candidate, the interviewer will remember them and keep them in the loop regarding the selection process. Unfortunately, this doesn't often happen. It's critical that candidates remind prospective employers of their interest in a position. The thank you letter is the perfect vehicle for communicating this interest.

3. Written correspondence gives you another chance to sell your strengths.While the thank you letter expresses gratitude for the meeting, it also serves a much more strategic purpose. It provides an opportunity for the candidate to present their skills and accomplishments in another format and market the value they'll add to the employer.

4. The document enables you to address points you neglected to discuss during the interview.Many candidates, after leaving the interview, think of other things they could have said during the meeting. Don't label this a liability; turn it into an asset by discussing these points in the thank you letter. Remind the reader of your ability to produce similar results for their organization.

5. A letter helps develop rapport and increases the employer's comfort level in your candidacy.A good strategy is to recap a part of the conversation where you and the interviewer shared similar views on a job-related topic. The thank you letter can also be a forum for demonstrating your consultative problem solving skills. By addressing current issues the employer is facing and proposing solutions, you are contributing to the company's success even before you are on board!

Thank you letters continue to be an important component of a successful job search campaign. But the focus has shifted from a simple courtesy and show of appreciation to a targeted self-marketing tool. By creating letters that validate your candidacy, build rapport, and remind the reader of your value added, you can significantly influence potential employers and -- most importantly -- increase your chances for subsequent interviews.

Glass Build Trade Show - Atlanta

2007-08-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

Just a quick post to let you all know that I will be in attendance at the Glass Build show in Atlanta this year. I will be there one day only on Tuesday, 9/11. If you will be in attendance there, drop me an email or give me a call to let me know. It is always a real treat to be able to meet both candidates and clients that I know and work with in person!

Finding Your Dream Job

2007-08-20T09:27:00.000-04:00

Walt Disney once said, "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."But what about dream jobs? Can we truly love what we do and get paid for it?

Recently, CareerBuilder.com and Disney Parks took a look at the idea of dream jobs and the people living out their fantasies. According to their survey of over 6,000 workers nationwide, a staggering 84 percent of people say they aren't in their dream jobs. What's the biggest thing missing? Fun.

"What defines a dream job is surprisingly reminiscent of childhood wishes for many workers. Workers said they want to enjoy their work experience, apply their talents and feel like they're making an impact," says Richard Castellini, senior career advisor for CareerBuilder.com. "Having fun at work was the most important attribute of a dream job for 39 percent of workers, which heavily outweighed the 12 percent who said salary was most important.

Who's Living the Dream?Professions reporting the highest percentage of those feeling they are already in their dream jobs included police and firefighters, teachers, real estate professionals, engineers, travel professionals and nurses. Those professions with the least amount of workers feeling they have their dream jobs included accommodations/food services, manufacturing and retail. As children, excitement and imagination played a major role in defining career paths. We dreamed of becoming firefighters, princesses and dancers," says Castellini. "But today, a majority of workers aren't living out the aspirations they had 20, 30, or even 40 years ago.

So, how do you go about landing your dream job?Learn more.Research your dream career and investigate those industry trends. Sign up for a class related to your dream job or one that will teach you relevant skills.

Investigate similar jobs and their pay.Find a success story.Talk to someone who has your dream job and ask about the steps taken to get there.

Ask for advice and any secrets for success. You may be surprised to learn the downsides of your dream career. But don't get discouraged -- this can help you fine-tune your goals.Take inventory.What's keeping you from going for your dream job? Is it lack of training or education, the desire to pay off debt, family obligations or relocation?

Map out a specific strategy for tackling each factor that might be an impediment. Step back.If you can afford it, consider accepting a lower-paying position that may get you closer to your dream job. People sometimes sacrifice dreams in lieu of short-term gains. Your decision could ultimately help you achieve your goals. Seek expert advice.Visit a career counselor to discuss your interests and help you establish a path and stay on it to attain your desired outcome. Before taking a job for less pay, talk to a financial planner who can suggest ways to budget if you to take a job for less money.

Back From Vacation

2007-08-13T13:58:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the delay in getting some postings on this site...after spending a week and a half on the road with my daughter traveling up and down the east coast by car visiting various friends, family and a few clients...I am finally back to work! Mondays are hard enough to adjust back to the work week...but after 10 days of vacation...I am finding it even more difficult to re adjust back to the daily grind! I have several new positions to post that are hot and urgent needs...please review the list posted to the right on my Blog and let me know if you or anyone you can think of may be a good fit for one of the positions i am recruiting for. I am finding that it is more and more difficult to find and successfully recruit good talent these days. Mainly, I think this is due to how strong of a candidate driven market it is - a good sign for all of you job seekers that is for sure as it gives you leverage when it comes to negotiating and going after job opprotuities. I have definately noticed that many companies are feeling the pain of finding good talent too. More often than not the job seekers I talk to lately seem to have several offers in hand with the ability to pick and choose prior to accepting that new job! I love nothing more than to share encouraging news...so thought those of you who are still on the hunt for that next perfect job would be encouraged by what I am seeing out there in the industry these days!

Carlyn Burns - Independent Recruiter

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